Photo-oxidation removal of organic contamination for environmental sensor integration
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorsMiaolei Yan, Michael K. Brown, Richard Yeh
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A portable communication device includes an apparatus for environmental sensing. The apparatus includes a housing, one or more environmental sensors and an optical source. The housing includes one or more ports for allowing air flow between the surrounding environment and a cavity of the housing. The environmental sensors are coupled to the housing and can sense an environmental agent included in the air flow. The optical source can illuminate the cavity of the housing to decompose unwanted organic compounds inside the port.
Claims20
A portable communication device, the device comprising:
- an apparatus for environmental sensing comprising:
- a housing including one or more ports for allowing an air flow between a surrounding environment and a cavity of the housing;
- one or more environmental sensors coupled to the housing and configured to sense an environmental agent included in the air flow, wherein the one or more environmental sensors are miniature sensors, and wherein the one or more environmental sensors are further configured to monitor a reaction product of a photo-oxidation process and to determine a completion of a contamination removal process;
- and
- an optical source illuminating the cavity of the housing to decompose unwanted organic compounds.
A portable communication device, the device comprising:
- an apparatus for environmental sensing comprising:
- a housing including a port, wherein the port is configured to allow an air flow to and from a cavity of the housing;
- one or more environmental sensors coupled to the housing and configured to sense an environmental agent entered into the housing, wherein the one or more environmental sensors are miniature sensors, and wherein the one or more environmental sensors are further configured to monitor a reaction product of a photo-oxidation process and to determine a completion of a contamination removal process;
- and
- an optical source configured to illuminate the cavity of the housing to decompose unwanted organic compounds,
- wherein the optical source is disposed outside the housing and on a sensor side of the housing.
A portable communication device, the device comprising:
- an environmental sensing apparatus comprising:
- one or more environmental sensors coupled to a housing and configured to sense an environmental agent in a cavity of the housing, wherein the one or more environmental sensors are miniature sensor, and wherein the one or more environmental sensors are further configured to monitor a reaction product of a photo-oxidation process and to determine a completion of a contamination removal process;
- and
- an ultra-violet (UV) source illuminating the one or more environmental sensors and configured to initiate the photo-oxidation process to decompose unwanted organic compounds and to prevent the one or more environmental sensors from being contaminated by the unwanted organic compounds,
- wherein the UV source and the one or more environmental sensors are packaged behind a waterproof membrane to reduce a footprint of the environmental sensing apparatus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.