Sensor with multiple sensing elements

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10712143-B2
Application number	US-201815866892-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 10, 2018
Priority date	Jan 10, 2017
Publication date	Jul 14, 2020
Grant date	Jul 14, 2020

Abstract

A multi-element sensor includes a substrate having a surface. A first sensing element for sensing an environmental attribute is disposed on or over the substrate surface. A second sensing element is disposed over the same substrate surface as the first sensing element, above the first sensing element in a direction orthogonal to the substrate surface. The second sensing element is arranged for sensing the same environmental attribute. In one configuration, the first and second sensing elements sense the same environmental attribute at a location between the first and second sensing elements.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A multi-element sensor, comprising:
a substrate having a surface;
a first sensing element disposed on or over the substrate surface, the first sensing element being arranged for sensing an environmental attribute; and
a second sensing element disposed over the same substrate surface as the first sensing element, above the first sensing element in a direction orthogonal to the substrate surface, the second sensing element being arranged for sensing the same environmental attribute,
wherein the first sensing element has a different range or sensitivity than the second sensing element.

2. The multi-element sensor of claim 1 , wherein the first sensing element has a different range than the second sensing element.

3. The multi-element sensor of claim 1 , wherein the first and second sensing elements are transducers, current sensors, magnetic field sensors, electromagnetic field sensors, electrical field sensors, temperature sensors, vibration sensors, optical sensors, or acoustic sensors.

4. The multi-element sensor of claim 1 , wherein the multi-element sensor includes multiple pairs of first and second sensing elements.

5. The multi-element sensor of claim 1 , wherein one of the length, width, or depth of the first or second sensing element is less than or equal to one micron, two microns, three microns, five microns, ten microns, twenty microns, fifty microns, or one hundred microns.

6. The multi-element sensor of claim 1 , wherein the first sensing element or the second sensing element, or both, is a micro-transfer printed sensing element having a fractured or separated tether.

7. The multi-element sensor of claim 1 , wherein the second sensing element is a redundant sensing element to the first sensing element, for providing fault tolerance to the first sensing element, or for providing functional safety by providing a backup to the first sensing element.

8. The multi-element sensor of claim 1 , wherein the first sensing element has a different sensitivity than the second sensing element.

9. The multi-element sensor of claim 1 , wherein the first sensing element is a different sensor than the second sensing element.

10. A multi-element sensor device, comprising a plurality of multi-element sensors according to claim 1 .

11. The multi-element sensor device of claim 10 , wherein the multi-element sensors of the plurality of multi-element sensors are disposed around a central point in either two or three dimensions.

12. A multi-element sensor, comprising:
a substrate having a surface;
a first sensing element disposed on or over the substrate surface, the first sensing element being arranged for sensing an environmental attribute; and
a second sensing element disposed over the same substrate surface as the first sensing element, above the first sensing element in a direction orthogonal to the substrate surface, the second sensing element being arranged for sensing the same environmental attribute,
wherein the first sensing element has a reversed, rotated, or mirrored spatial orientation from the second sensing element.

13. The multi-element sensor of claim 12 , wherein the first sensing element has a reversed spatial orientation from the second sensing element.

14. The multi-element sensor of claim 12 , wherein the first sensing element has a rotated spatial orientation from the second sensing element.

15. The multi-element sensor of claim 12 , wherein the first sensing element has a mirrored spatial orientation from the second sensing element.

16. The multi-element sensor of claim 12 , wherein the first sensing element has a different range or sensitivity than the second sensing element.

17. A multi-element sensor, comprising:
a substrate having a surface;
a first sensing element disposed on or over the substrate surface, the first sensing element being arranged for sensing an environmental attribute; and
a second sensing element disposed over the same substrate surface as the first sensing element, above the first sensing element in a direction orthogonal to the substrate surface, the second sensing element being arranged for sensing the same environmental attribute,
wherein the first sensing element is adapted to provide a first sense signal, the second sensing element is adapted to provide a second sense signal, and
further comprising a controller, the controller having a control circuit that can receive the first and/or second sense signals.

18. The multi-element sensor of claim 17 , wherein the controller is disposed on the substrate.

19. The multi-element sensor of claim 17 , wherein the control circuit is adapted to measure the first and second sense signals and is arranged to produce, responsive to the measurement, a combined sense signal from the first and second sense signals, or to select the first sense signal or the second sense signal, or to alternately operate the first and second sensing elements, or to measure the first and second sense signals and, responsive to the measurement, to operate either the first sensing sense element or the second sensing element, or to measure one of the first and second sense signals and, responsive to the measured signal, to measure the other of the first and second sense signals, or to measure the first and second sense signals, compare the first and second sense signals, and, responsive to the comparison, determine a fault in either one of the sensing elements.

20. The multi-element sensor of claim 17 , wherein the first sensing element has a different range or sensitivity than the second sensing element.

Assignees

• Melexis Tech Sa

Inventors

• Bilbao De Mendizabal Javier
• Barbut Lucian

Classifications

• H10W90/00

  Package configurations · CPC title

• H10W70/60

  Insulating or insulated package substrates; Interposers; Redistribution layers (leadframes H10W70/40) · CPC title

• H10D84/209

  of only resistors · CPC title

• G01D3/0365 Primary

  the undesired influence being measured using a separate sensor, which produces an influence related signal · CPC title

• G01R33/0052

  Manufacturing aspects; Manufacturing of single devices, i.e. of semiconductor magnetic sensor chips (devices based on galvano-magnetic effect or the like H10N50/85) · CPC title