Digital architectures for serial data stream operations
Granted: September 16, 2014
Patent Number:
8839084
Systems and techniques for serial data stream operations are described. A described system includes a serial bus communicatively coupled with a memory structure to handle a serial data stream from or to the memory structure; generators configured to generate enablement signals that are associated with different bit-groups of the serial data stream, each of the enablement signals including pulses that are aligned with time-slots that are associated with a respective bit-group; logic…
Slave circuit of a LIN bus and method for operation
Granted: September 9, 2014
Patent Number:
8832474
A slave circuit of a LIN bus and method for operating a slave circuit is provided. The slave circuit includes a receiver circuit that is connected to the bus in order to output bit sequences as a function of a bus voltage, an interface circuit for controlling a sleep mode and a normal mode, a detector circuit for evaluating the bus voltage which is connected to the bus, a timer device that is connected to an output of the detector circuit and to the interface circuit. Whereby, the…
Receiver and method for operating a receiver
Granted: September 9, 2014
Patent Number:
8831553
A receiver and method for operating a receiver, in particular of a radio network, is provided, whereby the receiver includes circuit blocks in a receive path for detecting a preamble of a received signal, and a controller for controlling a receive mode. Whereby at least some of the circuit blocks are designed to be capable of being turned on for a turn-on duration and turned off for a turn-off duration. Whereby, the controller is configured to alternately turn on at least some of the…
Sense amplifier with offset current injection
Granted: September 9, 2014
Patent Number:
8830759
A sense amplifier includes a sense input node, a current mirror circuit to mirror the current on the sense input node, and a result output node. A current source supplies an offset current. The sense amplifier increases the current on the sense input node by the offset current and reduces the offset current from the mirrored current at the result output node.
Capacitive position sensor
Granted: September 9, 2014
Patent Number:
8830180
A capacitive position sensor has a two-layer electrode structure. Drive electrodes extending in a first direction on a first plane on one side of a substrate. Sense electrodes extend in a second direction on a second plane on the other side of the substrate so that the sense electrodes cross the drive electrodes at a plurality of intersections which collectively form a position sensing array. The sense electrodes are provided with branches extending in the first direction part of the way…
Leakage-current compensation for a voltage regulator
Granted: September 9, 2014
Patent Number:
8829883
In one embodiment, a method includes generating a drive current. Generation of the drive current results in a first leakage current, and the drive current and first leakage current each flow into a first node. The method also includes generating a second leakage current and amplifying the second leakage current to generate a leakage-compensation current. The leakage-compensation current flows away from the first node.
Method of computing a width of a scribe region based on a bonding structure that extends into the scribe reigon in a wafer-level chip scale (WLCSP) packaging
Granted: September 9, 2014
Patent Number:
8828846
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…
Configurable passive components
Granted: September 2, 2014
Patent Number:
8822270
A wafer of passive components is diced to leave a flat passive chip. The flat passive chip has bond pads for passive components on a same side of the flat passive chip. The flat passive chip is stacked onto an active chip. The passive components are wirebonded together to connect the passive components in series or parallel, resulting in the flat passive chip having an overall passive characteristic equal to a target characteristic.
Capacitive matrix touch sensor
Granted: September 2, 2014
Patent Number:
8823675
A device includes a substrate, a top touch panel, and an electrode supported by the substrate including a conductive compressible material extending from the substrate to the top touch panel. Another electrode is supported by the substrate and arranged to form an electric field coupling with the electrode including the compressible material. A touch sensitive region is transferred from the substrate to the top touch panel by the compressible material.
Touch tracking across multiple touch screens
Granted: September 2, 2014
Patent Number:
8823656
The examples enable tracking of a touch gesture that may extend across a discontinuity between two or more touch screens of a mobile device or the like.
Charge equalization between series-connected battery cells
Granted: August 19, 2014
Patent Number:
8810199
In one embodiment, a circuit comprising a first set of one or more semiconductor switches coupled to a first node and a first terminal of an energy store configured to store energy, and a second set of one or more semiconductor switches coupled to a second node and a second terminal of the energy store, each of the first and second sets of semiconductor switches being configured to couple to a terminal of a battery cell.
Variable architecture for random number generators
Granted: August 12, 2014
Patent Number:
8805906
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,…
Complex adhesive boundaries for touch sensors
Granted: August 12, 2014
Patent Number:
8803004
In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a cover panel. An adhesive layer is coupled to the cover panel. A perimeter of the adhesive layer forms at least a portion of a gasket seal extending substantially perpendicular to an inner surface of the cover panel. An inner surface of the gasket seal defines an edge of a channel. The apparatus also includes a substrate coupled to the adhesive layer. The substrate includes an outer surface having disposed thereon a connection pad region and…
Low power capacitive touch detector
Granted: August 5, 2014
Patent Number:
8797049
A low power capacitive detector is disclosed. The detector includes a mechanism to measure and detect touch on capacitive sensors. The detector uses signal processing to suppress noise and increase sensitivity. The detector does not require dedicated analog circuitry, making it easy to adopt in a microcontroller system. The detector can be scaled to a larger number of capacitive sensors without noticeable increase in silicon cost.
Sense electrode spine interpolation
Granted: August 5, 2014
Patent Number:
8797290
An electrode layout for a touchscreen includes multiple sense electrodes. Each sense electrode has multiple spines coupled to each other, including a main spine and at least one spaced apart interpolation spine running in the same direction. The interpolation spine of one sense electrode is positioned adjacent a spaced apart interpolation spine of a neighboring sense electrode to provide interpolated sense electrodes.
Selective scan of touch-sensitive area for passive or active touch or proximity input
Granted: August 5, 2014
Patent Number:
8797287
In one embodiment, an apparatus comprises a touch sensor comprising a touch-sensitive area, and a touch-sensor controller coupled to the touch sensor. The touch-sensor controller is operable when executed to: select one or more regions associated with a stylus within the touch-sensitive area, and scan one or more electrodes within each region.
Panel
Granted: August 5, 2014
Patent Number:
8797285
An electrode pattern for a position sensing panel may have an array of mesh cells formed by sinusoidaly shaped conductive lines extending between vertices of the mesh cells.
Touch-screen panel with multiple sense units and related methods
Granted: August 5, 2014
Patent Number:
8797281
This document discloses, systems, methods, and articles of manufacture, related to position sensors and uses of such sensors. Multiple panels can be arranged in close proximity to one another and one or more sense or drives lines associated with each respective panel can be associated with a control circuit of the other adjacent panel.
Systems and methods for improved touch screen response
Granted: August 5, 2014
Patent Number:
8797280
This document discloses examples of systems, methods, and articles of manufacture that may provide one or more advantages relating to determining which touch on a touch screen is intended and which touch or touches are inadvertent.
Capacitive keyboard with position-dependent reduced keying ambiguity
Granted: July 29, 2014
Patent Number:
8791910
In one embodiment, a method includes receiving two or more output signals responsive to two or more capacitive couplings. Each of the capacitive couplings has occurred between a pointing object and one of two or more sensing areas within a sensing region, and each of the sensing areas has a position within the sensing region. The method includes, if two or more of the output signals each have an output-signal level that exceeds a predefined activation level, then selecting a particular…
