PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-10928345-B2
Application Number: US-201916276460-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: In-sensor span calibration for MEMS ozone sensor

Abstract:
A portable communication device may include a gas sensor enclosed in an enclosure, a port to allow flow of air into and out of the enclosure, and a light source disposed on an internal surface of the enclosure. The light source is operable to facilitate generation of ozone gas within the enclosure. The enclosure may contain a heating element that allows baseline calibration of the gas sensor by thermally decomposing ozone gas molecules. The gas sensor includes a miniature gas sensor such as a metal-oxide (MOX) gas sensor.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A portable communication device, the device comprising:
 a gas sensor enclosed in an enclosure; 
 a port configured to allow flow of air into and out of the enclosure; 
 a light source disposed on an internal surface of the enclosure and operable to facilitate generation of ozone gas within the enclosure; and 
 a heating element configured to heat the air within the enclosure to reduce or eliminate a presence of ozone gas. 
 
     
     
       2. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the gas sensor comprises a miniature gas sensor based on a metal-oxide (MOX). 
     
     
       3. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the light source comprises a short-wavelength ultra-violet (UV) light source and is configured to facilitate generating various levels of ozone gas based on oxygen content of air inside the enclosure. 
     
     
       4. The device of  claim 3 , wherein the light source is controlled to allow in-sensor span calibration of the gas sensor based on the generated various levels of ozone gas. 
     
     
       5. The device of  claim 4 , further comprising a calibration processor configured to control periodic performance of the in-sensor span calibration. 
     
     
       6. The device of  claim 5 , wherein the calibration processor is configured to control the periodic performance of the in-sensor span calibration independent of a location of the device. 
     
     
       7. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the port includes an air-permeable membrane, wherein the air-permeable membrane is made of a porous material. 
     
     
       8. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the port comprises an input port including a one-way valve or an air blower, wherein the air blower comprises a mechanical pump, a piezo pump or a speaker of the device. 
     
     
       9. The device of  claim 8 , further comprising an exit port including an air blower or a one-way valve configured to allow adjusting ozone gas content of the enclosure by controlling a flow of air exiting the enclosure. 
     
     
       10. The device of  claim 1 , wherein a geometric location of the light source inside the enclosure is configured to prevent light rays from impinging upon a sensitive surface of the gas sensor. 
     
     
       11. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the light source is driven using a pulse-with modulated signal or a periodic signal with controllable duty cycle, and wherein an intensity of the light source is controllable. 
     
     
       12. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the heating element is configured to generate heat to decompose ozone gas content of the enclosure to facilitate baseline calibration of the ozone gas at approximately zero ozone gas concentration. 
     
     
       13. A device comprising:
 an enclosure including at least one port; 
 a gas sensor enclosed in the enclosure; and 
 a light source disposed on an internal surface of the enclosure and configured to enable generation of ozone gas from an air inside the enclosure, 
 wherein the at least one port is configured to allow an air flow in and out of the enclosure. 
 
     
     
       14. The device of  claim 13 , wherein the light source is configured to enable generation of various levels of ozone gas based on an intensity and timing of the light source controlled by a driver signal of the light source, wherein the driver signal of the light source is one of a periodic signal or a pulse-width modulated signal, wherein the gas sensor is configured to measure a rate of decay of the ozone gas, and wherein the measured rate of decay of the ozone gas is useable for gas sensor calibration. 
     
     
       15. The device of  claim 13 , and wherein the heating element is configured to allow baseline calibration of the gas sensor by thermal decomposition of the ozone gas to reach a level of approximately zero ozone concentration. 
     
     
       16. The device of  claim 13 , wherein the at least one port comprises an air-permeable membrane or an input port and an exit port, wherein the input port includes an air blower and the exit port includes a one-way valve or the input port includes a one-way valve and the exit port includes an air blower. 
     
     
       17. The device of  claim 16 , wherein the air blower and the one-way valve are configured to control a flow level of sample gas in the enclosure. 
     
     
       18. A system comprising:
 a communication device; and 
 a miniature gas sensor integrated with the communication device, 
 wherein the miniature gas sensor is disposed on a hotplate enclosed in an enclosure, the enclosure further includes at least one port, a light source disposed on an internal surface of the enclosure the enclosure and is configured to facilitate generation of various levels of ozone gas, and a heating element configured to permit baseline calibration of the miniature gas sensor. 
 
     
     
       19. The system of  claim 18 , wherein the miniature gas sensor comprises a metal-oxide (MOX)-based gas sensor, and wherein the light source comprises a short-wavelength ultra-violet (UV) light source driven by a periodic pulse or a pulse-width modulated signal. 
     
     
       20. The system of  claim 18 , wherein the heating element is configured to generate heat to decompose ozone gas content of the enclosure to facilitate base line calibration of the ozone gas at approximately zero ozone gas concentration.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/636,796, entitled “IN-SENSOR SPAN CALIBRATION FOR MEMS OZONE SENSOR,” filed on Feb. 28, 2018, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present description relates generally to transducers, and more particularly, to an in-sensor span calibration for micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) ozone sensor. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Miniature gas sensors for consumer electronics represent a technology category that could enable upcoming features and/or products in applications such as, e.g., environmental and health monitoring, smart homes, and internet of things (IoT). Metal oxide (MOX) gas sensors are among the most promising technologies to be integrated with consumer electronic devices due to their small size, low power consumption, compatibility with semiconductor fabrication processes, and relatively simple architecture. Chemical poisoning and deactivation of the sensor materials in metal oxide sensors, however, can cause drift in both baseline resistance and sensitivity, which can pose great challenges to the mass market adoption of miniature gas sensors. 
     Many MOX gas sensors consist of a porous MOX material dispensed on a micro-hotplate, which is used to regulate temperature. When heated to the working temperature, the resistance of the metal oxide material changes with the gas environment and concentration. The target gas can be an oxidizing gas such as ozone (O 3 ) or nitrogen oxide (NO x ), which increases MOX resistance. The target gas may be a reducing gas, for example, hydrogen (H 2 ) or volatile organic compounds (VOC), which decreases the MOX resistance. Most MOX film gas sensors are intrinsically susceptible to calibration drift, both baseline and sensitivity (span) drift. Various techniques can be employed to detect and mitigate calibration drift, for example, by modeling sensor behavior over time and periodically co-locating the sensor with reference instrumentation to facilitate calibration of the sensor. These techniques, however, may not often be practical or economical solutions. 
     Depending on the gas species of interest, a zero-target-gas condition can be created with the use of heat or scrubbing. Span calibration points may require exposing the sensor to known levels of target gas, which may not be practical without substantial generation and/or reference equipment. It is understood that many target gases cannot be generated or quantified in a controllable, miniaturized, or intrinsically safe manner. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Certain features of the subject technology are set forth in the appended claims. However, for purposes of explanation, several embodiments of the subject technology are set forth in the following figures. 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a miniature gas-sensing device capable of in-sensor span calibration, in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. 
         FIG. 2  is a table illustrating example stages of the in-sensor span calibration of the miniature gas-sensing device of  FIG. 1 , in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a miniature gas-sensing device capable of in-sensor span calibration, in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. 
         FIG. 4  is a table illustrating example stages of the in-sensor span calibration of the miniature gas-sensing device of  FIG. 3 , in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. 
         FIG. 5  is a flow diagram illustrating an example method of providing of a miniature gas-sensing device capable of in-sensor span calibration, in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. 
         FIG. 6  is a block diagram illustrating an example wireless communication device, within which one or more miniature gas sensors of the subject technology can be integrated. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The detailed description set forth below is intended as a description of various configurations of the subject technology and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the subject technology may be practiced. The appended drawings are incorporated herein and constitute a part of the detailed description. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the subject technology. However, the subject technology is not limited to the specific details set forth herein and may be practiced without one or more of the specific details. In some instances, structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the subject technology. 
     In one or more aspects, the subject technology is directed to devices and configurations for an in-sensor span calibration of a micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) ozone ( 03 ) sensor. The subject technology leverages a light source to generate ozone gas from the air inside a gas-sensing device. Ozone gas can be generated using short wavelength ultraviolet (UV) light (e.g., ˜185 nm) or with corona discharge. Short wavelength UV light can split O2 molecules into two oxygen free radicals (O). The free radicals can readily combine with O2 molecules to create ozone gas molecules (O+O2=O3). 
     The disclosed solution is to integrate a controllable UV light source within an enclosure of a gas-sensing device along with a sensor, selective to ozone gas, including a metal-oxide (MOX) or an electrochemical ozone gas sensor or another ozone gas sensor. The UV light source can be activated, for example, periodically to produce small quantities of ozone gas, which would be used as span calibration point(s) for the MOX sensor. The level of ozone gas generated may be dependent on a number of conditions such as the sensor geometry, ambient air temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure and presence of ozone and/or cross sensitive gases and/or other factors. These conditions can be detected with co-located sensors, or be modeled based upon multiple parameters such as location, time of day, weather condition and the like. 
     The drive scheme of the UV light source can be a periodic or pulse-width modulated (PWM) scheme, and the intensity and duration of the UV source can be varied to provide various span calibration levels. In situations where the carrier (ambient) gas cannot be treated to reach a near zero-level of ozone, the in-sensor ozone gas generation technique could still be utilized to increase the level of ozone gas to create a specified ozone concentration delta. This would allow achieving an effective span calibration of the ozone gas. 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a miniature gas-sensing device  100  capable of in-sensor span calibration, in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. The miniature gas-sensing device (hereinafter “gas-sensing device”)  100  can be integrated with a host device such as a consumer electronic device, for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smart phone or a smart watch). The gas-sensing device  100  includes an enclosure  110 , a hotplate  120 , a gas sensor  130 , a light source  140 , a port  150  and a heating element  160 . The port  150  allows diffusion of air in and out of a cavity  115  of the miniature gas-sensing device  100 . Ozone gas can be generated by interaction of the short wavelength UV light (e.g., ˜185 nm) generated by the light source  140  with the oxygen content of the air inside the cavity  115 . The gas sensor  130  is sensitive to the ozone gas and, in some implementations, can be a MOX or an electrochemical gas sensor, but is not limited to these gas sensors and can be made of other appropriate gas sensitive materials suitable for sensing ozone. The underlying principle of MOX gas sensors are based on chemisorption of oxidizing or reducing gas species on the oxide surface, which is followed by a charge transfer process that can result in resistance changes of the MOX material. Examples of metal oxide materials include, but are not limited to, tin oxide (SnO2), indium oxide (In2O3), tungsten oxide (WO3), zinc oxide (ZnO), or a mixture thereof. 
     In some implementations, the light source  140  can be a light emitting diode (LED) disposed on an internal surface (e.g., a wall) of the enclosure  110 . The light source  140  can generate short wavelength UV light that can facilitate generating ozone gas from the oxygen content of the air inside the cavity  115 . A sensitive surface of gas sensor  130  has to be shielded from the UV light of the light source  140  to prevent formation of cross sensitive signals. The shielding of the gas sensor  130  can be achieved by geometric configuration and proper alignment such that there is not a direct light path between the light source  140  and the gas sensor  130 . In some implementations, the location of the light source  140  is chosen to prevent the sensitive surface of gas sensor  130  from being exposed to UV light generated by the light source  140 . 
     In some implementations, the hotplate  120  is a micro electromechanical system (MEMS) hotplate and can include titanium nitride, which is compatible with complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process and has a high melting point (e.g., 2950° C.), although other suitable metals may be used. In some implementations, the hotplate  120  can be controlled (e.g., by a microcontroller or a general processor) and may be used to regulate the temperature of the gas sensor  130 . In some implementations, the hotplate  120  may be configured to provide sufficient thermal energy to eliminate the need for the heating element  160 . 
     In one or more implementations, the miniature gas-sensing device  100  can be integrated with a host device such as a consumer electronic device, for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smart phone or a smart watch). In some implementations, a driver of the light source  140  can be controlled by a processor or a processing module of the host device. For example, the processor or the processing module may cause the driver of the light source  140  to generate periodic pulses with varying amplitude and duration. In some aspects, the generated periodic pulses can be PWM pulses. In one or more implementations, the processor or the processing module of the host device can control the temperature of the heating element  160 , for example, to make the environment inside the cavity  115  hot enough (e.g., above 50° C.) to thermally decompose the ozone gas. This would facilitate baseline calibration (at nearly zero ozone concentration) of the sensor. The processor or the processing module of the host device can also be used to turn the heating element  160  off or low or to turn it up to reach a desired temperature range, as needed. 
     In some implementations, the material for the enclosure  110  may be a metal such as aluminum, stainless steel or other metals or metallic alloys or other suitable materials. The port  150  may be an air permeable membrane made of a porous material, which can be waterproof to protect the sensors against moisture and humidity. 
       FIG. 2  is a Table  200  illustrating example stages of the in-sensor span calibration of the miniature gas-sensing device  100  of  FIG. 1 , in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. For in-sensor span calibration of the miniature gas-sensing device  100 , the light source  140  (e.g., UV emitter) is used to generate ozone from the oxygen content of the cavity  115  of  FIG. 1 , as described above. Further, the heating element  160  can be used to achieve baseline calibration (e.g., near zero ozone concentration) by thermally decomposing the ozone gas content of the cavity  115 . Table  200  includes three columns (1 to 3), each of which represents a stage of the calibration process of the gas sensor (e.g.,  130  of  FIG. 1 ). 
     The first stage is for baseline calibration of the gas sensor  130  of the miniature gas-sensing device  100 . For the first stage, the hotplate  120  is set to a high temperature (e.g., above 50° C., also referred to as “hot”) by the calibration processor (e.g., of the host device) to reset the MOX sensor  130  to a known state. In some implementations, the heating element  160  is set to the high temperature to decompose the existing ozone gas content of the cavity  115  to reach a near zero concentration of the ozone gas. At this stage, a resistance value of the gas sensor  130  is read and stored as the baseline value. For this stage, as shown in column 1 of Table  200 , the light source  140  (UV emitter) is off, so no generation of the ozone gas by the UV emitter is taking place. 
     The second stage is for reading a current value of the gas sensor  130  representing the current concentration of ozone gas in the cavity, while the ozone gas is being generated by the light source  140  that is turned on, as shown in column 2 of Table  200 . In this stage, the heating element  160  is turned off or set to a lower temperature and the light source  140  is turned on by the calibration processor of the host device. The reduction in heating element temperature can reduce the rate of thermal decomposition of the ozone gas, while the ozone gas is being generated by the UV light of the light source  140 . Further, an anticipated ozone gas concentration can be modeled based upon a number of factors such as geometry of the gas-sensing device  100 , diffusion characteristics of the port  150 , oxygen level (e.g., determined based upon location and/or barometric pressure), relative humidity level, and drive scheme (e.g., level and/or duration) of the UV light source. 
     The third stage is the reading stage where the resistance value of the gas sensor  130  is captured while the heating element  160  is turned off or turned low. Further, the light source  140  is turned off, by the calibration processor of the host device, to prevent thermal decomposition of the ozone gas, thus no ozone gas is being generated. This stage is the routine ozone gas detection and measurement by the gas-sensing device  100 , where the measured resistance of the gas sensor  130  is stored in a memory of the host device. In some implementations, the rate of decay of ozone detected by the gas sensor  130  can be used in the establishment of the sensor calibration. 
     In some implementations, co-located sensor measurement data and or other data such as location data (e.g., indoor and/or outdoor/elevation), barometric pressure (e.g., air density) sensor data, temperature and/or relative humidity (RH) sensor data, VOC sensor data, acceleration and/or gyro (e.g., static movement) data can be used for establishing an estimated target gas generation level. 
       FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a miniature gas-sensing device  300  capable of in-sensor span calibration, in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. The miniature gas-sensing device  300  (hereinafter “gas-sensing device  300 ”) can be integrated with a host device such as a consumer electronic device, for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smart phone or a smart watch). The gas-sensing device  300  includes an enclosure  310 , a hotplate  320 , a gas sensor  330 , a light source  340 , an input port  350 , an exit port  352  and a heating element  360 . In some implementations, the input port  350  includes an air blower  370  that can blow the air into a cavity  315  of the gas-sensing device  300 , and the exit port  352  may include a valve  372 . The air blower  370  may be a mechanical pump, a piezo pump or a speaker of a host device. The air blower  370  is primarily used for gas sensor  330  operation, and optionally may not be used during calibration. In one or more implementations, the valve  372  can be a one-way valve that only allows air to exit from a cavity  315  of the gas-sensing device  300 . The air blower  370  and the valve  372  may be controlled by a processor (e.g., a microcontroller or a general-purpose processor) such as a processor of the host device. In some implementations, the blower  360  may be located on the exhaust port downstream of the sensor element  330 ; a valve  372  may be located on the inlet port. The air blower  370  and the valve  372  may be used to establish a known sample or continual velocity of air flow in the cavity  315 . The light source  340  emits short wavelength UV light (e.g., ˜185 nm) that can generate ozone gas by interaction of the short wavelength UV light with the oxygen content of the air inside the cavity  315 . The hotplate  320 , the gas sensor  330 , the light source  340 , and the heating element  360  are similar to the hotplate  120 , the gas sensor  130 , light source  140 , and the heating element  160  of  FIG. 1  described above. The enclosure  310  can be made of a metal such as aluminum, stainless steel or other metals or metallic alloys or other suitable materials. In some implementations, the light source  340  can be a light emitting diode (LED) disposed on an internal surface (e.g., a wall) of the enclosure  310 . In order to prevent formation of cross sensitive signals, a sensitive surface of the gas sensor  330  is shielded from being impinged upon by the UV light of the light source  340  by geometric configuration and proper alignment as discussed above. 
     In some implementations, a driver of the light source  340  can be controlled by a processor or a processing module of the host device, for example, to generate periodic drive signals with varying amplitude and duration or PWM pulses. In one or more implementations, the processor or the processing module of the host device can control the temperature of the heating element  360 , for example, to increase the temperature of the ozone gas inside the cavity  315  to a sufficiently high level (e.g., above 50° C.) to be able to thermally break down ozone molecules. This would allow baseline calibration (at nearly zero ozone concentration) of the gas sensor  330 . The heating element  360  can also be turned off or low or turned up, by the processor or the processing module of the host device, to reach a desired temperature range, as needed. 
       FIG. 4  is a Table  400  illustrating example stages of the in-sensor span calibration of the miniature gas-sensing device  300  of  FIG. 3 , in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. For in-sensor span calibration of the gas-sensing device  300  the light source  340  (e.g., UV emitter) is used to generate ozone from the oxygen content of the cavity  315  of  FIG. 3 , as described above. Further, the heating element  360  can be used to achieve baseline calibration (e.g., near zero ozone concentration) by thermally decomposing the ozone gas content of the cavity  315 . Table  400  includes three columns (1 to 3), each of which represents a stage of the gas sensor (e.g.,  330  of  FIG. 1 ) calibration process. 
     The first stage is for baseline calibration of the gas sensor  130  of the miniature gas-sensing device  100  (gas sensor). In the first stage, the hotplate  320  is set to be hot by the calibration processor (e.g., of the host device) reset the MOX sensor  130  to a known state. The heating element  360  is set to a high temperature to decompose the existing ozone gas content of the cavity  315  to reach a near zero concentration of the ozone gas. At this stage a resistance value of the gas sensor  330  (gas sensor) is read and stored as the baseline value. For this stage, as shown in column 1 of Table  400 , the light source  340  (UV emitter) is off, and thus no generation of the ozone gas by the UV emitter is taking place, and the air blower  370  pumps fresh air into cavity  315 . The air blower  370  may be turned off in the middle of the first stage to allow all ozone to be consumed by the thermal breakdown (decomposition) process caused the heating element  360 . Optionally the air blower  370  may be off throughout the calibration process. 
     The second stage is for reading a current value of the resistance of the gas sensor  330  representing the current concentration of ozone gas in the cavity, while the ozone gas is being generated by the light source  340  that is turned on, as shown in column 2 of Table  400 . In this stage, the heating element  360  is turned off or turned low set to a lower temperature and the light source  340  is turned on by the calibration processor of the host device. The reduction in heating element temperature can reduce the rate of thermal decomposition of the ozone gas, while the ozone gas is being generated by the UV light of the light source  340 . With the air blower  370  off, the light source  340  operates at either PWM or timed output consuming oxygen and generating a known quantity of ozone gas. The known quantity of ozone gas is based upon the determined level of oxygen in the cavity  315  (e.g., determined based upon location and/or barometric pressure) and UV emission intensity and/or duration of the known quantity of ozone gas. The air blower  370  may be turned on during this stage to allow modulation of the level of generated ozone gas based upon the rate of flow and the level of UV light intensity. 
     During a third stage, as shown in column 3 of Table  400 , the heating element  360  remains off or at the low temperature, while the light source  340  is still off. This stage is for ozone gas detection and measurement by the gas-sensing device  300 , where the resistance of the gas sensor  330  is captured at various time instances during or after the ozone generation event, and stored in a memory of the host device. In some implementations, the rate of decay of ozone detected by the gas sensor  330  can be used in the establishment of the sensor calibration. 
     Again, the anticipated ozone gas concentration can be modeled based upon a number of factors such as the geometry of the gas-sensing device  300 , the drive scheme characteristics of the air blower  370 , the determined oxygen level, the relative humidity level, and the drive scheme (e.g., level and/or duration) of the UV light source  340 . In some implementations, co-located sensor measurement data and or other data such as location data (e.g., indoor and/or outdoor and/or elevation), barometric pressure (e.g., air density) sensor data, temperature and/or relative humidity (RH) sensor data, VOC sensor data, acceleration and/or gyro sensor data can be used for establishing an estimated target gas generation level. In one or more implementations, the intensity level and/or duration of the zero level and ozone generation pulses can be varied to establish multiple effective levels of ozone gas. The frequency of the in-sensor calibration can be modulated based upon the anticipated sensor drift, incidence of suitable calibration parameters and other factors. 
       FIG. 5  is a flow diagram illustrating an example method  500  of providing of a miniature gas-sensing device (e.g.,  100  of  FIG. 1 ) capable of in-sensor span calibration, in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. The method  500  starts with providing a gas sensor (e.g.,  130  of  FIG. 1 ) enclosed in an enclosure (e.g.,  110  of  FIG. 1 ) ( 510 ). A port (e.g.,  150  of  FIG. 1 ) may be configured to allow flow of air in and out of the enclosure ( 520 ). A light source (e.g.,  140  of  FIG. 1 ) inside the enclosure may be used to facilitate generation of ozone gas within the enclosure ( 530 ). The gas sensor is periodically calibrated, in some implementations using a heating element (e.g.,  160  of  FIG. 1 ) to thermally dispose ozone gas content to provide a calibration baseline ( 540 ). 
       FIG. 6  is a block diagram illustrating an example wireless communication device  600 , within which one or more miniature gas sensors of the subject technology can be integrated. The wireless communication device  600  may be the host device of the gas-sensing devices (e.g.,  100  of  FIG. 1 or 300  of  FIG. 3 ) of the subject technology. The wireless communication device  600  may comprise a radio-frequency (RF) antenna  610 , a receiver  620 , a transmitter  630 , a baseband processing module  640 , a memory  650 , a processor  660 , a local oscillator generator (LOGEN)  670  and one or more transducers  680 . In various embodiments of the subject technology, one or more of the blocks represented in  FIG. 6  may be integrated on one or more semiconductor substrates. For example, the blocks  620 - 670  may be realized in a single chip or a single system on a chip, or may be realized in a multi-chip chipset. 
     The receiver  620  may comprise suitable logic circuitry and/or code that may be operable to receive and process signals from the RF antenna  610 . The receiver  620  may, for example, be operable to amplify and/or down-convert received wireless signals. In various embodiments of the subject technology, the receiver  620  may be operable to cancel noise in received signals and may be linear over a wide range of frequencies. In this manner, the receiver  620  may be suitable for receiving signals in accordance with a variety of wireless standards, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, Bluetooth, and various cellular standards. In various embodiments of the subject technology, the receiver  620  may not require any SAW filters and few or no off-chip discrete components such as large capacitors and inductors. 
     The transmitter  630  may comprise suitable logic circuitry and/or code that may be operable to process and transmit signals from the RF antenna  610 . The transmitter  630  may, for example, be operable to up-convert baseband signals to RF signals and amplify RF signals. In various embodiments of the subject technology, the transmitter  630  may be operable to up-convert and amplify baseband signals processed in accordance with a variety of wireless standards. Examples of such standards may include Wi-Fi, WiMAX, Bluetooth, and various cellular standards. In various embodiments of the subject technology, the transmitter  630  may be operable to provide signals for further amplification by one or more power amplifiers. 
     The duplexer  612  may provide isolation in the transmit band to avoid saturation of the receiver  620  or damaging parts of the receiver  620 , and to relax one or more design requirements of the receiver  620 . Furthermore, the duplexer  612  may attenuate the noise in the receive band. The duplexer may be operable in multiple frequency bands of various wireless standards. 
     The baseband processing module  640  may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code that may be operable to perform processing of baseband signals. The baseband processing module  640  may, for example, analyze received signals and generate control and/or feedback signals for configuring various components of the wireless communication device  600 , such as the receiver  620 . The baseband processing module  640  may be operable to encode, decode, transcode, modulate, demodulate, encrypt, decrypt, scramble, descramble, and/or otherwise process data in accordance with one or more wireless standards. 
     In some implementations, the baseband processing module  640  may include a calibration processor  642  that is capable of controlling calibration of the miniature gas sensor of the subject technology. 
     The processor  660  may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that may enable processing data and/or controlling operations of the wireless communication device  600 . In this regard, the processor  660  may be enabled to provide control signals to various other portions of the wireless communication device  600 . The processor  660  may also control transfers of data between various portions of the wireless communication device  600 . Additionally, the processor  660  may enable implementation of an operating system or otherwise execute code to manage operations of the wireless communication device  600 . In one or more implementations, the processor  660  may be configured to control calibration of the miniature gas sensor of the subject technology. 
     The memory  650  may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that may enable storage of various types of information such as received data, generated data, code, and/or configuration information. The memory  650  may comprise, for example, RAM, ROM, flash, and/or magnetic storage. In various embodiment of the subject technology, information stored in the memory  650  may be utilized for configuring the receiver  620  and/or the baseband processing module  640 . 
     The local oscillator generator (LOGEN)  670  may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code that may be operable to generate one or more oscillating signals of one or more frequencies. The LOGEN  670  may be operable to generate digital and/or analog signals. In this manner, the LOGEN  670  may be operable to generate one or more clock signals and/or sinusoidal signals. Characteristics of the oscillating signals such as the frequency and duty cycle may be determined based on one or more control signals from, for example, the processor  660  and/or the baseband processing module  640 . 
     In operation, the processor  660  may configure the various components of the wireless communication device  600  based on a wireless standard according to which it is desired to receive signals. Wireless signals may be received via the RF antenna  610  and amplified and down-converted by the receiver  620 . The baseband processing module  640  may perform noise estimation and/or noise cancellation, decoding, and/or demodulation of the baseband signals. In this manner, information in the received signal may be recovered and utilized appropriately. For example, the information may be audio and/or video to be presented to a user of the wireless communication device, data to be stored to the memory  650 , and/or information affecting and/or enabling operation of the wireless communication device  600 . The baseband processing module  640  may modulate, encode, and perform other processing on audio, video, and/or control signals to be transmitted by the transmitter  630  in accordance with various wireless standards. 
     The one or more transducers  680  may include the miniature has sensor of the subject technology as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3  and described above. The miniature has sensor of the subject technology can be readily integrated into the wireless communication device  600 , in particular when the wireless communication device  600  is a smart mobile phone or a smart watch. 
     The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more.” Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. Pronouns in the masculine (e.g., his) include the feminine and neuter gender (e.g., her and its) and vice versa. Headings and subheadings, if any, are used for convenience only and do not limit the subject disclosure. 
     The predicate words “configured to”, “operable to”, and “programmed to” do not imply any particular tangible or intangible modification of a subject, but, rather, are intended to be used interchangeably. For example, a processor configured to monitor and control an operation or a component may also mean the processor being programmed to monitor and control the operation or the processor being operable to monitor and control the operation. Likewise, a processor configured to execute code can be construed as a processor programmed to execute code or operable to execute code. 
     A phrase such as an “aspect” does not imply that such aspect is essential to the subject technology or that such aspect applies to all configurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to an aspect may apply to all configurations, or one or more configurations. A phrase such as an aspect may refer to one or more aspects and vice versa. A phrase such as a “configuration” does not imply that such configuration is essential to the subject technology or that such configuration applies to all configurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to a configuration may apply to all configurations, or one or more configurations. A phrase such as a configuration may refer to one or more configurations and vice versa. 
     The word “example” is used herein to mean “serving as an example or illustration.” Any aspect or design described herein as “example” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “step for.” Furthermore, to the extent that the term “include,” “have,” or the like is used in the description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprise” as “comprise” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20190214
Publication Date: 20210223
Grant Date: 20210223
Priority Date: 20180228
Inventors: BROWN, MICHAEL K.
YAN, MIAOLEI
RIBEIRO, ROBERTO M.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "G01N27/123", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01N33/0006", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y02A50/20", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01N27/125", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01N33/0039", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01N27/123", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01N33/0006", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01N33/0039", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01N27/123", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01N33/0006", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01N27/125", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01N33/0039", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 67684442