US 11,898,992 B2
Acoustic sensing systems, devices and methods
Amit Lal, Ithaca, NY (US); Mamdouh Abdelmejeed, Ithaca, NY (US); and Justin Kuo, Ithaca, NY (US)
Assigned to Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (US)
Filed by Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (US)
Filed on Sep. 21, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/933,988.
Application 17/933,988 is a continuation of application No. 15/733,459, granted, now 11,474,077, previously published as PCT/US2019/016564, filed on Feb. 4, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/791,716, filed on Jan. 11, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/625,887, filed on Feb. 2, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2023/0417708 A1, Dec. 28, 2023
Int. Cl. G01N 29/07 (2006.01); G01K 11/22 (2006.01); G01N 29/24 (2006.01); G01N 33/24 (2006.01); G10K 11/28 (2006.01); H05B 1/02 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 29/07 (2013.01) [G01K 11/22 (2013.01); G01N 29/2437 (2013.01); G01N 33/24 (2013.01); G10K 11/28 (2013.01); H05B 1/023 (2013.01); G01N 2291/011 (2013.01); G01N 2291/0231 (2013.01); G01N 2291/02881 (2013.01); G01N 2291/044 (2013.01); G01N 2291/106 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An ultrasonic transceiver sensor device, comprising:
a substrate including a semiconductor material;
a CMOS layer disposed on a first side of the substrate;
an array of piezoelectric transducers coupled to the CMOS layer and operable to generate ultrasonic pulses;
a contact layer attached to a second side of the substrate opposite the first side to provide a surface for contact with an object; and
a plurality of features supported by the surface of the contact layer,
wherein an ultrasonic pulse generated by a piezoelectric transducer of the array is directed to propagate through the substrate, to interact with the contact layer and/or the plurality of features, and to return a reflected ultrasonic pulse through the substrate to the array of piezoelectric transducers,
wherein the piezoelectric transducers are configured to communicate, to CMOS elements of the CMOS layer, outputs relating to received reflected ultrasonic pulses,
wherein the features are configured to change in shape based on an applied force to the features by the object, and
wherein, responsive to contact of the contact layer and/or the plurality of features by the object, the ultrasonic pulse that is directed to propagate through the substrate is reflected based on interaction with the contact layer and/or the plurality of features while in contact with the object and possesses varying times and amplitudes associated with valleys and peaks of the object in contact with the contact layer and/or the plurality of features that correspond to echo signals of different delays and magnitudes, (i) representing physical features of the object in contact with the contact layer and/or (ii) representing applied forces on the plurality of features by the object.