Apple Inc.

Alces Technology, Inc.

Other

Qualcomm Mems Technologies, Inc.

Richard Yeh

Miaolei Yan

Michael K Brown

David M Bloom

Mehmet Mutlu

Roberto M Ribeiro

Milind S Bhagavat

Henry Hung Yang

David MacNeil

Kuolung Lei

Krishna Prasad Vummidi Murali

Yun X Ma

Hrishikesh Vijaykumar Panchawagh

Kostadin Dimitrov Djordjev

Richard T Chen

Teruo Sasagawa

Mark T Winkler

Omid Momtahan

William E Mickelson

Gregory B Arndt

Orit A Shamir

Wesley Scott Smith

Kuan-Lin Chen

Paulo S Motta

Various sensors, including particulate matter sensors, are described. One particulate matter sensor includes a self-mixing interferometry sensor and a set of one or more optical elements. The set of one or more optical elements is positioned to receive an optical emission of the self-mixing interferometry sensor, split the optical emission into multiple beams, and direct each beam of the multiple beams in a different direction. The self-mixing interferometry sensor is configured to generate particle speed information for particles passing through respective measurement regions of the multiple beams.

Particulate matter sensors based on split beam self-mixing interferometry sensors

A waterproofed environmental sensing device with water detection provisions includes an environmental sensor to sense one or more environmental properties. The device further includes an electronic integrated circuit implemented on a substrate and coupled to the environmental sensor via a wire bonding. An air-permeable cap structure is formed over the environmental sensor, and a protective layer is formed over the wire bonding to protect the wire bonding against damage.

Water proofing and water detection schemes for MEMS-based environmental sensing devices

A portable communication device includes one or more miniature sensors to sense one or more environmental gases. A processor is coupled to the miniature sensors and is configured to enhance location detection by determining a sensor signal transition. The sensor signal transition is caused by subsequent exposures of at least one of the miniature sensors to environmental gases of a first air composition and a second air composition. The first air composition and the second air composition are respectively associated with a first location and a second location.

Enhanced location detection using sensors integrated in electronic devices

An apparatus for particulate matter (PM) measurement includes a first light source to generate a first light beam and a second light source disposed at a first distance from the first light source to generate a second light beam in parallel to the first light beam to illuminate a PM. The apparatus further includes a first light detector to measure a first timing corresponding to a first self-mixing signal resulting from a reflection and/or back-scattering of the first light beam from a PM, and a second light detector to measure a second timing corresponding to a second self-mixing signal resulting from a reflection and/or back-scattering of the second light beam from the PM. A processor can determine a first velocity of the PM based on a spatial separation between centers of the first light beam and the second light beam and a temporal separation between the first timing and the second timing.

Particulate matter velocity measurement and size estimation using parallel self-mixing sensing

A portable communication device includes an apparatus for environmental sensing. The apparatus includes a housing, one or more environmental sensors and an optical source. The housing includes one or more ports for allowing air flow between the surrounding environment and a cavity of the housing. The environmental sensors are coupled to the housing and can sense an environmental agent included in the air flow. The optical source can illuminate the cavity of the housing to decompose unwanted organic compounds inside the port.

Photo-oxidation removal of organic contamination for environmental sensor integration

Aspects of the subject technology relate to an apparatus for self-mixing particulate-matter sensing using a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) with extrinsic photodiodes. The apparatus includes a dual-emitting light source disposed on a first chip and to generate a first light beam and a second light beam. The first light beam illuminates a particulate matter (PM), and a light detector extrinsic to the first chip measures the second light beam and variations of the second light beam and generates a self-mixing signal. The variations of the second light beam are caused by a back-scattered light resulting from back-scattering of the first light beam from the PM. The light detector is coupled to the dual-emitting light source. The direction of the second light beam is opposite to the direction of the first light beam, and the second light beam is directed to a sensitive area of the light detector.

Self-mixing particulate matter sensors using VCSELs with extrinsic photodiodes

Aspects of the subject technology relate to electronic devices with pressure sensors. A pressure sensor in a portable electronic device may include an integrated heater or may be co-operated with an external heater for the pressure sensor. The heater may be operated to heat some or all of the pressure sensor for pressure sensor testing, calibration, or temperature-controlled pressure sensing operations.

Electronic devices having pressure sensors with heaters

A portable communication device includes a transducer enclosed in an enclosure. An opening allows flow of air between the transducer enclosed in the enclosure and a surrounding environment. The enclosure protects the transducer from misreading due to occlusion of environmental aggressors on the transducer. The enclosure is configured to repel the environmental aggressors away from a surface of the transducer and to keep a portion of the opening unclogged to maintain an air flow to the transducer.

Hydrophobic-coated transducer port with reduced occlusion impact

A miniature gas sensing device includes a silicon-based substrate including an opening. A first membrane is formed over the silicon-based substrate and a first portion of the first membrane covers the opening. A gas sensing layer is formed over a number of electrodes disposed over a first surface of the first portion of the first membrane and one or more heating elements. A permeable enclosure encapsulating the gas sensing layer can maintain thermal energy density over the gas sensing layer at a level sufficient to destroy a target gas to allow measuring a zero baseline.

Low heat transfer encapsulation for high sensitivity and low power environmental sensing applications

An environmental sensor may include a heat source that heats a metal oxide sensing material. Electrodes may be formed in the metal oxide sensing material that measure the resistance of the metal oxide sensing material to determine the concentration of various gases. The environmental sensor may include an infrared light source that emits infrared light at a given wavelength. An infrared detector and band-pass filter may be used to detect the concentration of a particular gas such as carbon dioxide. In order to reduce power consumption, a heater may act as both the heat source for the metal oxide sensing material and the infrared light source for the infrared detector. The metal oxide sensing material, heater, and infrared detector may be formed in the same enclosure. The enclosure may have an opening that is aligned with an opening in an electronic device housing.

Electronic devices with environmental sensors

In some embodiments, a microelectromechanical system may include a semiconductor substrate, a plurality of wiring layers, and a stop. The plurality of wiring layers may be coupled to a first surface of the semiconductor substrate. The stop may be coupled to the plurality of wiring layers. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the plurality of wiring layers between the stop and the first surface of the substrate comprises an insulating material. In some embodiments, at least the portion excludes wiring within. In some embodiments, a volume of the portion may be determined by a use of the microelectromechanical system. In some embodiments, the portion may inhibit, during use, electrical failures adjacent to the stop.

Method and system for CMOS based MEMS bump stop contact damage prevention

An electronic device may include components that are formed using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology. A MEMS device may include a MEMS structure bonded to a semiconductor substrate. The MEMS structure may be formed from a silicon substrate having a cavity and a moveable member suspended over the cavity and free to oscillate within the cavity. The semiconductor substrate may be a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor substrate having circuitry such as sensing electrodes. The sensing electrodes may be used to gather signals that are produced by movement of the suspended member. One or more of the electrodes on the semiconductor substrate may be covered by a dielectric film to prevent electrical shorts between adjacent electrodes on the semiconductor substrate.

Microelectromechanical systems devices with improved reliability

This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus relating to electromechanical display devices. In one aspect, a multi-stage interferometric modulator (IMOD) can include a movable reflector that can be moved to different positions to produce different reflected colors. The IMOD can include deformable elements that are coupled to a back side of the movable reflector and provide support to the movable reflector. The deformable elements can provide a restoring force that biases the movable reflector to a resting position. The IMOD can include one or more restoring force modifiers that are configured to increase the restoring force when engaged. The restoring force modifiers can be between the movable reflector and the deformable elements such that the deformable elements contact the restoring force modifiers when the movable reflector is displaced to a contacting position.

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Los Altos, CA, United States of America

Richard Yeh