IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,536,758
Granted Patent B2
US 11,536,758 · App. 16/517,046 · Granted Dec 27, 2022

Single-capacitor inductive sense systems

Inventors: Jason L. Wardlaw (Austin, TX); Michael A. Kost (Cedar Park, TX); Anthony S. Doy (Los Gatos, CA); Tejasvi Das (Austin, TX); Siddharth Maru (Austin, TX); Xin Zhao (Austin, TX); Matthew Beardsworth (Austin, TX); Bruce E. Duewer (Round Rock, TX)
Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.
G01R27/28G01H13/00G01L9/007G01L9/0072G01R27/02G01R27/26G01R27/2605G01R27/2611G06F3/016
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,536,758
App. No.
16/517,046
Granted
Dec 27, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system may include an array of sensor elements, the array of sensor elements each comprising a first type of passive reactive element, a second type of passive reactive element electrically coupled to the array of sensor elements, a driver configured to drive the array of sensor elements and the second type of passive reactive element, and control circuitry configured to control enabling and disabling of individual sensor elements of the array of sensor elements to ensure no more than one of the array of sensor elements is enabled at a time such that when one of the array of sensor elements is enabled, the one of the array of sensor elements and the second type of passive reactive element together operate as a resonant sensor.

Claims (29)

1. A system comprising:

an array of sensor elements, the array of sensor elements each comprising a first type of passive reactive element;

a second type of passive reactive element electrically coupled to the array of sensor elements;

a driver configured to drive the array of sensor elements and the second type of passive reactive element; and

control circuitry configured to control enabling and disabling of individual sensor elements of the array of sensor elements such that when one of the array of sensor elements is enabled, the one of the array of sensor elements and the second type of passive reactive element together operate as a resonant sensor.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first type of passive reactive element is an inductor and the second type of passive reactive element is a capacitor.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first type of passive reactive element is a capacitor and the second type of passive reactive element is an inductor.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a measurement circuit communicatively coupled to the array of sensor elements and configured to measure information associated with the resonant sensor implemented by the one of the array of sensor elements and the second type of passive reactive element.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the measurement circuit is further configured to, based on the information, determine a displacement of a mechanical member relative to the resonant sensor, wherein the displacement of the mechanical member causes a change in an impedance of the resonant sensor.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the information comprises at least one of phase information, amplitude information, and resonant frequency information associated with the resonant sensor.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to control the array of sensor elements, such that when one of the array of sensor elements is enabled, the one of the array of sensor elements is isolated from the others of the array of sensor elements.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein each of the array of sensor elements has a common return path.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to control the array of sensor elements, such that when one of the array of sensor elements is enabled, the one of the array of sensor elements is in parallel with a series combination of the others of the array of sensor elements.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to control enabling and disabling of individual sensor elements of the array of sensor elements to ensure no more than one of the array of sensor elements is enabled at a time.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to control enabling and disabling of individual sensor elements of the array of sensor elements to ensure that adjacent sensor elements of the array of sensor elements are not enabled at the same time.

12. A method comprising:

driving an array of sensor elements, the array of sensor elements each comprising a first type of passive reactive element;

driving a second type of passive reactive element electrically coupled to the array of sensor elements; and

controlling enabling and disabling of individual sensor elements of the array of sensor elements such that when one of the array of sensor elements is enabled, the one of the array of sensor elements and the second type of passive reactive element together operate as a resonant sensor.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first type of passive reactive element is an inductor and the second type of passive reactive element is a capacitor.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first type of passive reactive element is a capacitor and the second type of passive reactive element is an inductor.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising measuring information associated with the resonant sensor implemented by the one of the array of sensor elements and the second type of passive reactive element.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising, based on the information, determining a displacement of a mechanical member relative to the resonant sensor, wherein the displacement of the mechanical member causes a change in an impedance of the resonant sensor.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the information comprises at least one of phase information, amplitude information, and resonant frequency information associated with the resonant sensor.

18. The method of claim 12 , further comprising controlling the array of sensor elements, such that when one of the array of sensor elements is enabled, the one of the array of sensor elements is isolated from the others of the array of sensor elements.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein each of the array of sensor elements has a common return path.

20. The method of claim 12 , further comprising controlling the array of sensor elements, such that when one of the array of sensor elements is enabled, the one of the array of sensor elements is in parallel with a series combination of the others of the array of sensor elements.

21. The method of claim 12 , further comprising controlling enabling and disabling of individual sensor elements of the array of sensor elements to ensure no more than one of the array of sensor elements is enabled at a time.

22. The method of claim 12 , further comprising controlling enabling and disabling of individual sensor elements of the array of sensor elements to ensure that adjacent sensor elements of the array of sensor elements are not enabled at the same time.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 12, 2022
From: CIRRUS LOGIC INTERNATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR LTD.
To: CIRRUS LOGIC, INC.
Reel/Frame 061059/0882 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 21, 2019
From: WARDLAW, JASON L.; KOST, MICHAEL A.; DOY, ANTHONY S.; DAS, TEJASVI; MARU, SIDDHARTH; ZHAO, XIN; BEARDSWORTH, MATTHEW; DUEWER, BRUCE E
To: CIRRUS LOGIC INTERNATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR LTD.
Reel/Frame 050118/0031 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62810614 · Feb 26, 2019
Related Publication 20200271706A1 · Aug 27, 2020
Cited By (4)
US 12,442,683 US 12,650,737 US 12,650,738 US 12,669,878