Input/output parameter selection
Granted: April 3, 2018
Patent Number:
9934377
A device comprises a detector configured to detect an event, and a selector coupled to the detector and configured to generate a signal in response to a detection of an event by the detector. The signal is operable to select a set of input/output (I/O) parameters from among first and second stored sets of parameters. The device also includes a configuration module coupled to the selector. The configuration module is configured to output the selected set of I/O parameters.
Active stylus with high voltage
Granted: April 3, 2018
Patent Number:
9933866
In certain embodiments, a stylus includes one or more electrodes and one or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying logic for transmitting signals wirelessly to a device through a touch sensor of the device. At least some of the signals are high-voltage signals generated by a relatively large potential difference compared to a voltage within a voltage range of approximately 1 to approximately 3 volts. The stylus includes a stylus tip, and one or more of the one or…
Implementing a virtual controller outside an area of a touch sensor
Granted: March 27, 2018
Patent Number:
9927927
In one embodiment, a method includes applying a drive signal to an electrode of a touch sensor of a device. The touch sensor extends across an area of a surface of the device, and the drive signal is configured to generate an electric field that extends outward from the area of the surface that the touch sensor extends across and reaches a pre-determined location on the device that is outside the area of the surface that the touch sensor extends across. The method includes receiving a…
Suspension of touch sensor scan based on an expected interference
Granted: March 27, 2018
Patent Number:
9927910
In certain embodiments, a touch sensor controller suspends a scan of a touch sensitive area of a touch sensor for touch events based on an expected interference between the scan and an update of a display screen. After the first time period, touch sensor controller resumes the scan.
Force sensor array
Granted: March 27, 2018
Patent Number:
9927901
An apparatus includes a force sensor circuit and a controller. The force sensor circuit includes first, second, third, and fourth electrodes disposed on a substrate. The first and second electrodes extend through first and second cells of a row of cells. The third and fourth electrodes extend through third and fourth cells of a column of cells. The first electrode occupies more area in the first cell than in the second cell. The second electrode occupies more area in the second cell than…
Two dimensional position sensor
Granted: March 27, 2018
Patent Number:
9927476
A position sensor comprises first and second electrodes that generally extend in a first direction and are arranged in a pattern that defines a sensitive area, the second electrodes interleaved with the first electrodes in a second direction. The first electrodes comprise first, second, and third groups of elements, elements in the first, second, and third groups being connected to each other but not to elements in another group. The elements have shapes configured for adjacent elements…
Microcontroller with integrated interface enabling reading data randomly from serial flash memory
Granted: March 20, 2018
Patent Number:
9921778
A microcontroller includes a microprocessor, a serial flash memory interface, and input/output (I/O) terminals for coupling the serial flash memory interface to external serial flash memory. The microprocessor is operable to generate instruction frames that trigger respective commands to read data from specified addresses in the external serial flash memory. The serial flash memory interface receives and processes the instruction frames, obtains the data contained in the specified…
Burst-mode self-capacitance measurement with compensated capacitance
Granted: March 20, 2018
Patent Number:
9921691
In one embodiment, a method includes applying a supply voltage across a compensation capacitor; dividing charge between a capacitance of a touch sensor and the compensation capacitor; and performing the application of the supply voltage and the dividing of charge a pre-determined number of times. A first amount of charge of the compensation capacitor results in a first voltage at an input node. The method also includes applying a reference voltage at the input node. The application of…
Stylus communication with near-field coupling
Granted: March 20, 2018
Patent Number:
9921626
In one embodiment, a method includes receiving at a device first data transmitted from a stylus by near-field communication. The device determines a hover distance of the stylus in reference to the device based at least in part on the first data. The device is operated based at least in part on the hover distance of the stylus.
Pulse width modulation controller architectures
Granted: March 13, 2018
Patent Number:
9917505
Systems, apparatuses, and techniques for pulse width modulation (PWM) are described. A described system includes a circuit that contains an inductor and a transistor that controls current through the inductor based on a PWM signal to produce an output; and a controller to provide the PWM signal, which includes PWM cycles that include on-durations and off-durations. The controller can receive a first signal indicating an input voltage that is applied to the inductor, receive a second…
Pattern of electrodes for a touch sensor
Granted: March 13, 2018
Patent Number:
9916047
In certain embodiments, a touch sensor comprises a substrate and a plurality of electrodes disposed on the substrate. The plurality of electrodes comprise a drive line having a plurality of drive electrodes and a sense line having a plurality of sense electrodes. At least one of the drive line and sense line has at least three rows of electrodes.
Method and apparatus for coordinating a wireless PAN network and a wireless LAN network
Granted: March 6, 2018
Patent Number:
9913215
Devices of a personal area network (PAN) use a wireless medium that is shared with a wireless local area network (WLAN). WLAN devices communicate using protocols of the WLAN and PAN devices communicate using PAN protocols allowing for lower power transmissions over the wireless medium relative to transmissions over the WLAN. A PAN coordinator device obtains access to the wireless medium for the PAN devices by signalling a reservation of the medium by the PAN coordinator device, such that…
Initiating multiple data transactions on a system bus
Granted: March 6, 2018
Patent Number:
9910812
Initiating data transactions on a system bus is disclosed. In some implementations, a controller receives first information from a first peripheral requesting a first data transaction. The first information is received over a first communication link between the controller and the first peripheral. The controller receives second information from a second peripheral requesting a second data transaction. The second information received over a second communication link between the…
Electronic package
Granted: February 27, 2018
Patent Number:
9905498
The disclosed embodiments of electronic packages include electrical contact pad features present on all sides of the package that facilitate simple and low cost electrical connections to the package made through a mechanical contacting scheme. In an embodiment, an electronic package comprises: a metal leadframe having a first leadframe portion having a first thickness and a second leadframe portion having a second thickness that is less than the first thickness, the second leadframe…
Communication between active stylus and touch sensor
Granted: February 27, 2018
Patent Number:
9904377
In certain embodiments, a method includes wirelessly receiving, by an electrode of a stylus, a signal sent from a touch sensor of a computing device. The received signal includes a data bit and is based on a predefined code sequence. The method also includes producing, by the electrode of the stylus, a derivative signal from the received signal, the derivative signal corresponding to a derivative with respect to time of the received signal. The method further includes performing, by the…
Antenna on integrated circuit package
Granted: February 20, 2018
Patent Number:
9899341
An antenna on integrated circuit (IC) package is disclosed. In an embodiment, an IC package comprises: a substrate; a radio frequency (RF) transceiver attached to the substrate; mold compound encapsulating the substrate; a shield layer formed on the mold compound; and one or more vias extending vertically through the shield layer and the mold compound, providing a conductive path to the RF transceiver. In another embodiment, a method comprises: attaching a radio frequency (RF)…
Multi-channel RAM with ECC for partial writes
Granted: February 20, 2018
Patent Number:
9898362
Systems, methods, circuits and computer-readable mediums for multi-channel RAM system with error-correcting code (ECC) protection for partial writes are provided. In one aspect, a method includes accessing a plurality of bursts of partial data units from a plurality of respective bus ports, forming a plurality of memory addresses for a plurality of memory channels by interleaving addresses from the plurality of bus ports, and performing read-modify-write (RMW) error-correcting code (ECC)…
Active stylus with surface-modification materials
Granted: February 13, 2018
Patent Number:
9891723
In one embodiment, a stylus has one or more electrodes and one or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying logic for transmitting signals wirelessly to a device through a touch-sensor of the device. The stylus also has an electronic circuit operable to provide an input that changes a property of one or more materials located on the body of the stylus or on the stylus tip.
Executing gestures with active stylus
Granted: January 30, 2018
Patent Number:
9880645
In one embodiment, a stylus has one or more sensors that detect the movement of the stylus, such as an accelerometer, a gyroscope, or a magnetometer. The stylus wirelessly transmits signals to a device based on the movement of the stylus.
Smart grid appliance control
Granted: January 30, 2018
Patent Number:
9883257
Systems and methods for controlling small grids of appliances are described. One sample method includes receiving consumption data from a plurality of electrical appliances that are plugged into outlets at a first location and monitoring power usage at the first location. The method includes evaluating the received consumption data to identify one or more predetermined conditions in one or more of the plurality of electrical appliances and evaluating stored data related to power…
