Cover based adhesion force measurement system for microelectromechanical system (MEMS)
Granted: July 21, 2020
Patent Number:
10717641
In some embodiments, a sensor includes a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) structure, a cover, and a bump stop. The MEMS structure is configured to move responsive to electromechanical stimuli. The cover is positioned on the MEMS structure. The cover is configured to mechanically protect the MEMS structure. The bump stop is disposed on a substrate and the bump stop is configured to stop the MEMS structure from moving beyond a certain point. The bump stop is further configured to stop…
Music detection and identification
Granted: July 14, 2020
Patent Number:
10714092
A sensor processing unit comprises a sensor processor. The sensor processor is configured to communicatively couple with a microphone. The sensor processor is configured to acquire, from the microphone, a sample captured by the microphone from an environment in which the microphone is disposed. The sensor processor is configured to perform music activity detection on the audio sample to detect for music within the audio sample. Responsive to detection of music within the audio sample,…
Pressure sensor
Granted: July 14, 2020
Patent Number:
10712218
A sensor includes a deformable membrane that deflects in response to a stimuli. The sensor further includes a capacitive element coupled to the deformable membrane. The capacitive element is disposed within an enclosed cavity of the sensor. The capacitive element changes capacitance in response to the deformable membrane deflecting. The capacitive element comprises a getter material for collecting gas molecules within the enclosed cavity.
Transmit beamforming of a two-dimensional array of ultrasonic transducers
Granted: July 7, 2020
Patent Number:
10706835
In a method for transmit beamforming of a two-dimensional array of ultrasonic transducers, a beamforming pattern to apply to a beamforming space of the two-dimensional array of ultrasonic transducers is defined. The beamforming space includes a plurality of elements, where each element of the beamforming space corresponds to an ultrasonic transducer of the two-dimensional array of ultrasonic transducers, where the beamforming pattern identifies which ultrasonic transducers within the…
System and method for aligning sensor data to screen refresh rate
Granted: July 7, 2020
Patent Number:
10706818
A method and system to a system to provide a sensor data to a host device is disclosed. The system includes a first clock generator that generates a first clock. The system also includes a second clock generator that generates a second clock. The sensor data is sampled based on the first clock. The sensor data is presented to the host device, based on the second clock.
Yaw rate gyroscope robust to linear and angular acceleration
Granted: July 7, 2020
Patent Number:
10704908
A gyroscope includes four drive masses and four sense masses. Each drive mass is adjacent to two other drive masses and opposite the fourth drive mass, and each sense mass is adjacent to two other sense masses and opposite the fourth sense mass. Each drive mass may oscillate in a manner that is perpendicular to its adjacent drive mass and parallel and anti-phase to its opposite mass. The sense motion of the each sense mass may be coupled in a manner that prevents motion due to linear…
Selectively controlling application of a self-assembled monolayer coating on a substrate of a device for facilitating a reduction of adverse effects of such coating on the device
Granted: June 23, 2020
Patent Number:
10692761
Selectively controlling application of a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) coating on a substrate of a device is presented herein. A method comprises: forming a material on a first substrate; removing a selected portion of the material from a defined contact area of the first substrate; forming a SAM coating on the material and the defined contact area—the SAM coating comprising a first adhesion force with respect to the material and a second adhesion force with respect to the defined…
Release chemical protection for integrated complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) and micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS) devices
Granted: June 16, 2020
Patent Number:
10683205
Systems and methods that protect CMOS layers from exposure to a release chemical are provided. The release chemical is utilized to release a micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS) device integrated with the CMOS wafer. Sidewalls of passivation openings created in a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) wafer expose a dielectric layer of the CMOS wafer that can be damaged on contact with the release chemical. In one aspect, to protect the CMOS wafer and prevent exposure of the…
Systems and methods for optical sensor navigation
Granted: June 2, 2020
Patent Number:
10670402
Systems and methods are disclosed for determining a navigational constraint for a portable device using an optical sensor. The navigational constraint may be used to supplement other navigational solutions or may be used independently. The optical sensor may capture a plurality of samples to be processed to determine the constraint. Determining the constraint may include any or all of determining a context for usage, distinguishing usage modes, estimating an orientation of the portable…
Operating a two-dimensional array of ultrasonic transducers
Granted: June 2, 2020
Patent Number:
10670716
In a method of operating a two-dimensional array of ultrasonic transducers, a plurality of array positions comprising pluralities of ultrasonic transducers of the two-dimensional array of ultrasonic transducers is defined, the plurality of array positions each comprising a portion of ultrasonic transducers of the two dimensional array of ultrasonic transducers. For each array position of the plurality of array positions, a plurality of ultrasonic transducers associated with the…
Method and apparatus for characterizing platform motion
Granted: May 26, 2020
Patent Number:
10663298
An apparatus and method are disclosed for characterizing motion of a platform. Motion sensor data from a portable device having a sensor assembly may be obtained. The portable device may be within the platform and tethered or untethered, and the mobility of the portable device may be constrained or unconstrained within the platform. Following a determination the platform is moving, motion dynamics of the portable device that are independent from motion dynamics of the platform may be…
Mixed signal system
Granted: May 19, 2020
Patent Number:
10659048
A mixed signal system includes a digital domain and an analog domain. The analog domain includes a plurality of BARs. Each BAR includes addressable registers. The digital domain includes an interface configured to communicate with the analog domain, e.g., write data to an addressable register within a BAR by transmitting a first select signal to select a first BAR of the plurality of BARs. The interface transmits an address of the addressable register of the first BAR and broadcasts the…
Piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT)
Granted: May 19, 2020
Patent Number:
10656255
A Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer (PMUT) device is provided. The PMUT includes a substrate and an edge support structure connected to the substrate. A membrane is connected to the edge support structure such that a cavity is defined between the membrane and the substrate, where the membrane is configured to allow movement at ultrasonic frequencies. The membrane includes a piezoelectric layer and first and second electrodes coupled to opposing sides of the piezoelectric…
Anchoring structure for a sensor insensitive to anchor movement
Granted: May 19, 2020
Patent Number:
10655963
A MEMS sensor includes a substrate and a MEMS layer. A plurality of anchoring points within the MEMS layer suspend a suspended spring-mass system that includes active micromechanical components that respond to a force of interest such as linear acceleration, angular velocity, pressure, or magnetic field. Springs and rigid masses couple the active components to the anchoring points, such that displacements of the anchoring points do not substantially cause the active components within the…
Temperature stabilizing enclosure
Granted: May 19, 2020
Patent Number:
10655896
A device includes a substrate, a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) device disposed on the substrate, a controller disposed on the substrate, a heating element, and an enclosure. The heating element is configured to generate heat in response to a signal generated by the controller. The enclosure encloses the MEMS sensor device, the controller, and the heating element. The controller is configured to generate the signal responsive to temperature measurements within the enclosure. The…
Method and system for generating exchangeable user profiles
Granted: May 12, 2020
Patent Number:
10652354
A profile of a user may be constructed having at least one profile entry. A device having an integrated sensor assembly including at least one sensor may be associated with the user and operated according to a sensor configuration. Sensor data may be processed to extract a feature. Entry data may be determined for a profile entry based on the extracted feature so that the profile entry may incorporate the determined entry data. An exchangeable profile may be derived from the constructed…
3D integration using Al—Ge eutectic bond interconnect
Granted: May 12, 2020
Patent Number:
10651151
A method includes aligning a germanium feature on a first CMOS wafer with an aluminum feature on a second CMOS wafer. The aluminum feature and the germanium feature are pressed together. A eutectic bond is formed connecting the aluminum feature to the germanium feature. The eutectic bond has a melting point which is lower than the melting point of aluminum and the melting point of germanium.
Self-calibrating microelectromechanical system devices
Granted: May 12, 2020
Patent Number:
10649002
Techniques for self-adjusting calibration of offset and sensitivity of a MEMS accelerometer are provided. In one example, a system comprises a first microelectromechanical (MEMS) sensor. The first MEMS sensor comprises: a proof mass coupled to an anchor connected to a reference plane, wherein the proof mass is coupled to the anchor via a first spring and a second spring; a plurality of reference paddles coupled to the anchor; and a plurality of acceleration sensing electrodes disposed on…
Dual capacitive linearization circuit
Granted: May 12, 2020
Patent Number:
10649001
A MEMS system includes a proof mass, an anchor, an amplifier, first and second sense elements and their corresponding feedback elements. The proof mass moves responsive to a stimulus. The anchor coupled to the proof mass via a spring. The amplifier receives a proof mass signal from the proof mass and amplifies the signal to generate an output signal. The first sense element is connected between the proof mass and a first input signal and the second sense element is connected between the…
Image generation in an electronic device using ultrasonic transducers
Granted: May 5, 2020
Patent Number:
10643052
A method for generating a composite image having an increased image pixel density by an array of ultrasonic transducers having a given spatial density is provided. The method comprises capturing a first set of pixels at an ultrasonic sensor using a first beamforming pattern, wherein the first beamforming pattern comprises a first pattern of ultrasonic transducers of the ultrasonic sensor. The method further comprises capturing a second set of pixels at the ultrasonic sensor using a…
