Method and apparatus for dependent coding in low-delay video compression
Granted: June 8, 2010
Patent Number:
7734106
An apparatus comprising an encoder circuit and a storage circuit. The encoder circuit may be configured to generate a reliability score and a referral score for each partition in an input data stream. The input data stream may be encoded based upon the reliability score and the referral score for each partition. The storage circuit may be configured to store the reliability score for each partition of the input data stream.
Harmonic termination of power amplifiers using BAW filter output matching circuits
Granted: June 1, 2010
Patent Number:
7728696
A system, apparatus and method for providing filtering functionality and impedance transformation within a BAW resonator network are disclosed. In particular, a BAW resonator network is designed to provide bandpass capability and a transformation between its input impedance and output impedance. By effectively integrating impedance matching functionality within the BAW resonator network, discrete impedance matching elements previously required within a system may be removed or reduced in…
Backup for volatile state retention in the absence of primary circuit power
Granted: June 1, 2010
Patent Number:
7729193
A backup volatile state retention circuit is provided with low leakage current for employment with a volatile memory circuit to store the value of the latter during power down of the volatile circuit or during power-down or inactivation of neighboring or peripheral circuits or due to the loss of power of any of these circuits. An example of such a volatile circuit is a memory circuit having volatile memory cells such as employed in dynamic memory core, in particular, a random access…
Backup for circuits having volatile states
Granted: June 1, 2010
Patent Number:
7729194
An electrical circuit contains volatile states that are lost without continued application of power to circuit elements to preserve their volatile states. A first power source in the circuit provides power to the volatile state circuit for holding and preserving their volatile states. A power selection circuit is coupled to the circuit elements and has a plurality of selectable modes. A first mode of operation of the power selection circuit is selected when the circuit elements are to be…
Low noise variable gain amplifier
Granted: May 18, 2010
Patent Number:
7719359
A variable gain amplifier may include a gain block, a voltage control block, and a unity gain buffer block. The gain block may include a plurality of amplifiers having a fixed gain. The voltage control block is coupled to the output of the gain block. Moreover, the voltage control block controls, based on control voltages applied to the plurality of amplifiers having fixed gain, current output by the plurality of amplifiers. The unity gain buffer amplifier is coupled to receive the…
Phase noise shaping using sigma delta modulation in a timing recovery unit
Granted: May 18, 2010
Patent Number:
7720160
A method and apparatus for converting a high precision digital word into a high precision analog signal is disclosed. A sigma delta modulator applies a digital input signal to a dither signal to generate a combined signal for sampling. A digital-to-analog converter quantizes the combined signal. An analog filter provides a cutoff at a bandwidth of interest to remove out of band quantization noise and signals. An I transfer function and a Q transfer function can be coupled between the…
Single supply direct drive amplifier
Granted: May 11, 2010
Patent Number:
7714661
A driver amplifier operative from a single DC voltage supply, coupled directly to the output load without the need for DC coupling capacitors used for preventing DC reaching the output load. An onboard power supply generates a negative voltage rail that powers the output amplifiers, allowing driver amplifier operation from both positive and negative rails. Since the amplifiers can be biased at ground potential (0 volts), no significant DC voltage exists across the load and the need for…
Method and/or apparatus for detecting homogeneity of blocks in an image processing system
Granted: May 11, 2010
Patent Number:
7715652
An apparatus comprising a first circuit and a second circuit. The first circuit may be configured to (i) receive an image data stream comprising a plurality of frames each having a plurality of regions, (ii) select a particular region to be marked as being homogeneous or not homogeneous, and (iii) determine whether a group of neighboring regions to the selected region are qualified or not qualified. The second circuit may be configured to mark the selected region as being homogeneous…
Intrusion detection using a conductive material
Granted: May 4, 2010
Patent Number:
7710286
Tampering with an assembly that includes an integrated circuit is detected by measuring a change in at least one property of a conductive molding formed over at least a portion of the integrated circuit. For example, the conductive molding can be a mixture of resin with conductive powder and/or fibers. The molding can be formed as a continuous region or as strips of conductive material. Conductive contacts are positioned to provide and receive current through portions of the conductive…
Auto-gain correction and common mode voltage cancellation in a precision amplifier
Granted: April 13, 2010
Patent Number:
7696817
Auto-gain correction in a precision amplifier provides continuous calibration of the gain of the two differential input stages relative to each other and thus significantly minimizes the effects of device mismatch and temperature. Auto-gain correction together with auto-zero minimizes the effects of common mode input voltage on the amplifier and eliminates the need for trim associated with the matching of the two differential input stages. Improved gain matching enhances the accuracy of…
Bragg mirror optimized for shear waves
Granted: March 23, 2010
Patent Number:
7684109
In an embodiment, set forth by way of example and not limitation, a Bragg mirror includes a first bi-layer of a first thickness and a second bi-layer of a second thickness which is different from the first thickness. In this exemplary embodiment, the first bi-layer consists essentially of a first high impedance layer and a first low impedance layer, and the second bi-layer of a second thickness which is different from the first thickness, the second bi-layer consisting essentially of a…
Method and apparatus for image decoder post-processing using image pre-processing and image encoding information
Granted: March 23, 2010
Patent Number:
7684626
A method for image decoding is disclosed. The method generally includes the steps of (A) receiving from a medium (1) an encoded signal and (2) transform data comprising at least one of (i) encoding statistics embedded in the encoded signal, (ii) encoding information and (iii) pre-processing information, wherein (a) the encoding statistics are created by an encoder in encoding an intermediate input signal to create the encoded signal, (b) the encoding information is producible by the…
Check valve package for Pb-free, single piece electronic modules
Granted: March 9, 2010
Patent Number:
7675149
Check valve package for pb-free, single piece electronic modules, the package having an exterior and an interior, and at least one electronic device mounted within the interior of the package electrically connected to a lead-free solder ball grid array on a surface of the package, the package having a check valve between the interior and exterior of the package configured to allow flow from the interior to the exterior and to prevent flow form the exterior to the interior. The package…
Integrated circuit package device comprising electrical contacts making solderless and bondless electrical-mechanical connection
Granted: March 9, 2010
Patent Number:
7675166
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…
High voltage isolation by capacitive coupling
Granted: March 9, 2010
Patent Number:
7675444
The present invention comprises a circuit for transferring N inputs, wherein N is greater than or equal to 2, across a capacitive coupling media comprising a line circuit, a coupling capacitor, and a neutral potential circuit. The line circuit comprises: (1) a data converter for each input, for sampling and converting the N inputs; (2) a multiplexer for combining the outputs of the N data converters and a synchronization signal to generate an unencoded composite bit stream; (3) a data…
System and method for video transmission line fault detection
Granted: March 9, 2010
Patent Number:
7675544
A video circuit including a video amplifier adapted to generate an amplified output video signal from an input video signal; a short detection circuit adapted to generate a first signal indicative of whether there is a short present at an output of the video amplifier; and a load detection circuit adapted to generate a second signal indicative of whether there is a load coupled to the output of the video amplifier. The video circuit may further include an input signal detection circuit…
System and method for generating a fixed point approximation to nonlinear functions
Granted: February 2, 2010
Patent Number:
7657589
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…
BAW resonator filter bandwidth and out-of-band frequency rejection
Granted: January 12, 2010
Patent Number:
7646265
Embodiments of the present invention provide systems, devices and methods for improving both the bandwidth of a BAW resonator bandpass filter and the suppression of out-of-band frequencies above the passband. In various embodiments of the invention, blocker inductors are located in series between the filter input and the filter output to realize both bandwidth enhancement and improved out-of-band frequency rejection. For example, a first blocker inductor may be located at the input and a…
Secure package with anti-tamper peripheral guard ring
Granted: November 10, 2009
Patent Number:
7615416
A ball grid array (BGA) package (such as one BGA package of a package-on-package (POP) secure module assembly) includes a substrate, and integrated circuit, and array of bond balls. The BGA package further includes a first amount of encapsulant that covers the integrated circuit and a novel second amount of encapsulant. The novel second amount of encapsulant is a peripheral strip that extends along an edge of the substrate to form a peripheral guard ring. The peripheral guard ring…
Method to control BAW resonator top electrode edge during patterning
Granted: November 3, 2009
Patent Number:
7612488
A piezoelectric resonator include a multi-layer top electrode. The multi-layer top electrode includes at least a top metal layer and a bottom metal layer. A top metal layer edge is recessed compared to a bottom metal layer edge allowing conformal deposition of a passivation layer. The passivation layer covers and protects the underlying layers from subsequent etching, thereby preventing etch undercut of the top electrode. In some embodiments, the multi-layer top electrode is configured…
