Data communication based on frequency
Granted: March 5, 2019
Patent Number:
10225119
Systems and techniques for communicating data as a function of frequency are presented. In an implementation, a system includes a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensor, a digital signal processor and a frequency detection circuit. The digital signal processor is coupled to the MEMS sensor. The frequency detection circuit receives data encoded as a function of frequency from the digital signal processor via a clock communication channel.
Method and system for generating exchangeable user profiles
Granted: February 19, 2019
Patent Number:
10212251
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…
Dual-sealed MEMS package with cavity pressure monitoring
Granted: February 19, 2019
Patent Number:
10209157
A microelectromechanical sensor (MEMS) package includes a gyroscope and an accelerometer. The gyroscope is located within a low-pressure cavity that is sealed from an external pressure. The accelerometer is located within a cavity, and the seal for the accelerometer cavity is entirely within the gyroscope cavity. Under normal operating conditions, the accelerometer seal holds the accelerometer cavity at a higher pressure than the pressure of the enclosing gyroscope cavity. In the event…
Micro-electro-mechanical system microphone with dual backplates
Granted: February 12, 2019
Patent Number:
10206047
Improving noise rejection of a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) microphone by utilizing a membrane sandwiched between oppositely biased backplates is presented herein. The MEMS microphone can comprise a diaphragm that converts an acoustic pressure into an electrical signal; a first backplate capacitively coupled to a first side of the diaphragm—the first backplate biased at a first direct current (DC) voltage; a second backplate capacitively coupled to a second side of the…
Methods of attitude and misalignment estimation for constraint free portable navigation
Granted: February 12, 2019
Patent Number:
10203207
The present disclosure relates to methods of enhancing a navigation solution about a device and a platform, wherein the mobility of the device may be constrained or unconstrained within the platform, and wherein the navigation solution is provided even in the absence of normal navigational information updates (such as, for example, GNSS). More specifically, the present method comprises utilizing measurements from sensors (e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers etc.) within the…
Ultrasonic operation of a digital microphone
Granted: February 5, 2019
Patent Number:
10200794
Detection of audible and ultrasonic signals is provided by a microelectromechanical microphone. The detection range of ultrasonic signals can be configurable. In certain embodiments, the microelectromechanical microphone can include a band-pass sigma-delta modulator that can generate a digital signal representative of an ultrasonic signal. In addition or in other embodiments, the microelectromechanical microphone can include an event detector device that can determine that an ultrasonic…
Systems and methods for interfacing a sensor and a processor
Granted: January 29, 2019
Patent Number:
10191738
Systems and methods are disclosed for abstracting a source of sensor data by translating data sink processor communications from a hardware-independent format to a hardware-dependent format and by translating data source portion communications from a hardware-dependent format to a hardware-independent format.
Apparatus and methods for ultrasonic sensor navigation
Granted: January 22, 2019
Patent Number:
10184797
An apparatus and methods are disclosed for determining a navigational constraint for a portable device using an ultrasonic sensor. The navigational constraint may be used to supplement other navigational solutions or may be used independently. The ultrasonic sensor may provide a plurality of samples to be processed to determine the constraint. Processing the ultrasonic samples may include performing a flow analysis regarding detected external objects. Determining the constraint may…
System and method for MEMS sensor system synchronization
Granted: January 15, 2019
Patent Number:
10180340
Various aspects of this disclosure comprise systems and methods for synchronizing sensor data acquisition and/or output. For example, various aspects of this disclosure provide for achieving a desired level of timing accuracy in a MEMS sensor system, even in an implementation in which timer drift is substantial.
Secure audio sensor
Granted: January 15, 2019
Patent Number:
10182296
Providing security features in an audio sensor is presented herein. A micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) microphone can include an acoustic membrane that converts an acoustic signal into an electrical signal; an electronic amplifier that increases an amplitude of the electrical signal to generate an amplified signal; and switch(es) configured to prevent propagation of a direct current (DC) voltage source to the MEMS microphone; prevent propagation of the DC voltage source to the…
Sensor headroom control circuit
Granted: January 1, 2019
Patent Number:
10172090
A sensor headroom control circuit includes a front end analog circuit, a digital compensation circuit, and a headroom state selection circuit. The front end analog circuit has configurable headroom and is configured to receive a sensor input signal and output a sensor digital signal. The digital compensation circuit is configured to adjust the sensor digital signal to compensate for an active headroom state of the front end analog circuit and produce a compensated sensor signal. The…
Adaptive buffering of data received from a sensor
Granted: January 1, 2019
Patent Number:
10169266
In a method of adaptive buffering in a mobile device having a host processor and a sensor processor coupled with the host processor, the sensor processor is used to buffer data received from a sensor that is operated by the sensor processor, wherein the data is buffered by the sensor processor into a circular data buffer. In response to the sensor processor detecting triggering data within the received data: the sensor processor sets a start-end marker in the circular data buffer; and a…
Reduced stress pressure sensor
Granted: December 25, 2018
Patent Number:
10161817
A pressure sensor comprises a first substrate containing a processing circuit integrated thereon and a cap attached to the first substrate. The cap includes a container, a holder, and one or more suspension elements for suspending the container from the holder. The container includes a cavity and a deformable membrane separating the cavity and a port open to an outside of the pressure sensor. The container is suspended from the holder such that the deformable membrane faces the first…
MEMS device and process for RF and low resistance applications
Granted: December 25, 2018
Patent Number:
10160635
MEMS device for low resistance applications are disclosed. In a first aspect, the MEMS device comprises a MEMS wafer including a handle wafer with one or more cavities containing a first surface and a second surface and an insulating layer deposited on the second surface of the handle wafer. The MEMS device also includes a device layer having a third and fourth surface, the third surface bonded to the insulating layer of the second surface of handle wafer; and a metal conductive layer on…
Device for analyzing the movement of a moving element and associated method
Granted: December 18, 2018
Patent Number:
10156907
A device for analyzing the movement of at least one moving element (EM), provided, for at least one moving element, with first means (DET1) for determining the orientation of a moving coordinate frame (Rm) connected in motion to the moving element (EM), with respect to a reference coordinate frame (Rr), including second means (DET2) for determining at least one locus of points (Tx, Ty, Tz) of at least one surface from at least one respective direction of an oriented axis (x, y, z) of the…
Integrated temperature sensor in microphone package
Granted: November 27, 2018
Patent Number:
10142718
Various embodiments provide for an integrated temperature sensor and microphone package where the temperature sensor is located in, over, or near an acoustic port associated with the microphone. This placement of the temperature sensor near the acoustic port enables the temperature sensor to more accurately determine the ambient air temperature and reduces heat island interference cause by heat associated with the integrated circuit. In an embodiment, the temperature sensor can be a…
MEMS circuit for capacitive non-linear correction
Granted: November 27, 2018
Patent Number:
10139227
A micro-electro-mechanical system includes a proof mass, an anchor, an amplifier, a sense element, a reference element, and a feedback element. The proof mass is configured to move in response to a stimulus. The anchor is coupled to the proof mass via a spring. The amplifier is configured to receive a proof mass signal from the proof mass via the spring and the anchor. The amplifier may be configured to amplify the received proof mass signal to generate an output signal. The sense…
Method and apparatus for misalignment between device and pedestrian using vision
Granted: November 20, 2018
Patent Number:
10132635
The present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for determining the misalignment between a device and a pedestrian, wherein the pedestrian can carry, hold, or use the device in different orientations in a constrained or unconstrained manner, and wherein the device includes an optical sensor or camera. The optical sensors have a corresponding frame for the optical sensors' axes. The misalignment between the device and the pedestrian means the misalignment between the frame of the…
System and method for integrated navigation with wireless dynamic online models
Granted: November 20, 2018
Patent Number:
10132915
The present disclosure relates to a system and method for integrating online, dynamic wireless system modeling with a navigation solution. The building of wireless dynamic online models for wireless positioning does not require pre-existing information such as pre-surveys and is capable of providing relatively better accuracy. Integration of the wireless positioning using dynamic online models with other navigation systems/solutions is proposed whereby the other navigation…
Heading confidence interval estimation
Granted: November 20, 2018
Patent Number:
10132829
An inertial measurement system is disclosed. The inertial measurement system has an accelerometer processing unit that generates a calibrated accelerometer data. The inertial measurement system further includes a magnetometer processing unit generates a calibrated magnetometer data, and a gyroscope processing unit generates a calibrated gyroscope data. Using the calibrated accelerometer data, the calibrated magnetometer data, and the calibrated gyroscope data, the inertial measurement…
