LOW-POWER MODES OF MICROCONTROLLER OPERATION WITH ACCESS TO CONFIGURABLE INPUT/OUTPUT CONNECTORS
Granted: March 13, 2014
Application Number:
20140075066
A microcontroller includes I/O pins whose respective functions are configurable by an I/O controller in accordance with user-programmable input. The availability of such configurable I/O pins is extended to low-power or power savings modes of operation during which the I/O controller is powered off or deactivated.
DIFFERENTIAL SENSING FOR CAPACITIVE TOUCH SENSORS
Granted: March 13, 2014
Application Number:
20140071082
A first signal from a first sense line of a touch sensor is received. A second signal from a second of the touch sensor is received. The first signal is inverted. The inverted first signal and the second signal are summed to produce a differential signal. The differential signal is output to a touch sensor controller.
BINARY DIVARICATION DIGITAL-TO-ANALOG CONVERSION
Granted: March 6, 2014
Application Number:
20140062746
Systems and techniques for performing binary divarication digital-to-analog conversion are described. A described converter includes voltage range adjusters arranged in series to convert a digital sequence to an analog representation, each of the adjusters being responsive to a respective bit of the digital sequence, and a combiner. The first adjuster produces first high and low output voltages based on first high and low input voltages and a most significant bit value of the digital…
FULLY INTEGRATED VOLTAGE REGULATOR USING OPEN LOOP DIGITAL CONTROL FOR OPTIMUM POWER STEPPING AND SLEW RATE
Granted: March 6, 2014
Application Number:
20140062442
Methods and systems are disclosed for an integrated voltage regulator with open loop digital control for power stepping. In one aspect, a method for regulating an output voltage includes receiving data indicative of a power setting associated with an identified state of an electrical circuit, the power setting based on a load current demand of the electrical circuit in the identified state, enabling one or more parallel driver segments based on the received data indicative of the power…
REFERENCE VOLTAGE CIRCUITS
Granted: February 27, 2014
Application Number:
20140055166
A reference voltage circuit corrects for bandgap voltage shifts induced during fabrication. The reference voltage circuit generates a reference voltage using first and second base-emitter pairs. The reference voltage circuit sums the voltage across the first base-emitter pair with a difference voltage. During a first time period, the difference voltage is the voltage across the first base-emitter pair minus the voltage across the second base-emitter pair, and during a second time period,…
VOLTAGE SCALING SYSTEM
Granted: February 27, 2014
Application Number:
20140055105
A circuit for downscaling voltage comprising: a voltage regulator; a voltage reference register configured to provide a voltage reference value; a voltage comparator configured to output a logical one if a supply voltage of the voltage regulator is greater than the voltage reference value, wherein a first input of the voltage comparator is coupled to output of the voltage regulator and a second input of the voltage comparator is coupled to output of the voltage reference register; an AND…
COLOR CORRECTING DEVICE DRIVER
Granted: February 27, 2014
Application Number:
20140055047
A color correcting device driver is configured to vary the equivalent current into light emitting elements (e.g., LEDs) with the frequency of the AC input current (e.g., 120 Hz). In implementations that include a fly-back controller with a power factor correction (PFC) controller on the primary side, the color correcting device driver performs the method of: 1) turning on the loads (e.g., white and CA strings of LEDs); 2) determining if the voltage supplied to the loads has dropped by a…
SINGLE PIN COMMUNICATION MECHANISM
Granted: February 13, 2014
Application Number:
20140047250
A method and device include a power pin, a ground pin, and a communications pin. A communications module receives power from the power pin and utilizes an edge counting communication protocol over the communication pin.
REFERENCE VOLTAGE CIRCUITS IN MICROCONTROLLER SYSTEMS
Granted: January 30, 2014
Application Number:
20140028384
A microcontroller system includes a higher power reference voltage circuit and a lower power reference voltage circuit configured to draw less power than the higher power reference voltage circuit when enabled. The system includes a power state logic controller configured to enable the lower power reference voltage circuit to provide a first regulated voltage during a power saving mode, and, on exiting the power saving mode, enable the higher power reference voltage circuit to provide a…
ULTRA-DEEP POWER-DOWN MODE FOR MEMORY DEVICES
Granted: January 30, 2014
Application Number:
20140032956
A memory device includes a voltage regulator, whose output provides a voltage supply for various other components of the memory device, including a command user interface. The memory device is placed into an ultra-deep power-down mode by providing to the memory device a software command, which causes the output of the voltage regulator to be disabled. To bring the memory device out of the ultra-deep power-down mode, a chip select signal is provided to the memory device, which includes a…
PREVENTING INTERFERENCE BETWEEN MICROCONTROLLER COMPONENTS
Granted: January 30, 2014
Application Number:
20140028380
A microcontroller includes first and second modules. The first module can operate in a mode that causes interference with operation of the second module. A control circuit on the first module and a control circuit on the second module coordinate operation of the first and second modules to prevent the interference from causing the second module to function incorrectly.
DUAL REGULATOR SYSTEMS
Granted: January 30, 2014
Application Number:
20140028278
A microcontroller system includes a main voltage regulator and a low power voltage regulator having a static current consumption less than the static current consumption of the main voltage regulator. A power state controller enables the low power voltage regulator during a power saving mode. On exiting the power saving mode, the power state controller enables the main voltage regulator and disables the low power voltage regulator after determining that the main voltage regulator is…
Integrated Circuit Structures Containing a Strain- Compensated Compound Semiconductor Layer and Methods and System Related Thereto
Granted: January 2, 2014
Application Number:
20140001603
A method for pseudomorphic growth and integration of an in-situ doped, strain-compensated metastable compound base into an electronic device, such as, for example, a SiGe NPN HBT, by substitutional placement of strain-compensating atomic species. The invention also applies to strained layers in other electronic devices such as strained SiGe, Si in MOS applications, vertical thin film transistors (VTFT), and a variety of other electronic device types. Devices formed from compound…
PULSE WIDTH MODULATION BASED CONTROLLER
Granted: December 19, 2013
Application Number:
20130335049
A control circuit adjusts the duty cycle of a PWM control signal. An analog processing component within the control circuit receives an analog feedback input signal and compares it to an analog reference signal to generate a pre-processed signal. A sigma-delta modulator within the analog processing component generates a quantized signal based on the pre-processed signal. A digital processing component stores a value. The controller then adjusts the duty cycle of the PWM signal to…
STORED PUBLIC KEY VALIDITY REGISTERS FOR CRYPTOGRAPHIC DEVICES AND SYSTEMS
Granted: December 5, 2013
Application Number:
20130326219
Systems and techniques for performing cryptographic operations based on public key validity registers are described. A described system includes a controller and a memory structure to store one or more public keys. The memory structure includes one or more validity registers that respectively correspond to the one or more public keys. The controller has exclusive write access to the validity register. The controller can be configured to perform an authentication of a public key, write an…
Method And Apparatus For Virtualizing Hardware Dongle Over A Wireless Connection
Granted: December 5, 2013
Application Number:
20130326095
In a computer system configured to handle I/O signals received by the computer system from input devices and/or output signals output by the computer system, a virtual attachment module includes logic for selecting such that program code for coupling can alter the operating system's selection of I/O devices used for particular I/O device operations, coupling to a wireless I/O device at least for determining whether the wireless I/O device is available, and causing redirection of I/O…
Memory Decoder Circuit
Granted: December 5, 2013
Application Number:
20130322185
A decoder circuit includes high voltage and low voltage transistors. The decoder circuit uses the high voltage transistors during modify operations to provide a high voltage, e.g., a boosted voltage, to memory cells to change memory cell status or perform other operations. The decoder circuit uses the low voltage transistors during read operations.
OPERATIONS USING DIRECT MEMORY ACCESS
Granted: November 21, 2013
Application Number:
20130311699
A system includes a serial interface, a peripheral device coupled to the serial interface, non-volatile memory, and a DMA controller including multiple linked channels. The various channels can be configured in different modes to facilitate the DMA controller performing various operations, such as data transfer, with respect to the non-volatile memory or the peripheral device.
Serial Bit Processor
Granted: November 7, 2013
Application Number:
20130297831
A serial bit processor is disclosed that configures a timer/counter module to determine a number of data bits to be decoded from a serial bit stream. In some implementations, a serial peripheral is coupled to a timer/counter module. The serial peripheral sends a restart command to reload an internal count register of the timer/counter module with a pre-defined value. The serial peripheral then sends count commands that cause the timer/counter to decrement (or increment) by one each time…
INTER-DEVICE COMMUNICATION IN A BATTERY MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION SYSTEM
Granted: October 10, 2013
Application Number:
20130265009
A battery management and protection system includes a string of battery management and protection integrated circuit devices that may be connected to one another in a daisy chain configuration. Some of the devices can be electrically connected to one or more battery cells. Each device includes an inter-device communication interface comprising a daisy chain line driver. The system includes a controller external to the string of devices and a bi-directional connection lines connecting…
