Soft repetition code combiner using channel state information
Granted: November 12, 2013
Patent Number:
8582668
An embodiment is a method and apparatus to decode a signal using channel information. A channel state estimator generates a tone value representing channel information. A quantizer quantizes the tone value. A combiner combines de-interleaved symbols weighed by the quantized tone value. A comparator compares the combined de-interleaved symbols with a threshold to generate a decoding decision. Another embodiment is a method and apparatus to decode a signal using averaging. A channel…
DAC with novel switch regulation
Granted: November 12, 2013
Patent Number:
8581766
A system includes an NL bit digital to analog converter (DAC) ladder module having NL ladder resistors connected in parallel, NL series resistors connected in series between the NL ladder resistors, and a plurality of switches. NL is an integer greater than one. Adjacent pairs of the plurality of switches are connected in series with respective ones of the ladder resistors. On resistances of each of the plurality of switches are approximately equal. A switch control module provides a…
Dual laser-power-level control and calibration system for burst-mode and continuous-mode transmitter
Granted: November 5, 2013
Patent Number:
8576888
Dual laser-power-level control and calibration system for burst-mode and continuous-mode transmitter. A first signal path receives a transmit signal that also drives the transmit laser, and a second signal path receives the output of a monitor diode. The first and second signal paths include filtering so that the two signal paths have a similar frequency response. The upper and lower excursions in both signal paths are compared, and the power levels of the optical transmitter are…
Mixed-signal integrator architecture
Granted: November 5, 2013
Patent Number:
8575988
A mixed signal correlator utilizes coherent detection within a capacitance measurement application. In some applications, the mixed signal correlator is used to measure capacitance of a touch screen display. An external capacitor whose capacitance is measured is kept small for improved sensitivity and can be used for a variety of applications having varied integration periods for measurement. The external capacitor is kept small and can be used for varied applications by adjusting the…
Current mirror and current cancellation circuit
Granted: November 5, 2013
Patent Number:
8575971
Techniques are described to mirror currents and subtract currents accurately. In an implementation, a circuit includes a first current source coupled to a first node to provide a current IPD1 and a current mirror coupled to the first node through a first switch T1 to provide a current IREF1. In a closed configuration, the current IREF1 flows from the current mirror into the first node. A sigma delta modulator controls the switch T1 such that over a period of time an average current…
Semiconductor device having mode of operation defined by inner bump assembly connection
Granted: November 5, 2013
Patent Number:
8575755
Semiconductor devices are described that are configured to have a state of operation defined by a connection between at least one inner bump assembly and a selected outer bump assembly. In an implementation, the semiconductor device, which may be a wafer-level (chip-scale) package semiconductor device, includes an integrated circuit chip, a plurality of outer bump assemblies disposed on the chip, and one or more inner bump assemblies disposed on the chip so that the inner bump assemblies…
Integrated circuit device having extended under ball metallization
Granted: November 5, 2013
Patent Number:
8575493
Semiconductor devices are described that have an extended under ball metallization configured to mitigate dielectric layer cracking due to stress, particularly stress caused by CTE mismatch during thermal cycling tests, dynamic deformation during drop tests, or cyclic bending tests, and so on. In an implementation, the semiconductor package devices include an integrated circuit chip having a solder ball and under ball metallization, formed on the integrated circuit chip, which is…
Average-power control loops and methods through laser supply voltage closed-loop control
Granted: October 29, 2013
Patent Number:
8571079
Average-power control loops and methods through laser supply voltage closed-loop control. In accordance with one of the methods, a switching converter is coupled to provide power to a first terminal of a laser diode, a programmable current source is coupled to control the average current through a laser diode, an average power control circuit is coupled to a monitor diode to monitor the average power out of a laser diode and to control the programmable current source to maintain a…
System for and method of virtual simultaneous sampling with a single ADC core
Granted: October 22, 2013
Patent Number:
8564277
Voltage balancing in multi-cell battery packs is improved by estimating instantaneous voltages on the cells. In accordance with one embodiment, an apparatus for reading voltages from multiple voltage sources includes a first multiplexer coupled to multiple voltage sources and a controller. The controller is programmed to output from the first multiplexer a sequential pair of voltages read from each of the multiple voltage sources. The multiple sequential pairs of voltages all have a…
Memory subsystem
Granted: October 22, 2013
Patent Number:
8566515
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to memory subsystems implemented within, or connected to and accessed by, parallel, pipelined, integrated-circuit implementations of computational engines designed to solve complex computational problems. Additional embodiments of the present invention are directed to memory subsystems implemented within, or connected to and accessed by, a variety of different types of electronic devices. One embodiment of the present invention comprises…
Multi-mode parameter analyzer for power supplies
Granted: October 22, 2013
Patent Number:
8564267
A system includes an input selection module, a multiplier selection module, a multiplier module, an adding module, a plurality of accumulators, and an estimation module. The input selection module selects input signals including a duty cycle signal and current and voltage signals of a power supply. The multiplier selection module selects inputs from sine and cosine generator. The multiplier module multiplies the selected input signals by the inputs from the sine and cosine generator to…
Multilevel class-D amplifier
Granted: October 15, 2013
Patent Number:
8558617
A multilevel class-D differential amplifier which can be operated in at least three modes includes a first power stage and a second power stage. In an idle mode, an output of the first power stage varies between a first voltage level and a second voltage level, wherein an output of the second power stage varies between the first voltage level and the second voltage level. In a PWM mode, the output of the first power stage varies between the first voltage level and the second voltage…
Multi-layer content protecting microcontroller
Granted: October 8, 2013
Patent Number:
8555015
The present invention relates to a microcontroller designed for protection of intellectual digital content. The microcontroller includes a secure CPU, a real-time cipher, and a user programmable multi-layer access control system for internal memory realized by programmable nonvolatile memory. Programmable nonvolatile memory allows in-system and in-application programming for the end user. The programmable nonvolatile memory is mainly used for program code and operating parameter storage.…
Current share compensation design
Granted: October 8, 2013
Patent Number:
8552704
A current share system for providing current to a load includes a first power supply module that controls a first voltage converter to provide a first current to the load, that transmits synchronization information using a first pin, and that transmits at least one second type of information using the first pin. A second power supply module receives the synchronization information at a second pin, receives the at least one second type of information at the second pin, and controls a…
Integrated circuit package having surface-mount blocking elements
Granted: October 8, 2013
Patent Number:
8552566
A first cavity-down ball grid array (BGA) package includes a substrate member and an array of bond balls. The array of bond balls includes a pair of parallel extending rows of outer mesh bond balls and a row of inner signal bond balls that is parallel to the pair of rows of outer mesh bond balls. A surface-mount blocking element is disposed between the row of inner signal bond balls and the pair of rows of outer mesh bond balls. The surface-mount blocking element is either a passive or…
Sensor for detecting acceleration
Granted: October 8, 2013
Patent Number:
8549921
Exemplary embodiments relate to a sensor for detecting an acceleration acting on the sensor, having: a substrate, a mass unit, which acts as an inert mass in the event of the presence of an acceleration, a fixing structure, wherein the mass unit is articulated on the substrate in such a way that at least one pivot axis is defined, about which the mass unit can perform a rotation relative to the substrate as a result of an acceleration acting on the sensor, and the mass unit has an…
Systems for sub digital-to-analog converter gain trim in successive-approximation-register analog-to-digital converters
Granted: October 1, 2013
Patent Number:
8547270
A system for a successive-approximation-register analog-to-digital converter (SAR ADC) includes a gain trim module and an SAR control module. The gain trim module is configured to selectively trim a gain of a sub capacitive digital-to-analog converter (DAC) of the SAR ADC. The SAR control module controls the gain trim module based on an accumulated error associated with a main capacitive DAC of the SAR ADC.
Self-correcting electronic sensor
Granted: September 24, 2013
Patent Number:
8543347
A temperature sensing circuit is described providing a low power temperature sensing system. The temperature sensing circuit provides a digital method for determining the temperature by analyzing the change in electrical response characteristics of a circuit device.
System and method for background calibration of time interleaved analog to digital converters
Granted: August 27, 2013
Patent Number:
8519875
Various embodiments allow for background calibration of channel-to-channel mismatch errors. In certain embodiments calibration is accomplished by comparing the output of I-ADCs against the output of a reference ADC and correlating the difference to a known function to obtain a correction signal that can be used to correct channel-to-channel mismatch errors.
Programmable and scalable microcontroller architecture
Granted: August 27, 2013
Patent Number:
8521989
A microcontroller includes a program memory, data memory, central processing unit, at least one register module, a memory management unit, and a transport network. Instructions are executed in one clock cycle via an instruction word. The instruction word indicates the source module from which data is to be retrieved and the destination module to which data is to be stored. The address/data capability of an instruction word may be extended via a prefix module. If an operation is performed…
