Body-wearable electronic device and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

The present invention relates to a body-wearable or body-implantable electronic device, in particular a pulse watch and / or smart watch and / or probe and / or implant, comprising a housing with an upper surface and a lower surface, at least one window made of glass and / or glass ceramic disposed on the lower surface, the housing containing an inorganic carrier (7) to which glass and / or glass ceramic windows (9, 9a, 9b, 9d) are fixed, and an opening in the inorganic carrier (7) is closed, the inorganic carrier (7) being composed of multiple components (70, 71, 72).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wearable or introducible electronic device and a manufacturing method thereof, in particular to a pulse watch and / or a smart watch and / or a probe and / or a body implant equipped with a photoplethysmography measuring device. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Body-wearable electronic devices are known, in which the back surface of the device is placed on the skin of a user.

[0003] In particular, so-called pulse watches are known, i.e. electronic devices with a measuring device for the pulse. Modern pulse watches are usually multifunctional and have not only a pulse measuring device but also components for many other functions. In particular, such watches may include a display, a GPS module, etc. Such watches are also called "smart watches".

[0004] The first measuring devices available on the market, consisting of wristwatches with pulse meters, worked according to the electrocardiographic measuring principle, which has the advantage that it allows very accurate measurements.

[0005] However, the drawback of the electrocardiogram measurement principle is that it generally consumes a lot of energy, and it is also costly to install an electrocardiogram measurement device in a smartwatch.

[0006] Photoplethysmography measurements have therefore established themselves as a prevalent measurement principle, especially in smart watches.

[0007] A pulsometer wristwatch that functions according to such a measurement principle is shown, for example, in the published document WO 2015 / 102589.

[0008] The photoplethysmography measurement principle can be integrated inexpensively and using little construction space, for example on the back of a pulse rate watch.

[0009] This measurement principle makes use of the fact that the absorption of light, particularly at certain wavelengths, is related to the hemoglobin concentration in blood.

[0010] This absorption increases with increasing hemoglobin concentration, so based on the course of light absorption, the pulse rate can be determined.

[0011] For this purpose, photoplethysmographic measuring devices use a transmitting diode, in particular an LED, as well as a receiving diode, i.e. in particular a photodiode, through which the reflected light is measured. Usually, wavelengths between 510 nm and 920 nm are used. In particular, green light is suitable for photoplethysmographic measuring systems. A considerable number of systems also utilize light in the IR wavelength range or perform measurements with both infrared and visible light.

[0012] The problem is that a small portion of the light emitted by the transmitting diode is backscattered.

[0013] Furthermore, there are small variations in absorption due to constantly changing hemoglobin concentrations.

[0014] Furthermore, in known measuring devices, strong optical noise is generated by ambient light, artifacts when the user moves as well as the changing distance between the skin and the measuring device, which makes it difficult to measure the pulse via photoplethysmography measurements.

[0015] In this connection, the optical quality of the window through which the light leaves the pulsometer watch and / or smartwatch and through which the receiving diode measures the intensity of the reflected light plays an important role.

[0016] In addition to high optical quality, the window must simultaneously be designed to be as robust and fluid-tight as possible.

[0017] At the same time, the risk of injury to the user should be kept as low as possible if the window is damaged or destroyed. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0018] The task of the present invention is to fulfil the above mentioned requirements in the best possible way.

[0019] The requirements applicable to a pulsometer watch and / or smartwatch are advantageously transferable to probes and / or implants that can be introduced into the human or animal body, in particular to probes that are temporarily introduced and penetrate the body. In particular, a pulsometer watch and / or smartwatch and / or implant should be provided in which the windows for the transmitting and / or receiving diodes are sealed and the optical noise caused by the windows is reduced compared to measuring devices known from the prior art, and in case of window breakage the risk of injury to the user is reduced. [Means for solving the problem]

[0020] The problem according to the invention is already solved by a body-wearable or body-introducible electronic device as claimed in one of the independent claims.

[0021] Advantageous embodiments and developments of the invention can be found in the subject matter of the dependent claims, the description as well as the drawings.

[0022] The present invention relates to a body wearable or introducible electronic device, in particular configured as a pulsometer watch and / or a smartwatch and / or a probe and / or a body implant.

[0023] Such electronic equipment includes a housing having a top and a bottom.

[0024] The lower surface is configured to rest against the user's skin when worn.

[0025] In particular, a body-wearable or body-introducible electronic device, in particular in the form of a pulse watch and / or a smart watch and / or a probe and / or an implant, is provided, which comprises a housing with an upper surface and a lower surface, in which at least one window made of glass and / or glass ceramic is arranged on the lower surface, in which the housing comprises an inorganic carrier in which the window made of glass and / or glass ceramic is fixed and in which the opening in the inorganic carrier is closed, in which the inorganic carrier is synthesized from a plurality of components.

[0026] In embodiments, the glass and / or glass-ceramic window is fused to an inorganic carrier.

[0027] The invention is based on the knowledge that a fused glass window, in which there is a direct material bond between the carrier material and the glass, can provide a robust and hermetic bond, while at the same time providing high optical quality of the window.

[0028] Advantageously, the window is made of glass and / or glass ceramic as a glass compression seal.

[0029] Such a glass compression seal is provided by using a carrier that has a higher coefficient of linear expansion α than the glass of the window.

[0030] To form a glass compression seal, the window inserted into the opening is heated together with the carrier above the softening temperature of the glass, and the carrier material shrinks more than the window material upon cooling, placing the glass under compressive stress.

[0031] Due to the pretension thus present, a particularly tight bond results. At the same time, the window itself is also more stable.

[0032] It has further been found that by providing a glass compression seal, it is possible to provide a window that is configured to develop a crater upon damage, particularly in a ball drop test, where crater-like spalling occurs in the damaged area, with material flaking off in particulate, particularly powder, form and separating from the window.

[0033] In particular, the ball drop test can be carried out by dropping a steel ball with a defined mass onto the window from a defined height under the action of gravity. In particular for windows with straight or flat surfaces, a ball with a mass of 7 g can be used, in particular for windows with convex or concave surfaces, a ball with a mass of 12 g can be used. The drop height for testing the breaking behavior of windows is 50 cm.

[0034] In addition to a more robust design, i.e. a higher force application at which complete window failure first occurs, this at the same time minimises the risk of injury to the user.

[0035] The inventors have realized that a particularly advantageous fracture behavior for the user can be achieved in the form of a material to be separated from the window in powder form by the window having minimal surface imperfections such as roughness, micro-defects and / or shape deviations. There is an interaction between the glass compression seal and the presence of a surface structure which manifests itself as an average roughness Rq and / or a number of micro-defects and / or shape deviations within the measurement section. Such shape deviations are in particular micro- or nano-structures. It is speculated that such surface structures act as the starting point for the fracture behavior when the maximum load capacity of the window is exceeded. The specified values ​​provide a sufficient surface structure to achieve a powdered separated window material which reduces the risk of injury.

[0036] The root mean square roughness Rq is a measure of the favorable surface structure. It is known to the person skilled in the art and is calculated from the root mean square of all ordinate values ​​within the measurement interval. The measurements and values ​​are described in DIN EN ISO 4287 (version 2010-07).

[0037] Rq values ​​of 2 nm or more, particularly preferably 12 nm or more, in particular 60 nm or more, are preferred. All these values ​​can be combined with one another as upper or lower limits. Such Rq values ​​can be obtained by mechanically polishing the vitrified window. This is particularly advantageous for windows that have straight or flat surfaces, in particular surfaces that, on the side facing the user, are formed as plane parallel or convex with respect to the surface of the housing.

[0038] Instead of roughness and Rq value, the number of microdefects in the measurement section can be specified as a measure for the surface structure. Advantageously, windows are made of glasses and / or glass ceramics having from 3 to less than 16 microdefects in a measurement section of 10 mm length, preferably from 16 to less than 80 microdefects or from 80 to less than 400 microdefects in such a measurement section. Such a specification is particularly practical for the abovementioned windows with straight or flat surfaces, but can also be used for windows with curved surfaces.

[0039] Another means for processing the windows and providing them with a specified surface structure is fire-polishing the windows. These advantageously have a fire-polished surface. However, the fire-polishing is carried out locally, in particular only at the surface of the window, so that the glass compression seal remains intact. In particular, this allows the windows to have a surface structure in the form of waviness, advantageously in the range of 100 nm to 5 μm.

[0040] Fire polishing is advantageous in the case of curved surfaces of the window, for example in the case of concave or convex windows.

[0041] Windows having such an advantageously present surface structure, in terms of their optical properties, are able to fulfil the optical requirements necessary for the optical measurement function of the electronic device, but in cooperation with the glass compression seal, contribute to reducing the risk of injury to the user.

[0042] Advantageously, a support material is used whose linear expansion coefficient α (at 20° C.) is at least 2 ppm / K, preferably at least 5 ppm / K, greater than the linear expansion coefficient of the glass or glass ceramic.

[0043] In another embodiment of the invention, the glass and / or glass ceramic window is connected to the carrier by soldering with glass. Via such an embodiment of the invention, a window is also provided that is adapted in terms of the expansion coefficient depending on the application. In particular, in this way, a composite of carrier and window can be provided that is highly resistant to heat.

[0044] In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, at least two windows made of glass and / or glass ceramic are fused to the carrier.

[0045] Here, a transmitting diode is arranged under a first window made of glass and / or glass ceramic and a receiving diode is arranged under a second window made of glass and / or glass ceramic.

[0046] Advantageously, the inorganic carrier or at least one component thereof is at least non-transparent to the radiation emitted by the transmitting diode.

[0047] By using two windows in conjunction with the inorganic carrier, direct crosstalk from the transmit diode to the receive diode is minimized.

[0048] The inorganic carrier advantageously comprises one or more of the materials metal, ceramic, glass-ceramic and / or non-transparent glass (at least for the wavelength of light emitted by the transmitting diode).

[0049] Metals for the support can in particular be metals having a linear expansion coefficient α (at 20° C.) between 3 ppm / K and 25 ppm / K.

[0050] The metal used is advantageously substantially nickel-free, in particular the material meets the requirements of DIN EN 1811 (version 2015-10) and / or DIN EN 12472 (version 2009-9).

[0051] Suitable materials are in particular stainless steel, titanium, aluminum and precious metals and their alloys. Furthermore, nickel-containing materials can also be used which are provided with a coating that prevents nickel diffusion, for example a gold coating.

[0052] Furthermore, stainless steels, especially austenitic nickel-containing stainless steels, can be used as the carrier housing material, as such materials form a chromium oxide layer that prevents nickel diffusion.

[0053] Furthermore, ceramics can be used, which are usually already optically non-transparent. The fused glass bonds with the ceramic, and this bond is mechanically stable and tight.

[0054] In particular, aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, aluminum nitride or porcelain can be used as ceramic.

[0055] Furthermore, the carrier can be made of glass, in particular glass that is colored so that it is non-transparent at least in the wavelength range of the radiation emitted by the transmitting diode. In particular, glass doped with oxides, such as cobalt oxide, magnesium oxide or iron oxide, can be used.

[0056] For example, borosilicate glass, aluminoborosilicate glass or sodium silicate glass can be used as window glass.

[0057] The window preferably has a transmittance of at least more than 80%, particularly preferably more than 90%, for the radiation emitted by the transmitting diode. The window may comprise an anti-reflection coating, which can further improve the transmittance.

[0058] High transmittance reduces optical crosstalk.

[0059] Additionally, the glass may be provided with an anti-reflective layer.

[0060] For certain applications, in particular for measuring devices for monitoring glucose concentration or oxygen saturation, for example where infrared light is used, infrared-transparent glasses can also be used. For this purpose, in particular sapphire glasses or borosilicate glasses or soda-lime glasses can also be used, in particular if the window is designed as a glass compression seal. In particular, glass and / or glass ceramic materials can be used that are biocompatible and / or bioactive, particularly preferably glass and / or glass ceramic materials that are not stressful on cells and particularly preferably that even inhibit cell adhesion on the upper part of the window.

[0061] In a development of the invention, the carrier comprises a protrusion in the region of at least one window made of glass or glass ceramic.

[0062] A protrusion is in particular a plateau protruding from the lower surface it contacts. Such a protrusion can improve the contact of the window with the user's skin, which in turn improves the measurement accuracy.

[0063] The invention further relates to a body wearable electronic device, in particular having one or more of the characteristics mentioned above.

[0064] The body wearable electronic device includes a housing having an upper surface and a lower surface, the lower surface configured to contact the skin of a user when worn.

[0065] A window made of glass or glass ceramic, in particular configured as a fiber optic plate, containing optical fibers in accordance with the invention, is arranged on the underside.

[0066] A fiber optic plate is comprised of many individual fibers that extend laterally, typically perpendicular to, the top or bottom surface and are surrounded by a covering material (also called a "cladding").

[0067] Due to the low refractive index of the cladding material compared to the fiber material, total internal reflection occurs, thereby creating individual light guides.

[0068] In this way, light is input into the fibers on one side of the fiber optic plate and emerges again from the same fibers on the other side of the fiber optic plate.

[0069] Therefore, optical crosstalk due to volume scattering within the window can be largely avoided.

[0070] Furthermore, the use of fiber optic plates has the advantage that there is little or no increase in optical noise with increasing window thickness, since there is virtually no optical crosstalk within the fiber plate.

[0071] Thus, the fiber optic plate can be made thicker and therefore more stable than in the prior art.

[0072] Advantageously, the window formed from the fiber optic plate is configured as a glass compression seal, as described above.

[0073] In a development of the invention, at least one window made of glass or glass ceramic is configured as a filter for the receiving diode and / or the transmitting diode.

[0074] In particular, one or more windows are provided that are tinted such that this / they have a higher transmittance for the wavelength of the transmitting diode than for other wavelengths.

[0075] In this way, the optical noise caused by ambient light can be easily reduced.

[0076] The present invention further relates to a dimensional improvement of a pulsometer watch and / or a smartwatch that includes a device back with at least two windows.

[0077] A first window made of glass and / or glass ceramic, under which a transmitting diode is arranged, is separated at its edge by a distance s from a second window made of glass and / or glass ceramic, under which a receiving diode is arranged.

[0078] The first window and / or the second window have a diameter d.

[0079] It has been found that over a ratio s / h between 2 and 7, advantageously between 3 and 5, the optical signal on the receiving diode is optimized.

[0080] Additionally, the first window and / or the second window are assigned a height h that corresponds to a thickness of the window.

[0081] Preferably s / d is between 1 and 3, most preferably between 1.5 and 2.5.

[0082] In a further development of the invention, at least one electrical feed-through is embedded in the glass window.

[0083] Advantageously, at least one electrical feedthrough is embedded in a separate window made of glass or glass ceramic.

[0084] In particular, the glass compression seal can provide electrical feed-through through the window.

[0085] An electrical lead-in can be used, for example, to supply current for recharging.

[0086] Furthermore, the sensor surface can be provided or contact-connected via electrical lead-ins.

[0087] It is particularly provided that the measuring device, which functions according to the electrocardiographic measuring method, is provided with a sensor surface for temperature or humidity measurement on the skin and / or on the medium surrounding the probe and / or the implant, for example blood and / or gastric juices.

[0088] Conductivity measurements of the skin and / or the medium surrounding the implant can also be carried out via electrical leads, in this way making it possible, inter alia, to infer the physical condition of the wearer.

[0089] Furthermore, an electronic interface may be provided via electrical feedthroughs.

[0090] In an embodiment of the invention it is provided that the pulse watch comprises both a photoplethysmographic measuring device and an electrocardiographic measuring device.

[0091] The invention further relates to a carrier comprising a glass and / or glass-ceramic window for the underside of the housing of the body wearable device as described above.

[0092] The invention further relates to a method for manufacturing a body wearable electronic device as described above.

[0093] Here, a glass and / or glass-ceramic window is fused to an inorganic carrier, which is further coupled to the housing of a body-wearable electronic device.

[0094] In particular, a glass compression seal can be provided by using a carrier with a higher coefficient of linear expansion than the window glass.

[0095] In a further embodiment, the window is bonded without significant compressive pressure.

[0096] The subject matter of the invention shall be explained in more detail below with reference to the embodiments illustrated diagrammatically on the basis of the drawings in FIGS. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0097] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the front view of an electronic device configured as a wristwatch with a pulse meter, worn on the body. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the back of an electronic device configured as a wristwatch with a pulse meter, worn on the body. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a carrier with at least one window forming at least a portion of the underside of a pulsimeter watch. [Figure 3a] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a carrier with at least one window forming at least a portion of the underside of a pulsimeter watch. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a carrier with at least one window forming at least a portion of the underside of a pulsimeter watch. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a carrier with at least one window forming at least a portion of the underside of a pulsimeter watch. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a carrier with at least one window forming at least a portion of the underside of a pulsimeter watch. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a window in which the window is configured as a fiber optic plate. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 illustrates the design of the window as a fiber plate. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 illustrates the design of the window as a fiber plate. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 illustrates the design of the window as a fiber plate. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 shows a method for bonding a window to a carrier. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 shows a method for bonding a window to a carrier. [Figure 13] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a photoplethysmography measurement device including a window configured as a glass compression seal. [Figure 14] FIG. 1 shows a photoplethysmography measurement device with a fiber plate as a window. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating in more detail the window thickness and window distance dimensions. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the dimensions of window thickness and window distance in more detail, with contour plots based on simulations in which the sensor signal is plotted relative to thickness and window distance. [Figure 17] 1 is a photograph of damage caused by a ball drop test to a window configured as a glass compression seal. [Figure 18] FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of an embodiment with a ceramic element as a constituent part of the carrier and a fiber plate as a window. [Figure 19] FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0098] 1 and 2 show a schematic diagram of a wearable electronic device configured as a pulse watch 1.

[0099] As shown in FIG. 1, the pulsometer watch 1 includes a housing 3 with an armband 2 by which the pulsometer watch 1 can be secured to a user's arm.

[0100] The user can read his pulse via a display 5 arranged on the front side of the housing 3. The pulsometer watch 1 further comprises an operating device 4, for example in the form of a button. For operation, the display 5 may be configured as a touch display.

[0101] Advantageously, the pulsometer watch 1 is configured as a so-called "smart watch" and can therefore provide many other functions.

[0102] 2 shows the housing back 6 of the pulsimeter watch 1. With this back, the housing 3 of the pulsimeter watch rests against the skin of the user when worn.

[0103] In such an embodiment, a carrier 7 made of metal, for example stainless steel, is fitted into the housing back 6 made of plastic.

[0104] The metallic carrier 7 comprises a plateau-shaped projection 8 in which windows 9a, 9b made of glass are fitted at a distance from one another.

[0105] The windows 9a, 9b are configured as glass compression seals. A receiving diode 11 is arranged under the window 9a and a transmitting diode 10, in particular an LED, is arranged under the window 9b.

[0106] The transmitting diode 10 and the receiving diode 11 are part of a photoplethysmography measuring device, through which the user's pulse is measured.

[0107] The intensity profile of the light from the transmitting diode 10 , which is returned by volume scattering in the user's tissue, is measured via the receiving diode 11 .

[0108] The pulse can be calculated based on the hemoglobin concentration, which varies periodically with the pulse.The protrusions 8 of the carrier 7 contribute to improving the contact between the windows 9a, 9b and the user's skin surface.

[0109] The carrier 7 in this embodiment comprises a further window 9d made of glass and / or glass ceramic, which further window 9d comprises a number of electrical lead-ins 13. In this embodiment, the electrical lead-ins 13 are used to form contacts for an electronic interface, via which the pulsometer watch 1 can be charged and also data can be exchanged, in particular for installing software.

[0110] The metallic carrier 7 may, for example, be connected to the remainder of the housing, in particular to the housing rear face 6 .

[0111] Advantageously, the housing of the pulsometer watch 1 is made of metal. The carrier 7 may in particular be designed as a rear housing half.

[0112] Various embodiments of a carrier having at least one window that can be used in the electronic device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0113] In the embodiment according to FIG. 3, a carrier 7 is provided which comprises, for example, a metal, a ceramic or a non-transparent glass.

[0114] The windows 9a and 9b are made of a material that is highly transmissive to the light emitted by the transmitting diode.

[0115] In contrast, the carrier 7 can act as a light barrier, which prevents light from passing directly from the transmitting diode to the receiving diode via the windows 9a, 9b.

[0116] To improve the optical quality, it is conceivable to polish the windows 9a, 9b.

[0117] The windows 9a and 9b are advantageously configured as glass compression seals.

[0118] Designed with glass compression seals, resulting in a helium leak rate of 10 -8 This makes it possible to provide housings of mbar·l / s or less.

[0119] In the advantageous embodiment shown here, at least two windows 9b are provided, under which one transmitting diode is respectively arranged.

[0120] Advantageously, the windows 9b for the transmitting diodes are arranged next to, and on either side of, the windows 9a for the receiving diodes.

[0121] In such an embodiment, the window 9a for the receiving diode is made larger than the window 9b for the transmitting diode.

[0122] The carrier 7 preferably has a thickness adjacent to the window of between 0.3 mm and 2 mm, particularly preferably between 0.5 mm and 1 mm.

[0123] The windows 9a, 9b advantageously occupy the entire height of the carrier 7 in the region of the windows 9a, 9b.

[0124] In particular, the carrier 7 can be composed of several components 70, 71, regardless of whether the window 9 is configured as a glass compression seal or not, which are particularly preferably connected to one another by a material bond, for example by fusion.

[0125] In the embodiment, generally, an opening with a window is arranged in one of the components, and at least one further component surrounds the component with the opening 27. In the illustrated example, the carrier 7 includes a component 71 having an opening 27 closed by windows 9a, 9b as well as a further component 70 surrounding such component 71. That is to say, generally, and without being limited to the illustrated example, a carrier 7 is provided with two components 70, 71, where the outer component 70 surrounds the inner component in an annular manner. The inner component 71 here advantageously has one or more openings 27 closed by windows 9a, 9b, as also illustrated in the embodiment. The term "annularly" does not in any way mean a circular form in the present disclosure. Rather, the course of the boundary between the two components is not only circular, but may be arbitrary, for example elliptical or polygonal.

[0126] Generally, the construction of the carrier 7 from multiple components is used to apply pressure to one or more windows 9 after synthesis with different thermal expansion coefficients. For example, different thermal expansion coefficients support or reinforce the pressure build-up during glass compression sealing. Thus, without being limited to this example, in an embodiment, it is provided that at least two of the components 70, 71 of the carrier 7 have different thermal expansion coefficients.

[0127] In the embodiment according to FIG. 3a, the carrier 7 protrudes at its edges from at least one window 9a, 9b made of glass and / or glass ceramic.

[0128] This facilitates manufacture when designed as a glass compression seal. This protrusion at the edge of the carrier 7 and the associated remaining windows 9a, 9b makes it possible in particular to compensate for volumetric variations in the glass material of the windows 9a, 9b.

[0129] It should be understood that the protruding side advantageously forms the inner side of the carrier 7 .

[0130] 3a also shows an example of a further configuration of the carrier 7 which is made up of several components. In such an embodiment, it is provided that the carrier has a multi-layer structure, where at least two components 70, 71 form layers of the carrier 7. In the shown example, component 71 forms an inner layer of the carrier 7 and component 72 forms an outer layer of the carrier 7 with respect to the housing formed by the carrier 7.

[0131] 4 shows an alternative embodiment in which the carrier 7 (as also shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) has a protrusion 8. Windows 9a, 9b are in the area of ​​the protrusion 8.

[0132] The contact between the windows 9a, 9b and the user's skin is improved by this protrusion.

[0133] In this example as well, a multi-layer structure of the carrier 7 is exemplarily set up, similar to Fig. 3a. Fig. 4 here shows an example of an embodiment with a sandwich structure, in which a layered component 71 is embedded in a further component 70.

[0134] FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment of the invention in which a window 9 made of glass or glass ceramic is fitted into the carrier 7, under which both the transmitting and receiving diodes are arranged.

[0135] In such an embodiment, the window 9 is not configured as a glass compression seal, but rather is bonded to the carrier 7 by a glass solder joint 12 .

[0136] The glass soldering portion 12 is arranged in an internal groove of the carrier 7 .

[0137] In such an embodiment, the window 9 itself forms the protrusion 8 .

[0138] Similar to the example of Fig. 3, the carrier 7 is composed of two components 70, 71, where the outer component 70 annularly surrounds the inner component 71. However, unlike the example of Fig. 3, here the inner component 71 is thinner than the component 70 which it annularly surrounds.

[0139] FIG. 6 shows a further embodiment in which an electrical lead-through 13, for example in the form of a pin, is arranged in the window 9a.

[0140] Otherwise, the carrier 7 with the windows 9a, 9b corresponds to the embodiment according to FIG.

[0141] Via electrical feed-through 13 further functions may be provided.

[0142] For example, the electrical lead-through 13 may be used as a sensor surface for an additionally present electrocardiographic measuring device of a pulse wristwatch.

[0143] In the example of FIG. 6, a carrier 7 is further provided which comprises three different components 70, 71, 72.

[0144] FIG. 7 shows an embodiment of the window 9, in which the window 9 is configured as a fiber optic plate.

[0145] Instead of a homogeneous glass material, as can be seen in the detailed view on the right, the optical fiber plate is made up of fibers 14, in particular glass fibers, which are embedded in a cladding material 15, which is preferably also made of glass.

[0146] The cladding 15 has a lower refractive index than the material of the optically conductive fiber 14 .

[0147] Thus, total internal reflection occurs at the interface and light is transmitted within the optically conductive fiber 14 from one side to the other.

[0148] The use of a fiber optic plate has the advantage that in the window 9 thus formed, there is little or no volume scattering, through which the light is transmitted directly to the receiving diode.

[0149] Rather, the light remains within the individual fibers 14 .

[0150] The thickness of the fiber optic plate has little effect on the optical noise.

[0151] To further reduce optical noise, in particular to reduce Moire effects, the fiber optic plate may contain colored fibers, in particular statistically distributed colored fibers.

[0152] The fiber optic plate is also advantageously configured as a glass compression seal.

[0153] FIG. 8 shows a further embodiment in which a fiber optic plate 16 embedded in a carrier is used.

[0154] In the cross-sectional view of FIG. 8, it can be seen that the fiber optic plate 16 is coupled to a partition wall 19 .

[0155] The walls 19 define an internally formed chamber 17 in the assembled state in which, for example, a transmitting diode and / or a photodiode are arranged.

[0156] As shown in plan view in FIG. 10, the fiber plate 16 may be provided with a masking 20 around the thus formed transparent area 18, which is non-transparent at least to the wavelength of the transmitting diode.

[0157] In a detailed view of area A of FIG. 9, it can be seen that the fiber optic plate 16 is made up of a number of light-conducting fibers 14 embedded in a cladding material 15 .

[0158] FIG. 11 shows an embodiment of how a fiber optic plate 16 is connected to a carrier 7 which is advantageously made of metal.

[0159] In such an embodiment, the fiber optic plate 16 is configured as a glass compression seal, i.e., the fiber optic plate 16 has a lower linear expansion coefficient α than the carrier 7.

[0160] During manufacture, the fiber optic plate 16 is heated to at least the softening temperature of the coating material 15. Upon cooling, the carrier 7 shrinks more than the fiber optic plate 16, creating compressive stresses in the fiber optic plate 16.

[0161] FIG. 12 shows an alternative embodiment in which a fiber optic plate 16 is attached to one side of the carrier 7 .

[0162] For example, bonding can be achieved by soldering or anionic bonding with glass.

[0163] In such an embodiment, the partition 19 is formed by the carrier 7, i.e. the partition 19 is flush with the carrier. The partition 19 can be formed, for example, by stamping the carrier 7, which is made of metal.

[0164] With reference to FIG. 13, we will now explain how the photoplethysmography measurement device works.

[0165] In such an embodiment, the pulsometer watch comprises a housing back with a carrier 7 in which a window 9 made of glass or glass ceramic is fitted.

[0166] Light is projected through a window 9 onto the wearer's skin surface 22 via a transmitting diode 10 located on a printed circuit board 21 located inside the housing.

[0167] Volume scattering occurs in the tissue surrounding the skin surface 22 causing a small percentage of the light incident on the skin surface 22 to be backscattered to the receiving diode 11 .

[0168] Based on the change in intensity related to hemoglobin concentration, the pulse rate can be inferred.

[0169] In such a measurement device, the signal applied to the receiving diode 11 consists largely of optical noise.

[0170] For example, in order to reduce optical noise, the window 9 can be configured as a color filter, advantageously allowing light in the wavelength range of the transmitting diode 10 to pass.

[0171] However, it should be understood that even within the window 9, volume scattering can occur, which amplifies the optical noise, for example due to non-uniformities in the glass. These relate, inter alia, to the optical quality of the window 9 as well as the thickness of the window 9.

[0172] FIG. 14 shows that a fiber optic plate 16 can be used as a window instead of a conventional window.

[0173] When using the fiber optic plate 16, after the light enters the optical fiber, it remains within the individual light-conducting fibers, so backscattering of the light within the fiber optic plate 16 to the receiving diode 11 may not occur, or may at least be significantly reduced.

[0174] By proper selection of the refractive indices of the fiber and the cladding, the acceptance angle can be optimized, thereby reducing optical noise.

[0175] With reference to FIG. 15, the effect of window and carrier geometry is illustrated.

[0176] In this embodiment too, a photoplethysmographic measurement device is shown which includes a transmitting diode 10 as well as a receiving diode 11 arranged on a printed circuit board 21 .

[0177] The carrier 7 of the pulsimeter watch is fitted with a window 9b for a transmitting diode and a window 9a for a receiving diode 11.

[0178] In the transmitting diode shown to the right, an exemplary light beam incident on window 9b is plotted.

[0179] A portion of the light emitted through window 9b is backscattered by volume scattering in the tissues of the wearer of the sphygmomanometer watch and enters the receiving diode 11 through window 9a.

[0180] The window 9a of the receiving diode 11 has a diameter d E and the window 9b of the transmitting diode has a diameter d S It has.

[0181] In the case of windows with a non-circular cross section, in the context of the present invention, the diameter refers to the width of the window in the direction of another window (see in this regard "d" in Figure 10).

[0182] The window or windows 9b of the transmitting diode are spaced at their edges from the window 9a of the receiving diode by a distance s.

[0183] The windows have a height h which corresponds to the thickness of each window.

[0184] Figure 16 is a contour plot of a simulation of the optical signal incident on the receiving diode: the darker the area, the better the optical signal.

[0185] The vertical axis shows the distance s between the LED or photodiode and the window diameter d (d E or d S ) is plotted.

[0186] The horizontal axis plots the distance s of the LED or photodiode divided by the window thickness h.

[0187] It has been found that the optimum signal is obtained under the following conditions: s to d E or d S The value divided by this is between 3 and 5. · The value of s divided by h is between 1.5 and 2.5.

[0188] FIG. 17 shows a photograph of a ball drop test of a glass compression seal for a pulsometer watch of the present invention.

[0189] In all four pictures, it can be seen that in the event of damage to the window, a crater-like separation occurs. Due to the glass compression seal, the material essentially bursts into powder, i.e. the glass and / or glass ceramic material that separates from the window is in powder form. This reduces the risk of injury to the user. At the same time, the glass compression seal reduces the risk of cracking and complete breakage of the window. This means, among other things, that the invention has the advantage that the mechanical stability of the window is improved, so that complete damage only occurs under relatively high loads, and in the event of such damage, the risk of injury to the user is minimized.

[0190] The present invention makes it possible to both improve the optical noise of a photoplethysmography measurement device and to increase the stability of a pulse meter wristwatch.

[0191] Fig. 18 shows an example of an embodiment, in which the carrier 7 contains a ceramic element as a component to which a window 9 in the form of a fiber optic plate 16 is bonded. The embodiment generally provides that a window, advantageously in the form of a fiber optic plate, is bonded to a ceramic component of the carrier 70. The further component 70 can be, for example, a metallic component. The bond between the ceramic component and the window can be a glass compression seal or, as shown, a bond via a soldering 12 with glass.

[0192] FIG. 19 shows a plan view of an example of a carrier 7 having two components 70, 71, in which an opening 27 with a window 9 is arranged and at least one further component 70 surrounds the component 71 with the opening 27. In particular, here the component 70 surrounds the inner component 71 in an annular manner. As in the example of FIG. 18, the inner component 71 can be a ceramic component. According to another embodiment, the inner component 71 is non-transparent glass. The outer, annular, surrounding component 70 is advantageously metallic. Without being limited to a particular example, it is provided in the embodiment that a carrier 7 is provided with two components 70, 71, in which the outer metallic component 70 surrounds the inner component 71 in an annular manner, which is made of ceramic or non-transparent glass and in which the opening 27 closed by the window 9 is arranged.

[0193] This patent application claims priority from the German patent application with number 102018127619.2, the content of which is also the subject of the present disclosure in its entirety. [Explanation of symbols]

[0194] 1. Pulse monitor watch 2 Armbands 3. Housing 4 Control device 5. Display 6 Rear of housing 7. Carriers 8 protrusions 9,9a,9b,9d Glass or glass-ceramic windows 10 Transmitting Diode 11 Receiving Diode 12 Soldered parts using glass 13 Electrical feed-through 14 Photoconductive Fiber 15 Covering material 16 Optical Fiber Plate 17 Chamber 18 Permeable Areas 19 Partition Wall 20 Masking 21 Printed Circuit Board 22 Skin surface 27 Opening in 7 70,71,72 7 components

Claims

1. An electronic device that can be worn on a body to acquire biometric information from the body, The electronic device includes a housing having an upper surface and a lower surface; A transmitting diode and a receiving diode are provided within the housing; At least two windows made of glass and / or glass ceramic are arranged on the lower surface, The transmitting diode is disposed below a first window, and the receiving diode is disposed below a second window; the first window transmits light emitted from the transmitting diode, the emitted light is backscattered in body tissue, and the backscattered light passes through the second window toward the receiving diode; The housing comprises a housing rear surface (6) and an inorganic carrier (7) connected to the housing rear surface (6), the window (9, 9a, 9b, 9d) made of glass and / or glass ceramic is fixed to the inorganic carrier (7) and an opening in the inorganic carrier (7) is closed by the window (9), wherein the inorganic carrier (7) is composed of a plurality of components (70, 71, 72), (i) the inorganic carrier (7) has an inner component (71) made of ceramic or opaque glass, in which an opening in the inorganic carrier (7) is arranged, the inner component (71) being surrounded by a further component (70) made of metal, the inner component (71) being flush with the further component (70) and with the window (9) at the rear surface (6) of the housing, Electronic devices that can be worn on the body.

2. an inorganic support (7) is provided which comprises two components (70, 71), said further component (70) annularly surrounding said inner component (71); 2. The body-wearable electronic device according to claim 1.

3. an inorganic carrier (7) is provided that comprises two components (70, 71), the outer metallic component (70) annularly surrounding an inner component (71) made of ceramic or opaque glass, in which the opening (27) is arranged, 3. The body-wearable electronic device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. said windows (9, 9a, 9b, 9d) being fused to said inorganic support (7); 4. The body-wearable electronic device according to claim 1.

5. the glass and / or glass-ceramic window is configured as a glass compression seal; or the window made of glass and / or glass ceramic is connected to the inorganic carrier by soldering with glass; 5. The body-wearable electronic device according to claim 4.

6. the inorganic carrier (7) or at least one of the components (70, 71, 72) of the inorganic carrier (7) is configured to be non-transparent to the radiation emitted by the transmitting diode, 6. The body-wearable electronic device according to claim 5.

7. The electronic device has the following characteristics: The inorganic support comprises one or more of the following materials: metal, ceramic, glass-ceramic, opaque glass; at least two of the components (70, 71) of the inorganic support (7) have different thermal expansion coefficients; having at least one of 7. The body-wearable electronic device according to claim 1.

8. the inorganic carrier has a further window with at least one electrical lead-in; 8. The body-wearable electronic device according to claim 1.

9. the inorganic carrier has protrusions (8) in the region of the at least two windows made of glass and / or glass ceramic; 9. The body-wearable electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. the window made of glass and / or glass ceramic is configured as a fiber optic plate; 10. The body-wearable electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. the glass and / or glass ceramic window is a glass compression seal configured to generate a crater upon failure in a ball drop test; 11. The body-wearable electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. the window made of glass and / or glass ceramic is a glass compression seal configured such that upon damage in a ball drop test, the glass and / or glass ceramic material separated from the window is in powder form; 12. A body-wearable electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. The electronic device has the following characteristics: the glass and / or glass ceramic window is a glass compression seal and has a root mean square roughness Rq of 2 nm or more, wherein the glass and / or glass ceramic window has a straight surface on the side opposite the housing; the glass and / or glass ceramic window is a glass compression seal, the glass compression seal having a predetermined number of micro-defects, and the glass and / or glass ceramic window has a straight surface on the side opposite the housing; The window made of glass and / or glass ceramic is a glass compression seal and has a fire-polished surface on the side opposite the housing, the waviness of which is greater than 100 nm and less than 5 μm; the window made of glass and / or glass ceramic has a concave or convex surface on the side facing away from the housing; having at least one of 13. A body-wearable electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. The electronic device has the following characteristics: the first window made of glass and / or glass ceramic is separated at its edge by a distance s from the second window made of glass and / or glass ceramic, the first window and / or the second window having a diameter d, where s / d=2 to 7 applies; the first window made of glass and / or glass ceramic is separated at its edge by a distance s from the second window made of glass and / or glass ceramic, the first window and / or the second window having a height h, where s / h=1 to 3; the at least two windows made of glass and / or glass ceramic are configured as filters for the receiving diode and / or the transmitting diode, having at least one of 14. A body-wearable electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. The electrical lead-in terminal is used as a measurement electrode or is connected to a measurement electrode.

9. The body-wearable electronic device according to claim 8.

16. The electronic device that can be worn on the body is a pulsimeter watch having a measuring device that functions according to the photoplethysmography measuring principle, 16. A body-wearable electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

17. 17. Carrier with a window made of glass and / or glass ceramic for the underside of a housing of a body wearable electronic device according to any one of the preceding claims.

18. A method for manufacturing a wearable electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, comprising the steps of: Fusing at least two windows made of glass and / or glass ceramic to an inorganic carrier comprising a number of components (70, 71, 72) and coupling said inorganic carrier to a housing of said body-wearable electronic device; A method for manufacturing wearable electronic devices.

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