Frequency-modulating sensor array

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11747229-B2
Application number	US-202218080243-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 13, 2022
Priority date	Sep 12, 2016
Publication date	Sep 5, 2023
Grant date	Sep 5, 2023

Abstract

Spatially-distributed resonant MEMS sensors are coordinated to generate frequency-modulated signals indicative of regional contact forces, ambient conditions and/or environmental composition.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device comprising:
a material having first and second regions;
microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) resonators respective to the first and second regions, each of the MEMS resonators having a respective frequency of resonant vibration that is to vary dependent on influence of a physical environmental property experienced at the respective region; and
circuitry to produce a signal identifying a specific one of the first and second regions as a function of relative variation in the respective frequencies of resonant vibration.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the physical environmental property comprises a location-specific force experienced by the material.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the location-specific force is one of a pressure, an applied contact force, and a twisting force.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the physical environmental property comprises a location-specific temperature experienced by the material.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein:
the device further comprises circuitry to sequentially read-out the respective frequency of resonant vibration of each of the MEMS resonators; and
the signal is dependent on the sequentially-read-out respective frequency of resonant vibration of each of the MEMS resonators.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein:
the first region is to experience an effect of the physical environmental property at a first point in time;
the second region is to experience an effect of the physical environmental property at a second point in time; and
the circuitry to produce the signal is to further indicate a direction associated with the environmental property, dependent on the first point in time, the second point in time, and a positional relationship between the first and second regions.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein the material is embodied as a material layer and wherein the signal is to identify a position of the specific one, relative to the material layer.

8. A device comprising:
a material having first and second regions;
microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) resonators respective to the first and second regions, each of the MEMS resonators having a respective frequency of resonant vibration that is to vary dependent on influence of a physical environmental property experienced at the respective region; and
circuitry to sequentially read-out the respective frequency of resonant vibration of each of the MEMS resonators and to produce a signal identifying a specific one of the first and second regions as a function of relative variation in the sequentially-read-out respective frequencies of resonant vibration of the MEMS resonators.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein the physical environmental property comprises a location-specific force experienced by the material.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein the location-specific force is one of a pressure, an applied contact force, and a twisting force.

11. The device of claim 8 wherein the physical environmental property comprises a location-specific temperature experienced by the material.

12. The device of claim 8 wherein:
the first region is to experience an effect of the physical environmental property at a first point in time;
the second region is to experience an effect of the physical environmental property at a second point in time; and
the circuitry to produce the signal is to further indicate a direction associated with the environmental property, dependent on the first point in time, the second point in time, and a positional relationship between the first and second regions.

13. The device of claim 8 wherein the device is embodied as an integrated circuit, wherein the material is embodied as a material layer of the integrated circuit, and wherein the signal is to identify a position of the specific one, relative to the material layer of the integrated circuit.

14. A device comprising:
a force input surface comprising a material having first and second regions;
microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) resonators respective to the first and second regions, each of the MEMS resonators having a respective frequency of resonant vibration, wherein each respective frequency of resonant vibration is vary so as to modulate sensed influence of a physical environmental property experienced at the respective region;
circuitry to excite each of the M EMS resonators to the respective frequency of resonant vibration; and
circuitry to demodulate the sensed influence of the physical environmental property experienced at the respective region, and to produce a signal identifying a specific one of the first and second regions, as a function of relative variation in the respective frequencies of resonant vibration.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein the physical environmental property comprises a location-specific force experienced by the material.

16. The device of claim 15 wherein the location-specific force is one of a pressure, an applied contact force, and a twisting force.

17. The device of claim 14 wherein the physical environmental property comprises a location-specific temperature experienced by the material.

18. The device of claim 14 wherein:
the device further comprises circuitry to sequentially read-out the respective frequency of resonant vibration of each of the MEMS resonators; and
the signal is dependent on the sequentially-read-out respective frequency of resonant vibration of each of the MEMS resonators.

19. The device of claim 18 wherein:
the first region is to experience an effect of the physical environmental property at a first point in time;
the second region is to experience an effect of the physical environmental property at a second point in time; and
the circuitry to produce the signal is to further indicate a direction associated with the environmental property, dependent on the first point in time, the second point in time, and a positional relationship between the first and second regions.

20. The device of claim 14 wherein the material is embodied as a material layer and wherein the signal is to identify a position of the specific one, relative to the material layer.

Assignees

• Sitime Corp

Inventors

• Hagelin Paul M
• Grosjean Charles I
• Goncharov Lev

Classifications

• G01L5/16 Primary

  for measuring several components of force · CPC title

• G01L1/146

  for measuring force distributions, e.g. using force arrays (G01L1/148 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01L1/205

  using distributed sensing elements · CPC title

• G01L9/001

  of an element not provided for in the following subgroups of G01L9/0008 · CPC title