PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-11525752-B2
Application Number: US-202016920396-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Water detecting pressure sensors

Abstract:
A water detecting pressure-sensing device includes a metal housing including a cavity. A pressure sensor is disposed on a die and configured to generate a signal in response to a pressure variation. A protection medium at least partially fills the cavity and covers the die. One or more electrodes are disposed on the die and are used to detect a presence of a water droplet on the protection medium.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A water detecting pressure-sensing device, the device comprising:
 a pressure sensor disposed on a die; 
 a protection medium to cover the die; and 
 one or more electrodes disposed on the die and used to detect a presence of a water droplet on the protection medium. 
 
     
     
       2. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the pressure sensor comprises a capacitive or piezo-resistive pressure sensor, and wherein the one or more electrodes comprise four corner electrodes, and wherein the one or more electrodes are made of an electrically conductive material that is resistive to environmental chemicals. 
     
     
       3. The device of  claim 2 , further comprising a metal housing including a cavity, wherein the four corner electrodes are coupled to form one of a joint capacitance or four different capacitances with the metal housing, and wherein values of the joint capacitance or the four different capacitances are affected by the presence of the water droplet. 
     
     
       4. The device of  claim 3 , wherein the one or more electrodes comprise a ring electrode or segments of a ring formed on the die and around the pressure sensor. 
     
     
       5. The device of  claim 4 , wherein the ring electrode comprises a square or a round-shaped electrode and forms a capacitance with the metal housing, and wherein a value of the capacitance is affected by the presence of the water droplet. 
     
     
       6. The device of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more resistive heating elements, wherein the one or more resistive heating elements are formed on the die around the one or more electrodes. 
     
     
       7. The device of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more resistive heating elements, wherein the one or more resistive heating elements are within a cavity in spaces off the die. 
     
     
       8. The device of  claim 1 , further comprising a detection circuit configured to detect a change in a capacitance of the one or more electrodes in response to the presence of the water droplet on the protection medium, wherein the detection circuit is implemented on the die, and wherein the detection circuit is implemented using an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). 
     
     
       9. A communication device comprising:
 a processor; and 
 a device comprising:
 a pressure sensor disposed on a die; 
 a protection medium disposed to cover the die; 
 one or more electrodes disposed on the die; and 
 a detection circuit configured to detect a change in a capacitance of the one or more electrodes in response to a presence of a water droplet on the protection medium. 
 
 
     
     
       10. The communication device of  claim 9 , wherein the pressure sensor comprises a capacitive or piezo-resistive pressure sensor, and wherein the one or more electrodes are disposed on the die. 
     
     
       11. The communication device of  claim 9 , wherein the one or more electrodes are made of an electrically conductive material that is resistive to environmental chemicals, and wherein the one or more electrodes comprise four corner electrodes. 
     
     
       12. The communication device of  claim 11 , further comprising a metal housing including a cavity, wherein the four corner electrodes are coupled to form one of a joint capacitance or four different capacitances with the metal housing, and wherein values of the joint capacitance or the four different capacitances are affected by the presence of the water droplet. 
     
     
       13. The communication device of  claim 12 , wherein the one or more electrodes comprise a ring electrode formed around the pressure sensor, and wherein the ring electrode comprises a square or a round shaped electrode and the capacitance of the one or more electrodes is formed with the metal housing, and wherein a value of the capacitance is affected by the presence of the water droplet. 
     
     
       14. The communication device of  claim 12 , wherein the device further comprises one or more resistive heating elements controllable by the processor, wherein the one or more resistive heating elements are formed around the one or more electrodes on the die. 
     
     
       15. The communication device of  claim 12 , wherein the device further comprises one or more resistive heating elements controllable by the processor, wherein the one or more resistive heating elements are disposed off the die, within the cavity. 
     
     
       16. An apparatus comprising:
 a pressure sensor disposed on a die; 
 a protection medium disposed to cover the die; and 
 one or more electrodes disposed to facilitate detection of a presence of a water droplet on the protection medium. 
 
     
     
       17. The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the one or more electrodes comprise four corner electrodes, and wherein the one or more electrodes are made of an electrically conductive material that is resistive to environmental chemicals. 
     
     
       18. The apparatus of  claim 16 , further comprising a metal housing including a cavity, wherein the pressure sensor comprises a capacitive or piezo-resistive pressure sensor, wherein the one or more electrodes comprise a ring electrode formed around the pressure sensor, wherein the ring electrode comprises a square or a round shaped electrode and forms a capacitance with the metal housing, and wherein a value of the capacitance is affected by the presence of the water droplet. 
     
     
       19. The apparatus of  claim 18 , further comprising one or more resistive heating elements disposed within the cavity, wherein the one or more resistive heating elements are disposed on the die or off the die and around the die. 
     
     
       20. The apparatus of  claim 16 , further comprising a detection circuit configured to detect a change in a capacitance of the one or more electrodes in response to the presence of the water droplet on the protection medium, wherein the detection circuit is implemented using an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) on the die.

Description:
This application is a continuation of the U.S. application Ser. No. 16/010,274, filed Jun. 15, 2018, which is incorporated by reference herein by its entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present description relates generally to sensor technology, and more particularly, to a water detecting pressure sensor. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Portable communication devices (e.g., smart phones and smart watches) are becoming increasingly equipped with environmental sensors such pressure, temperature and humidity sensors, gas sensors and particulate matter (PM) sensors. For example, a pressure sensor can enable health and fitness features in a smart watch or a smart phone. A measured pressure can then be converted (e.g., by a processor) to other parameters related to pressure, for example, elevation, motion, flow or other parameters. Pressure sensors can be used to measure pressure in a gas or liquid environment. 
     Pressure sensors can vary drastically in technology, design, performance and application. In terms of employed technologies, pressure sensors can be categorized as, for example, piezoelectric, capacitive, electromagnetic, optical or potentiometric pressure sensors. The micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) type pressure sensors used in smart phones or smart watches are generally capacitive-type pressure sensors. Pressure sensors using interim gel have been widely used in the microelectronic devices, but the gel can be susceptible to environmental contaminations and water occlusion. There is a need for pressure sensors that can detect presence of a water droplet on the gel. 
    
    
     
       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. 
         FIGS.  1 A through  1 C  are diagrams illustrating different views of an example water detecting pressure-sensing device, in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. 
         FIGS.  2 A- 2 B  are diagrams illustrating different views of an example water detecting pressure-sensing device including a heating element, in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. 
         FIGS.  3 A- 3 B  are diagrams illustrating cross-sectional views showing an example water-detection mechanism of a water detecting pressure-sensing device, in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. 
         FIG.  4    is a flow diagram illustrating a process of assembling an example water detecting pressure-sensing device, in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. 
         FIG.  5    is a block diagram illustrating an example wireless communication device, within which one or more water detecting pressure-sensing device 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 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 a block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the subject technology. 
     The subject technology is directed to a water detecting miniature pressure-sensing device (e.g., having dimensions in the order of a few millimeters). The pressure-sensing device of the subject technology includes one or more electrodes for detecting a water droplet and, in some implementations, includes one or more heating elements for causing the water droplet to evaporate. The disclosed water detecting pressure-sensing device includes a metal housing, a pressure sensor, a protection medium and one or more electrodes. The pressure sensor can be a capacitive or a piezo-resistive pressure sensor. The metal housing includes a cavity and the pressure sensor is disposed on a die inside the cavity. The pressure sensor can generate a signal in response to a pressure variation. The protection medium at least partially fills the cavity and covers the die. The electrodes can be disposed on the die to detect presence of a water droplet on the protection medium. 
     In one or more implementations, the electrodes are four corner electrodes and are made of an electrically conductive material that is resistive to environmental chemicals. The four corner electrodes are coupled to form a joint capacitance or four different capacitances with the metal housing. Values of the joint capacitance or the four different capacitances can be affected (e.g., substantially increase) by the presence of the water droplet. In some implementations, there is a ring electrode formed around the pressure sensor. The ring electrode can be a square or a round shaped electrode and forms a capacitance with the metal housing. A value of the capacitance can be affected by the presence of the water droplet. In some implementations, the pressure-sensing device includes one or more resistive heating elements formed on the die that can cause evaporation of the water droplet. The resistive heating elements can be formed around the electrodes. In some implementations, one or more resistive heating elements can be installed around the die within the cavity. 
       FIGS.  1 A through  1 C  are diagrams illustrating different views of an example water detecting pressure-sensing device  100 , in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. The example water detecting pressure-sensing device  100  (hereinafter “device  100 ”) shown in views  100 A,  100 B and  100 C can be a miniature gel-filled pressure-sensing device that can detect a water droplet  150  on the gel, as discussed below. In one or more implementations, the dimensions of the device  100  are in the order of a few millimeters.  FIG.  1 A  shows a top view of the device  100 . The device  100  includes a housing  102  and a die  120  covered with a protective medium  140  (e.g., gel). In some implementations, the die  120  includes a pressure sensor  110 , a set of electrodes  130  and a water detection circuit  125 . In one or more implementations, the die  120  is a semiconductor die such as a silicon die on which a number of circuits, for example, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) can be implemented. In one or more implementations, the water detection circuit  125  can be realized as an ASIC. In some implementations, the pressure sensor  110  can be a capacitive pressure sensor or a piezo-resistive pressure sensor and can be realized as a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) implemented on the die  120 . 
     The electrodes  130  (e.g., water sensing electrodes) are to sense the presence of the water droplet  150 . The electrodes  130  can be distributed on the die  120  and be created, for example, on four corners of the die  120 . In some implementations, the electrodes  130  can be created in the form of a ring, ring segments or an array of electrode segments around the pressure sensor  110 . In one or more implementations, the electrodes  130  are made of an electrically conductive material that is resistive to environmental chemicals. In some implementations, electrodes  130  can be made of metals such as copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), silver (Ag), graphite (C), titanium (Ti), gold (Au), or other suitable metals, alloys or compounds. In some implementations, the electrodes  130  are coupled to form one of a joint capacitance or four different capacitances with the metal housing  102 . In one or more implementations, the values of the joint capacitance or the four different capacitances are affected by the presence of the water droplet  150 . The electrodes  130  form a capacitance with the housing  102  when the system is dry and no water is present of the protective medium  140 . This capacitance can change with presence of the water droplet  150 , and the capacitance change can be detected by the water detection circuit  125 . 
       FIG.  1 B  depicts an inside view  100 B of the device  100  through a cross-sectional cut of the housing  102 .  FIG.  1 B  also shows a substrate  160  attached to the bottom of the housing  102 . The description of the die  120  is described above. The housing  102  can be made of a metal such as, for example, steel, aluminum, or other suitable metals or metal alloys. The substrate  160  can be made of the same material as the housing  102 . In some implementations, the substrate  160  can be made of a different material such as a ceramic or silicon or other suitable substrate material and can be attached to the housing  102  via a suitable adhesive interface such as an epoxy. 
       FIG.  1 C  depicts a cross-sectional view  100 C of the device  100  and shows that the die  120  is disposed on the substrate  160  attached to the bottom of the housing  102 . As shown in the cross-sectional view  100 C, the protective medium  140  partially fills the cavity formed by the housing  102  and the substrate  160 . The details of the die  120 , the pressure sensor  110  and the electrodes  130  are as described above. 
       FIGS.  2 A- 2 B  are diagrams illustrating different views  200 A and  200 B of an example water detecting pressure-sensing device  200  including a heating element  170 , in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. The view  200 A depicts an inside view of the device  200  through a cross-sectional cut of the housing  102 . The example water detecting pressure-sensing device  200  (hereinafter “device  200 ”) is similar to the device  100  of  FIGS.  1 A through  1 C , except for addition of a heating element  170 . In one or more implementations, the heating element  170  is s resistive heating element, for example, made of a metal or an alloy such as, nickel-chromium alloy (Ni—Cr) or iron-chromium-aluminum alloys. In one or more implementations, the heating elements  170  can be created in the forms of one or more strips, rings, ring segments, an array of dots or segments or other shapes on the die  120 . In some implementations, the heating elements  170  can be created off the die  120  but inside the cavity of the housing  102 , for example, on the substrate  160 . 
     The heating elements  170  is operable to heat the device  100  to evaporate the water droplet  150 . In some implementations, the heating elements  170  can be operable based on one or more signals from the water detecting circuit  125  that detects the presence of the water droplet  150 . In one or more implementations, the heating elements  170  can be simultaneously or independently controlled, for example, by a microcontroller or a processor of a host device such as smart phone or a smart watch. 
     The view  200 B of  FIG.  2 B  depicts a cross-sectional view of the device  200 , where the heating elements  170  are shown on the die  120  alongside the pressure sensor  110  and the electrodes  130 . Also shown in the view  200 B is the water droplet  150  on the protective medium  140  (e.g., gel), which fills the cavity formed by the housing  102  and the substrate  160 . 
       FIGS.  3 A- 3 B  are diagrams illustrating cross-sectional views  300 A and  300 B showing an example water-detection mechanism of a water detecting pressure-sensing device  300 , in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. The cross-sectional view  300 A of  FIG.  3 A  shows the example water detecting pressure-sensing device  300  (hereinafter “device  300 ”) in a dry situation. The device  300  is similar to the device  100  of  FIG.  1 C , except that the water droplet  150  of  FIG.  1 C  is not present, and a capacitor C SB  is shown. The capacitor C SB  represents (models) a capacitance through the protective medium  140  (e.g., gel) between the electrodes  130  (e.g., water sensing electrodes) and the housing  102  (body), which is grounded by a connection to a ground potential  302 . In some implementations, the electrodes  130  are coupled to form one of a joint capacitance or four different capacitances with the housing  102 . The value of the capacitor C SB  is relatively constant as long as there is no water droplet on the protective medium  140 . The capacitor C SB  is a dry capacitance (C D ) of the electrodes  130  (e.g., C D =C SB ). The presence of a water droplet (e.g.,  150 ) will change the capacitance between the electrodes  130  and the housing  102  as discussed below. 
     The cross-sectional view  300 B of  FIG.  3 B  depicts the device  300  in a wet situation. Again, the device  300  is similar to the device  100  of  FIG.  1 C , except for the capacitors C SB , C SW  and C WB  shown in  FIG.  3 B . The capacitor C SW  represents a capacitance through the protective medium  140  (e.g., gel) between the electrode  130  and the water droplet  150 . The capacitor C WB  represents a capacitance through the protective medium  140  (e.g., gel) between the water droplet  150  and the housing  102 , which is grounded by a connection to the ground potential  302 . These three capacitances add up to form a wet capacitance (C W ) of the electrodes  130 , which can be expressed as:
 
 C   W   =C   SB   +C   diff   (1)
 
Where C diff  is a difference capacitance due to C SW  and C WB  and its value is related to the values of C SW  and C WB  as shown by the following expression:
 
 C   diff =(1/ C   SW +1/ C   WB ) −1 &gt;0  (2)
 
From the expressions (1) and (2), it is clear that C W  is greater than C D . In practice, the values of the above capacitances may be in the pF range and the value of the difference capacitance C diff  may be a few pF, and can be measured by the water detection circuit  125  of  FIG.  1 A . As soon as the water detection circuit  125  detects presence of the water droplet  150 , it can alert the heating elements  170  of  FIG.  2 A , directly or through a processor (e.g., a processor of the host device such as a smart phone or a smart watch), to turn on to generate heat that can evaporate the water droplet  150 .
 
       FIG.  4    is a flow diagram illustrating a process  400  of assembling an example water detecting pressure-sensing device, in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. The process  400  begins with disposing a capacitive or piezo-resistive pressure sensor (e.g.,  110  of  FIG.  1 A ) on a die (e.g.,  120  of  FIG.  1 A ) for generating a signal in response to a pressure variation ( 412 ). The process  400  further includes disposing one or more electrodes (e.g.,  130  of  FIG.  1 A ) on the die for being used in detecting water (e.g.,  150  of  FIG.  1 A ) ( 414 ). The die can be placed in a cavity of a metal housing (e.g.,  102  of  FIG.  1 A ) ( 416 ). A protective medium (e.g.,  140  of  FIG.  1 A ) at least partially fills the cavity and covers the die and protects the die against contaminants such as water ( 418 ). 
       FIG.  5    is a block diagram illustrating an example wireless communication device  500 , within which one or more water detecting pressure-sensing device of the subject technology can be integrated. In one or more implementations, the wireless communication device  500  can be a smart phone or a smart watch. The wireless communication device  500  may comprise a radio-frequency (RF) antenna  510 , a receiver  520 , a transmitter  530 , a baseband processing module  540 , a memory  550 , a processor  560 , a local oscillator generator (LOGEN)  570  and one or more transducers  580 . In various embodiments of the subject technology, one or more of the blocks represented in  FIG.  5    may be integrated on one or more semiconductor substrates. For example, the blocks  520 - 570  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  520  may comprise suitable logic circuitry and/or code that may be operable to receive and process signals from the RF antenna  510 . The receiver  520  may, for example, be operable to amplify and/or down-convert received wireless signals. In various embodiments of the subject technology, the receiver  520  may be operable to cancel noise in received signals and may be linear over a wide range of frequencies. In this manner, the receiver  520  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  520  may not require any SAW filters and few or no off-chip discrete components such as large capacitors and inductors. 
     The transmitter  530  may comprise suitable logic circuitry and/or code that may be operable to process and transmit signals from the RF antenna  510 . The transmitter  530  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  530  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  530  may be operable to provide signals for further amplification by one or more power amplifiers. 
     The duplexer  512  may provide isolation in the transmit band to avoid saturation of the receiver  520  or damaging parts of the receiver  520 , and to relax one or more design requirements of the receiver  520 . Furthermore, the duplexer  512  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  540  may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code that may be operable to perform processing of baseband signals. The baseband processing module  540  may, for example, analyze received signals and generate control and/or feedback signals for configuring various components of the wireless communication device  500 , such as the receiver  520 . The baseband processing module  540  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. 
     The processor  560  may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that may enable processing data and/or controlling operations of the wireless communication device  500 . In this regard, the processor  560  may be enabled to provide control signals to various other portions of the wireless communication device  500 . The processor  560  may also control transfers of data between various portions of the wireless communication device  500 . Additionally, the processor  560  may enable implementation of an operating system or otherwise execute code to manage operations of the wireless communication device  500 . 
     The memory  550  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  550  may comprise, for example, RAM, ROM, flash, and/or magnetic storage. In various embodiment of the subject technology, information stored in the memory  550  may be utilized for configuring the receiver  520  and/or the baseband processing module  540 . 
     The local oscillator generator (LOGEN)  570  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  570  may be operable to generate digital and/or analog signals. In this manner, the LOGEN  570  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  560  and/or the baseband processing module  540 . 
     In operation, the processor  560  may configure the various components of the wireless communication device  500  based on a wireless standard according to which it is desired to receive signals. Wireless signals may be received via the RF antenna  510 , amplified, and down-converted by the receiver  520 . The baseband processing module  540  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  550 , and/or information affecting and/or enabling operation of the wireless communication device  500 . The baseband processing module  540  may modulate, encode, and perform other processing on audio, video, and/or control signals to be transmitted by the transmitter  530  in accordance with various wireless standards. 
     The one or more transducers  580  may include the miniature water detecting pressure-sensing device of the subject technology, for example, as shown in  FIGS.  1 A through  1 C and/or  2 A- 2 B  and described above. The miniature water detecting pressure-sensing device of the subject technology can be readily integrated into the communication device  500 , in particular, when the communication device  500  is a smart mobile phone or a smart watch. In one or more implementations, the processor  560  can process pressure signals from the integrated pressure-sensing device of the subject technology, after being converted to digital signals by an ADC (e.g., an ADC of the communication device  500 ), to convert a measured pressure value to a value of a corresponding parameter such as elevation, motion or other parameters. The processor  560  can further process signals from the water detection circuit (e.g.,  125  of  FIG.  1 A ) and to turn on the heating element (e.g.,  170  of  FIG.  2 A ) to heat the protective medium (e.g.,  140  of  FIG.  2 A ). In one or more implementations, the memory  550  can store measured pressure values, converted values, e.g., of the corresponding parameters such as elevation or motion or other parameters, and/or look-up tables for such conversions. 
     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: 20200702
Publication Date: 20221213
Grant Date: 20221213
Priority Date: 20180615
Inventors: BALASUBRAMANIAN, Ashwin
LEE, WILLIAM SCOTT
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "G01L9/06", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01L19/0654", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01L9/12", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01W1/14", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01L9/12", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01L9/12", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01L19/0654", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01L19/0092", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01L9/06", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01W1/14", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01L9/06", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01L19/0092", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01L19/0654", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01L9/12", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 68839231