Device and method for generating a random number
Granted: August 14, 2012
Patent Number:
8244786
A method and a device are provided, in particular a transponder, for generating a random number by a linear feedback shift register, wherein a first seed is generated by means of a first automaton, a second seed is generated by means of a second automaton, the first and second automata operate using different functional principles, so that the first and second seeds have different properties, and the shift register is reloaded with the first and/or second seed.
Software adapted wear leveling
Granted: August 14, 2012
Patent Number:
8244959
A subset of software objects stored in a first segment of non-volatile memory are identified as requiring frequent write operations or otherwise associated with a high endurance requirement. The subset of software objects are move to a second segment of non-volatile memory with a high endurance capacity, due to the application of wear leveling techniques to the second segment of non-volatile memory. The first and second segments of memory can be located in the same memory device or…
Calibration of temperature sensitive circuits with heater elements
Granted: August 14, 2012
Patent Number:
8241925
One or more heating elements are disposed on a semiconductor substrate proximate a temperature sensitive circuit disposed on the substrate (e.g., bandgap circuit, oscillator). The heater element(s) can be controlled to heat the substrate and elevate the temperature of the circuit to one or more temperature points. One or more temperature measurements can be made at each of the one or more temperature points for calibrating one or more reference values of the circuit (e.g., bandgap…
Component stacking for integrated circuit electronic package
Granted: August 7, 2012
Patent Number:
8237266
Component stacking for increasing packing density in integrated circuit packages. In one aspect of the invention, an integrated circuit package includes a substrate, and a plurality of discrete components connected to the substrate and approximately forming a component layer parallel to and aligned with a surface area of the substrate. An integrated circuit die is positioned adjacent to the component layer such that a face of the die is substantially parallel to the surface area of the…
Capacitive sensing
Granted: August 7, 2012
Patent Number:
8237456
In certain embodiments, a multi-channel capacitive sensor for measuring capacitances of sense electrodes to a system reference potential comprises a sample capacitor having first and second terminals. The sensor comprises a first diode having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the sample capacitor and a second terminal coupled to a first sense electrode, and comprises a second diode having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the sample capacitor and a…
Output buffer receiving first and second input signals and outputting an output signal, and corresponding electronic circuit
Granted: August 7, 2012
Patent Number:
8239429
An output buffer is provided, to which first and second input signals are applied and that delivers an output signal. The output buffer includes a second offset switching stage installed in cascade downstream from a first switching stage. The second offset switching stage generates control points shifted in time with respect to memory points.
Correlation device
Granted: August 7, 2012
Patent Number:
8239437
A correlation device is provided that includes an adder for adding an input signal sequence and an auxiliary signal sequence to obtain an addition signal sequence, and a delay element for delaying the addition signal sequence to obtain the auxiliary signal sequence, whereby the delay element has a plurality of coefficient outputs for providing addition signal sequence coefficients. The correlation device comprises further a linking element for the coefficient-wise linking of an addition…
ESD protection circuit for low voltages
Granted: July 31, 2012
Patent Number:
8233252
An ESD protection circuit is provided having a first field-effect transistor, which has a first drain terminal, a first source terminal and a first control terminal, and having an input network which, in the event that a first voltage present between the first drain terminal and the first source terminal crosses a threshold value, alters a second voltage that appears between the first control terminal and the first source terminal. The input network contains a second field-effect…
Method and topology to switch an output stage in a class ab audio amplifier for wireless applications
Granted: July 31, 2012
Patent Number:
8233641
A circuit and method of switching an output of a single preamplifier to or from multiple amplifier output stages. The preamplifier output is switched between multiple audio amplifier output stages without degrading the performance of the output signal. A switching circuit selectively couples the preamplifier output to an amplifier output stage and also couples a feedback loop between the selected amplifier output stage and the preamplifier stage.
Method for obtaining field strength information
Granted: July 31, 2012
Patent Number:
8233867
A method for obtaining field strength information from a received electromagnetic signal by a receiver unit, in which an input voltage is generated for an operational amplifier from the received signal in the receiver unit by an input resistance and an output voltage is generated by the operational amplifier by a fixed amplification factor. The input voltage is changed until the output voltage lies within a predefined interval that includes the value of the reference voltage, and hereby…
Method and apparatus for sub-assembly error detection in high voltage analog circuits and pins
Granted: July 17, 2012
Patent Number:
8222910
The innovation relates to systems and/or methodologies for error detection during sub-assembly in high voltage analog circuits. A signal driver communicates test signals to one or more high voltage analog circuits, and a state machine compares the electrical and/or thermal responses of the high voltage analog circuits to a set of predetermined expected results (e.g., signatures). The signal driver and state machine can be incorporated into the high voltage analog circuits. The expected…
Packed add-subtract operation in a microprocessor
Granted: July 17, 2012
Patent Number:
8224883
A packed half-word addition and subtraction operation is performed by a microprocessor in parallel upon half-word operands obtained from designated top or bottom half-word locations of designated source registers of a register file and the sum and difference results of such operation are packed into respective top and bottom half-word locations of a designated destination register. The microprocessor includes an arithmetic-logic unit (ALU) with adder circuitry that can be selectively…
Method and receiving unit for the detection of data symbols
Granted: July 17, 2012
Patent Number:
8223888
A method and device is provided for the detection of data symbols contained in a received radio signal, whereby each data symbol is allocated transmit-side a symbol value-specific PN sequence of successive PN chips in the chip clock and the PN sequences allocated to the data symbols are offset QPSK modulated. The method of the invention for incoherent detection provides for converting the received radio signal into a complex baseband signal sampled in the chip clock, generating a…
Two-dimensional position sensor
Granted: July 17, 2012
Patent Number:
8223133
A capacitive position sensor for determining the position of an object along first and second directions is described. The sensor comprises a substrate having an arrangement of electrodes mounted on a single surface thereof. The electrodes are arranged so as to define an array of sensing cells arranged in columns and rows to form a sensing area. Each of the sensing cell including a column sensing electrode and a row sensing electrode with the column sensing electrodes of sensing cells in…
Cyclic digital to analog converter
Granted: July 17, 2012
Patent Number:
8223056
Some embodiments include apparatus and methods having an amplifier, a capacitor network coupled to the amplifier, and switching circuitry coupled to the amplifier and the capacitor network. The switching circuit is configured to successively apply a selected reference voltage selected from among a first reference voltage, a second reference voltage, and a third reference voltage to the capacitor network in response to a digital input code to generate an output voltage. Additional…
Charge injection mechanism for analog-to-digital converters
Granted: July 17, 2012
Patent Number:
8223049
A low-cost charge injection mechanism may enable oversampling to be used on low frequency signals by injecting dither noise into the ADC input. The dither noise can reduce the quantization noise allowing even direct current (DC) signals to be oversampled correctly. A low-cost charge injection mechanism can also be used to improve the ENOB by characterizing the ADC and digitally correcting the converted signal for non-linearity errors such as INL. Reducing INL errors may also allow a…
Enhanced HVPMOS
Granted: July 10, 2012
Patent Number:
8217452
A p-channel LDMOS device with a controlled n-type buried layer (NBL) is disclosed. A Shallow Trench Isolation (STI) oxidation is defined, partially or totally covering the drift region length. The NBL layer, which can be defined with the p-well mask, connects to the n-well diffusion, thus providing an evacuation path for electrons generated by impact ionization. High immunity to the Kirk effect is also achieved, resulting in a significantly improved safe-operating-area (SOA). The…
System and method for backlight control for an electronic display
Granted: July 10, 2012
Patent Number:
8217887
The present invention discloses apparatus and techniques relating to the intelligent control of a display's backlight LED strings. The present invention provides for controlling the display intensity on a region-by-region basis and for adjusting the intensity multiple times within the duration of a frame. The present invention also provides backlight adjustment in a manner that emphasizes certain colors and deemphasizes certain colors. The present invention also provides for adjustment…
Capacitive position sensor
Granted: July 10, 2012
Patent Number:
8217915
A capacitive position sensor for detecting the position of an object, typically an operator's finger, relative to a resistive sensing element, wherein the sensing element comprises a sensing path that has terminals connected along it that subdivide the sensing path into multiple sections. Each terminal is coupled to its own sensing channel, each of which generates a signal that is sensitive to the capacitance between its terminal and a system ground. The signals are fed to a processor…
Mechanism for storing and extracting trace information using internal memory in micro controllers
Granted: July 10, 2012
Patent Number:
8219855
This document relates to apparatus and methods to store and retrieve trace information in on-chip system memory of microcontrollers. A microcontroller comprises a microprocessor and a memory device accessible through a data bus and an address bus coupled to the microprocessor. The microcontroller includes on-chip debug logic coupled to the microprocessor. Trace data can be retrieved from system memory using a debug port of the debug logic. A system in accordance with the present…
