Piezoelectric accelerometer with wake function
AssigneeQUALCOMM Technologies, Inc.
InventorRobert J. Littrell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A sensor device that senses proper acceleration. The sensor device includes a substrate, a spacer layer supported over a first surface of the substrate, at least a first tapered cantilever beam element having a base and a tip, the base attached to the spacer layer, and which is supported over and spaced from the substrate by the spacer layer. The at least first tapered cantilever beam element tapers in width from the base portion to the tip portion. The at least first cantilever beam element further including at least a first layer comprised of a piezoelectric material, a pair of electrically conductive layers disposed on opposing surfaces of the first layer, and a mass supported at the tip portion of the at least first tapered cantilever beam element.
Claims21
A voice accelerometer device comprising:
- a sensor device having a resonance frequency of at least 3 kHz, the sensor device comprising:
- a substrate;
- a spacer layer supported over a first surface of the substrate;
- and
- at least one tapered cantilever beam element having a base portion that is supported over the substrate and spaced from the substrate by the spacer layer, wherein the at least one tapered cantilever beam element tapers in width from the base portion to a first portion of the at least one tapered cantilever beam element, and wherein the at least one tapered cantilever beam element includes a first piezoelectric layer and a pair of electrically conductive layers disposed on opposing surfaces of the first piezoelectric layer, wherein the at least one tapered cantilever beam element has an electrical discontinuity in at least one of the pair of electrically conductive layers that provides an electrically active portion of the at least one tapered cantilever beam element and an electrically inactive portion of the at least one tapered cantilever beam element;
- and
- a detector circuit configured to receive an output signal from the sensor device and produce an output signal.
An apparatus comprising:
- a voice accelerometer comprising:
- a substrate;
- a spacer layer supported over a first surface of the substrate;
- and
- at least one cantilever beam element having a base portion that is supported over the substrate and spaced from the substrate by the spacer layer, wherein the at least one cantilever beam element includes a piezoelectric layer and a pair of electrically conductive layers disposed on opposing surfaces of the piezoelectric layer, wherein the at least one cantilever beam element has an electrical discontinuity in at least one of the pair of electrically conductive layers to provide an electrically active portion of the at least one cantilever beam element and an electrically inactive portion of the at least one cantilever beam element;
- and
- a detector circuit configured to receive an output signal from the voice accelerometer and produce an output signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.