Invensense, Inc.

Verily Life Sciences LLC

James Christian Salvia

Michael Henderson Perrott

Bruno Werner Garlepp

Nikhil Apte

Baris Cagdaser

Aleksey Sergeyevich Khenkin

Julius Ming-Lin Tsai

Michael Julian Daneman

Yang Pan

Eldwin Ng

Marian Voros

Hao-Yen Tang

Fariborz Assaderaghi

Etienne De Foras

Renata Melamud Berger

Igor Mucha

Arvind Govindaraj

Michael Caruso

Adam Bildersee

Meisam Heidarpour Roshan

Nehal Patel

Ahmed Elmallah

Tomás Piták

Described herein is a front-end for a neural recording system that boosts input impedance of the front-end circuit. The front-end includes an amplifier and two choppers. A first input terminal of the first chopper may be coupled to a first output terminal from one or more signal sensors. A first input terminal of the second chopper may be coupled to a second output terminal from the signal sensors. A second input terminal of the first chopper may be coupled to a first output terminal of a feedback subsystem. A second input terminal of the second chopper may be coupled to a second output terminal of the feedback subsystem. The output terminals of each chopper may each be coupled to a different capacitor such that after switching, the voltage of each capacitor remains substantially the same, improving the input impedance of the circuit.

Input boosting for chopped neural recording systems

Described herein are techniques to ensure a user using an external device is authorized to connect and connecting to a correct implantable medical device using a wireless communication protocol. A request for authorization is sent to the external device from the implantable medical device, and the authorization can be provided by an authorization pulse sent using the implantable medical device charger over the inductive link between the charging device and the implanted device. The authorization pulse can be trusted because the inductive link is short range, ensuring the patient is aware of the connection to the implanted device. Once the implanted device receives the authorization pulse, it may finalize the pairing over the first connection.

Authorizing programming of an implanted device using second factor

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 beamforming space are activated during a transmit operation of the two-dimensional array of ultrasonic transducers, such that a generated ultrasonic beam is focused for reflecting from an object in contact with a contact surface of a platen overlying the two-dimensional array of ultrasonic transducers. The beamforming pattern is applied to the two-dimensional array of ultrasonic transducers. A transmit operation is performed by activating the ultrasonic transducers of the beamforming space according to the beamforming pattern.

Transmit beamforming of a two-dimensional array of ultrasonic transducers

Differential charge-balancing can be used in high-frequency neural stimulation. For example, a neural stimulation apparatus can have first and second electrodes configured to be coupled proximate to a nerve fiber to implement a neural stimulation procedure. A neural stimulation circuit can be electrically coupled to the first and second electrodes. The neural stimulation circuit can apply stimulation currents to the nerve fiber through the first and second electrodes during a first stimulation phase of the neural stimulation procedure. The neural stimulation circuit can also apply a modified stimulation current to the nerve fiber through the first electrode during a second stimulation phase of the neural stimulation procedure. The modified stimulation current can be generated based on a difference between (i) a voltage at the first electrode, and (ii) a reference voltage derived from voltages on the first and second electrodes.

Differential charge-balancing during high-frequency neural stimulation

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 plurality of CMOS control elements are arranged in the two-dimensional array such that low voltage semiconductor devices are only adjacent to other low voltage semiconductor devices, high voltage PMOS semiconductor devices are only adjacent to other high voltage PMOS semiconductor devices, and high voltage NMOS semiconductor devices are only adjacent to other high voltage NMOS semiconductor devices.

Two-dimensional array of CMOS control elements

In a method for operating a fingerprint sensor comprising a plurality of ultrasonic transducers, a first subset of ultrasonic transducers of the fingerprint sensor are activated, the first subset of ultrasonic transducers for detecting interaction between an object and the fingerprint sensor. Subsequent to detecting interaction between an object and the fingerprint sensor, a second subset of ultrasonic transducers of the fingerprint sensor are activated, the second subset of ultrasonic transducers for determining whether the object is a human finger, wherein the second subset of ultrasonic transducers comprises a greater number of ultrasonic transducers than the first subset of ultrasonic transducers.

Operating a fingerprint sensor comprised of ultrasonic transducers

An ultrasonic sensor includes a two-dimensional array of ultrasonic transducers including a plurality of sub-arrays of ultrasonic transducers, wherein a sub-array of ultrasonic transducers of the plurality of sub-arrays of ultrasonic transducers is independently controllable, and wherein a sub-array of ultrasonic transducers has an associated receive channel. A plurality of shift registers is configured to select a receive pattern of ultrasonic transducers of the two-dimensional array of ultrasonic transducers to activate during a receive operation. An array controller is configured to control selection of the ultrasonic transducers during the receive operation according to the receive pattern and configured to shift a position of the receive pattern within the plurality of shift registers such that the ultrasonic transducers activated during the receive operation moves relative to and within the two-dimensional array of ultrasonic transducers.

Receive operation of an ultrasonic sensor

In a method of using an ultrasonic sensor comprising a two-dimensional array of ultrasonic transducers, a plurality of ultrasonic signals are transmitted according to a beamforming pattern at a position of the two-dimensional array. The beamforming pattern focuses the plurality of ultrasonic signals to location above the two-dimensional array, wherein the beamforming pattern identifies ultrasonic transducers of the two-dimensional array that are activated during transmission of the ultrasonic signals, and wherein at least some ultrasonic transducers of the beamforming pattern are phase delayed with respect to other ultrasonic transducers of the beamforming pattern. At least one reflected ultrasonic signal is received at the position according to a receive pattern, wherein the receive pattern identifies at least one ultrasonic transducers of the two-dimensional array that is activated during the receiving. The transmitting and the receiving are repeated at a plurality of positions of the two-dimensional array.

Operation of an ultrasonic sensor

A method for generating an image is provided. The method comprises capturing a first set of image pixels by an ultrasonic sensor comprising an array of ultrasonic transducers using a first beamforming pattern, wherein the first beamforming pattern comprises a first pattern of transmit signals routed to a plurality of ultrasonic transducers of the ultrasonic sensor. The method further comprises capturing a second set of image pixels at the ultrasonic sensor using a second beamforming pattern, wherein the second beamforming pattern comprises a second pattern of transmit signals routed to the plurality of ultrasonic transducers. The second beamforming pattern is different than the first beamforming pattern. The second set of image pixels corresponds to an edge region of the ultrasonic sensor. The method additionally comprises combining the first set of image pixels and the second set of image pixels to form the image. An electronic device and a method of generating an image of a fingerprint with a fingerprint sensor are also provided.

Image generation in an electronic device using ultrasonic transducers

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 beamforming space are activated during a transmit operation of the two-dimensional array of ultrasonic transducers, and wherein at least some of the ultrasonic transducers that are activated are phase delayed with respect to other ultrasonic transducers that are activated. The beamforming pattern is applied to the two-dimensional array of ultrasonic transducers. A transmit operation is performed by activating the ultrasonic transducers of the beamforming space according to the beamforming pattern.

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 second beamforming pattern, wherein the second beamforming pattern comprises a second pattern of ultrasonic transducers. The first beamforming pattern and the second beamforming pattern are different. Pixels of the second set of pixels correspond to positions between pixels of the first set of pixels. The method additionally comprises combining the first and second sets of pixels to form the composite image. An electronic device and a method of generating an image of a fingerprint are also provided.

An ultrasonic sensor includes a two-dimensional array of ultrasonic transducers. A signal generator is configured to generate a plurality of transmit signals, wherein each transmit signal of the plurality of transmit signals has a different phase delay relative to other transmit signals of the plurality of transmit signals. A plurality of shift registers is configured to store a beamforming space including a beamforming pattern to apply to the two-dimensional array, wherein the beamforming pattern identifies a transmit signal of the plurality of transmit signals that is applied to each ultrasonic transducer of the beamforming space that is activated during a transmit operation. An array controller is configured to control activation of ultrasonic transducers during a transmit operation according to the beamforming pattern and configured to shift a position of the beamforming space within the plurality of shift registers such that the beamforming space moves within the two-dimensional array.

Transmit operation of an ultrasonic sensor

A method and circuit for testing an acoustic sensor are disclosed. In a first aspect, the method comprises using electro-mechanical features of the acoustic sensor to measure characteristic of the acoustic sensor. In a second aspect, the method comprises utilizing an actuation signal to evaluate mechanical characteristics of the acoustic sensor. In a third aspect, the method comprises using a feedthrough cancellation system to measure a capacitance of the acoustic sensor. In the fourth aspect, the circuit comprises a mechanism for driving an electrical signal into a signal path of the acoustic sensor to cancel an electrical feedthrough signal provided to the signal path, wherein any of the electrical signal and the electrical feedthrough signal are within or above an audio range.

Growing community of inventors

Belmont, CA, United States of America

James Christian Salvia