Accurately Sensing Surface Temperatures Using Thermal Noise at Computing Devices
AssigneeGoogle Inc.
InventorsSachin Prakash Nadig, Isaac Chase Novet
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A known signal is sent to a resistor of a mobile computing device, wherein the resistor directly contacts a surface. A signal is from the resistor, wherein the signal comprises the known signal and a degree of thermal noise from the resistor, and wherein the degree of thermal noise is associated with a temperature of the surface. The thermal noise is extracted from the signal from the resistor. The temperature of the surface is determined based on the thermal noise extracted from the signal from the resistor.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- sending, by a mobile computing device comprising one or more processor devices, a known signal to a resistor of the mobile computing device, wherein the resistor directly contacts a surface;
- receiving, by the mobile computing device, a signal from the resistor, wherein the signal comprises the known signal and a degree of thermal noise from the resistor, and wherein the degree of thermal noise is associated with a temperature of the surface;
- extracting, by the mobile computing device, the thermal noise from the signal from the resistor;
- and
- determining, by the mobile computing device, the temperature of the surface based on the thermal noise extracted from the signal from the resistor.
A computing system, comprising:
- a resistor;
- one or more processors;
- and
- one or more computer-readable media that collectively store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing system to perform operations, the operations comprising:
- sending a known signal to the resistor, wherein the resistor directly contacts a surface;
- receiving a signal from the resistor, wherein the signal comprises the known signal and a degree of thermal noise from the resistor, and wherein the degree of thermal noise is associated with a temperature of the surface;
- extracting the thermal noise from the signal from the resistor;
- and
- determining the temperature of the surface based on the thermal noise extracted from the signal from the resistor.
One or more computer-readable media that collectively store instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a wearable computing device, cause the wearable computing device to perform operations, the operations comprising:
- sending a known signal to a resistor, wherein the resistor directly contacts a surface;
- receiving a signal from the resistor, wherein the signal comprises the known signal and a degree of thermal noise from the resistor, and wherein the degree of thermal noise is associated with a temperature of the surface;
- extracting the thermal noise from the signal from the resistor;
- and
- determining the temperature of the surface based on the thermal noise extracted from the signal from the resistor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.