Acoustic ambient temperature and humidity sensing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016299014-A1
Application number	US-201514684711-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 13, 2015
Priority date	Apr 13, 2015
Publication date	Oct 13, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Acoustic ambient temperature and humidity sensing based on determination of sound velocity is described, in addition to sensors, algorithms, devices, systems, and methods therefor. An exemplary embodiment employs sound velocity in the determination of ambient temperature and humidity. Provided implementations include determinations of sound velocity based on time of flight of a coded acoustic signal and/or based on resonance frequency of a Helmholtz resonator.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
determining, by a system in an encasement comprising a processor, ambient sound velocity; and determining, by the system, at least one of ambient temperature or ambient relative humidity based at least in part on the ambient sound velocity.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining the ambient sound velocity comprises determining, by the system, the ambient sound velocity based on a determined time of flight of a coded acoustic signal from a transmitter to a receiver over a predetermined acoustic path length.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the determining the at least one of the ambient temperature or the ambient relative humidity comprises determining, by the system, the ambient relative humidity outside of the encasement based at least in part on a determined value of humidity within the encasement.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the determining the at least one of the ambient temperature or the ambient relative humidity comprises determining, by the system, the ambient temperature outside of the enclosure based at least in part on at least a determined temperature within the enclosure.

5 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the determining the ambient sound velocity comprises determining, by the system, the ambient sound velocity of an ultrasonic acoustic signal.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining the ambient sound velocity comprises determining, by the system, the ambient sound velocity outside of an encasement based on a determined resonance frequency of a Helmholtz resonator within the encasement.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the determining the at least one of the ambient temperature or the ambient relative humidity comprises determining, by the system, ambient temperature outside of the encasement based on the ambient sound velocity.

8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the determining the at least one of the ambient temperature or the ambient relative humidity comprises determining, by the system, the ambient relative humidity outside of the encasement based at least in part on a sensed value of humidity within the encasement.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining the ambient sound velocity and the determining the ambient temperature or the ambient relative humidity comprises determining the ambient sound velocity and determining the ambient temperature or the ambient relative humidity by at least a portion of a portable communication device comprising the system.

10 . An apparatus, comprising:
a memory to store computer-executable components; and a processor communicatively coupled to the memory that facilitates execution of the computer-executable components, the computer-executable components, comprising:
a sound velocity component within an encasement and configured to determine ambient sound velocity external to the encasement; and
an environmental sensing component within the encasement and configured to determine at least one of an ambient temperature or an ambient relative humidity external to the encasement based at least in part on the ambient sound velocity.

11 . The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the sound velocity component comprises a transmitter and a receiver, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit a coded ultrasonic acoustic signal to the receiver.

12 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the sound velocity component is further configured to determine the ambient sound velocity based on a determined time of flight of the coded ultrasonic acoustic signal over a predetermined acoustic path length.

13 . The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the sound velocity component comprises a Helmholtz resonator within the encasement.

14 . The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the apparatus comprises at least a portion of a portable communication device.

15 . An apparatus, comprising:
a memory to store computer-executable components; and a processor communicatively coupled to the memory that facilitates execution of the computer-executable components, the computer-executable components, comprising: a sound velocity component comprising a Helmholtz resonator within an encasement configured to determine sound velocity external to the encasement based at least in part on resonance frequency of the Helmholtz resonator; a humidity sensor within the encasement; and an environmental sensing component within the encasement and configured to determine at least one of an ambient temperature or an ambient relative humidity external to the encasement based at least in part on the ambient sound velocity.

16 . The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the environmental sensing component is further configured to calibrate a temperature sensor associated with the apparatus based at least in part on a determination of the ambient temperature.

17 . An apparatus, comprising:
a memory to store computer-executable components; and a processor communicatively coupled to the memory that facilitates execution of the computer-executable components, the computer-executable components, comprising: a humidity sensor within an encasement configured to sense humidity within the encasement; a sound velocity component comprising a transmitter configured to transmit a coded ultrasonic acoustic signal to a receiver, wherein the sound velocity component is further configured to determine ambient sound velocity external to the encasement based on a determined time of flight of the coded ultrasonic acoustic signal over a predetermined acoustic path length between the transmitter and receiver; and an environmental sensing component within the encasement and configured to determine at least one of an ambient temperature or an ambient relative humidity external to the encasement based at least in part on the ambient sound velocity.

18 . The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the environmental sensing component is further configured to calibrate a temperature sensor associated with the apparatus based at least in part on a determination of the ambient temperature.

Assignees

• Invensense Inc

Inventors

• Li Xiang
• Oliaei Omid
• Tsai Julius Ming-Lin
• Cagdaser Baris
• Lim Martin

Classifications

• G01N2291/011

  Velocity or travel time · CPC title

• G01N29/024

  by measuring propagation velocity or propagation time of acoustic waves · CPC title

• G01K11/24 Primary

  of the velocity of propagation of sound · CPC title

• G01N2291/014

  Resonance or resonant frequency · CPC title

• H04B11/00

  Transmission systems employing ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves · CPC title