Integrated Acoustic and Environmental Sensor Package
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing MEMS transducer systems in electronic devices, such as mobile phones and tablets, face challenges in increasing functionality while maintaining a compact form factor, as they often require separate components for acoustic and environmental sensing, leading to space inefficiencies and increased complexity.
Innovation Solution
A transducer package integrating both acoustic and environmental transducers, such as MEMS microphones and sensors, with a shared integrated circuit and port, allowing for simultaneous signal processing and space-saving design, where the acoustic transducer and environmental sensors like temperature, pressure, or humidity sensors are formed using micromachining techniques and share processing blocks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate components are used for acoustic and environmental sensing, then each sensor can be optimized for its specific function, but the overall device size increases and space efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines acoustic transducer and environmental sensor into a single integrated package with shared components (membrane, housing, port), allowing both sensors to maintain their specific function optimization while reducing overall device area. The acoustic transducer and environmental sensor share the same physical package and some structural elements, eliminating the need for separate housings and mounting structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated package serves multiple sensing functions (acoustic and environmental) within a single structural unit. The package design allows different sensor types to coexist and share common structural elements, making the system universally applicable to various sensing needs without requiring separate dedicated components for each function.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate sensors are integrated into a device, then functionality increases, but device complexity and packaging complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple sensors are merged into a single integrated package that shares common structural elements (housing, port, membrane), reducing packaging complexity while maintaining enhanced functionality. The shared structure simplifies the overall packaging process compared to integrating multiple separate sensors with individual housings.
3Reliability
If separate acoustic transducer and environmental sensor are used, then each can be independently optimized, but space usage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The environmental sensor is positioned within the same housing structure as the acoustic transducer, with both sensors nested within the shared package. The membrane structure serves both sensors, with the environmental sensor located in the sealed cavity formed by the membrane and housing, allowing compact arrangement that minimizes volume while maintaining independent sensor optimization.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables enhanced functionality with reduced space usage, allowing for thinner and more robust electronic devices by integrating multiple sensors within a single package, improving performance and reducing packaging complexities while maintaining efficient signal transmission and processing.
Implementation Method 1
Many MEMS devices use capacitive sensing techniques for transducing the physical phenomenon into electrical signals. In such applications, the capacitance change in the sensor is converted to a voltage signal using interface circuits.
Implementation Method 2
In response to a sound pressure wave incident on the membrane, it deflects towards or away from the backplate, thereby changing the separation distance between the membrane and backplate.
Data Source
AI summary
According to an embodiment, a transducer package includes a circuit board including a port, a lid disposed over the port, an acoustic transducer disposed over the port and including a membrane, and an environmental transducer disposed at the circuit board in the port. The lid encloses a first region, and the membrane separates the port from the first region. Other embodiments include corresponding systems, apparatus, and structures, each configured to perform the actions or steps of corresponding embodiment methods.