WAKE-UP UNIT FOR WAKING UP AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD OF WAKING UP AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20110031846A1
• Filed: 04/16/2009
• Published: 02/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Syed, Aly Aamer
• Granted Patent: US 8,441,173 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 310/319
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2057/006 Micromechanical piezoelectric relay
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/94 characterised by the way in which the control signals are generated
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/94005 activated by voice or sound
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/306 Cantilevers

Abstract

A wake-up unit for waking up an electronic device is provided. The wake-up unit comprises a resonating unit (C) for resonating at least one specific frequency, at least one first electrode (TE), at least one piezoelectric material (PM) and at least one second electrode (BE). The piezoelectric material (PM) is sandwiched between the at least one first and the at least one second electrode (TE, BE) such that an electronic current is provided to the at least one first and at least one second electrode (TE, BE) when the resonating unit (C) resonates at the at least one specific frequency.

Claims

1. Wake-up unit for waking up an electronic device, comprising:

a resonating unit for resonating at least one specific frequency,

at least one first electrode,

at least one piezoelectric material, and

at least one second electrode,

wherein the piezoelectric material is sandwiched between the at least one first electrode and the at least one second electrode such that an electrical current is provided to the at least one first electrode and to the at least one second electrode when the resonating unit resonates at the at least one specific frequency.

2. Wake-up unit according to claim 1, wherein the resonating unit comprises a cantilever which resonates when it receives an ultra-sound wake-up signal at the at least one specific frequency.

3. Wake-up unit according to claim 1, wherein the resonating unit comprises a plurality of cantilevers which each resonate at one of the at least one specific frequency such that one of the at least one first electrode and one of the at least one second electrode provides an electrical current.

4. Wake-up unit according to claim 1, wherein the resonating unit, the at least one first electrode, the at least one piezoelectric material and the at least one second electrode are implemented as a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS).

5. Electronic device, comprising at least one wake-up unit according to claim 1, wherein the current generated by the wake-up unit is used to activate the electronic device.

6. Method for waking up an electronic device having a wake-up unit which comprises a resonating unit, at least one first electrode, at least one piezoelectric material and at least one second electrode, wherein the piezoelectric material is sandwiched between the at least one first and at least one second electrode, comprising the steps of:

receiving a signal at at least one specific frequency,

resonating the resonating unit at the at least one frequency, and

providing an electrical current to the at least one first and the at least one second electrode, when the resonating unit resonates at the at least one frequency.