PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-11525749-B2
Application Number: US-201815986705-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Telescopic analog front-end for pressure sensors

Abstract:
A wireless communication device includes a pressure sensor to generate a first signal in response to a pressure variation. A variable offset capacitor is coupled in parallel with the pressure sensor. A first analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is coupled to the variable offset capacitor and to convert the first signal to a digital signal. The pressure sensor is a capacitive pressure sensor. The variable offset capacitor is a digitally controlled variable capacitor and the ADC is a low-resolution and low-power ADC.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A wireless communication device, the device comprising:
 a pressure sensor configured to generate a first signal in response to a pressure variation; 
 a variable offset capacitor, the capacitance value of which is controlled digitally, wherein the variable offset capacitor is coupled in parallel with the pressure sensor; and 
 a telescopic front-end circuit configured to divide a dynamic range into two different regions associated with two different analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) with different speeds including a first ADC and a second ADC,
 wherein the first ADC comprises a low-power and a low-resolution ADC and is a lower speed ADS of the two different ADCs and is coupled to the variable offset capacitor to convert the first signal to a digital signal, and the second ADC comprises a higher speed ADC of the two different ADCs. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The device of  claim 1 , wherein a power consumption of the first ADC is within a range of about 4-9 μWatt, and a resolution of the first ADC is within a range of about 6-8 bits. 
     
     
       3. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the second ADC comprises a medium-speed ADC having a speed within a range of about 20-25 Hz. 
     
     
       4. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the digitally controlled variable capacitor comprises a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuit. 
     
     
       5. The device of  claim 4 , further comprising an adder circuit coupled between an output of the pressure sensor and an input of the first ADC. 
     
     
       6. The device of  claim 5 , wherein the adder circuit is configured to add an analog output of the DAC circuit to the first signal. 
     
     
       7. The device of  claim 4 , further comprising a gain stage coupled between the DAC circuit and the second ADC. 
     
     
       8. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication device comprises a smart phone or a smart watch. 
     
     
       9. An apparatus comprising:
 a variable offset capacitor, the capacitance value of which is controlled digitally, wherein the variable offset capacitor is coupled in parallel with a pressure sensor; 
 a buffer circuit coupled to the variable offset capacitor; and 
 a telescopic front-end circuit configured to divide a dynamic range into two different regions associated with two different analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) with different speeds including a first ADC and a second ADC, 
 wherein the first ADC comprises a low-power and a low-resolution ADC and is a lower speed ADC of the two different ADCs and is coupled to the variable offset capacitor to convert the first signal to a digital signal, and the second ADC comprises a higher speed ADC of the two different ADCs. 
 
     
     
       10. The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the first ADC comprises a low-power ADC, wherein a power consumption of the low-power ADC is within a range of about 4-9 μWatt. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the first ADC comprises a low-resolution ADC, wherein a resolution of the low-resolution ADC is within a range of about 6-8 bits. 
     
     
       12. The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the digitally controlled variable offset capacitor comprises a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuit. 
     
     
       13. The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the DAC circuit is configured to receive a digital control signal from a control module. 
     
     
       14. The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the control module is configured to generate the digital control signal based on a digital output signal of the first ADC. 
     
     
       15. An analog front-end circuit for processing a pressure sensor signal, the front-end circuit comprising
 an offset capacitor, the capacitance value of which is controlled digitally, wherein the offset capacitor is coupled in parallel with a pressure sensor and configured to lower a dynamic range of the pressure sensor signal, wherein the dynamic range of the pressure sensor signal is divided into two different regions associated with two different analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) with different speeds; 
 a first analog-to-digital converter (ADC) coupled to the pressure sensor and configured to convert the pressure sensor signal to a first digital signal; 
 a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuit coupled to the first ADC and configured to convert the first digital signal to a first analog signal; 
 a summation circuit configured to combine the pressure sensor signal and the first analog signal to generate a combined analog signal; and 
 a second ADC configured to convert the combined analog signal to an output digital circuit, wherein the first ADC comprises a low power and lower-resolution ADC and is a lower speed ADC of the two different ADCs. 
 
     
     
       16. The front-end circuit of  claim 15 , wherein the first ADC has a power consumption within a range of about 4-9 μWatt. 
     
     
       17. The front-end circuit of  claim 15 , wherein a speed of the first ADC is within a range of about 0.5-0.7 Hz and the lower-resolution is within a range of about 6-8 bits. 
     
     
       18. The front-end circuit of  claim 17 , further comprising a gain stage coupled between the summation circuit and the second ADC. 
     
     
       19. The front-end circuit of  claim 18 , wherein the gain stage is configured to amplify the combined analog signal.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present description relates generally to sensor technology, and more particularly, to a telescopic analog front-end for processing pressure sensor signals. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Portable communication devices (e.g., smart phones and smart watches) are becoming increasingly equipped with environmental sensors such a pressure, temperature and humidity sensors, gas sensors and particulate matter (PM) sensors. For example, a pressure sensor enables a smart watch or a smart phone to measure pressure as well as other parameters related to pressure, for example, elevation, motion, flow or other parameters. Pressure sensors are used to measure pressure in a gas or liquid environment. 
     Pressure sensors can vary drastically in technology, design, performance and application. In terms of technologies employed, pressure sensors can be categorized as, for example, piezoelectric, capacitive, electromagnetic, optical or potentioffsetric pressure sensors. The micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) type pressure sensors used in smart phones or smart watches are generally capacitive-type pressure sensors, and are employed along with an interface that enables proper measurement of the sensed pressure by a suitable electronic circuit. 
    
    
     
       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 a table and charts illustrating example characteristics of a capacitive pressure sensor. 
         FIG.  2    is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a pressure-sensing device, in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. 
         FIG.  3    is a chart illustrating an example dynamic-range representation associated with the pressure-sensing device of  FIG.  2   , in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. 
         FIG.  4    is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a pressure-sensing device, in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. 
         FIG.  5    is a chart illustrating an example dynamic range plot associated with the pressure-sensing device of  FIG.  4   , in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. 
         FIG.  6    is a chart illustrating an example dynamic characteristic representation associated with a telescopic front-end circuit, in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. 
         FIG.  7    is a flow diagram illustrating a process for providing a telescopic front-end circuit for processing a pressure sensor signal, in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. 
         FIG.  8    is a block diagram illustrating an example wireless communication device, within which one or more environmental sensing devices 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 a 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 a telescopic analog front-end for processing a signal from a pressure sensor. The pressure-sensing device of the subject technology can be implemented in a wireless communication device such as a smart phone or a smart watch. The disclosed pressure-sensing device includes a pressure sensor and a telescopic front-end circuit including a variable offset capacitor and a first analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The pressure sensor can generate a first signal in response to a pressure variation for example due to altitude change. The variable offset capacitor is coupled in parallel with the pressure sensor. The first ADC is coupled to the offset capacitor and can convert the first signal to a digital signal. 
     The first ADC can be a low-resolution and low-power ADC. In one or more implementations, a resolution of the first ADC is within a range of about 13-15 bits, and a power consumption of the first ADC is within a range of about 4-9 μWatt. In one or more implementations, the pressure sensor is a miniature (e.g., having dimensions of the order of a few millimeters) capacitive pressure sensor. The variable offset capacitor can be a digitally controlled variable capacitor. In one or more implementations, the digitally controlled variable capacitor is a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuit. In some implementations, the telescopic front-end circuit includes a gain stage and a second ADC. The gain stage can be coupled between the DAC circuit and the first ADC, and the second ADC can be coupled to a digital input of the DAC circuit. In some implementations, the second ADC is a low-speed (e.g., within a range of about 0.5-0.7 Hz) and low-resolution (within a range of about 6-8 bits) ADC. A digital input of the second ADC is coupled to an adder circuit that is coupled between an output of the pressure sensor and an input of the first ADC. 
       FIGS.  1 A through  1 C  are a table  100 A and charts  100 B and  100 C illustrating example characteristics of a capacitive pressure sensor. In the table  100 A of  FIG.  1 A , a typical micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) sensitivity values for various process corners (e.g., minimum, normal and maximum) are shown. The sensitivity values are expressed in terms of capacitance in atto (10 −18 ) Farad per pressure unit, Pascal (Pa). The sensitivity values are given for a low-pressure of 30 kPa associated with high elevations (e.g., at Mount Everest) and a high-pressure scenario of 110 kPa (e.g., at sea level). The chart  100 B of  FIG.  1 B  shows variation of a typical MEMS capacitance versus pressure. Plots  102 ,  104  and  106  are associated with the minimum, typical and maximum process corners, respectively. The chart  100 C shows dynamic range of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), such as a front-end processor for a capacitive pressure sensor, as a function of output data rate (ODR). For the operating range  110  that ends in 25 ODR, the dynamic range is given as 19 bits. The dynamic range in dB can be calculated from the following expression:
 
DR=20 log [ C   max /( S   min   *n   rms )]  (1)
 
Where C max  and S min  represent the full-scale capacitance (e.g., 10 pF) and the minimum sensitivity (e.g., 10 aF/Pa) of the capacitive MEMS and n rms  is a root-mean square (rms) value of noise level (e.g., 2 Pa-rms).
 
       FIG.  2    is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a pressure-sensing device  200 , in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. The pressure-sensing device  200  includes a MEMS pressure sensor  202  and a telescopic front-end circuit  220 . The telescopic front-end circuit  220  includes, a variable offset capacitance  215 , a gain stage  224  (e.g., an amplifier or a buffer), an analog-to-digital converter (ADC)  230  and a controller  240 . The MEMS pressure sensor  202  is represented with a MEMS capacitor  204  coupled through a parasitic capacitance C p  to a ground potential. The MEMS capacitor  204  is biased via a bias supply voltage (V s1 ). As shown in  FIG.  1 C  and the expression (1) the dynamic range of the ADC is dependent on a value of the full-scale capacitance of the MEMS capacitor  204 . For example, if a value of 10 pF is used for the C max  and values of 10 aF/Pa and 2 Pa are used, respectively, for S min  and n rms , a value of 114 dB is found for the dynamic range of the ADC, which corresponds to 19 bits. Such a high-resolution for ADC can result in a high-power consumption of about 130 μW, as can be calculated using the known expression:
 
Power=ADC_FOM2*ODR*2 nb   (2)
 
     Where ADC_FOM2 is the ADC figure of merit taken to be 10 pJ per conversion step from the scientific literature, and nb is the dynamic range specified in terms of number of bits. The calculated power consumption of about 130 μW is based on an ODR of 25 Hz and a dynamic range (nb) of 19 bits. The high power consumption of the ADC can be a blocker in achieving a sub-100 μW MEMS pressure sensing device. The subject technology drastically reduces the power level to sub-10 μW by using the variable offset capacitance  215  and a low resolution (e.g., 12-15 bits) ADC, as described herein. 
     The existing solutions use an offset capacitance of, for example, 4 pF in parallel with the MEMS capacitor  204  to reduce the range of variation of the capacitance of the MEMS capacitor  204  to 6 pF (see  FIG.  1 B ), which does not significantly affect the ADC resolution and power consumption. In the example telescopic front-end circuit  220 , the variable offset capacitance  215  can be formed by using a fixed offset capacitor  212  in parallel with a capacitive digital-to-analog convertor (DAC)  214 . The capacitive DAC  214  can be, for example, a 6-bits DAC, but is not limited to that. In some implementations, the capacitive DAC  214  includes a set of switches  216  and a set of capacitors  218  that can change the capacitance of the DAC based on a digital control signal  242  from the controller  240 . The set of switches  216  are controlled by the digital control signal  242  and can add or drop any of capacitors (e.g., C, 2C, 4C, 8C, 16C and 32C) of the set of capacitors  218  to dynamically change a variation range associated with values of the capacitance of the pressure-sensing device. The variable offset capacitance  215  is coupled to a bias-voltage source V S2 , which can be equal or the same as the bias-voltage source V S1 . 
     The gain stage  224  may be implemented as an amplifier or a buffer circuit. In one or more implementations, the gain stage  224  may have a gain of about 2 6 =64. The ADC  230  can be low-resolution and low-power ADC, as discussed below. The controller  240  can employ an algorithm to convert an output digital signal  232  of the ADC  230  to the digital control signal  242 . In some implementations, the controller  240  can be a microcontroller, or a processor (e.g., general processor or a dedicated processor) of a host device such as a communication device (e.g., a smart phone or a smart watch) that uses the pressure-sensing device of the subject technology. 
       FIG.  3    is a chart illustrating an example dynamic-range representation  300  associated with the pressure-sensing device  200  of  FIG.  2   , in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. The dynamic-range representation  300  shown in  FIG.  3    includes sections  310 ,  320  and  330 . The section  310  is associated with a conventional system, which uses a fixed 4 pF offset capacitor to reduce the maximum variation range of the MEMS capacitor  204  of FIGS. 2 to 6 pf, and a noise spectrum rms value of 20 aF. The subject technology further reduces the maximum variation range of the MEMS capacitor  204  by adding the capacitive DAC  214  (e.g., a 6-bit DAC) of  FIG.  2    to reduce the maximum variation range of the MEMS capacitor  204  by 6-bits, as depicted by section  320 . It is noted that section  320  includes a margin (M 1 ) for DAC capacitor process variation, which is reduced from the Maximum DAC capacitance of about 12 pF. 
     The example resultant dynamic range of the ADC  230  of  FIG.  2    is shown in section  330 , which takes into account a max ADC full-scale capacitance of 0.375 pF, which is higher, by a margin of M 2  from the DAC resolution of 0.19 pF of section  320 . The example resultant dynamic range of the ADC  230  is shown to be lower than 15 bits, for example 14 bits, which from the expression (2) translates into a power level of about 4.1 μW for the ADC  230 . Even assuming a one bit as the margin M 2  to overcome nonlinearities of the ADC  230 , the resultant power level will only increase to about 8.2 μW that is significantly lower than the value of 130 μW, calculated above for an ADC of the conventional solution. 
       FIG.  4    is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a pressure-sensing device  400 , in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. The pressure-sensing device  400  includes a MEMS pressure-sensing circuit  410  and a telescopic front-end circuit  420 , which is another implementation of telescopic front-end circuit  220  of  FIG.  2   . The MEMS pressure-sensing circuit  410  includes the capacitive MEMS pressure sensor  402  represented by a capacitor  404  and a parasitic capacitor  403  and an offset capacitor  412 . The parasitic capacitor  403  is coupled to the ground potential. The capacitor  404  is connected to a bias-voltage source V S1 . The offset capacitor  412  is connected in parallel to the capacitor  404  between a node  406  and a bias-voltage source V S2 , which can be the same or equal to the bias-voltage source V S1 . 
     In the telescopic front-end circuit  420 , a second ADC  416  is connected between the node  406  and an input node of a DAC  414 . A summation circuit  418  (e.g., combiner) is employed to combine (e.g., subtract) an analog signal  415  (e.g., voltage) of the DAC  414  from the analog output signal  405  (e.g., voltage) of the MEMS pressure-sensing circuit  410 . The output signal of the summation circuit  418  is applied via a buffer stage  424  to a first ADC  430 . The first ADC  430  is a medium-resolution (e.g., about 12 bits) and high-speed (e.g., about 25 bits/sec or Hz), whereas the second ADC  416  is a low-resolution (e.g., 8 bits) and low-speed (e.g., 0.6 Hz) ADC. The solution provided by the telescopic front-end circuit  420  uses two separate ADCs (e.g.,  416  and  430 ) to divide the dynamic range into two different regions as discussed below. 
       FIG.  5    is a chart illustrating an example dynamic range plot  500  associated with the pressure-sensing device  400  of  FIG.  4   , in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. The example dynamic range plot  500  is plot of dynamic range versus output data rate (frequency) and shows two regions  510  and  520 . The dynamic range is specified in terms of capacitance values. The region  510  is associated with a lower frequency range below about 0.6 Hz and a dynamic range corresponding to capacitance (e.g., ASIC capacitance) values between 6 pF and 50 fF. The region  510  is covered by the low-speed (e.g., &lt;0.6 Hz) and low-resolution (e.g., ˜8 bits) ADC  416  of  FIG.  4   . The region  520  is a higher frequency (e.g., between 0.6 Hz and 25 Hz) and medium resolution (e.g., 12 bits) and is associated with a dynamic range corresponding to capacitance (e.g., ASIC capacitance) values between 50 fF and 20 aF-rms (e.g., corresponding to ASIC nose). The ASIC referred to above is an ASIC that the MEMS pressure-sensing circuit  410  of  FIG.  4    is coupled to and may include, for example, the second ADC  416 , the DAC  414 , the summation circuit  418 , the gain stage  424  and the first ADC  430 , but may not be limited to these components. In some aspects, the ASIC includes, but is limited to, the capacitive DAC  214 , the variable offset capacitance  215 , the gain stage  224 , the ADC  230  and the controller  240  of  FIG.  2   . 
       FIG.  6    is a chart illustrating an example dynamic characteristic representation  600  associated with a telescopic front-end circuit (e.g.,  200  of  FIG.  2   ), in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. The example dynamic characteristic representation  600  is a plot of a resultant capacitance versus time. The resultant capacitance is used to represent a respective dynamic range. The resultant capacitance is a result of subtraction of the offset capacitance (C offset , e.g., of  215  of  FIG.  2   ) from the MEMS capacitance (C MEMS , e.g., of  202  of  FIG.  2   ). Capacitance levels  610  and  620  correspond to a (nominal C MEMS −C offset@100 KPa ) and a (maximum C MEMS −C offset ), and their values are about 1 pF and 3 pF, respectively. 
     Levels  632  and  634  at capacitance levels of −0.375 pF and 0.375 pF correspond to a full range of the ADC (e.g., ADC  230  of  FIG.  4   ). Guard-bands  630  and  650  around the operating range  640  are created by levels  652  and  654  at −0.1875 pF and 0.1875 pF to overcome non-idealities of the ADC  230  and DAC  214 . The plot  615  shows how the controller  240  operates to control the capacitance value of the capacitive DAC  214  to lower the value of C MEMS , for example, from a 1 pF value to bring, step-by-step, the value of the resultant capacitance within an operating range  640  of the ADC  230 . In some applications, a sudden pressure change may be measured that the ADC has to be able to handle. For example, when a user of a smart watch or smart phone hosting the pressure sensing device and its associated front-end of the subject technology uses an elevator to go up, the pressure may drop at about 600 Pa/sec (corresponding to a speed of about 60.6 m/sec of the fastest elevator). At this pressure drop rate (600 Pa/sec) it takes about 1.7 sec for the pressure to change, for example, about 1 kPa. Assuming an ADC conversion rate of about 20 Hz (20 samples/sec), an ADC conversion for ADC  230  takes about 50 msec. If the ADC conversion output is greater than the values corresponding to guard-bands  630  or  650 , the value of the digital input  242  of the DAC  214  will be incremented or decremented, respectively, by one step corresponding to about 0.1875 pF or about 187.5 Pa, based on  FIG.  1 A . The rate of change of the ADC is about 187.5 Pa in 50 msec that corresponds to 3750 Pa/sec, which is far greater than the pressure change seen in the fastest elevator. In other words, the ADC  214  will remain in its operating range for fast pressure changes. 
       FIG.  7    is a flow diagram illustrating a process  700  for providing a telescopic front-end circuit for processing a pressure sensor signal (e.g.,  205  of  FIG.  2   ), in accordance with one or more aspects of the subject technology. The process  700  begins with providing a capacitive pressure sensor (e.g.,  202  of  FIG.  4   ) to generate a first signal (e.g.,  205  of  FIG.  2   ) in response to a pressure variation ( 710 ). The process  700  further includes coupling a digitally-controlled variable offset capacitor (e.g.,  215  of  FIG.  2   ) in parallel with the pressure sensor ( 720 ). A first low-power and low-resolution analog-to-digital converter (ADC) (e.g.,  230  of  FIG.  2   ) can be coupled to the variable offset capacitor to convert the first signal to a digital signal (e.g.,  232  of  FIG.  2   ) ( 730 ). 
       FIG.  8    is a block diagram illustrating an example wireless communication device, within which one or more environmental sensing devices of the subject technology can be integrated. The wireless communication device  800  may represent a smart phone or a smart watch hosting the capacitive pressure sensor (e.g.,  202  of  FIG.  2   ) and the corresponding telescopic front-end circuit (e.g., as described in  FIGS.  2  and  4   ) of the subject technology. The wireless communication device  800  may comprise a radio-frequency (RF) antenna  810 , a receiver  820 , a transmitter  830 , a baseband processing module  840 , a memory  850 , a processor  860 , a local oscillator generator (LOGEN)  870  and one or more transducers  880 . In various embodiments of the subject technology, one or more of the blocks represented in  FIG.  8    may be integrated on one or more semiconductor substrates. For example, the blocks  820 - 870  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  820  may comprise suitable logic circuitry and/or code that may be operable to receive and process signals from the RF antenna  810 . The receiver  820  may, for example, be operable to amplify and/or down-convert received wireless signals. In various embodiments of the subject technology, the receiver  820  may be operable to cancel noise in received signals and may be linear over a wide range of frequencies. In this manner, the receiver  820  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  820  may not require any SAW filters and few or no off-chip discrete components such as large capacitors and inductors. 
     The transmitter  830  may comprise suitable logic circuitry and/or code that may be operable to process and transmit signals from the RF antenna  810 . The transmitter  830  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  830  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  830  may be operable to provide signals for further amplification by one or more power amplifiers. 
     The duplexer  812  may provide isolation in the transmit band to avoid saturation of the receiver  820  or damaging parts of the receiver  820 , and to relax one or more design requirements of the receiver  820 . Furthermore, the duplexer  812  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  840  may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code that may be operable to perform processing of baseband signals. The baseband processing module  840  may, for example, analyze received signals and generate control and/or feedback signals for configuring various components of the wireless communication device  800 , such as the receiver  820 . The baseband processing module  840  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  860  may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that may enable processing data and/or controlling operations of the wireless communication device  800 . In this regard, the processor  860  may be enabled to provide control signals to various other portions of the wireless communication device  800 . The processor  860  may also control transfers of data between various portions of the wireless communication device  800 . Additionally, the processor  860  may enable implementation of an operating system or otherwise execute code to manage operations of the wireless communication device  800 . 
     The memory  850  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  850  may comprise, for example, RAM, ROM, flash, and/or magnetic storage. In various embodiment of the subject technology, information stored in the memory  850  may be utilized for configuring the receiver  820  and/or the baseband processing module  840 . 
     The local oscillator generator (LOGEN)  870  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  870  may be operable to generate digital and/or analog signals. In this manner, the LOGEN  870  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  860  and/or the baseband processing module  840 . 
     In operation, the processor  860  may configure the various components of the wireless communication device  800  based on a wireless standard according to which it is desired to receive signals. Wireless signals may be received via the RF antenna  810 , amplified, and down-converted by the receiver  820 . The baseband processing module  840  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  850 , and/or information affecting and/or enabling operation of the wireless communication device  800 . The baseband processing module  840  may modulate, encode, and perform other processing on audio, video, and/or control signals to be transmitted by the transmitter  830  in accordance with various wireless standards. In some implementations, the transducers  880  may include a pressure sensor, for example, a capacitive pressure sensor (e.g.,  202  of  FIG.  2   ), the signal from which can be processed by the telescopic front-end circuit of the subject technology. 
     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: 20180522
Publication Date: 20221213
Grant Date: 20221213
Priority Date: 20180522
Inventors: ARNDT, GREGORY B.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "G01L9/0072", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01L9/12", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01L9/0072", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 68614425