Methods and physical computer-readable storage media for initiating re-enumeration of USB 3.0 compatible devices
Granted: March 31, 2015
Patent Number:
8996747
Methods, physical computer-readable media, and devices are provided that allow re-enumeration to be initiated on a USB 3.0-compatible device. The method includes establishing a connection with a host, transmitting an indicator from the device to the host to cause a Link Training and Status State Machine (LTSSM) of the host to move from active state (U0) to one of SS.Inactive and RX.Detect, synchronizing the device with the host, and presenting a new configuration of the device to the…
Method of fabricating a charge-trapping gate stack using a CMOS process flow
Granted: March 31, 2015
Patent Number:
8993457
A method of fabricating a memory device is described. Generally, the method includes: forming on a surface of a substrate a dielectric stack including a tunneling dielectric and a charge-trapping layer overlying the tunneling dielectric; depositing a first cap layer comprising an oxide over the dielectric stack; forming a second cap layer comprising a nitride over the first cap layer; patterning the first and second cap layers and the dielectric stack to form a gate stack of a memory…
Method of fabricating a nonvolatile charge trap memory device
Granted: March 31, 2015
Patent Number:
8993453
A method for fabricating a nonvolatile charge trap memory device and the device are described. In one embodiment, the method includes providing a substrate in an oxidation chamber, wherein the substrate comprises a first exposed crystal plane and a second exposed crystal plane, and wherein the crystal orientation of the first exposed crystal plane is different from the crystal orientation of the second exposed crystal plane. The substrate is then subjected to a radical oxidation process…
Deuterated film encapsulation of nonvolatile charge trap memory device
Granted: March 31, 2015
Patent Number:
8993400
A nonvolatile charge trap memory device with deuterium passivation of charge traps and method of manufacture. Deuterated gate layer, deuterated gate cap layer and deuterated spacers are employed in various combinations to encapsulate the device with deuterium sources proximate to the interfaces within the gate stack and on the surface of the gate stack where traps may be present.
Offloading tasks from a central processing unit to peripheral function engines
Granted: March 24, 2015
Patent Number:
8990455
An apparatus includes an array of universal digital blocks (UDBs) and a central processing unit (CPU) coupled to the array of UDBs via a bus. The UDBs may be coupled together to perform tasks, operations or functions that may be offloaded from the CPU to the array of UDBs.
Method to reduce program disturbs in non-volatile memory cells
Granted: March 24, 2015
Patent Number:
8988938
A non-volatile memory and methods of operating the same to reduce disturbs is provided. In one embodiment, the method includes coupling a first positive high voltage to a first global wordline in a first row of an array of memory cells, and coupling a second negative high voltage (VNEG) to a first bitline in a first column of the array to apply a bias to a non-volatile memory transistor in a selected memory cell to program the selected memory cell. A margin voltage having a magnitude…
Capacitive sensor array with pattern variation
Granted: March 24, 2015
Patent Number:
8988086
Embodiments described herein provide capacitive sensor arrays. The capacitive sensor arrays include a plurality of column sensor elements arranged in a plurality of columns and a plurality of row sensor elements arranged in a plurality of rows. The plurality of rows and the plurality of columns are arranged such that each of the row sensor elements is at least partially within a gap between adjacent ones of the column sensor elements. A capacitance between a first portion of one of the…
Adaptive gate driver strength control
Granted: March 24, 2015
Patent Number:
8985850
An adaptive algorithm running on a processing device receives a temperature value that represents a temperature at a gate terminal of a transistor. The adaptive algorithm, determines a drive strength value that represents a drive strength for a signal based on the temperature value. A signal with the determined drive strength is applied to the gate terminal of the transistor.
Cellular communication device with wireless pointing device function
Granted: March 17, 2015
Patent Number:
8983538
A method and apparatus receive first input through a touch screen and communicate over a cellular network responsive to the first input. The method and apparatus receive second input through the touch screen and use the second input to control, through a wireless network other than the cellular network, an image displayed on a screen of a second device.
Device driver self authentication method and system
Granted: March 17, 2015
Patent Number:
8984296
A method for device driver self authentication is provided. The method includes accessing a device driver having encrypted authentication parameters therein including, for instance, a vendor identification, a device identification, a serial number, an expiration date and a filename. The method includes executing an authentication portion of the device driver to generate a message digest of these parameters and comparing the message digest to a stored digest for a match thereof. The…
Water rejection and wet finger tracking algorithms for truetouch panels and self capacitance touch sensors
Granted: March 17, 2015
Patent Number:
8982097
A method, apparatus, and system to detect a self-capacitance activation in view of a self-capacitance measurement of a first electrode. The method, apparatus, and system further to detect a mutual capacitance activation in view of a mutual capacitance measurement of a pair of electrodes, and to determine the presence of water proximate to the capacitive button when the self-capacitance activation is false and the mutual capacitance activation is true. The capacitive button is disposed on…
Optical stylus synchronization
Granted: March 17, 2015
Patent Number:
8982090
Active stylus operation when there is no physical connection between the stylus and the touch array requires communication and synchronization. It is possible to use the touchscreen stack-up itself to communicate synchronization signals or other information optically by outfitting the active stylus with an optical receiver and transmitting signals either with additional diodes or by modulating the display clock itself.
Spread spectrum oscillator
Granted: March 17, 2015
Patent Number:
8981858
An apparatus includes a selection device to select a spreading profile from a plurality of spreading profiles, and an oscillation device to generate clock signals having different frequencies over time based on the selected spreading profile. A method includes selecting a spreading profile from a plurality of spreading profiles, and generating clock signals having different frequencies over time based on the selected spreading profile.
Programmable reference signal selection
Granted: March 17, 2015
Patent Number:
8981754
A processing system measures an input voltage received at an input of an analog circuit, such as an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), where the input voltage is measured by comparing the input voltage to a reference voltage. The reference voltage is determined by the difference between a first voltage and a ground voltage. The processing system includes a programmable reference signal selection circuit to maintain the reference voltage at a constant level.
Watchdog timer with mode dependent time out
Granted: March 10, 2015
Patent Number:
8977911
A method and apparatus to operate a watchdog timer having a first time out period in a processing system. The watchdog timer receives an indication of a change in a mode of operation in the processing system. In response to the change in the mode of operation of the processing system, the watchdog timer changes the time out period to a second time out period corresponding to the new mode of operation.
Reducing sleep current in a capacitance sensing system
Granted: March 10, 2015
Patent Number:
8976124
An apparatus and method of measuring a collective capacitance on a group of capacitive sense elements from at least one of rows or columns of a capacitance sense array when in a first mode, and individually measuring capacitances on each of the rows and columns when in a second mode.
Self-modulated voltage reference
Granted: March 10, 2015
Patent Number:
8975916
A self-modulated voltage reference circuit may generate a reference voltage by receiving an internal reference voltage of a programmable device at a first input of a comparator block of the programmable device, receiving a feedback voltage at a second input of the comparator block, generating a pulse density modulated (PDM) signal based on a difference between the reference voltage and the feedback voltage, outputting the PDM signal at a digital output pin of the programmable device, and…
Capacitive sensing button on chip
Granted: March 3, 2015
Patent Number:
8970230
An embodiment of an integrated circuit device may comprise an integrated circuit package, a sensor element attached within the integrated circuit package, a capacitance sensor coupled with the sensor element and situated within the integrated circuit package, wherein the capacitance sensor is configured to measure a capacitance of the sensor element, and an output pin positioned at the exterior of the integrated circuit package, wherein the output pin is configured to carry a signal…
Methods, systems, and physical computer-readable media for multiplexing a single end-point memory structure between USB interfaces
Granted: March 3, 2015
Patent Number:
8972621
Several embodiments including methods, systems, and physical computer-readable storage media are configured to multiplex a single end-point memory (EPM) structure between a HS USB interface and a SS USB interface, which includes determining whether the SS USB interface is enabled, if the SS USB interface is enabled, detecting the SS USB interface, selecting the HS USB interface, if the SS USB interface is enabled, but not detected, and multiplexing between a functionality of a HS USB…
Field-line repeater (FLR) structure of a sense array
Granted: March 3, 2015
Patent Number:
8970796
Apparatuses and methods of field-line repeater structures for sense arrays are described. One apparatus includes a substrate, a capacitive-sense array with electrodes disposed on one or more sides of the substrate in one or more layers and a protective cover layer disposed to cover the capacitive-sense array. A coating film is disposed over the protective cover layer and a field-line repeater (FLR) structure of floating electrodes is disposed between the coating film and the protective…
