Microcontroller architecture with access stealing
Granted: April 18, 2017
Patent Number:
9626310
A microcontroller system is disclosed that includes an access stealing monitor coupled to a bus that is configured to receive a first access request from the bus for a first peripheral, duplicate the first access request, transform the first access request to a second access request on a second peripheral, and transfer the second access request to the bus. In another embodiment, a first peripheral coupled to the bus is configured to receive a first access request from the bus for the…
Position-sensing panel and related methods
Granted: April 18, 2017
Patent Number:
9626045
An exemplary touch position-sensing panel has first and second electrodes that cross over each other to form touch sensing nodes at their intersections. Cut-outs are formed in the first electrodes at touch sensing nodes. The cut-outs extend at least partially across the region where second electrodes cross over the first electrode.
Apparatus and technique for modular electronic display control
Granted: April 11, 2017
Patent Number:
9622307
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…
Voltage level shifter
Granted: April 11, 2017
Patent Number:
9621135
A voltage level shifter including a voltage converting unit to convert an input voltage into a current; a voltage level shifting unit to drive a driving voltage based on the current and shift a voltage level of the driving voltage when a modulation voltage is applied at a first voltage level to a floating ground; a circuit driving voltage supply unit to supply a circuit driving voltage and further to generate a shifted voltage level of the circuit driving voltage when the modulation…
Sense amplifier
Granted: April 11, 2017
Patent Number:
9621112
A sense amplifier measures a state of a memory cell coupled to a sense node. The sense amplifier receives a control signal to enable the sense amplifier. The sense amplifier generates a voltage based on an amplifier current that is based on a sense current flowing through the sense node. The sense amplifier generates a feedback current based on the voltage to compensate variations of the sense current. The sense amplifier receives a reference control signal to enable a reference circuit…
Differential interface for inter-device communication in a battery management and protection system
Granted: April 4, 2017
Patent Number:
9614661
A multi-cell battery stack includes a microcontroller and a string of battery management and protection IC devices connected to one another in a daisy chain configuration. Each battery management and protection IC device can include a communication interface circuit includes pairs of differential input signal lines, receivers including respective current comparator circuits to receive differential signals on the differential input signal lines, and transmitters to provide outgoing…
Peripheral registers with flexible data width
Granted: April 4, 2017
Patent Number:
9612983
A flexible-width peripheral register mapping is disclosed for accessing peripheral registers on a peripheral bus.
Pseudo driven shield
Granted: April 4, 2017
Patent Number:
9612677
In one embodiment, a touch-sensitive device includes a controller, horizontal electrodes, and vertical electrodes. The touch-sensitive device further includes a first plurality of switches that couple the horizontal electrodes to a first plurality of sensors, a second plurality of switches that couple the vertical electrodes to a second plurality of sensors, and a third and fourth plurality of switches that couple the horizontal and vertical electrodes to a shield sensor. The controller…
Single wire system clock signal generation
Granted: April 4, 2017
Patent Number:
9612609
This specification describes an integrated circuit comprising: a single wire interface; a clock circuit configured to detect a voltage from the single wire interface and to generate a clock signal having a frequency that is based on the detected voltage; and a digital system coupled with the single wire interface and the clock circuit. The digital system is configured to: receive a data signal from the single wire interface; power the digital system using a power signal from the single…
Integrated touch screen
Granted: March 28, 2017
Patent Number:
9608047
In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a display stack for a touch-sensitive screen. The display stack comprises a plurality of layers in which a top layer comprises a substantially transparent cover layer. The display stack is configured to display a color image. The apparatus also includes a touch sensor provided within the display stack. The touch sensor comprises a plurality of first conductive electrodes contacting a layer of a subset of the plurality of layers of the display…
Adaptive transmit voltage in active stylus
Granted: March 28, 2017
Patent Number:
9606641
In one embodiment, an active stylus includes a transmitter configured to transmit electrical signals to a device through a touch sensor of the device. The active stylus also includes a receiver configured to receive electrical signals from the device through the touch sensor of the device. Furthermore, the active stylus includes a controller configured to determine a strength of an electrical signal received by the receiver from the touch sensor of the device and instruct the transmitter…
Sensor and method of sensing
Granted: March 21, 2017
Patent Number:
9600124
A sensor is arranged to determine the presence of an object from a change in a capacitance of a sensing element. The sensor includes a capacitance measurement circuit operable to perform measurement cycles to measure a capacitance of the sensing element, and a controller circuit. The control circuit is operable to detect a periodic noise signal induced on the sensing element, to determine a first part, of a repeating pattern of the periodic noise signal, which causes a change in an…
Memory device and systems and methods for selecting memory cells in the memory device
Granted: March 14, 2017
Patent Number:
9595335
A memory device comprises memory cells arranged in rows and columns, and source lines associated with memory sections, each of which includes a plurality of memory cells. Source terminals of transistors included in the memory cells in a first memory section are physically coupled to a first source line that is distinct from other source lines associated with other memory sections on a same row of the memory device as the first memory section. Gate terminals of transistors included in…
Adaptive acknowledgment transmissions
Granted: February 28, 2017
Patent Number:
9584634
Systems and techniques for adaptive automatic acknowledgment handling are described. A described system includes a memory structure to store a data rate (DR) adaptation mode indicator, a frame check sequence (FCS) adaptation mode indicator, a preset DR parameter, and a preset FCS parameter; an extractor to extract a DR parameter from a received frame to produce an extracted DR parameter and extract a FCS parameter from the received frame to produce an extracted FCS parameter; a selector…
Average current control for a switched power converter
Granted: February 21, 2017
Patent Number:
9577521
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. Control logic is operable to monitor a voltage across a sensing resistor such that when the voltage across the sensing resistor reaches or exceeds a threshold value, the control logic generates a signal that causes a switch to be turned OFF.
Active valley fill power factor correction
Granted: February 14, 2017
Patent Number:
9572206
A power converter is disclosed that includes an active valley fill (AVF) capacitor that is actively switched to provide current to a load during a portion of an alternating current (AC) input cycle. The current supplied to the load includes some current supplied by the AC input and some current supplied by the AVF capacitor. Circuitry is configured to regulate the amount of current flowing through the load, including controlling the amount of current supplied by the AVF capacitor. The…
Capacitive sensing with low-frequency noise reduction
Granted: February 14, 2017
Patent Number:
9569037
A method of sensing the presence of a body from a change in an amount of charge present on a capacitively charged key. The method comprises inducing charge onto the key during a drive part of a measurement cycle, coupling a signal measurement capacitor to the key during a signal measurement part of the measurement cycle to the effect that the charge induced on the key during the drive part of the measurement cycle is transferred to the signal measurement capacitor, determining from a…
Low-power and low-frequency data transmission for stylus
Granted: February 14, 2017
Patent Number:
9569016
In one embodiment, a method includes initiating an acquisition of a first signal from an electrode of a touch sensor according to an acquisition frequency of the touch sensor. The method also includes reversing, with a controller, a polarity of the first signal to produce a second signal. The method also includes storing a first modulated signal at an end of the acquisition of the first signal, where the first modulated signal includes the second signal as modulated by one or more…
Multi-state capacitive button
Granted: February 14, 2017
Patent Number:
9568524
In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a sensor, a button, a conductor between the button and the sensor, and a controller connected to the sensor. The sensor includes first and second electrode tracks. The button includes an electrically isolating material and is configured to capacitively couple with an object. The conductor is configured to capacitively couple with the sensor and form a galvanic connection between the first and second electrode tracks when the conductor comes into…
Capacitive control panel
Granted: February 7, 2017
Patent Number:
9563317
A control panel for proximity and force sensing, includes a cover layer, a first electrode layer including a first force sensor electrode, a second force sensor electrode positioned in a second electrode layer or on a support layer, and a dielectric substrate at least a portion of which is compressible and is positioned between the first and second force sensor electrodes. The support layer is positioned to support at the vicinity of the second force sensor electrode support location so…
