A thermoacoustic imaging device for coupling to a region of interest on a patient is disclosed. The device includes a housing having a surface, wherein the surface comprises an acoustic coupling portion having a substantially perpendicular extent relative to the surface. In one embodiment, the perpendicular extent extends to the surface. In one embodiment, the perpendicular extent extends to the surface and the outwardly from the surface. In one embodiment, the perpendicular extent extends only from the surface.

This application relates to methods and apparatus for temperature monitoring for integrated circuits, and in particular to temperature monitoring using a locked-loop circuits, e.g. FLLs, PLLs or DLLs. According to embodiments a locked-loop circuit includes a controlled signal timing module, wherein the timing properties of an output signal (S.sub.OUT, S.sub.FB) are dependent on a value of a control signal and on temperature. A controller compares a feedback signal (S.sub.FB) output from the timing module to a reference signal (S.sub.REF) and generates a control signal (S.sub.C) to maintain a desired timing relationship. A temperature monitor monitors temperature based on the value of the control signal. For FLLs and PLLs the signal timing module may be a controlled oscillator.

Disclosed are devices, systems and methods for touch, force and/or thermal sensing by an ultrasonic transceiver chip. In some aspects, an ultrasonic transceiver sensor device includes a semiconductor substrate; a CMOS layer attached to the substrate; an array of piezoelectric transducers coupled to the CMOS layer to generate ultrasonic pulses; and a contact layer attached to the substrate on a side opposite the substrate for providing a surface for contact with an object, where an ultrasonic pulse generated by a piezoelectric transducer propagates through the substrate and the contact layer, such that when the object is in contact with the surface of the contact layer, a reflected ultrasonic pulse is produced and propagates through the contact layer and the substrate to be received at the array of piezoelectric transducers, and the CMOS layer receive and process outputs from the piezoelectric transducers produced in response to the received reflected ultrasonic pulses.

Disclosed are devices, systems and methods for touch, force and/or thermal sensing by an ultrasonic transceiver chip. In some aspects, an ultrasonic transceiver sensor device includes a semiconductor substrate; a CMOS layer attached to the substrate; an array of piezoelectric transducers coupled to the CMOS layer to generate ultrasonic pulses; and a contact layer attached to the substrate on a side opposite the substrate for providing a surface for contact with an object, where an ultrasonic pulse generated by a piezoelectric transducer propagates through the substrate and the contact layer, such that when the object is in contact with the surface of the contact layer, a reflected ultrasonic pulse is produced and propagates through the contact layer and the substrate to be received at the array of piezoelectric transducers, and the CMOS layer receive and process outputs from the piezoelectric transducers produced in response to the received reflected ultrasonic pulses.

Methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture are disclosed to monitor thermal degradation of a compute device. One such method includes calculating, by executing instructions with processor circuitry, a thermal degradation value based on an equation, the equation generated based on testing of thermal interface materials having varying degrees of degradation. The method also includes comparing, by executing instructions with the processor circuitry, the thermal degradation value to a thermal degradation threshold to determine whether the thermal degradation threshold is satisfied, and, when the thermal degradation threshold is satisfied, triggering generation of a thermal degradation alert.

Methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture are disclosed to monitor thermal degradation of a compute device. One such method includes calculating, by executing instructions with processor circuitry, a thermal degradation value based on an equation, the equation generated based on testing of thermal interface materials having varying degrees of degradation. The method also includes comparing, by executing instructions with the processor circuitry, the thermal degradation value to a thermal degradation threshold to determine whether the thermal degradation threshold is satisfied, and, when the thermal degradation threshold is satisfied, triggering generation of a thermal degradation alert.

Disclosed is a method and apparatus for measuring semiconductor substrate temperature using a differential acoustic time of flight measurement technique. The measurement is based on measuring the time of flight of acoustic (ultrasonic) waves across the substrate, and calculating a substrate temperature from the measured time of flight and the known temperature dependence of the speed of sound for the substrate material. The differential acoustic time of flight method eliminates most sources of interference and error, for example due to varying coupling between an ultrasonic transducer and the substrate. To further increase the accuracy of the differential acoustic time of flight measurement, a correlation waveform processing algorithm is utilized to obtain a differential acoustic time of flight measurement from two measured ultrasonic waveforms. To facilitate signal recognition and processing, a symmetric Lamb mode may be used as mode of excitation of the substrate.

A radio frequency (RF) sensing device in an assembly is adapted to wirelessly communicate with a remote transceiver. The sensing device includes a substrate; an antenna disposed on the substrate; an electronic circuit disposed on the substrate and electrically coupled to the antenna; a heating element electrically coupled to the electronic circuit for heating a target area; and a sensing element thermally coupled to the heating element for sensing a temperature of the heating element. The RF sensing device is configured to wirelessly receive a power and provides the power to the heating element

A radio frequency (RF) sensing device in an assembly is adapted to wirelessly communicate with a remote transceiver. The sensing device includes a substrate; an antenna disposed on the substrate; an electronic circuit disposed on the substrate and electrically coupled to the antenna; a heating element electrically coupled to the electronic circuit for heating a target area; and a sensing element thermally coupled to the heating element for sensing a temperature of the heating element. The RF sensing device is configured to wirelessly receive a power and provides the power to the heating element

A nonintrusive temperature measuring apparatus for measuring the fluid temperature in at least partially thermally insulated tubes of installations in the processing industry, has the tube is completely sheathed by a thermal insulation layer at least at the measurement point, wherein a sensor electronics system with a temperature sensor is mounted onto the tube within the thermal insulation layer, a connecting electronics system is arranged outside the thermal insulation layer, and wherein the sensor electronics system and the connecting electronics system have one or more energy transmitters for wireless energy transmission for supplying the sensor electronics system and one or more temperature transmitters for wireless communication for transmitting the temperature measurement values from the sensor electronics system to the connecting electronics system.