David Macneil

Title: David Macneil and Multi-Function Environmental Sensor Innovation.

Introduction

David Macneil is an inventor associated with Apple Inc. and based in San Mateo, California. His patent work describes an electronic device with a sensor designed to perform several environmental measurements.

Latest Patents

Macneil is credited with 1 patent: “Electronic Devices with Multi-Function Environmental Sensors.” The invention describes a metal-layer sensor that can function as an anemometer, thermometer, bolometer, or heat flux sensor.

For wind-speed and temperature measurements, circuitry heats the metal layer and calculates air speed from how quickly its temperature falls. For solar-radiation measurements, the device compares the heating and cooling of metal portions with different optical absorption or insulation properties. For heat-flux measurements, it uses different metals and measures the Seebeck voltages between them. The metal may be deposited on the device housing or incorporated into a mesh.

Career Highlights

The patent highlights an approach to combining multiple environmental sensing functions in an electronic device. Its design uses the properties of metal layers and circuitry to support different types of measurement.

Collaborations

The provided information lists Michael J. Glickman and John P. Bergen as Macneil’s coworkers. It does not specify their roles in the patent or the nature of their collaboration.

Conclusion

David Macneil’s patent describes a versatile environmental sensor that brings several measurement capabilities into a single electronic-device design.