Ultra-sensitive, ultra-low power RF field sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10416213-B2
Application number	US-201514927059-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 29, 2015
Priority date	Oct 29, 2014
Publication date	Sep 17, 2019
Grant date	Sep 17, 2019

Abstract

A sensor includes a hollow enclosure, an antenna disposed external to the hollow enclosure and configured to collect emission of electromagnetic energy, a circuit disposed within the hollow enclosure and comprising a low noise amplifier (LNA) connectable to the antenna, and an analog to digital converter (ADC) in a connection with the LNA, circuit connections connecting, during use of the sensor, the circuit to each of the antenna, a source of electric energy and a signal processing component, a connection between the enclosure and an enclosure of an integrated circuit (IC), whereby the antenna id disposed between the sensor and the IC, and the sensor configured to at least measure a low-level electromagnetic energy emitted from the IC.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A low power sensor, comprising:
a hollow enclosure;
an antenna disposed external to said hollow enclosure and configured to collect emission of electromagnetic energy;
a circuit disposed within said hollow enclosure and comprising a low noise amplifier (LNA) connectable to said antenna, and an analog to digital converter (ADC) in a connection with said LNA;
circuit connections connecting, during use of said sensor, said circuit to each of said antenna, a source of electric energy and a signal processing component;
a connection between said hollow enclosure and an enclosure of an integrated circuit (IC), said connection comprises an adhesive layer disposed on an exterior surface of said hollow enclosure, said antenna being encapsulated in said adhesive layer, whereby said antenna is disposed between said sensor and the IC during use of said sensor; and
said sensor configured to at least measure a low-level electromagnetic energy emitted from the IC.

2. The sensor of claim 1 , further comprising a filter disposed in a signal path between said antenna and said LNA.

3. The sensor of claim 2 , wherein said filter comprises any one of hardware or software controlled band-pass filter, band-stop filter, low-pass filter and high-pass filter, said filter being tuned to specifically predesignated characteristic frequencies associated with said electromagnetic energy emitted from the IC said electrical and/or electronic devices.

4. The sensor of claim 1 , further comprising a passive filter bank disposed in a signal path between said LNA and said ADC, said filter bank comprising an array of band-pass filters.

5. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein a position of said circuit is offset relative to a center of a profile of said antenna.

6. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein said antenna comprises any one of a conformal antenna, and a fractal antenna.

7. The sensor of claim 6 , wherein said circuit is configured to draw power being less than 0.5 μW.

8. The sensor of claim 1 , further comprising said signal processing component integrated with said circuit into said hollow enclosure.

9. The sensor of claim 1 , further comprising said source of electric energy.

10. The sensor of claim 9 , wherein said source of electric energy comprises energy harvesting member.

11. The sensor of claim 10 , wherein said energy harvesting member comprises at least one of vibration-piezoelectric, vibration-electrostatic, vibration-magnetic, thermoelectric, and electromagnetic members.

12. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein said circuit connections comprises one or more pins extending outwardly from said exterior surface of said hollow enclosure.

13. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein said LNA and said ADC are configured as subthreshold based circuit elements.

14. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein said ADC comprises at least one of a Subthreshold, Source Coupled Circuit Topology, scalable folding and an interpolating ADC method.

15. An integrated circuit comprising:
a first hollow enclosure;
a die disposed within said first hollow enclosure;
circuit(s) disposed on said die;
pins electrically coupled to said circuit(s) and extending outwardly from edge(s) of said first hollow enclosure;
a sensor configured to at least measure and process a low-level electromagnetic energy emitted from said circuit(s) when said circuit(s) is(are) being at least coupled to a source of electric energy, said senor defining a second hollow enclosure;
an antenna disposed between exterior surfaces of said first and second hollow enclosures, said antenna coupled to said sensor and configured to collect the emission of the low-level electromagnetic energy emitted from said circuit(s); and
a mechanical connection between said first and second hollow enclosures, said mechanical connection comprises a layer of an adhesive material, said antenna being encapsulated within said layer of adhesive material.

16. A sensor configured to collect and process emissions of electromagnetic energy from an integrated circuit (IC), comprising:
an antenna configured to collect said emissions of electromagnetic energy;
a low noise amplifier (LNA) connectable to said antenna;

an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) coupled to said LNA, said ADC converts a frequency signal from said LNA in an analog form to a frequency signal in a digital form;
a signal processing component configured to process said frequency signal in said digital form;
an energy harvesting source coupled to said LNA;
a power management module coupled to each of said LNA and said ADC;
an enclosure, each of said LNA, said ADC, said signal processing component and said power management module disposed within said enclosure; and
a layer of an adhesive material on an exterior surface of said enclosure, said antenna being encapsulated within said layer of adhesive material;
said antenna being disposed between said enclosure and an enclosure of the IC during use of said sensor.

17. The sensor of claim 16 , further comprising a selectable filter bank disposed in a signal path between said LNA and said ADC, said selectable filter bank comprising an array of band-pass filters, said selectable filter bank separates said frequency signal in said analog form into components, each component carrying a single frequency sub-band of said frequency signal in said analog form.

Assignees

• Nokomis Inc

Inventors

• Pathak Bogdan Amaru
• Keller Walter John

Classifications

• H10W42/405

  using active circuits · CPC title

• G01R29/08 Primary

  Measuring electromagnetic field characteristics · CPC title

• G01R29/0814

  Field measurements related to measuring influence on or from apparatus, components or humans (EMC, EMI and similar testing in general G01R31/001), e.g. in ESD, EMI, EMC, EMP testing, measuring radiation leakage; detecting presence of micro- or radiowave emitters; dosimetry; testing shielding; measurements related to lightning · CPC title

• G06F21/87

  by means of encapsulation, e.g. for integrated circuits · CPC title

• H01L23/576

  Electricity · mapped topic