A gyro sensor element includes a base, driving vibrating arms, which extend from the base, have a first surface and a second surface located on an opposite side to the first surface, and make a driving vibration, and detecting vibrating arms, which extend from the base, have a third surface located on a same side as the first surface and a fourth surface located on an opposite side to the third surface, and vibrate in accordance with a physical quantity applied to the driving vibrating arms, wherein the driving vibrating arms have bottomed grooves on at least one of the first surface and the second surface, and driving electrodes disposed on inner surfaces of the bottomed grooves, and the detecting vibrating arms have through holes penetrating the detecting vibrating arms in a direction crossing the third surface and the fourth surface, and detecting electrodes disposed on at least a part of an inner wall surface of the through holes.

Example implementations relate to receiving vibration notifications from vibration sensors. In example implementations, a subset of a plurality of vibration sensors from which vibration notifications are expected may be identified based on a position of a train along a track. The plurality of vibration sensors may be arranged in a predetermined order on the track. Whether vibration notifications have not been received from consecutive, with respect to the predetermined order, vibration sensors in the subset may be determined.

Provided are an acoustic sensor and a home appliance system comprising the same. The acoustic sensor comprises a communication unit, a microphone to collect an acoustic signal, a memory to store a failure acoustic signal of a home appliance, and a processor, wherein in response to the acoustic signal, collected by the microphone, corresponding to the failure acoustic signal of the home appliance, the processor transmits the collected acoustic signal, or data corresponding to the collected acoustic signal, to an external server or a terminal. Accordingly, failure of the home appliance may be easily diagnosed.

Provided are an acoustic sensor and a home appliance system comprising the same. The acoustic sensor comprises a communication unit, a microphone to collect an acoustic signal, a memory to store a failure acoustic signal of a home appliance, and a processor, wherein in response to the acoustic signal, collected by the microphone, corresponding to the failure acoustic signal of the home appliance, the processor transmits the collected acoustic signal, or data corresponding to the collected acoustic signal, to an external server or a terminal. Accordingly, failure of the home appliance may be easily diagnosed.

An integrated optical transducer for detecting dynamic pressure changes comprises a micro-electro-mechanical system, MEMS, die having a MEMS diaphragm with a first side exposed to the dynamic pressure changes and a second side. The transducer further comprises an application specific integrated circuit, ASIC, die having an evaluation circuit configured to detect a deflection of the MEMS diaphragm, in particular of the second side of the MEMS diaphragm. The MEMS die is arranged with respect to the ASIC die such that a gap with a gap height is formed between the second side of the diaphragm and a first surface of the ASIC die and the MEMS diaphragm, the ASIC die and a suspension structure of the MEMS die delineate a back volume of the integrated optical transducer.

An environmental condition may be measured with a sensor (10) including a wire (20) having an ultrasonic signal transmission characteristic that varies in response to the environmental condition by sensing ultrasonic energy propagated through the wire using multiple types of propagation, and separating an effect of temperature on the wire from an effect of strain on the wire using the sensed ultrasonic energy propagated through the wire using the multiple types of propagation. A positive feedback loop may be used to excite the wire such that strain in the wire is based upon a sensed resonant frequency, while a square wave with a controlled duty cycle may be used to excite the wire at multiple excitation frequencies. A phase matched cone (200, 210) may be used to couple ultrasonic energy between a waveguide wire (202, 212) and a transducer (204, 214).

An environmental condition may be measured with a sensor (10) including a wire (20) having an ultrasonic signal transmission characteristic that varies in response to the environmental condition by sensing ultrasonic energy propagated through the wire using multiple types of propagation, and separating an effect of temperature on the wire from an effect of strain on the wire using the sensed ultrasonic energy propagated through the wire using the multiple types of propagation. A positive feedback loop may be used to excite the wire such that strain in the wire is based upon a sensed resonant frequency, while a square wave with a controlled duty cycle may be used to excite the wire at multiple excitation frequencies. A phase matched cone (200, 210) may be used to couple ultrasonic energy between a waveguide wire (202, 212) and a transducer (204, 214).

A device is provided for capturing vibrations produced by an object such as a musical instrument such as a drum head of a drum kit. The device comprises a detectable element, such as a ferromagnetic element, such as a metal shim and a sensor spaced apart from and located relative to the musical instrument. The detectable element is located between the sensor and the musical instrument. When the musical instrument vibrates, the sensor remains stationary and the detectable element is vibrated relative to the sensor by the musical instrument.

A device is provided for capturing vibrations produced by an object such as a musical instrument such as a drum head of a drum kit. The device comprises a detectable element, such as a ferromagnetic element, such as a metal shim and a sensor spaced apart from and located relative to the musical instrument. The detectable element is located between the sensor and the musical instrument. When the musical instrument vibrates, the sensor remains stationary and the detectable element is vibrated relative to the sensor by the musical instrument.

Small form-factor MEMS devices and methods of using the devices. An exemplary MEMS device includes an ACM. Certain devices comprise nanometer scale sensing gaps in the out-of-plane direction to increase vibration sensitivity in a vacuum casing. Certain devices described herein provide a differential sensing mechanism. Accelerometer contact microphones having an operational bandwidth ranging from 0 Hz and 10,000 Hz are also disclosed. The vibration acceleration sensitivity of certain devices described herein is better 100 μg√Hz.