Microelectromechanical systems sensor control interface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9689739-B2
Application number	US-201414303838-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 13, 2014
Priority date	Jun 13, 2014
Publication date	Jun 27, 2017
Grant date	Jun 27, 2017

Abstract

Microelectromechanical (MEMS) sensors and control interfaces, control, interface components, protocols, systems, and methods are described. An exemplary control interface can comprise one or more predefined symbols that facilitate control of a MEMS sensor over an existing pin of a package comprising one or more MEMS sensors. Provided implementations described read/write protocols that enable reading and/or writing internal registers associated with MEMS sensors and/or other electronic components or portions thereof. Embodiments of the subject disclosure can provide flexible and reusable control interfaces for MEMS sensors and associated protocols.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device, comprising:
a package comprising a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) transducer associated with a clock signal;
at least one register associated with the MEMS transducer; and
a pin of the package configured to at least one of transmit or receive a signal, wherein the pin is further configured to at least one of transmit or receive a control signal, wherein the control signal is configured to control the MEMS transducer based on a determination that a control symbol included in the signal, and wherein the determination that the control symbol is based on detection of a pulse width of a pulse associated with the signal and the clock signal, wherein the pulse is based on the signal being at a high value or low value for a dynamic number of cycles of the clock signal.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the MEMS transducer comprises a MEMS acoustic sensor.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein the control symbol comprises at least one of a start symbol, a stop symbol, a digital zero, or a digital one.

4. The device of claim 2 , wherein the control signal is further configured to at least one of read or write data from or to the at least one register.

5. The device of claim 2 , wherein the control signal is further configured to allow data associated with the MEMS transducer to be sampled in each clock cycle associated with the clock signal.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the signal held at a predetermined value for the dynamic number of cycles of the clock signal comprises a pilot signal that has a dynamic reference pulse width and wherein the pulse width is defined as a multiple of the pilot signal.

7. The device of claim 6 , wherein the predetermined value comprises at least one of a digital high signal or a digital low signal.

8. The device of claim 6 , wherein the dynamic reference pulse width comprises a selected number of clock cycles associated with the clock signal that the signal is held at the predetermined value.

9. A method, comprising:
receiving a control signal at a package comprising a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) transducer that has an associated clock signal, wherein the control signal is received at a pin of the package configured to at least one of transmit or receive at least one signal in addition to receiving the control signal;
determining whether a control symbol is included in the control signal, wherein the determining whether the control symbol is included in the signal further comprises determining a pulse width of a pulse associated with the control signal and the associated clock signal; and
performing at least one operation associated with the MEMS transducer based on the control symbol.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the receiving the control signal comprises receiving the control signal at the package comprising a MEMS microphone.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the determining whether the control symbol is included in the control signal further comprises determining whether at least one of a start symbol, a stop symbol, a digital zero, or a digital one is included in the control signal.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the performing the at least one operation comprises performing at least one of reading or writing data from or to at least one register associated with the MEMS transducer.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the performing the at least one operation comprises enabling sampling of data associated with the MEMS transducer in each clock cycle of the associated clock signal.

14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
determining that the control signal comprises at least one of a digital high signal or a digital low signal for a multiple of a pilot signal, wherein the pilot signal has a dynamic reference pulse width based on a predetermined number of cycles of the associated clock signal.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
determining the dynamic reference pulse width by counting a number of clock cycles of the associated clock signal, for which the control signal is held at the digital high signal or the digital low signal.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
storing the dynamic reference pulse width to facilitate the determining whether the control symbol is included in the control signal.

17. A method, comprising:
receiving, at an integrated circuit associated with a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensor, a control signal associated with the MEMS sensor, wherein a pin of the MEMS sensor is configured to at least one of transmit or receive at least one signal in addition to signals associated with the control signal;
determining whether a control symbol is included in the control signal based on determining a pulse width of a pulse associated with the control signal and a clock signal associated with the MEMS sensor, wherein the determining the pulse width comprises determining that the control signal comprises at least one of a digital high signal or a digital low signal over a multiple of a pilot signal, wherein the pilot signal has a dynamic reference pulse width based on a predetermined number of cycles of the clock signal; and
performing at least one of reading or writing data from or to at least one register associated with the MEMS sensor based on the control symbol.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the determining whether the control symbol is included in the control signal further comprises determining whether at least one of a start symbol, a stop symbol, a digital zero, or a digital one is included in the control signal.

19. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
determining the dynamic reference pulse width by counting a number of clock cycles associated with the clock signal, for which the control signal is held at the digital high signal or the digital low signal.

20. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
storing, in a memory associated with the integrated circuit, the dynamic reference pulse width to facilitate the determining whether the control symbol is included in the control signal.

21. An integrated circuit, comprising:
an interface component configured to receive a control signal associated with a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensor;
a processing component configured to determine whether a control symbol is present in the control signal based on a width of a pulse associated with the control signal and a clock signal associated with the MEMS sensor, wherein the width of the pulse represents at least one of a start symbol, a stop symbol, a digital zero, or a digital one based on the width of the pulse being a predetermined multiple of a pilot signal width, wherein the pilot signal has a dynamic reference pulse width based on a predetermined number of cycles of the clock signal, and wherein the processing component is further configured to determine the dynamic reference pulse width by counting a number of clock cycles associated with the clock signal, for which the control signal is held at the digital high signal or the digital low signal; and
a controller component configured to control operations related to the MEMS sensor based on the control symbol.

22. The integrated circuit, of claim 21 , wherein the controller component is further configured to read or write data from or to at least one register associated with the MEMS sensor based on the control symbol.

23. The integrated circuit, of claim 21 , wherein the processing component is further configured

Assignees

• Invensense Inc

Inventors

• Pan Yang
• Josefsson Olafur

Classifications

• G01H11/06 Primary

  by electric means · CPC title

• H04R3/00

  Circuits for transducers (arrangements for producing a reverberation or echo sound G10K15/08; amplifiers H03F) · CPC title