Sensor device

Abstract

A device ( 1 ) for monitoring a response of a subject body ( 2, 21, 211 ) comprises an emitter ( 3 ) for emitting an input signal ( 5, 51 , . . . ) and a receiver ( 4 ) for receiving an output signal ( 6, 61 , . . . ). A first response (R1) of the subject body ( 2, 21, 211 ) is evaluated from the comparison between the signals. A further emitter ( 31, 311 , . . . ) evaluates a second response (R2), wherein one of the responses is selected for a further monitoring of the response, and/or at least one further receiver ( 41, 411 , . . . ) evaluates a third response (R3), wherein either the first response (R1) or the third response (R3) is selected for a further monitoring of the response, and/or wherein the input signal ( 5, 51 , . . . ) is an electromagnetic field and the device ( 1 ) further comprises a signal modulator ( 9 ) which alters the input signal ( 5, 51 , . . . ).

1 . A device for monitoring a response of a subject body comprising:
 at least one emitter and at least one receiver,   wherein the at least one emitter is configured to emit at least one input signal and the at least one receiver is configured to receive at least one output signal from the subject body in response to said at least one input signal;   a signal generator being in connection with the at least one emitter and being configured to generate the at least one input signal, the at least one input signal being effective at least one of i) for penetrating the subject body and ii) for being reflected from the subject body; and   a signal analyser being in connection with the at least one receiver and being configured to analyse the at least one output signal received from the at least one receiver by comparing the at least one output signal with the at least one input signal,   wherein the device is configured to evaluate at least one first response of the subject body from the comparison between the at least one output signal and the at least one input signal,   wherein the device comprises at least one of:   a. at least one further emitter, wherein the at least one further emitter is configured to emit at least one of i) the at least one input signal and ii) at least one further input signal in order to evaluate at least one second response of the subject body by the comparison between the at least one output signal received by the at least one receiver and at least one of i) the at least one input signal and ii) the at least one further input signal emitted by the at least one further emitter, and wherein either the at least one emitter and the at least one receiver responsible for the at least one first response of the subject body or the at least one further emitter and the at least one receiver responsible for the at least one second response of the subject body are selected for a further monitoring of the response of the subject body based on a comparison between the first response and the second response with a predetermined characteristic; and   b. at least one further receiver, wherein the at least one further receiver is configured to further receive the at least one output signal in order to evaluate at least one third response of the subject body by the comparison between the at least one output signal received by the at least one further receiver and the at least one input signal emitted by the at least one emitter, and wherein either the at least one emitter and the at least one receiver responsible for the at least one first response of the subject body or the at least one emitter and the at least one further receiver responsible for the at least one third response of the subject body are selected for a further monitoring of the response of the subject body based on a comparison between the first response and the third response with a predetermined characteristic.   
     
     
         2 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein a first emitter-receiver-selection comprises at least one of the emitter and the further emitter(s), respectively, and at least one of the receiver and the further receiver(s), respectively,
 wherein at least one further emitter-receiver-selection comprises at least one of another of at least one of the emitter and the further emitter(s), respectively, and at least one of another of at least one of the receiver and the further receiver(s), respectively,   wherein the at least one first response is derivable from the first emitter-receiver-selection, and   wherein at least one of i) the at least one second response and ii) the at least one third response is derivable from the at least one further emitter-receiver-selection.   
     
     
         3 . The device according to  claim 1 , further comprising a signal modulator which is configured to alter the at least one input signal in order to adjust at least one of i) the penetration of the at least one input signal into the subject body and ii) the reflection of the at least one input signal from the subject body, whereby at least one of i) the at least one first response and ii) the at least one second response and iii) the at least one third response, respectively, is altered so as to enable the monitoring of the response of the subject body with spatial resolution. 
     
     
         4 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one input signal and the at least one output signal each are electrical signals. 
     
     
         5 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of:
 a. two or more of the at least one emitter and the at least one further emitter are connected with each other so as to form one or more emitter units, the one or more emitter units being configured to receive the same input signal from the signal generator, and   b. two or more of the at least one receiver and the at least one further receiver are connected with each other so as to form one or more receiver units, the one or more receiver units being configured to receive the particular output signal that is in response to an input signal.   
     
     
         6 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of:
 a. two or more of the at least one emitter and the at least one further emitter are arranged adjacent to each other, and   b. two or more of the at least one receiver and the at least one further receiver are arranged adjacent to each other.   
     
     
         7 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one emitter and the at least one further emitter, respectively, and the at least one receiver and the at least one further receiver, respectively, are arranged in a single plane or in a plurality of planes in the device. 
     
     
         8 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the device is adapted to monitor the response of a living subject body, wherein the living subject body comprises a dielectric medium with electric charges, the electrical charges being redistributed due to the at least one input signal,
 wherein the charge redistribution of said electrical charges changes due to a vital function of the living subject body,   wherein the at least one output signal corresponds to the at least one input signal that is altered by the charge redistribution of the dielectric medium, and   wherein the response of the living subject body corresponds to the vital function.   
     
     
         9 . The device according to  claim 1 , further comprising at least one of:
 a. a signal demodulator configured to demodulate the at least one output signal received by the at least one receiver and the at least one further receiver, respectively, and
 b. an input selection device configured to select at least one of the input signals emitted by the at least one emitter and the at least one further emitter, and 
 c. an output selection device configured to select at least one of the output signals received by the at least one receiver and the at least one further receiver, and 
 d. an analogue-to-digital-converter configured to convert the at least one output signal into a digital signal, and 
 e. a communication module configured to communicate the response to a further device such as a wireless LAN, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a computer, a monitor or the like. 
   
     
     
         10 . The device according to  claim 6 , wherein at least one of:
 a. two or more of the at least one emitter and the at least one further emitter are arranged adjacent to each other within the one or more emitter units, and   b. two or more of the at least one receiver and the at least one further receiver are arranged adjacent to each other within the one or more receiver units.   
     
     
         11 . The device according to  claim 7 , wherein at least one of i) the plurality of planes are parallel planes and ii) said single plane and plurality of planes, respectively, defines or define a monitoring surface of the device. 
     
     
         12 . The device according to  claim 9 , wherein at least one of i) the output selection device is a multiplexer and ii) the device further also comprises a signal processor configured to process the digital signal. 
     
     
         13 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined characteristics corresponds to at least one of a reference signal amplitude, a reference signal strength, a reference signal frequency, a reference signal phase, a reference signal phase change, a reference signal jitter, a reference signal skew, and a reference signal spread spectrum. 
     
     
         14 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first response, the second response and the third response is associated with at least one of a signal amplitude, a signal strength, a signal frequency, a signal phase, a signal phase change, a signal jitter, a signal skew, and a signal spread spectrum.