Miniature ultrasonic transducer package
Granted: November 22, 2022
Patent Number:
11508346
A package design for a micromachined ultrasound transducer (MUT) utilizing curved geometry to control the presence and frequency of acoustic resonant modes is described. The approach consists of reducing in number and curving the reflecting surfaces present in the package cavity to adjust the acoustic resonant frequencies to locations outside the band of interest. The design includes a cavity characterized by a curved geometry and a MUT mounted to a side of a substrate facing the cavity…
Reconfigurable power sequencer for embedded sensors and mixed signal devices
Granted: November 22, 2022
Patent Number:
11507163
Facilitating powering up/down respective analog circuits of mixed-signal devices utilizing a reconfigurable power sequencer component and corresponding reconfigurable sequencer processing unit(s) is presented herein. A system can comprise a mixed-signal component comprising a group of analog circuits comprising respective inputs to facilitate a power-up and a power-down of respective portions of the analog circuits; and a reconfigurable power sequencer component that obtains, from a…
Liquid detection in a sensor environment and remedial action thereof
Granted: November 15, 2022
Patent Number:
11499884
A device includes a sensor die, an electrical coupling, a substrate, a liquid detection unit, and a housing unit. The sensor die is coupled to the substrate via the electrical coupling. The liquid detection unit electrically is coupled to the sensor die. The housing unit and the substrate are configured to house the sensor die, the liquid detection unit, and the electrical coupling. The housing unit comprises an opening that exposes the sensor die to an environment external to the…
Edge patterns of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) microphone backplate holes
Granted: November 1, 2022
Patent Number:
11490186
Robust microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensors and related manufacturing techniques are described. Disclosed MEMS membranes and backplate structures facilitate manufacturing robust MEMS microphones. Exemplary MEMS membranes and backplate structures can comprise edge pattern holes having a length to width ratio greater than one and/or configured in a radial arrangement. Disclosed implementations can facilitate providing robust MEMS membranes and backplate structures, having edge…
Use of MEMS gyroscope for compensation of accelerometer stress induced errors
Granted: October 18, 2022
Patent Number:
11473909
A MEMS system includes a gyroscope that generates a quadrature signal and an angular velocity signal. The MEMS system further includes an accelerometer that generates a linear acceleration signal. The quadrature signal and the linear acceleration signal are received by a processing circuitry that modifies the linear acceleration signal based on the quadrature signal to determine linear acceleration.
Supplemental sensor modes and systems for ultrasonic transducers
Granted: October 18, 2022
Patent Number:
11471912
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 configured to allow movement at ultrasonic frequencies. The membrane comprises a piezoelectric layer and first and second electrodes coupled to opposing sides of the piezoelectric…
Capturable code for automatically formatting and addressing a text message to apply for an offer
Granted: October 11, 2022
Patent Number:
11468508
A capturable code for automatically formatting and addressing a text message to apply for an offer is disclosed. The method interacting with, via a mobile device of a user, a capturable code and automatically generating a text message on the mobile device in response to the interaction. The automatic generation automatically provides an address for the text message, and automatically formats the text message. Providing, at the mobile device and into the text message, at least one device…
Techniques for alternate pressure equalization of a sensor
Granted: October 11, 2022
Patent Number:
11467025
An alternate venting path can be employed in a sensor device for pressure equalization. A sensor component of the device can comprise a diaphragm component and/or backplate component disposed over an acoustic port of the device. The diaphragm component can be formed with no holes to prevent liquid or particles from entering a back cavity of the device, or gap between the diaphragm component and backplate component. A venting port can be formed in the device to create an alternate venting…
Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) gyroscope sense frequency tracking
Granted: October 11, 2022
Patent Number:
11466986
Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) gyroscopes and related sense frequency tracking techniques are described. Various embodiments facilitate sense frequency tracking and offset and/or sensitivity change compensation. Exemplary embodiments can comprise receiving a sense signal at an output of a MEMS gyroscope and determining a sense resonant frequency of the sense signal. In addition, exemplary methods can comprise generating an input sine wave with a frequency of the sense resonant…
Discrimination of light interference in a MEMS microphone
Granted: October 4, 2022
Patent Number:
11463830
A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) microphone includes a cavity to receive an acoustic signal. The acoustic signal causes movement of a diaphragm relative to one or more other surfaces, which in turn results in an electrical signal representative of the received acoustic signal. A light sensor is included within the packaging of the MEMS microphone such that an output of the light sensor is representative of a light signal received with the acoustic signal. The output of the light…
Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor with a contact layer of non-uniform thickness
Granted: October 4, 2022
Patent Number:
11460957
An ultrasonic sensor includes a two-dimensional array of ultrasonic transducers, a contact layer, a matching layer between the two-dimensional array and the contact layer, where the matching layer has a non-uniform thickness, and an array controller configured to control activation of ultrasonic transducers during an imaging operation for imaging a plurality of pixels within the two-dimensional array of ultrasonic transducers. During the imaging operation, the array controller is…
Two-dimensional array of CMOS control elements
Granted: September 13, 2022
Patent Number:
11440052
An electronic device includes a plurality of CMOS control elements arranged in a two-dimensional array and a plurality of MEMS devices. Each CMOS control element of the plurality of CMOS control elements includes at least one of a low voltage semiconductor device, a high voltage PMOS semiconductor device, and a high voltage NMOS semiconductor device. Each MEMS device of the plurality of MEMS devices is associated with a CMOS control element of the plurality of CMOS control elements. The…
Programmable ultrasonic transceiver
Granted: September 13, 2022
Patent Number:
11440050
An ultrasonic transceiver system includes a transmitter block, a receiver block, a state machine, a computer unit. The transmitter block contains circuitry configured to drive an ultrasound transducer. The receiver block contains circuitry configured to receive signals from the ultrasound transducer and convert the signals into digital data. The state machine is coupled to the transmitter and receiver blocks and contains circuitry configured to act as a controller for those blocks. The…
Pressure-based activation of fingerprint spoof detection
Granted: May 10, 2022
Patent Number:
11328165
In a method for performing operating a fingerprint sensor, an image of a fingerprint of a finger is captured at a fingerprint sensor. A force applied by the finger at the fingerprint sensor is determined, where the force is a measure of pressure applied by the finger on the fingerprint sensor during capture of the image. The force is compared to a pressure threshold. Provided the force satisfies a pressure threshold, a spoof detection operation is performed to determine whether the…
Pressure sensor with improve hermeticity
Granted: May 10, 2022
Patent Number:
11326972
A sensor includes a substrate, an oxide layer, a membrane, an electrode, and a trench. The oxide layer is disposed on the substrate. The membrane is positioned on the oxide layer. The membrane with the oxide layer and the substrate forms an enclosed cavity therein. The membrane comprises a rigid portion and a deformable portion wherein the deformable portion of the membrane deforms responsive to stimuli. The oxide layer forms side walls of the cavity. The electrode is positioned on the…
Sensing thermal gradients within a microelectromechanical device
Granted: April 26, 2022
Patent Number:
11312621
The performance of a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device may be subject to unwanted thermal gradients or nonuniform temperatures. The thermal gradients may be approximated based on voltage measurements taken through bond wires coupled to bond points located on the MEMS device. Thermal gradient measurement may be improved depending on the arrangement of bond wires and/or the material of the bond wires. Sense circuitry that is coupled to the MEMS device may determine corrective…
Real-time isolation of self-test and linear acceleration signals
Granted: April 19, 2022
Patent Number:
11307218
A MEMS accelerometer includes proof masses that move in-phase in response to a sensed linear acceleration. Self-test drive circuitry imparts an out-of-phase movement onto the proof masses. The motion of the proof masses in response to the linear acceleration and the self-test movement is sensed as a sense signal on common sense electrodes. Processing circuitry extracts from a linear acceleration signal corresponding to the in-phase movement due to linear acceleration and a self-test…
Medical device with integrated ultrasonic authentication
Granted: April 12, 2022
Patent Number:
11301552
A medical device comprises a surface, an ultrasonic sensor, and a processor. The surface is configured to interact with skin of a patient during operation of the medical device. The ultrasonic sensor is disposed beneath the surface and configured to ultrasonically measure data with respect to a region above the surface. The processor is coupled with the ultrasonic sensor. Responsive to detection of a finger in contact with the surface, the processor is configured to operate the…
On-chip signal path with electrical and physical connection
Granted: April 12, 2022
Patent Number:
11299393
An exemplary microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device comprises a plurality of stacked layers, including at least one layer that includes micromechanical components that respond to a force to be measured. Two of the layers may include respective first and second external electrical connection points. A plurality of conductive paths may be disposed in a continuous manner over an external surface of each of the plurality of layers between the first and second external electrical…
High performance accelerometer
Granted: March 29, 2022
Patent Number:
11287443
A MEMS accelerometer includes a suspended spring-mass system that has a frequency response to accelerations experienced over a range of frequencies. The components of the suspended spring-mass system such as the proof masses respond to acceleration in a substantially uniform manner at frequencies that fall within a designed bandwidth for the MEMS accelerometer. Digital compensation circuitry compensates for motion of the proof masses outside of the designed bandwidth, such that the…
