CHARGE MEASUREMENT
Granted: August 28, 2014
Application Number:
20140240022
An apparatus comprises a comparator that includes a first input, a second input and an output. The comparator is configured for measuring a difference in voltage between a source coupled to the first input and another source coupled to the second input, and providing information associated with the measured difference at the output. The apparatus also comprises a controllable current source coupled to the first input of the comparator and configured for supplying or drawing current. The…
AVERAGE CURRENT CONTROL FOR A SWITCHED POWER CONVERTER
Granted: August 14, 2014
Application Number:
20140225531
A circuit for controlling a switch in a power converter in which peak current is regulated to achieve a specified average current through a load. The circuit can include a first input to receive a voltage corresponding to a pre-specified target average current through the load, and a second input to receive a voltage corresponding to a voltage across a sensing resistor immediately after the switch turns ON. The circuit generates a threshold value that is approximately equal to twice the…
LOW TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION AND HIGH POWER FACTOR CORRECTION POWER CONVERTERS
Granted: July 31, 2014
Application Number:
20140211518
A controller circuit for the control of a power converter is disclosed. An example controller circuit generates a waveform that drives a switch that controls the power converter. The controller circuit includes a divider module that generates a modification factor based on a ratio of the two input signals of the module. The circuit includes a module that generates a first waveform configured for a critical conducting mode of operation of a power converter and an on-time adjuster module…
CHANNEL TRACKING IN AN ORTHOGONAL FREQUENCY-DIVISION MULTIPLEXING SYSTEM
Granted: June 26, 2014
Application Number:
20140177766
A receiver determines phase and frequency information from data signals that carry information from a transmitter to a receiver, instead of or in addition to, information from control signals. In a specific embodiment, the information is obtained from data signals modulated as a binary phase-shift keying (“BPSK”) waveform by demodulation. Other phase-shift keyings might be used instead. Encoded information might be recovered in received OFDM packets by receiving OFDM subcarriers…
FAULT PROTECTION AND CORRECTION OF LINE AND LOAD FAULTS
Granted: June 12, 2014
Application Number:
20140160802
A fault protection and correction circuit for the control of a power converter is disclosed. An example circuit generates a waveform that drives a switch on or off and controls the power converter. The controller circuit in addition to power factor correction (PFC) circuitry includes a first and a second shut down mode modules, both of them cause the switching to stop. The circuit includes a module for receiving fault events. When a fault occurs, the controller enters the second shut…
DUAL-MODE, AC/DC POWER CONVERTER WITH POWER FACTOR CORRECTION
Granted: June 5, 2014
Application Number:
20140153291
A dual-mode circuit for the control of an AC/DC power converter is disclosed. An example dual-mode controller circuit generates a waveform that drives a switch on or off and controls the power converter. The controller circuit in addition to power factor correction (PFC) circuitry includes a critical conducting mode (CrM) module as well as a discontinuous conducting mode (DCM) module configured to generate waveforms adapted for CrM and DCM operation of a power converter. The circuit…
LOAD-AWARE COMPENSATION IN LIGHT-EMITTING-DIODE BACKLIGHT ILLUMINATION SYSTEMS
Granted: May 22, 2014
Application Number:
20140139126
System(s) and method(s) are provided for power management in an electronic display via compensation of a power source of a light-emitting-diode (LED) backlighting system. A compensation feedback loop includes a load-aware controller that receives the bad condition from a dimming controller and supplies a control signal to the power source. An efficiency regulator functionally connected the backlight circuitry closes the compensation, feedback loop and provides an input signal to the…
CHARGE MEASUREMENT
Granted: May 8, 2014
Application Number:
20140125399
An apparatus comprises a comparator that includes a first input, a second input and an output. The comparator is configured for measuring a difference in voltage between a source coupled to the first input and another source coupled to the second input, and providing information associated with the measured difference at the output. The apparatus also comprises a controllable current source coupled to the first input of the comparator and configured for supplying or drawing current. The…
STRESS RELIEF FOR PLASTIC ENCAPSULATED DEVICES
Granted: May 8, 2014
Application Number:
20140124938
A semiconductor integrated circuit includes a semiconductor substrate, one or more devices in or on the semiconductor substrate, and a dielectric layer above the one or more devices, wherein the dielectric layer has openings over at least portions of the one or more devices. The semiconductor integrated circuit also includes plastic packaging material (e.g., plastic granules) on a top surface of the dielectric layer and over the openings. In some implementations, the one or more devices…
MICROCONTROLLER WITH INTEGRATED INTERFACE ENABLING READING DATA RANDOMLY FROM SERIAL FLASH MEMORY
Granted: April 3, 2014
Application Number:
20140095764
A microcontroller includes a microprocessor, a serial flash memory interface, and input/output (I/O) terminals for coupling the serial flash memory interface to external serial flash memory. The microprocessor is operable to generate instruction frames that trigger respective commands to read data from specified addresses in the external serial flash memory. The serial flash memory interface receives and processes the instruction frames, obtains the data contained in the specified…
MICROCONTROLLER WITH INTEGRATED MONITORING CAPABILITIES FOR NETWORK APPLICATIONS
Granted: April 3, 2014
Application Number:
20140095643
A microcontroller has integrated monitoring capabilities for network applications. The disclosed techniques can take advantage, for example, of an unused, duplicate network controller that is present in some microcontrollers by providing selection circuitry and configuration capabilities that allow the unused, duplicate network controller to be used for the purpose of monitoring frames that are transferred between network media and another network controller residing on the…
CONFIGURING POWER DOMAINS OF A MICROCONTROLLER SYSTEM
Granted: March 27, 2014
Application Number:
20140089714
A microcontroller system is organized into power domains. A power manager of the microcontroller system can change the power configuration of a power domain in response to event from an event generating module without activating a processor of the microcontroller system.
DELAYING INTERRUPTS IN A MICROCONTROLLER SYSTEM
Granted: March 27, 2014
Application Number:
20140089708
A microcontroller system includes a power manager that is configured to, during a power saving mode, configure an interrupt delaying module to receive and hold an interrupt from an interrupt source. In response to receiving the interrupt from the interrupt source, the power manager causes the microcontroller system to exit the power saving mode. Upon exiting the power saving mode, the power manager configures the interrupt delaying module to release the interrupt.
CHANGING POWER MODES OF A MICROCONTROLLER SYSTEM
Granted: March 27, 2014
Application Number:
20140089707
A microcontroller system can operate in a number of power modes. In response to changing from a previous mode to a present mode, the microcontroller system reads a present calibration value correspond to the present mode from system configuration storage and write the present calibration value to a configuration register for a component. A logic block for the component reads the present calibration value and calibrates the component.
DELAYING RESET SIGNALS IN A MICROCONTROLLER SYSTEM
Granted: March 27, 2014
Application Number:
20140089706
A microcontroller system includes a reset delaying module that is configured to, during a power saving mode, receive and delay a reset signal from a reset source. The reset delaying module waits for a regulator ready signal from a voltage regulator because, prior to the reset signal, the voltage regulator is in a power saving mode. In response to receiving the regulator ready signal, the reset delaying module releases the reset, e.g., to a reset controller.
UNIQUE CODE IN MESSAGE FOR SIGNATURE GENERATION IN ASYMMETRIC CRYPTOGRAPHIC DEVICE
Granted: March 27, 2014
Application Number:
20140089670
Methods and systems are disclosed for verifying the use of a client device by a host device in a secure system. In one aspect, a method for authenticating a client device includes receiving, by the client device, a message from a host device, accessing, by the client device, a private key and a unique code stored on the client device, where the unique code is different than the private key, generating, by the client device, a digital signature for the message using the private key and…
ADC SEQUENCING
Granted: March 27, 2014
Application Number:
20140089536
A device comprises a central processing unit (CPU) and a memory configured for storing memory descriptors. The device also includes an analog-to-digital converter controller (ADC controller) configured for managing an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) using the memory descriptors. In addition, the device includes a direct memory access system (DMA system) configured for autonomously sequencing conversion operations performed by the ADC without CPU intervention by transferring the memory…
CURRENT MONITORING CIRCUIT FOR MEMORY WAKEUP TIME
Granted: March 27, 2014
Application Number:
20140085975
A microcontroller system is determining to exit a power saving mode and, in response, enable a reference current source to begin providing a reference current for a memory module. The microcontroller system determines that the reference current has reached a substantial fraction of a target reference current, and, in response to determining that the reference current has reached a substantial fraction of the target reference current, enables the memory module to begin performing one or…
PACKAGE DEPENDENT SEGMENT TERMINAL REMAPPING FOR DRIVING LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAYS
Granted: March 20, 2014
Application Number:
20140078427
A microcontroller for controlling a liquid crystal display (LCD) is mountable in any one of multiple package types. The microcontroller includes a LCD controller to generate logical mapping signals indicative of voltages to be applied to segment terminals of a LCD glass. A driver circuit drives the segment terminals selectively. A remapping unit receives the logical mapping signals from the LCD controller and maps the logical mapping signals, for each of the package types, to physical…
MICROCONTROLLER INPUT/OUTPUT CONNECTOR STATE RETENTION IN LOW-POWER MODES
Granted: March 13, 2014
Application Number:
20140075231
A microcontroller is operable in a low-power mode and includes one or more I/O connectors, as well as an I/O controller operable to provide control signals for controlling a state of a particular one of the I/O connectors. The I/O controller is powered off or deactivated during the low-power mode. The microcontroller also includes I/O connector state control logic operable to control the state of the particular one of the I/O connectors in accordance with the control signals from the I/O…
