Maxim Integrated Patent Grants

System and method for generating a fixed point approximation to nonlinear functions

Granted: January 15, 2013
Patent Number: 8356066
A system and method are provided for use in an electronic device configured to process data to perform a method of generating a fixed point approximation of a number x by first locating the most significant bit of a given number, then retrieving predetermined values from electronic data storage, where the first value is based on a first index value generated from the most significant bit and contains fixed-point representation located in a table in storage. Then, output values are…

Use of device assembly for a generalization of three-dimensional metal interconnect technologies

Granted: January 8, 2013
Patent Number: 8349653
An assembly process properly positions and align a plurality of first die within a carrier substrate. The first die are positioned within cavities formed in the carrier substrate. The carrier substrate is then aligned with a second substrate having a plurality of second die fabricated therein. The first die and the second die are fabricated using different technologies. Aligning the carrier substrate and the second substrate aligns the first die with the second die. One or more first die…

Inductors having inductor axis parallel to substrate surface

Granted: January 1, 2013
Patent Number: 8344478
Inductors and methods for integrated circuits that result in inductors of a size compatible with integrated circuits, allowing the fabrication of inductors, with or without additional circuitry on a first wafer and the bonding of that wafer to a second wafer without wasting of wafer area. The inductors in the first wafer are comprised of coils formed by conductors at each surface of the first wafer coupled to conductors in holes passing through the first wafer. Various embodiments are…

Single-sided, flat, no lead, integrated circuit package

Granted: December 25, 2012
Patent Number: 8338955
An integrated circuit package comprising an enclosure including a dielectric housing, a first electrical contact, and a second electrical contact. The dielectric housing, the first electrical contact, and the second electrical contact are configured to form a contact side of the enclosure. In addition, the first and second electrical contacts are sized to be substantially alignment insensitive for electro-mechanical connection to corresponding contacts of an end-use equipment. The…

Multilevel class-D amplifier

Granted: December 11, 2012
Patent Number: 8330541
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…

Precision sub-radixDAC with linearity calibration

Granted: December 11, 2012
Patent Number: 8330634
A system includes an N bit sub-binary radix digital-to-analog converter (DAC) that converts an m bit digital input signal to an analog output signal, where m and N are integers greater than or equal to 1 and N>m. A radix conversion module determines a code ratio, the code ratio being a ratio of a total number of available monotonic codes to 2m, and performs radix conversion on the m bit digital input signal based on the code ratio.

Timer controlled, short and open circuit fault detection with slew-rate boosted output driver

Granted: December 11, 2012
Patent Number: 8331072
A driver circuit uses a feedback loop having a programmable timer and timer logic to adjust a slew rate delay period used to accommodate slewing current when charging or discharging a load capacitor, and to increase the current limit during the slew rate delay period by selecting a larger input current reference value. Increasing the current limit provides for a faster settling time. The value of each input current reference value can be programmed. The programmable timer and the timer…

Transmitter circuit with integrated power control

Granted: December 11, 2012
Patent Number: 8331486
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…

Adaptive motion estimation cache organization

Granted: December 4, 2012
Patent Number: 8325798
In some embodiments, a motion estimation search window cache is adaptively re-organized according to frame properties including a frame width and a number of reference frames corresponding to the current frame to be encoded/decoded. The cache reorganization may include an adaptive mapping of reference frame locations to search window cache allocation units (addresses). In some embodiments, a search window is shaped as a quasi-rectangle with truncated upper left and lower right corners,…

Multi-service cellular phone network access device

Granted: December 4, 2012
Patent Number: 8326349
An access device is described herein for determining and selecting, for a cellular call received by a cellular transceiver of the access device, one of a plurality of networks to route the call to. In some embodiments, the determining and selecting may be based at least on a type of each of a plurality of network interfaces of the access device and availability of each corresponding network, the network interfaces including at least two of a cellular retransmitter, an IP networking…

Method and apparatus for modeling quantization matrices for image/video encoding

Granted: December 4, 2012
Patent Number: 8326068
A method for encoding an image is disclosed. The method generally includes the steps, of (A) generating a quantization matrix as a function of at least four parameters, (B) optimizing the parameters to maximize a quality metric for encoding the image and (C) encoding the image with the quantization matrix as optimized.

System and method of reduced-temporal-resolution update for video coding and quality control

Granted: December 4, 2012
Patent Number: 8325797
A novel system and method of Reduced-Temporal-Resolution Update (RTRU) and quantizing video transform coefficients is provided for use using hybrid coding standards when receiving a frame from within a group of video frames, where the amplitude of the quantization parameter is defined for the quantization of the frame according to a reduced temporal resolution update process; where the amplitude of the quantization parameter for macroblocks in the frame is defined according to a reduced…

MEMS rotational sensor with improved anchoring

Granted: December 4, 2012
Patent Number: 8322212
A MEMS sensor is provided with a substrate and a sensor element. The sensor element moves in response to an influence registered by the sensor primarily in an oscillating turn around a sensor axis that is parallel to the substrate. The sensor has an anchor arranged on the substrate in order to hold the sensor element onto the substrate. A connecting element arranges the sensor element on the anchor.

Transmitter and method for applying multi-tone OFDM based communications within a lower frequency range

Granted: November 27, 2012
Patent Number: 8320233
According to one embodiment of the invention, an integrated circuit comprises an encoding module, a modulation module and a spectral shaped module. The encoding module includes an interleaver that adapted to operate in a plurality of modes including a first mode, a second mod and a third mode. The interleaver performs repetitive encoding when placed in the second mode and even greater repetitive encoding when placed in the third mode.

System and method for applying multi-tone OFDM based communications within a prescribed frequency range

Granted: November 20, 2012
Patent Number: 8315152
According to one embodiment of the invention, an integrated circuit comprises an encoding module, a modulation module and a spectral shaped module. The encoding module includes an interleaver that adapted to operate in a plurality of modes including a first mode and a second mode. The interleaver performs repetitive encoding when placed in the second mode. The modulation module is adapted to compensate for attenuations that are to be realized during propagation of a transmitted signal…

Soft repetition code combiner using channel state information

Granted: November 20, 2012
Patent Number: 8315341
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…

Thermally enhanced semiconductor package

Granted: November 6, 2012
Patent Number: 8304293
Disclosed are systems and methods for improving the thermal performance of integrated circuit packages. Aspects of the present invention include improved thermal package structures and methods for producing the same through the application of one or more thermal spreaders in the package. In embodiments, a thermal spreader is incorporated in a semiconductor chip package between a semiconductor die and its die pad. By including a thermal spreader in an IC package, the package can handle…

Passive offset and overshoot cancellation for sampled-data circuits

Granted: November 6, 2012
Patent Number: 8305131
A zero-crossing detector with effective offset cancellation includes a set of series connected capacitors and an amplifier having an input terminal. An offset capacitor is operatively connected between the amplifier and the set of series connected capacitors. A switch is operatively connected to the input terminal, and an offset sampling capacitor is operatively connected to the switch. The switch connects the offset sampling capacitor to the input terminal of the amplifier during a…

Digital light management controller

Granted: November 6, 2012
Patent Number: 8305401
A light management unit (LMU) includes multiple brightness compensation modules and algorithms mixed together in a digital domain. The LMU is configured to receive content data, such as gamma correction data generated by a graphics or video processor and corresponding to frames of video data, ambient light data obtained using a light sensor, ambient temperature data using a temperature sensor, and a manual brightness setting. An ambient light compensation value is multiplied into the…

High quality low bitrate video coding by enabling and disabling a non-residual mode

Granted: November 6, 2012
Patent Number: 8306118
A method for encoding video, comprising the steps of (A) encoding a number of macroblocks of a video signal with a non-residual mode disabled, (B) checking each of the macroblocks for a null information pattern, and (C) re-encoding each of the macroblocks having the null information pattern with the non-residual mode enabled.