Token based communication in daisy chain configured battery management devices
Granted: March 22, 2016
Patent Number:
9294300
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…
Touch-sensor-controller sensor hub
Granted: March 22, 2016
Patent Number:
9292144
In one embodiment, a method includes controlling a touch sensor of a device. The control of the touch sensor includes a first processing cycle executed by the controller that comprises acquisition of touch-sensor signals from the touch sensor; a second processing cycle executed by the controller that comprises pre-processing of the touch-sensor signals; and a third processing cycle executed by the controller that comprises processing of the touch-sensor signals to determine whether a…
Driving circuits for light emitting elements
Granted: March 15, 2016
Patent Number:
9288852
A circuit for driving light emitting elements, such as LEDs, includes a first transistor having a source coupled to ground through a first resistive element, and a second transistor having a gate electrically coupled to a gate of the first transistor, a source electrically coupled to ground, and a drain for electrical connection to a first group of light emitting elements. The circuit also includes circuitry to provide a predetermined voltage at the source of the first transistor,…
Capacitive touch sensor control unit with sampling capacitors for differential integration
Granted: March 15, 2016
Patent Number:
9287865
In one embodiment, an apparatus comprises a pulse driver configured to generate an electrical pulse for transmission to a capacitive touch sensor. The apparatus further comprises a timing circuit configured to hold a first switch closed and a second switch open during a first edge of the electrical pulse, and hold the second switch closed and the first switch open during of a second edge of the electrical pulse. The apparatus further comprises a first capacitor configured to receive a…
Optical-band visibility for touch-sensor mesh designs
Granted: March 15, 2016
Patent Number:
9285942
In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a touch sensor that includes a mesh of conductive material configured to extend across a display. The mesh includes first lines of conductive material that are substantially parallel to each other and second lines of conductive material that are substantially parallel to each other. The first lines extend across the display at a first angle relative to a first axis, and the second lines extend across the display at a second angle relative to the…
Line spacing in mesh designs for touch sensors
Granted: March 8, 2016
Patent Number:
9280246
In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a touch sensor that includes a mesh of conductive material configured to extend across a display that includes multiple pixels that each include sub-pixels. The mesh includes multiple first and second lines of conductive material. The first lines are substantially parallel to each other, and the second lines are substantially parallel to each other. Each of the pixels has a first pixel pitch (PPx) along a first axis and a second pixel pitch (PPy)…
Pulse- or frame-based communication using active stylus
Granted: March 8, 2016
Patent Number:
9280220
In one embodiment, a method includes receiving sensor data from one or more sensors in or on a stylus, the stylus including one or more electrodes and one or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying logic for wirelessly transmitting signals to a device through a touch sensor of the device. The method includes generating a carrier signal and modulating the carrier signal to communicate the sensor data and wirelessly transmitting from the stylus to the device the…
Modulating drive signal for communication between active stylus and touch-sensor device
Granted: March 8, 2016
Patent Number:
9280218
In one embodiment, an apparatus comprises a sense unit and a drive unit. The sense unit is operable to sense a first signal from drive lines of a touch sensor. The touch sensor comprises the drive lines and sense lines arranged relative to the drive lines such that intersections of the drive lines and the sense lines form one or more capacitive nodes. The drive unit is operable to transmit a second signal based on the first signal to the sense lines such that transmission of the second…
Synchronization of active stylus and touch sensor
Granted: March 1, 2016
Patent Number:
9274644
In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a synchronization signal from a computing device and determining a first time associated with detection of a first edge of the synchronization signal. The method also includes determining a second time associated with detection of a second edge of the synchronization signal and determining whether the second time occurs within a first predetermined window of time from the first time. The method further includes, if the second time occurs…
Fast scanning for mutual capacitance screens
Granted: March 1, 2016
Patent Number:
9274656
In one embodiment, an apparatus for detecting a touch. The apparatus includes a touch sensor that includes a first plurality of electrode lines and a second plurality of electrode lines. The apparatus also includes a touch sensor controller coupled to the touch sensor. The touch sensor controller is operable to apply a respective voltage pulse simultaneously to each of the first plurality of electrode lines, measure a respective signal at each of the second plurality of electrode lines,…
Voltage scaling system
Granted: March 1, 2016
Patent Number:
9274538
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…
Distance measurement between two nodes of a radio network
Granted: March 1, 2016
Patent Number:
9274218
In certain embodiments, a method includes transmitting, by a first node, a first signal with a first frequency. The method includes receiving a second signal with a second frequency by downmixing the second signal to an intermediate frequency. The method includes determining a first value of a first phase for the second frequency. The method includes transmitting a third signal with a third frequency, the first frequency and the third frequency having a frequency difference, and…
Current-based charge compensation in a touch sensor
Granted: March 1, 2016
Patent Number:
9274152
In one embodiment, a method comprises generating a first current at a current source having a magnitude based on the magnitude of a second current flowing from a capacitive node of a touch sensor in the absence of a touch with respect to the capacitive node. The method further includes generating a third current from the capacitive node of the touch sensor in the presence of a touch with respect to the capacitive node. The first current and the third current are summed to cancel out at…
Receiving circuit, method for receiving a signal, and use of a detection circuit and a control circuit
Granted: February 16, 2016
Patent Number:
9264128
A receiving circuit, method for receiving a signal, and use of a detection circuit and a control circuit of a receiving circuit of a node of a radio network is provided to deactivate an analog signal processing and/or determination of digital data from a signal received over an antenna of the node, when a stored current frame of the digital data has been recognized as valid, and to activate the analog signal processing and/or the determination, when the transmission of the current frame…
Drive signals for a touch sensor
Granted: February 16, 2016
Patent Number:
9262023
In one embodiment, a method includes generating a drive signal configured to drive a plurality of drive electrodes of a touch sensor. The method also includes modifying the drive signal such that each drive electrode is driven by a drive signal having a unique first characteristic. The method further includes receiving a plurality of sense signals from a plurality of sense electrodes of the touch sensor. The method additionally includes determining a location of a touch input relative to…
Touch sensor with conductive lines having different widths
Granted: February 16, 2016
Patent Number:
9262019
In one embodiment, a touch sensor includes one or more meshes of conductive material. Each of the meshes comprising a plurality of conductive lines. At least a first conductive line of the plurality of conductive lines has a width that is greater than a width of at least a second conductive line of the plurality of conductive lines.
Active stylus with noise immunity
Granted: February 9, 2016
Patent Number:
9256301
In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a first signal at a stylus. The stylus is able to wirelessly transmit signals to and receive signals from a device. The stylus includes one or more electrodes in a tip of the stylus. A frequency characteristic of the first signal is determined. A second signal is generated based at least in part on the frequency characteristic of the first signal. The second signal is wirelessly transmitted from the stylus to the device through a touch…
Frequency locking oscillator
Granted: February 9, 2016
Patent Number:
9257969
A delay line of individually selectable delay elements can operate as an oscillator in an open loop mode to track process variation or drive a clock signal that varies with temperatures and voltages in the system. The delay line oscillator can also operate in a closed loop mode to match a frequency given by a tuner ratio and a reference clock. The delay line can also be used for measuring clock jitter or duty cycle.
Current monitoring circuit for memory wakeup time
Granted: February 9, 2016
Patent Number:
9257153
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…
Flexible touch sensor
Granted: February 9, 2016
Patent Number:
9256311
In one embodiment, an apparatus include a substantially flexible substrate and a touch sensor disposed on the substantially flexible substrate. The touch sensor comprising drive or sense electrodes made of flexible conductive material configured to bend with the substantially flexible substrate.
