Method and apparatus for virtualizing hardware dongle over a wireless connection
Granted: May 7, 2013
Patent Number:
8438319
In a computer system configured to handle I/O signals received by the computer system from input devices and/or output signals output by the computer system, a virtual attachment module includes logic for selecting such that program code for coupling can alter the operating system's selection of I/O devices used for particular I/O device operations, coupling to a wireless I/O device at least for determining whether the wireless I/O device is available, and causing redirection of I/O…
Capacitive position sensor
Granted: April 30, 2013
Patent Number:
8432173
In one embodiment, a method includes receiving one or more first signals indicating one or more first capacitive couplings of an object with a sensing element that comprises a sensing path that comprises a length. The first capacitive couplings correspond to the object coming into proximity with the sensing element at a first position along the sensing path of the sensing element. The method includes determining based on one or more of the first signals the first position of the object…
Method of assembling a multi-component electronic package
Granted: April 30, 2013
Patent Number:
8429814
An electronic multi-component package is assembled by placing multiple electronic components within multiple openings of a package substrate, then depositing and curing adhesive filler in gaps between the components and the inner peripheries of the openings. Circuit features, including conductive interconnects, are formed by thin-film photolithography over both front and back surfaces of the package substrate. Preformed conductive vias through the package substrate provide electrical…
Analog to digital converter with adjustable conversion window
Granted: April 16, 2013
Patent Number:
8421666
In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a first capacitor system and a second capacitor system. Each capacitor system comprises one or more engaged capacitors from respective pluralities of selectively engagable capacitors. The first capacitor system and second capacitor system are respectively selectively coupled to a first reference voltage and a second reference voltage. The apparatus further includes a switch configured to transfer charge between the first capacitor system and the…
One-time-programmable memory emulation
Granted: April 9, 2013
Patent Number:
8417902
This document discloses one-time-programmable (“OTP”) memory emulation and methods of performing the same. OTP memory can be emulated by managing reads and writes to a memory array in response to an instruction to write data to a OTP memory location and selectively setting a security flag that corresponds to the memory locations. The memory array can be a NAND Flash memory array that includes multiple pages of memory. The memory array can be defined by memory blocks that can include…
Analog to digital converter with dual integrating capacitor systems
Granted: April 9, 2013
Patent Number:
8416117
In one embodiment, an apparatus comprises a first capacitor system and a second capacitor system. Each capacitor system is removably coupled to the same portion of an analog to digital converter (ADC) and the same sensing circuit. Each capacitor system stores charge received through the sensing circuit when coupled to the sensing circuit and provides the charge received through the sensing circuit to the ADC for conversion into a digital value when coupled to the ADC. When the control…
Programmable logic unit
Granted: April 9, 2013
Patent Number:
8415975
Programmable logic units are described. A described unit includes one or more first logic elements that are individually programmable to be one of a plurality of first functions; one or more second logic elements that are a decoder; one or more third logic elements that are individually programmable to be one of a plurality of second functions; and a programmable interconnect array that selectively forms one or more interconnections within a group including the logic elements, one or…
Circuit and method for operating a circuit
Granted: April 9, 2013
Patent Number:
8415939
A circuit and method for operating a circuit is provided that includes a circuit section that has a number of memory elements, a first voltage regulator that can be connected or is connected to the circuit section in order to operate the circuit section, a second voltage regulator that can be connected or is connected to the circuit section in order to preserve an information item stored in the memory elements, a switching device that is connected to the circuit section and is designed…
Transmission circuit and method for transmitting a bit sequence to be transmitted
Granted: March 26, 2013
Patent Number:
8406117
In certain embodiments, a circuitincludes a dividing device configured to divide a transmission bit sequence into a first bit sequence and a second bit sequence, bits adjacent to each other in the transmission bit sequence being separated by a bit time. The circuit includes a first device configured to generate first sampled values by sampling at a sampling rate a first fundamental wave that is based on the first bit sequence, and includes a second device configured to generate second…
Circuit, system and method for communication between two nodes of a radio network
Granted: March 26, 2013
Patent Number:
8406144
A circuit, system, and method for range finding between two nodes of a radio network, in particular in conformance with the industry standard IEEE 802.15.4. A mode for finding the range to a second node is initiated by the first node. A command for range finding with the address of the second node is transmitted from the first node to the second node in the mode for range finding. The second node is switched into the range finding mode by the command. A sequence is controlled by the…
Circuit and method for distance measurement between two nodes of a radio network
Granted: March 26, 2013
Patent Number:
8405543
A circuit of a node of a radio network, and a method for distance measurement with a transceiver for receiving a first signal with a first frequency by downmixing to an intermediate frequency, with a phase measurement unit, which is set up to determine a first value of a first phase for a first frequency value of the first frequency. The transceiver is formed to transmit a second signal with a first frequency value of a second frequency for determining a first value of a second phase.…
Autonomous multi-packet transfer for universal serial bus
Granted: March 19, 2013
Patent Number:
8402180
A USB device can be configured for multi-packet data transfer to and from endpoints with minimal software intervention. Minimal software intervention allows a Central Processing Unit (CPU) of the USB device to handle other tasks, maximizing USB bus utilization.
Proximity detection
Granted: March 19, 2013
Patent Number:
8400209
For proximity detection, capacitance of a sensing element to ground is measured as one or more objects move into or out of proximity to the sensing element.
Mode switching RC network
Granted: March 12, 2013
Patent Number:
8395461
Various embodiments include apparatus, systems, and methods having a conductive contact configured to couple to a resistor-capacitor (RC) network, a device unit coupled to the conductive contact, and a mode switching unit to change a characteristic of a signal at the conductive contact based at least in part on an RC time constant of the RC network. The mode switching unit may switch the device unit between a first operating mode and a second operating mode based on a signal level of the…
Memory system, sense amplifier, use, and method for error detection by means of parity bits of a block code
Granted: March 12, 2013
Patent Number:
8397124
A memory device for an error-correcting block code is provided, whereby each code word of the block code can have data bits and parity bits. The device also includes a memory for storing the data bits and the parity bits of each code word, and includes an error detection circuit, which is formed to detect an error of the data bits in a code word by evaluating exactly one subset of the stored parity bits of the code word. The subset being smaller than the total number of parity bits of…
Circuit, process, and use of a memory for transmitting and/or receiving in a radio network
Granted: February 19, 2013
Patent Number:
8380137
Circuit, process, and use of a memory for transmitting and/or receiving in a radio network, with a memory, which has a first interface for reading and writing and a second interface for reading and writing, with an arithmetic logic unit, which is connected to the first interface for reading and writing, with a control unit, which is connected to the second interface for reading and writing, and with a transmit/receive unit, which is connected to the control unit for writing received data…
Selector switch for direct connection of switched regulator to voltage inputs
Granted: February 19, 2013
Patent Number:
8379012
A driver circuit for a display device (e.g., an LCD) omits buffers and a resistive ladder and connects the output of a switched regulator directly to a display device through a selector switch. Voltage inputs for the display device can be selectively coupled to the output of the switched regulator using the selector switch. Each voltage input can be coupled to a capacitor that is charged when the corresponding voltage input is coupled to the high voltage output of the switched regulator.…
Capacitive sensing with high-frequency noise reduction
Granted: February 19, 2013
Patent Number:
8378981
A method and apparatus for sensing the presence of a body from a change in an amount of charge present on a capacitively charged key includes performing a measurement burst which generates a plurality of signal sample values from a plurality of measurement cycles. Each of the measurement cycle includes inducing charge onto the key during a drive part of the measurement cycle, measuring during a signal measurement part of the measurement cycle the charge induced on the key during the…
Control of light-emitting-diode backlight illumination through frame insertion
Granted: February 19, 2013
Patent Number:
8378961
System(s) and method(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…
Methods and circuits for triode region detection
Granted: February 19, 2013
Patent Number:
8378957
The present invention relates to circuits and methods for detecting transistor operation in the triode region including a circuit for a transistor in a constant current source. The circuit comprises a detector having a first input, a second input, and an output. The first input of the detector is coupled to the source of the transistor and the second input of the detector is coupled to the set point terminal of the constant current source. The circuit also comprises a flag coupled to the…
