Circuit, use, and method for controlling a receiver circuit
Granted: December 31, 2013
Patent Number:
8619924
A circuit, use, and method for controlling a receiver circuit is provided, wherein a complex baseband signal is generated from a received signal, a phase difference between a phase of the complex baseband signal and a phase precalculated from previous sampled values is determined, the phase difference is compared with a first threshold, a number is determined by counting the exceedances of the first threshold by the phase difference, a number of the counted exceedances is compared with a…
Two dimensional position sensor
Granted: December 31, 2013
Patent Number:
8619054
A two-dimensional position sensor comprising a substrate with a sensitive area defined by a pattern of electrodes including electrodes for determining x-position and electrodes for determining y-position. The x-electrodes and y-electrodes generally extend in the x-direction and are interleaved in the y-direction. The x-electrodes comprise at least first, second and third groups of elements shaped such that adjacent ones of the elements of the different x-electrode groups co-extend in the…
Detecting inductive objects using inputs of integrated circuit device
Granted: December 31, 2013
Patent Number:
8618794
A system for detecting inductive objects includes an inductive sensor circuit for detecting changes in an electromagnetic field (“EMF”) environment and an integrated circuit (“IC”) device. The inductive sensor circuit generates an oscillating analog waveform with an envelope that indicates changes in the EMF environment. The oscillating waveform is coupled to the digital input pin of the IC. A digital interface circuit in the IC is coupled to the digital input pin and is…
Circuit and method for operating a node in a radio network
Granted: December 24, 2013
Patent Number:
8615012
A circuit and a method for operating a node in a radio network, whereby nodes of the same radio network have a common network ID and each node individually is assigned a node ID, wherein during the reception of a current packet by a receiving circuit of the node, an address contained in the packet is determined, wherein reception of the current packet is continued when the determined address agrees with the network ID of the node and the node ID of the node, and wherein during reception…
Electrode crossovers
Granted: December 17, 2013
Patent Number:
8610688
In one embodiment, a touch sensor includes drive electrodes. The drive electrodes include drive electrode structures that are each coupled to an adjacent drive electrode structure by a first strip of conductive material. The touch sensor also includes sense electrodes. The sense electrodes include sense electrode structures that are each coupled to an adjacent sense electrode structure by a second strip of conductive material. The sense electrode structures are formed on a same layer as…
Capacitive touch sensors
Granted: December 17, 2013
Patent Number:
8610009
A touch data set is acquired via signals from each sensing node in a capacitive sensor array having a plurality of sensing nodes. Touch presence and location on the capacitive sensor array is determined from the touch data set. In subsequent sampling periods while presence of a touch continues to be detected, touch data sets may be acquired from respective subsets of the sensing nodes, each subset being located at and adjacent to the touch location determined in the preceding sampling…
Noise reduction in capacitive touch sensors
Granted: December 10, 2013
Patent Number:
8605037
Noise reduction in a one- or two-dimensional capacitive sensor array is achieved by rejecting and re-acquiring noisy signals. The sensor array is formed of crossed X and Y lines for drive and sense functions respectively, each of the X lines being driven in turn to acquire a full frame of data from the sensor array. A controller actuates the X lines in turn and, for each X line, charge is transferred to charge measurement capacitors connected to respective ones of the Y lines. The…
Apparatus, circuit and method for automatic phase-shifting pulse width modulated signal generation
Granted: December 10, 2013
Patent Number:
8604856
Systems, circuits and methods for phase-shifting pulse width modulated signal generation are disclosed. In some embodiments, a phase-shifting pulse width modulation circuit is configured to output pulses based on an input pulse width modulated signal. The pulses are staggered relative to one another, and can be received by a light-emitting diode driver for driving a light-emitting diode string at one or more time periods. The phase-shifting pulse width modulation circuit can include a…
Self-power for device driver
Granted: December 10, 2013
Patent Number:
8604699
The disclosed implementations utilize the voltage drop inherent in the device string to power a device control IC. In some implementations, current is drawn from the bottom of the device string and applied to a voltage supply pin of the device control IC. In some implementations, current is drawn from some other location in the device string (e.g., near the bottom or midpoint of the device string) using a switch. In some implementations, current is drawn from near the bottom and the…
Microcontroller including flexible connections between modules
Granted: December 3, 2013
Patent Number:
8601197
A microcontroller includes a system bus matrix to connect various modules. The microcontroller also includes direct connections between modules. For example, the microcontroller may include a direct connection between a data processing module and a memory controller module to improve the transfer rate for data that is processed by the data processing module.
Dual-substrate-sensor stack with electrodes opposing a display
Granted: December 3, 2013
Patent Number:
8599161
In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a display and a first and second substrate. Each substrate has a surface facing toward the display; a surface facing away from the display; and drive or sense electrodes of a touch sensor disposed on the surface of each substrate facing away from the display. The drive or sense electrodes are made of a conductive mesh of conductive material. The apparatus also includes an adhesive layer between the first and second substrates.
Touchscreen electrode configuration
Granted: December 3, 2013
Patent Number:
8599150
A touchscreen includes touchscreen electrode elements distributed across an active area of a substrate, and the touchscreen overlays a display. The touchscreen electrode elements are configured to avoid creating moiré patterns between the display and the touchscreen, such as angled, wavy, zig-zag, or randomized lines. In a further example, the electrodes form a mesh pattern configured to avoid moiré patterns.
Noise handling in capacitive touch sensors
Granted: December 3, 2013
Patent Number:
8598894
In a capacitive sensor of the type having X electrodes which are driven and Y electrodes that are used as sense channels connected to charge measurement capacitors, signal measurements may be made by driving the X electrodes to transfer successive packets of charge to the charge measurement capacitors. An additional noise measurement may be made by emulating or mimicking the signal measurement, but in certain embodiments without driving the X electrodes. The packets of charge transferred…
Receiving circuit, use, and method for receiving an encoded and modulated radio signal
Granted: November 26, 2013
Patent Number:
8594259
A receiving circuit, use, and method for receiving an encoded and modulated radio signal is provided. The circuit comprise a demodulator and a digital filter connected downstream of the demodulator for moving averaging. The filter has at least two FIFO registers and subtractors. Whereby for subtracting an output value of the FIFO register from an input value of the FIFO register a subtractor is connected to each FIFO register. Wherein the filter has a weighting unit, which is connected…
Two-dimensional position sensor
Granted: November 26, 2013
Patent Number:
8593424
A capacitive position sensor comprises a substrate having an arrangement of electrodes mounted on a single surface thereof, the electrodes arranged so as to define an array of sensing cells arranged in columns and rows to form a sensing area. Each sensing cell includes a column sensing electrode and a row sensing electrode. The column sensing electrodes of sensing cells in the same column are electrically coupled together, and the row sensing electrodes of sensing cells in the same row…
Sense amplifier apparatus and methods
Granted: November 19, 2013
Patent Number:
8588021
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.
Level shifter with output latch
Granted: November 19, 2013
Patent Number:
8587359
A level shifter for a microcontroller shifts an input voltage in a first power domain to an output voltage level consistent with a second power domain. The level shifter is enabled to shift the voltages when both power domains are operative.
Methods and circuits for self-calibrating controller
Granted: November 12, 2013
Patent Number:
8581810
The present invention relates to circuits and methods for controlling one or more LEDs or LED drivers. The circuit comprises a programmable decentralized controller coupled to one or more detectors, wherein the one or more detectors are configured to detect one or more measurable parameters of one or more LEDs or LED drivers. The controller is configured to receive information from the one or more detectors related to the one or more measurable parameters. The controller is also…
Tuning algorithm for noise reduction in an active stylus
Granted: November 12, 2013
Patent Number:
8581886
In one embodiment, a stylus receives a signal, the stylus being able to wirelessly transmit signals to and receive signals from a device, and the stylus having a plurality of electrodes disposed in a tip of the stylus. The stylus compares a first value of the signal to a first threshold and determines whether to start a timing period based at least in part on this comparison. If the timing period is started, the stylus compares a second value of the signal to a second threshold and…
Load-aware compensation in light-emitting-diode backlight illumination systems
Granted: November 12, 2013
Patent Number:
8581828
System(s) and method(s) are provided for power management in an electronic display via compensation of a power source of a light-emitting-diode (LED) backlighting system. A compensation feedback loop includes a load-aware controller that receives the load condition from a dimming controller and supplies a control signal to the power source. An efficiency regulator functionally connected the backlight circuitry closes the compensation feedback loop and provides an input signal to the…
