ACOUSTIC SENSOR PACKAGE

• US 20140254850A1
• Filed: 03/06/2013
• Published: 09/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria Ag (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: ELIAN, Klaus, MUELLER, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 9,872,111 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/355
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 17/025 using a piezoelectric polymer
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 31/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of transducers or diaphragms therefor manufacture of microstructural arrangements of deformable or non-deformable structures in general B81C1/00182
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49005 Acoustic transducer

Abstract

Representative implementations of devices and techniques provide an improved signal receive time to a sensor component. The sensor component is enclosed within a package arranged to allow the sensor to potentially receive a signal in less time. The package may have a cavity, and the cavity may be at least partly filled with an acoustical transducer.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

an acoustic sensor;

a controller arranged to analyze an output of the acoustic sensor and to output a signal indicating a predefined state based on the analysis; and

a molded package enclosing and integral to the acoustic sensor and the controller.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a memory storage device coupled to the controller and including at least one of calibration data and reference data stored thereon.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, the package including a cavity surrounding at least the acoustic sensor.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a transducer component within the cavity, the transducer component contacting a surface of the acoustic sensor and conducting acoustic waveforms to the acoustic sensor.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the transducer component comprises a metallic or polymer-based object.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the transducer component comprises a spring component within the cavity, the spring component contacting a surface of the acoustic sensor and arranged to conduct acoustic waveforms to the acoustic sensor.

7. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a protective screen overlaying an opening of the package, the screen arranged to prevent particles from entering the cavity.

8. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a protective membrane overlaying an opening of the package, the membrane arranged to seal the opening of the package and to allow acoustic waveforms to pass into the cavity to the acoustic sensor.

9. A system, comprising:

a sensor module arranged to receive an acoustic waveform and to output a signal based on the waveform;

a control module arranged to receive the signal output from the sensor module and to output a state signal indicating one of a plurality of predefined states based on the signal output from the sensor module; and

a housing comprising a molded package enclosing the sensor module and the control module and including a cavity surrounding at least the sensor module, the cavity at least partly filled with an acoustical transducing medium.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising an output module arranged to transmit the state signal.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the output module includes a wireless transmitter arranged to transmit the state signal via one or more wireless technologies.

12. The system of claim 9, further comprising a carrier enclosed within the housing and arranged to provide one or more signal paths for the sensor module and/or the control module, the sensor module and/or the control module coupled to the carrier.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the housing is molded to the carrier.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the carrier comprises a flexible bus or a flexible printed circuit board (PCB).

15. The system of claim 9, further comprising a shell enclosing the housing and shielding the housing, the sensor module, and the control module from environmental conditions.

16. The system of claim 15, the shell including a protective screen overlaying an opening of the shell, the screen arranged to prevent particles from entering the opening of the shell.

17. The system of claim 9, wherein the acoustical transducing medium comprises one of a gas, a liquid, a solid medium, or a combination of the same.

18. A method, comprising:

coupling an acoustic sensor to a controller arranged to analyze an output of the acoustic sensor and to output a signal indicating a predefined state based on the analysis; and

enclosing the acoustic sensor and the controller within a molded package such that the molded package is integral to at least one of the acoustic sensor and the controller.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising coupling at least one of the acoustic sensor and the controller to a carrier and molding the package to at least a portion of the carrier, the carrier comprising at least one of a bus, a printed circuit board (PCB), and a flexible printed circuit carrier.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising enclosing at least one of the acoustic sensor and the controller within a cavity of the molded package.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising at least partially filling the cavity with an acoustically transducing material and sealing the cavity with an acoustically transparent membrane.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising mounting the package to a rigid surface such that the membrane is parallel to and in contact with the rigid surface, and such that acoustical waveforms are transmitted from the rigid surface to the membrane and to the acoustic sensor, via the transducing material.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising enclosing the package within a rigid shell and covering an opening of the shell with a protective screen.

24. A system, comprising:

a microphone arranged to receive an acoustic waveform and to output a signal based on the waveform;

a microcontroller arranged to analyze the signal output from the microphone and to output a state signal indicating one of a plurality of predefined states based on analyzing the signal output from the microphone; and

a molded package integral to and enclosing the microphone and the microcontroller and including a sealed cavity surrounding at least the microphone, the sealed cavity at least partly filled with acoustical transducing media including one or more of a gas, a liquid, and a solid medium, and sealed with an acoustically transparent membrane.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the molded package is arranged to be coupled to a rigid surface such that the membrane is parallel to and in contact with the rigid surface, and such that acoustical waveforms are transmitted from the rigid surface to the membrane and to the microphone, via the transducing media.