A physical disturbance sensor includes a plurality of piezoresistive elements configured in a resistive bridge configuration. A signal transmitter is electrically connected to the physical disturbance sensor and configured to send an encoded signal to the piezoresistive elements of the resistive bridge configuration. A signal receiver is electrically connected to the piezoresistive elements and configured to receive a signal from the physical disturbance sensor. The received signal from the physical disturbance sensor is correlated with the sent encoded signal in determining a measure of physical disturbance.

A sensor includes a plurality of piezoresistive elements and a plurality of electrical connection terminals. The plurality of piezoresistive elements are fabricated on a first side of a substrate. A second side of the substrate is configured to be coupled to an object where a physical disturbance is to be detected. A plurality of electrical connection terminals are coupled to the first side of the substrate.

Systems and methods are disclosed for a switched, multiple range sensor system including multiple transducers. In one embodiment, a method is provided that includes receiving and measuring at a first transducer and a second transducer, a pressure to generate a respective first and second pressure signal; amplifying the first and second pressure signals with corresponding first and second fixed-gain amplifier to generate first and second amplified pressure signals; selecting for monitoring, the first or second amplified pressure signal; converting the selected amplified pressure signal to an intermediate digital pressure signal; measuring, at a thermal sensor associated with the selected amplified pressure signal, a temperature; compensating, based on the measured temperature, the intermediate digital pressure signal to generate a compensated digital pressure output signal; and outputting the compensated digital pressure output signal.

A high-precision pressure sensor with two or more pressure ranges is formed from multiple micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) pressure transducers mounted inside a housing and coupled to sense a pressurized fluid. The non-linear outputs of the MEMS pressure transducers are linearized by a corresponding number of processors, preferably DSPs, each processor being coupled to a corresponding MEMS pressure transducer and receiving the MEMS pressure transducer output signal there from. Each processor generates an applied pressure output signal, which is representative of a pressure applied to the MEMS pressure transducer, which is a linearized and digitized version of output signal from the MEMS pressure transducers. The data that is output from multiple processors, each of which outputs pressure data pertaining to a different range of pressures, is transmitted serially on a serial data bus.

The present invention provides a self-heated pressure sensor assembly and method of utilizing the same. The self-heated pressure sensor assembly regulates and maintains the temperature of the pressure sensor, regardless of the external temperature environment, without an external heater as in prior art embodiments. Exemplary embodiments of the pressure sensor assembly incorporate a resistance heater that is built into the sensing chip of the pressure sensor assembly. The pressure sensor assembly also utilizes the resistance of the pressure sensing elements to monitor the temperature of the assembly, which works alongside the resistance heater to maintain a stable temperature within the pressure sensor assembly.

A semiconductor pressure sensor comprising a membrane, delineated by an edge, and a group of neighboring piezo resistors: a first pair of piezo resistors near the edge of the membrane (a first piezo resistor R.sub.Tmemb, a second piezo resistor R.sub.Lmemb); a second pair of piezo resistors (a third piezo resistor R.sub.Tref, a fourth piezo resistor R.sub.Lref) at a position where applied pressure causes reduced surface stress compared to surface stress at the position of the first and the second piezo resistor. A signal from the first piezo resistor and a signal from the second piezo resistor, corrected with a signal from the third piezo resistor and a signal from the fourth piezo resistor, are used as a measure of a pressure on the membrane.

Systems and methods are disclosed for a switched, multiple range sensor system including multiple transducers. In one embodiment, a method is provided that includes receiving and measuring at a first transducer and a second transducer, a pressure to generate a respective first and second pressure signal; amplifying the first and second pressure signals with corresponding first and second fixed-gain amplifier to generate first and second amplified pressure signals; selecting for monitoring, the first or second amplified pressure signal; converting the selected amplified pressure signal to an intermediate digital pressure signal; measuring, at a thermal sensor associated with the selected amplified pressure signal, a temperature; compensating, based on the measured temperature, the intermediate digital pressure signal to generate a compensated digital pressure output signal; and outputting the compensated digital pressure output signal.

A pressure sensor includes a substrate which has a diaphragm that is flexurally deformed by receiving a pressure, a side wall section which is placed on one surface side of the substrate and surrounds the diaphragm in a plan view, and a sealing layer which is placed so as to face the diaphragm through a space and seals the space, wherein the sealing layer includes a first silicon layer which has a through-hole facing the space, a silicon oxide layer which is located on the opposite side to the space with respect to the first silicon layer and seals the through-hole, and a second silicon layer which is located on the opposite side to the space with respect to the silicon oxide layer.

A sensor carrier having a main plane of extension, a first side parallel to the main plane of extension, a second side parallel to the main plane of extension, which is situated opposite the first side, and at least one electrical contact surface situated on the second side. At least one stress-measuring structure is embedded in the sensor carrier. A sensor module having such a sensor carrier as well as to a component having a sensor module having such a sensor carrier, are also described. A method for calibrating a sensor module and a method for operating a sensor module are also described.

Compensated pressure sensor includes a MEMS pressure sensor die having resistors RA and RD connected in series in a first leg of a Wheatstone bridge and resistors RB and RC connected in series in a second leg of the Wheatstone bridge; a first and second fuse; and a first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth resistor; wherein: a first end of the first resistor is connected in series with the first leg of the bridge and a first end of the second resistor is connected in series with the second leg of the bridge; the first fuse is connected, at a first end, to a first output of the bridge, and at a second end, to a second end of the third resistor and to a first end of the second fuse; the second fuse is connected, at a second end, to a second output of the bridge; a first end of the third resistor is connected to an input to the bridge and to a first end of the fourth resistor; a second end of the fourth resistor is connected to a second end of the first resistor, a second end of the second resistor and a first end of the sixth resistor; and the fifth resistor is connected, at a first end, to the input to the bridge.