Maxim Integrated Patent Grants

Transmitter circuit with integrated power control

Granted: June 2, 2015
Patent Number: 9048890
An integrated circuit device, set forth by way of example and not limitation, includes an IC package provided with a plurality of leads and enclosing: a) a buffer amplifier, b) a switching-mode power amplifier having an input coupled to the output of the buffer amplifier and having an output coupled to at least one of the plurality of leads, and c) a digital controller. A method, set forth by way of example and not limitation, for controlling the power output of a RF transmitter circuit…

Multiple camera synchronization system

Granted: May 26, 2015
Patent Number: 9041813
A system for at least substantially plesiochronously operating a receiver in communication with a plurality of cameras (e.g., at least two plesiochronously operational cameras) is described. In one or more implementations, the system includes a plurality of cameras. Each camera is configured to generate a signal for transmission via a communications link, and the signal comprises data packets encoded in a forward channel. The system also includes a receiver communicatively coupled to the…

Techniques for wafer-level processing of QFN packages

Granted: May 26, 2015
Patent Number: 9040408
Semiconductor package devices, such as wafer-level package semiconductor devices, are described that have pillars for providing electrical interconnectivity. In an implementation, the wafer-level package devices include an integrated circuit chip having at least one pillar formed over the integrated circuit chip. The pillar is configured to provide electrical interconnectivity with the integrated circuit chip. The wafer-level package device also includes an encapsulation structure…

Method for varied topographic MEMS cap process

Granted: May 26, 2015
Patent Number: 9040386
A device includes sidewalls formed in a wafer surface, where the sidewalls descend to a recessed surface. The recessed surface generally promotes resist coverage on the wafer surface, including corners (e.g., junctions between the wafer surface and various surface topographies, such as cavities, the recessed surface, and so forth) on the wafer. In one or more implementations, a wet etching procedure is used to form the sidewalls and recessed surface. A resist material (e.g., a…

SAS expander with multimode phys

Granted: May 19, 2015
Patent Number: 9037769
A SAS expander including a switch core and a plurality of SAS expander phys coupled to the switch core, where at least two of the SAS expander phys are SAS expander multimode phys. In an embodiment, the SAS expander multimode phys include at least a normal operational mode and an alternate operational mode. In another embodiment, the SAS expander multimode phys also include a second alternate operational mode.

State based full and empty control for rechargeable batteries

Granted: May 19, 2015
Patent Number: 9035616
State based full and empty control for rechargeable batteries that will assure a uniform battery empty condition, even in the presence of a load on the battery. A fuel gauge provides a prediction of the open circuit voltage of the battery, and when the predicted open circuit voltage of the battery reaches the predetermined open circuit voltage of an empty battery, the load is terminated, after which the battery will relax back to the predetermined open circuit voltage of an empty…

Low-leakage ESD protection circuit

Granted: May 12, 2015
Patent Number: 9030790
An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit, set forth by way of example and not limitation, includes an input operative to receive input signals and a primary protection circuit coupled to the input. The protection circuit is operative to provide a single ESD current path for one or more the input signals that are ESD strikes. The currents of positive ESD strikes and negative ESD strikes flow through the single ESD current path, where the single ESD current path is not used by…

High rate deposition method of magnetic nanocomposites

Granted: May 5, 2015
Patent Number: 9023422
A method of deposition of magnetic nanocomposites. The method comprises providing an electron beam evaporation system having at least two independent hearths with independently controllable electron beams, each to melt and evaporate materials in the respective hearth, each hearth having a respective shutter for selectively controlling the deposition of the respective material in the respective hearth, placing a ferromagnetic material in a first hearth, placing an oxide in a second hearth…

Low side NMOS protection circuit for battery pack application

Granted: April 28, 2015
Patent Number: 9018914
An electric circuit comprising means for communicating with an external device coupled to means for measuring the charge condition of an external battery. In some embodiments, the circuit comprises at least one level shifter for changing the reference voltage of communication signals. In some embodiments, the circuit comprises a first driver and a second driver for driving external switching elements for the controlled charge and discharge of the battery.

Systems and methods for managing cryptographic keys in a secure microcontroller

Granted: April 28, 2015
Patent Number: 9021272
The present invention relates to key management in a secure microcontroller, and more particularly, to systems, devices and methods of automatically and transparently employing logic or physical address based keys that may also be transferred using dedicated buses. A cryptographic engine translates a logic address to at least one physical address, and processes a corresponding data word based on at least one target key. The target key is selected from a plurality of keys based on the…

Sending digital data visually using mobile display and camera sensor

Granted: April 21, 2015
Patent Number: 9015806
A system for establishing a connection between a first device and a wireless network includes a first control module, located on the first device, that receives encoded digital data. The encoded digital data corresponds to a plurality of images displayed sequentially on a display of a second device. Each of the plurality of images corresponds to a different portion of the encoded digital data. A decoder module, located on the first device, converts the encoded digital data into…

System and method for sequentially distributing power among one or more modules

Granted: April 21, 2015
Patent Number: 9014825
A programmable power distributing sequencer including a plurality of internal regulators, an internal memory adapted to store a user programmable script including instructions for sequentially enabling and disabling the regulators, and a controller adapted to enable and disable the regulators based on the script. The controller may receive the user programmable script from a programming source, such as an applications processor, an external memory, or external programming device. Before…

Digital pre-distortion system for radio frequency transmitters with reduced sampling rate in observation loop

Granted: April 21, 2015
Patent Number: 9014299
A system includes a digital to analog converter, a power amplifier, an analog-to-digital converter, a filter, and a pre-distortion module. The digital to analog converter generates analog data based on digital data. The power amplifier generates output data based on the analog data. The analog-to-digital converter generates samples based on the output data at a sampling rate less than a Nyquist sampling rate. The filter filters the digital data and generates filtered data. The…

USB hubs with galvanic isolation

Granted: April 14, 2015
Patent Number: 9009382
A universal serial bus (USB) hub includes a USB AFE circuit module, a hub core and an isolator circuit module interposed between the USB AFE circuit module and the hub core. Data communications between the hub core and the first USB AFE circuit module pass through the isolator circuit module. A method for communicating through a universal serial bus hub includes providing a USB AFE circuit module, providing a hub core, providing an isolator circuit module interposed between the USB AFE…

Routing for power line communication systems

Granted: April 14, 2015
Patent Number: 9008073
A power line communication (PLC) system includes a source node, a plurality of intermediate nodes and a destination node. Each of the source node, the plurality of intermediate nodes and the destination node comprise a PLC interface including a medium access control (MAC) module and a physical layer (PHY) module. A transformer is located between the source node and the destination node. Routing modules of the source node, one or more of the intermediate nodes, and the destination node…

Receiver automatic gain control (AGC) and slicer

Granted: April 7, 2015
Patent Number: 9002308
A system is disclosed that may include an Automatic Gain Control (AGC) module configured to automatically adjust the gain of a receiver, which is configured to receive a signal. The signal includes a number of commands, which have a characteristic command length and a characteristic command interval. The command length may have a substantially shorter duration than the command interval. The system may also include a slicer configured to interface to a command processor. The system…

Switch-mode power conversion IC package with wrap-around magnetic structure

Granted: April 7, 2015
Patent Number: 9001524
An integrated circuit device includes a support for supporting electrical circuitry, an integrated circuit having electrical circuitry disposed on the support, and a magnetic portion attached to the support around the integrated circuit. The integrated circuit and the magnetic portion are interconnected for converting a power input signal having a first characteristic to a power output signal having a second characteristic different from the first characteristic.

Current-steering digital-to-analog converter with cancellation of dynamic distortion

Granted: April 7, 2015
Patent Number: 9000965
A digital to analog converter includes a first switch, a second switch, and a driver module. The first switch includes a first differential pair of transistors connected to first inputs to receive digital data for conversion to analog data based on a clock signal output by a clock, and first outputs to output the analog data. The second switch includes second and third differential pairs of transistors connected to second inputs and the first outputs. The driver module drives one of the…

Wafer-level thin chip integration

Granted: April 7, 2015
Patent Number: 9000587
A wafer-level package device and techniques for fabricating the device are described that include embedding a silicon chip onto an active device wafer or a passive device wafer, where the embedded silicon chip is a thin chip (e.g., <50 ?m). In implementations, the wafer-level package device that employs the techniques of the present disclosure includes an active device wafer, a thin integrated circuit chip, an encapsulation structure covering at least a portion of the active device…

Safety device and method for using a safety device

Granted: March 24, 2015
Patent Number: 8985452
The invention relates to a security device with sensors for checking whether the security device (1) is in an undamaged state and checking for the presence of a specified support (9) of the security device (1), said support (9) being an object, in particular a mechanical or electronic component, characterized in that the sensors detect movements and/or accelerations of the security device (1) relative to the support (9) and/or material properties of the support (9) and/or of the security…