WLCSP for Small, High Volume Die
Granted: January 31, 2013
Application Number:
20130026605
The disclosed WLCSP solution overcomes the limitations of fan-out WLCSP solutions, and other conventional solutions for WLCSP for small, high volume die, by increasing the width of scribe regions between die on a semiconductor substrate to accommodate bonding structures (e.g., solder balls) that partially extend beyond peripheral edges of the die. The scribe regions can be widened in x and y directions on the wafer. The widened scribe regions can be incorporated into the design of the…
MAIN SUPPLY ZERO CROSSING DETECTION FOR PFC CONVERTER
Granted: January 10, 2013
Application Number:
20130010508
A fault mode of a PWM module embedded in a microcontroller is used to detect main supply zero crossings for regulating output voltage of a PFC converter operating in BCM, without using an external detecting element or a comparator, ADC or other specialized component internal to the microcontroller. In some implementations, the end of decrease current flow in the energy storage inductor of the converter is used to reinitialize a PWM timer or counter (counting-up or counting-down timer).…
PULSE WIDTH MODULATION FAULT MODE FOR ILLUMINATING DEVICE DRIVERS
Granted: December 13, 2012
Application Number:
20120313545
A PWM architecture of a microcontroller is disclosed that includes a fault module for regulating and detecting faults in current sensing or illuminating devices (e.g., LED strings). The fault module is part of a hardware regulation loop of LED voltage and LED current that allows the CPU to be placed in idle mode (“IDLE”) while an LED string is regulated in illumination. The microcontroller includes a PWM generator having a double channels PWM timer with a specific fault mode and an…
CONTROL OF LIGHT-EMITTING-DIODE BACKLIGHT ILLUMINATION THROUGH FRAME INSERTION
Granted: December 6, 2012
Application Number:
20120306944
System(s) and methode s) are provided to regulate backlighting in a light emitting diode (LED)-based display through a sequence of alternate pulse-width-modulation (PWM) frame or sub-frame insertions. Alternate PWM frames or sub-frames can be black or non-black. A plurality of pixels in the display is partitioned into at least one zone including one or more rows of pixels; the at least one zone determines sub-frame period based on refresh frequency of the display. A sequence of alternate…
Sense Amplifier Apparatus and Methods
Granted: November 29, 2012
Application Number:
20120300567
Some embodiments include apparatus and methods having a sense amplifier unit, a supply node to receive a supply voltage, and a line coupled to a memory cell of a device. The sense amplifier unit includes a circuit path coupled between the supply node and the line to carry a current having a value based on a value of information stored in the memory cell. Additional embodiments are disclosed.
ENHANCED HVPMOS
Granted: October 25, 2012
Application Number:
20120267717
A p-channel LDMOS device with a controlled n-type buried layer (NBL) is disclosed. A Shallow Trench Isolation (STI) oxidation is defined, partially or totally covering the drift region length. The NBL layer, which can be defined with the p-well mask, connects to the n-well diffusion, thus providing an evacuation path for electrons generated by impact ionization. High immunity to the Kirk effect is also achieved, resulting in a significantly improved safe-operating-area (SOA). The…
Component Stacking for Integrated Circuit Electronic Package
Granted: October 25, 2012
Application Number:
20120270367
Component stacking for increasing packing density in integrated circuit packages. In one aspect of the invention, an integrated circuit package includes a substrate, and a plurality of discrete components connected to the substrate and approximately forming a component layer parallel to and aligned with a surface area of the substrate. An integrated circuit die is positioned adjacent to the component layer such that a face of the die is substantially parallel to the surface area of the…
Calibration of Temperature Sensitive Circuits with Heater Elements
Granted: October 25, 2012
Application Number:
20120268217
One or more heating elements are disposed on a semiconductor substrate proximate a temperature sensitive circuit disposed on the substrate (e.g., bandgap circuit, oscillator). The heater element(s) can be controlled to heat the substrate and elevate the temperature of the circuit to one or more temperature points. One or more temperature measurements can be made at each of the one or more temperature points for calibrating one or more reference values of the circuit (e.g., bandgap…
Mechanism For Storing And Extracting Trace Information Using Internal Memory In Micro Controllers
Granted: October 4, 2012
Application Number:
20120254668
This document relates to apparatus and methods to store and retrieve trace information in on-chip system memory of microcontrollers. A microcontroller comprises a microprocessor and a memory device accessible through a data bus and an address bus coupled to the microprocessor. The microcontroller includes on-chip debug logic coupled to the microprocessor. Trace data can be retrieved from system memory using a debug port of the debug logic. A system in accordance with the present…
Variable Architecture for Random Number Generators
Granted: September 13, 2012
Application Number:
20120233232
A variable architecture for random number generators is disclosed. In some implementations, the architecture of a random number generator may be varied based on microcontroller-specific data stored on the microcontroller. For example, a random number generator module may be embedded in a microcontroller circuit. The random number generator module may be designed to receive input from data sources in the circuit that contain microcontroller-specific data (e.g., a unique chip identifier,…
Microprocessor for Executing Byte Compiled Java Code
Granted: August 9, 2012
Application Number:
20120204017
A microprocessor architecture for executing byte compiled Java programs directly in hardware. The microprocessor targets the lower end of the embedded systems domain and features two orthogonal programming models, a Java model and a RISC model. The entities share a common data path and operate independently, although not in parallel. The microprocessor includes a combined register file in which the Java module sees the elements in the register file as a circular operand stack and the…
APPARATUS AND TECHNIQUE FOR MODULAR ELECTRONIC DISPLAY CONTROL
Granted: July 12, 2012
Application Number:
20120176049
The present invention discloses apparatus and techniques for modular backlighting control of a display. The display includes a number of strings of LEDs. The display is divided into several sections, and each section includes one or more strings of LEDs. A local controller is assigned to each section. The local controller receives feedback signals from the strings of LEDs in its sections and controls the drive voltages and drive currents of those strings. The local controllers…
METHOD AND CIRCUIT FOR AN OPERATING AREA LIMITER
Granted: July 12, 2012
Application Number:
20120176184
The present invention relates to circuits and methods for limiting the operating area of a transistor in a constant current source. The circuits and methods use a detector and a driver to limit the operating area of a transistor. The detector and driver have parameters selected so that, when the voltage at the drain of the transistor satisfies a reference condition, the driver causes drain current of the transistor to decrease. The reference condition is determined relative to the…
ROUTABLE ARRAY METAL INTEGRATED CIRCUIT PACKAGE FABRICATED USING PARTIAL ETCHING PROCESS
Granted: July 12, 2012
Application Number:
20120178214
An integrated circuit assembly is fabricated on a metal substrate strip in an array format that has raised circuitry pattern formed by photolithographic and metal etching processes. The circuitry pattern is formed on one side of the metal substrate only. The raised circuitry's etch depth extends partially through the metal substrate. Die attachment can be performed using a non-conductive material applied directly onto and around the raised circuitry features directly under the die. After…
DATA PROCESSING MODULE PROVIDING UNIFORM POWER CONSUMPTION FOR DIGITAL LOGIC
Granted: July 12, 2012
Application Number:
20120179931
A microcontroller that includes logic to provide a uniform overall power consumption current of parts of the microcontroller generated by sequential element switching is disclosed. For example, the number of sequential elements switching at the triggering edge of the clock is calculated to determine a number of switching elements. The number of switching elements is compared to the number of sequential elements of the circuitry. Additional sequential elements are added in the circuitry…
BATTERY MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION
Granted: July 5, 2012
Application Number:
20120170157
A battery management and protection system can include various features to improve safety-critical and other functions. Among the features that can be included in some implementations are automatic loading of safety or other parameters during start-up of the system; a centralized timekeeper and an event system that can trigger actions in the system independently of a central processing unit; use of the same modules for both automatically-controlled safety-related measurements and…
Passive Transponder with a Charging Circuit
Granted: June 28, 2012
Application Number:
20120161935
In one embodiment, a passive transponder comprising a first circuit comprising a first attenuator, the first circuit configured to receive a first signal from at least one base station and coupled to a first node, a first rectifier coupled to the first node, the first rectifier configured in a forward direction to charge a first capacitor, and the first capacitor coupled to the first rectifier, the first capacitor configured to receive a charge from the attenuator sufficient for powering…
Operating a Transceiver
Granted: June 28, 2012
Application Number:
20120163424
In one embodiment, by a transceiver, setting a first receive frequency of a first channel of the transceiver and a second receive frequency of a second channel of the transceiver, during a first time interval, receiving a first radio frequency (RF) signal on the first channel, determining that a first measured value indicative of a first detectable received RF signal on the first channel exceeds a first predetermined threshold, and in response, receiving a first data frame on the first…
Measuring Sum of Squared Current
Granted: June 28, 2012
Application Number:
20120166506
A modulator can be configured to sense a change in current flow in a circuit and to generate an oversampled, noise-shaped signal. A first decimation filter is coupled to the modulator and is configured to generate instantaneous current data at a first data rate. The instantaneous current data can be input into a multiplier circuit. The output of the multiplier circuit (the instantaneous current data squared) can be input to a second decimation filter. The second decimation filter can be…
EVENT SYSTEM AND TIMEKEEPING FOR BATTERY MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION SYSTEM
Granted: June 28, 2012
Application Number:
20120166855
Operating a battery management and protection system includes generating a set of events each of which has a respective frequency F/n1, F/n2 . . . F/nm, where ni are integers. One or more of the events are provided to one or more modules in the system. The events, which are generated and provided to the modules independently of a central processing unit, trigger performance of respective actions by the modules.
