Patents

NASA Tech Briefs, Mar 2004 by Pope, Alan T, Severance, Kurt E, Whitacre, Jay F, Bugga, Ratnakumar V, Et al

Over the past three decades, NASA has granted more than 1000 patent licenses in virtually every area of technology. The agency has a portfolio of 3000 patents and pending applications available now for license by businesses and individuals, including these recently patented inventions:

Physiological Feedback Method and System

US. Patent No. 6,478,735

Alan T. Pope and Kurt E. Severance, Langley Research Center

Biofeedback and physiological feedback systems traditionally transform and display physiological information or effects in graph or chart form. This information is not always presented in a way that is easily interpreted by the patient. This invention is a method and system for providing physiological feedback to a patient and/or physician in real time and in a way that allows the patient to relate his or her overall emotional or physical sensation with a monitored physiological effect.

In the system, at least one physiological effect experienced by a body part of a patient is measured non-invasively in terms of a time series of discrete signals. A three-dimensional graphics model is stored in a stereographic processor capable of generating a binocular image signal. The 3D graphics model is a representation of the body part. Each signal is processed to alter the 3D graphics model, which is displayed for the patient and/or physician in a virtual reality environment.

Structure of Thin-Film Lithium Microbatteries

U.S. Patent No. 6,558,836

Jay F. Whitacre, Ratnakumar V. Bugga, and William C. West, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Solid-state thin-film batteries are used in CMOS memory, MEMS switches, and micro sensors. The ability to integrate a thin-film battery directly onto a silicon integrated circuit chip next to the device to be powered would reduce the overall device mass and volume. Recently, RF magnetron sputtered LiCoO^sub 2^ thin films have emerged as a leading candidate for use as the cathode layer in thin-film solid-state batteries. The highest capacity thin-film cathode layers typically require an annealing step of 700�C. Since this temperature is not compatible with silicon device technology, a low-processtemperature cathode layer is needed.

This new process for making thin-film batteries includes the steps of cleaning a glass or silicon substrate having an amorphous oxide layer several microns thick, defining with a mask the layer shape when depositing cobalt as an adhesion layer and platinum as a current collector, and using the same mask as the preceding step to sputter a layer of LiCoO^sub 2^ on the structure while rocking it back and forth. The substrate is heated to 300�C for 30 minutes, is sputtered with a new mask that defines the necessary electrolyte area, and lithium metal anodes are evaporated using an appropriate shallow mask.

Advanced Sensor Systems for Biotelemetry

U.S. Patent No. 6,582,365

John W. Mines, Christopher J. Somps, Robert D. Ricks, and Garsten W. Mundt, Ames Research Center

Various attempts have been made to monitor fetal characteristics by telemetry. Some remote sensing units with a transceiver output the sampled fetal temperature and electrocardiogram signals to an antenna external to the patient's body. However, these units are too large to be safely and conveniently implanted in patients and have too short of an operating time to monitor recovery.

The present invention provides a transmitter for measuring at least one physiological characteristic from a position inside the patient, and transmits physiological data to a remote location. The transmitter includes a first sensor for the first physiological characteristic, and a second sensor for the second one. Physiological data is transmitted as a pulse interval modulated signal. A receiver decodes the digital pulse stream into voltages proportional to the individual characteristics of the physiological data. A data acquisition card digitizes the physiological data and stores it over time.

For more information on the inventions described here, contact the appropriate NASA Field Center's Commercial Technology Office. See page 10 for a list of office contacts.