Patents Assigned to Stichting IMEC Nederland
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Publication number: 20180088903Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for emotion-triggered capturing of audio and/or image data by an audio and/or image capturing device. The method includes receiving and analyzing a time-sequential set of data including first physiological data representing a first physiological parameter corresponding to a first person, a second physiological data representing a second physiological parameter corresponding to a second person, and voice audio data including a voice of at least one of the first and the second person, to determine whether a simultaneous change of emotional state of a first person and a second person occurs and transmitting a trigger signal to the capturing device. The present disclosure also relates to a corresponding apparatus and a system comprising the apparatus.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 27, 2017Publication date: March 29, 2018Applicant: Stichting IMEC NederlandInventors: Vojkan Mihajlovic, Stefano Stanzione, Ulf Grossekathoefer
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Patent number: 9929885Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for demodulating a modulated signal and a receiver. The receiver comprises: a phase detector with a first and second input, the first input being adapted to receive a modulated input signal; a comparator comprising an input coupled to an output of the phase detector; a frequency-offset cancellation block comprising an input coupled to an output of the comparator. The receiver includes a digitally controlled oscillator comprising: a control input coupled to an output of the comparator and an output of the frequency-offset cancellation block; and an output coupled to the second input of the phase detector.Type: GrantFiled: December 15, 2016Date of Patent: March 27, 2018Assignee: Stichting IMEC NederlandInventors: Vijay Kumar Purushothaman, Yao-Hong Liu, Robert Bogdan Staszewski
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Publication number: 20180062660Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a Digital Phase Locked Loop (DPLL) for phase locking an output signal to a reference clock signal. The DPLL comprises a phase detector for detecting a phase error of a feedback signal with respect to the reference clock signal. The DPLL comprises a digitally controlled oscillator for generating the output signal based at least on a frequency control word and at least one control signal representative of the phase error. The phase detector comprises an integer circuit for generating a first control signal representative of an integer phase error. The phase detector comprises a fractional circuit comprising a Time-to-Digital Converter (TDC) for processing the feedback signal and a delayed reference clock signal. The fractional circuit is provided for generating from the TDC output a second control signal representative of a fractional phase error. The DPLL comprises an unwrapping unit for unwrapping the TDC output.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 28, 2017Publication date: March 1, 2018Applicant: Stichting IMEC NederlandInventors: Johan van den Heuvel, Yao-Hong Liu
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Publication number: 20180003667Abstract: A solid state electrolyte and method of preparation is provided. The solid state electrolyte includes a plasticized polymer matrix with non-dissolved salt crystals embedded in the polymer matrix and wherein the non-dissolved crystals are suitable for dissolving ions in the plasticized polymer. The method of preparation includes dissolving a plasticizer and a polymer matrix in an organic solvent to obtain a plasticized polymer matrix; and mixing the salt crystals with the plasticized polymer matrix, wherein the weight ratio of salt crystals versus plasticizer and polymer matrix and organic solvent is above saturation concentration such that non-dissolved salt crystals are embedded in the plasticized polymer matrix.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 27, 2017Publication date: January 4, 2018Applicant: Stichting IMEC NederlandInventors: Van Anh Dam, Daan Wouters, Alexander Farrell
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Publication number: 20170373649Abstract: A method for ramping a switched capacitor power amplifier is disclosed, where the switched capacitor power amplifier comprises a plurality of capacitors in a capacitor bank, and where a number of the capacitors in the capacitor bank are activated. The method comprises changing the number of capacitors in the capacitor bank that are activated, maintaining the changed number of activated capacitors in the capacitor bank for a period of time, and repeating the changing and maintaining, where a length of the period of time is varied between at least two repetitions of the maintaining.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 27, 2017Publication date: December 28, 2017Applicant: Stichting IMEC NederlandInventor: Jac Romme
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Publication number: 20170366334Abstract: Systems and methods for processing data including a first and second component are described. An example circuit includes a processing stage arranged to calculate absolute values of the first component and the second component, and to output, at a first output, a maximum value of the absolute value of the first component and the absolute value of the second component, and, at a second output, a minimum value of the absolute value of the first component and the absolute value of the second component. The circuit includes a processing stage arranged to output, in response to the maximum value being greater than the minimum value times four, a value corresponding to the maximum value, and to output, in response to the maximum value being smaller than the minimum value times four, a value corresponding to a sum of seven times the maximum value and four times the minimum value.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 7, 2017Publication date: December 21, 2017Applicant: Stichting IMEC NederlandInventor: Alex Young
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Publication number: 20170346493Abstract: The disclosure provides a phase locked loop, PLL, for phase locking an output signal to a reference signal. The PLL comprises a reference path providing the reference signal to a first input of a phase detector, a feedback loop providing the output signal of the PLL as a feedback signal to a second input of the phase detector, a controllable oscillator generating the output signal based on at least a phase difference between reference and feedback signal, a digital-to-time converter, DTC, delaying a signal that is provided at one of the first and second input, a delay calculation path for calculating a DTC delay value. The PLL further comprises a randomization unit for generating and adding a random offset, i.e. a pseudo-random integer, to the delay value. The offset is such that a target output of the phase detector remains substantially unchanged.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 25, 2017Publication date: November 30, 2017Applicants: IMEC VZW, Stichting IMEC Nederland, Vrije Universiteit BrusselInventors: Nereo Markulic, Yao-Hong Liu, Jan Craninckx
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Publication number: 20170331652Abstract: Embodiments described herein include a receiver, a method, and a plurality of high-pass filters for demodulating a radio frequency (RF) signal. An example receiver includes a plurality of high-pass filters. The receiver includes a demodulator configured to demodulate an RF signal received at an input of the demodulator and configured to output a demodulated signal. The receiver also includes a plurality of high-pass filters connected to an output of the demodulator. The plurality of high-pass filters are configured to receive the demodulated signal and configured to high-pass filter the demodulated signal. The plurality of high-pass filters are configured to operate with a first set of filter responses during a first time period of the demodulated signal and configured to operate with a second set of filter responses during a second time period of the demodulated signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 10, 2017Publication date: November 16, 2017Applicant: Stichting IMEC NederlandInventor: Johan van den Heuvel
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Patent number: 9774336Abstract: An all-digital-phase-locked-loop (ADPLL) includes a digitally controlled oscillator (DCO) arranged to generate a DCO output signal, and a feedback loop comprising a set of components for controlling the DCO. The set of components comprise: a time-to-digital converter (TDC) arranged to generate a TDC output code indicative of the phase difference between the reference signal and the enable signal measured within the predetermined observation window; a subset of components arranged to generate the enable signal from the DCO output signal; and an offset calibration system connected to the TDC output, which when activated is arranged to evaluate the difference between the first and second offset delay values by monitoring the TDC output code generated over a predetermined period of time, and to adjust the difference to position the predetermined observation window with respect to the reference signal.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2015Date of Patent: September 26, 2017Assignee: Stichting IMEC NederlandInventor: Yao-Hong Liu
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Patent number: 9773610Abstract: An antenna arrangement for transmitting energy is described. The antenna arrangement includes a planar array of two or more rectangular loop antennas, adapted to transmit energy at low frequencies via non-radiative resonant coupling and at high frequencies via radiative coupling. The low frequencies correspond to a wavelength with half of the wavelength being larger than the longest rectangular loop antenna dimension and the high frequencies correspond to a wavelength with half of the wavelength being approximately equal the longest rectangular loop antenna dimension. The antenna arrangement also includes a feeding network connected to the planar array, which includes a phase shifting means for providing a phase difference between signals at the high frequencies to be transmitted by different rectangular loop antennas of the planar array, whereby the amount of phase difference is related to the distance of the rectangular loop antennas to a focal point in the near-field of the planar array.Type: GrantFiled: December 11, 2013Date of Patent: September 26, 2017Assignee: Stichting IMEC NederlandInventor: Hubregt Jannis Visser
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Patent number: 9759558Abstract: An example device includes: a data input module configured to receive information about a living being's physiological signals, coordinates, and motion intensity; an activity recognition module configured to calculate, from information received about the living being's motion intensity, a living being's activity; a location recognition module, configured to calculate, from information received about the living being's coordinates, a living being's location; a memory storage configured to store information about the living being's physiological signals and activity in association with the location; a normalization parameters estimator module configured to use a mathematical model to calculate a plurality of normalization parameters for a plurality of detected activities and locations; and a model selector module configured to determine, based on the plurality of normalization parameters and the living being's location, a set of location-specific normalization parameters used to further calculate normalized phyType: GrantFiled: August 28, 2014Date of Patent: September 12, 2017Assignee: Stichting IMEC NederlandInventor: Marco Altini
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Patent number: 9752904Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an arrangement for providing information about a flow rate of a fluid, comprising: a fluid inlet opening, at least one flow channel, and at least one porous zone located above the at least one flow channel, wherein the surface size and position of the at least one porous zone relative to the fluid inlet opening defines the evaporation rate of a fluid, arranged such that when a fluid is injected through the fluid inlet opening the fluid flows via hydraulic pressure through the at least one flow channel and then through the respective at least one porous zone.Type: GrantFiled: May 19, 2016Date of Patent: September 5, 2017Assignee: Stichting IMEC NederlandInventors: Marcel Arie Günther Zevenbergen, Rajesh Mandamparambil, Chuan Nie, Arnoldus Joannes Hubertus Frijns, Jacob Marinus Jan Den Toonder
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Patent number: 9750464Abstract: An electronic system for estimating a subject's blood pressure, comprising a feature extraction module configured for receiving a subject's photoplethysmogram signal, detecting a plurality of signal characteristic points on the received photoplethysmogram signal, calculating a plurality of distances in both time and amplitude between any two of the detected photoplethysmogram signal characteristic points, and providing a feature information signal comprising information about the calculated distances; and a blood pressure calculation module configured for receiving the photoplethysmogram signal, the feature information signal and anthropometric characteristics of the subject, and calculating systolic, diastolic and continuous mean blood pressure values of the subject.Type: GrantFiled: December 15, 2015Date of Patent: September 5, 2017Assignee: Stichting IMEC NederlandInventor: Pierluigi Casale
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Publication number: 20170177092Abstract: A system for hand gesture detection is provided, comprising: a wrist wear adapted to be worn about a wrist of a user of the system and including a set of skin electrodes adapted to face the wrist; an impedance measurement circuit adapted to measure at least a first impedance in a first portion of the wrist and a second impedance in a second portion of the wrist which second portion is circumferentially displaced in relation to said first portion, wherein the first impedance is measured via a first electrode group including four skin electrodes of said set of skin electrodes and the second impedance is measured via a second electrode group including four skin electrodes of said set of skin electrodes, and a processing circuit adapted to detect a hand gesture of the user based on the first and the second impedance measured by the impedance measurement circuit.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 15, 2016Publication date: June 22, 2017Applicant: Stichting IMEC NederlandInventors: Seulki Lee, Pierluigi Casale, Hendrikus Wilhelmus Johannes Van De Wiel
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Publication number: 20170172447Abstract: The disclosure relates to a sensor, a system, and a holder arrangement for biosignal activity measurement. One example embodiment includes a sensor module for brain activity measurement. The sensor module includes a main electrode base. The sensor module also includes a plurality of pins protruding from the main electrode base. The plurality of pins is arranged such that, when applied on a subject, the pins make contact with skin of the subject or are in close proximity with the skin of the subject. The main electrode base comprises electronic circuitry for near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) measurements and electronic circuitry for electroencephalography (EEG) measurements, both connected to the plurality of pins. The plurality of pins includes electrically conductive pins. The plurality of pins also includes at least one source waveguide pin configured for light emitting purposes or at least one detector waveguide pin configured for light detection purposes.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 16, 2016Publication date: June 22, 2017Applicants: IMEC VZW, Stichting IMEC NederlandInventors: Srinjoy Mitra, Bernard Grundlehner
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Publication number: 20170173325Abstract: A method for stimulating a human leg, a stimulation system, and a garment including the stimulation system are disclosed. The method comprises: measuring, by a measuring unit, an electrical characteristic indicative of a physiological condition in a portion of the leg via a subset of skin electrodes comprised in a plurality of skin electrodes integrated in a leg part of a garment arranged to be worn about at least a part of the human leg; determining, by evaluating the measured electrical characteristic, if the portion of the leg is to be stimulated; and if it is determined that the portion is to be stimulated, applying a stimulation via a subset of stimulation units, comprised in a plurality of stimulation units being arranged in the leg part of the garment, such that the portion of the leg is stimulated. A stimulation system and a garment comprising such as stimulation system are also disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 15, 2016Publication date: June 22, 2017Applicant: Stichting IMEC NederlandInventor: Seulki Lee
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Publication number: 20170180170Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for demodulating a modulated signal and a receiver. The receiver comprises: a phase detector with a first and second input, the first input being adapted to receive a modulated input signal; a comparator comprising an input coupled to an output of the phase detector; a frequency-offset cancellation block comprising an input coupled to an output of the comparator. The receiver includes a digitally controlled oscillator comprising: a control input coupled to an output of the comparator and an output of the frequency-offset cancellation block; and an output coupled to the second input of the phase detector.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 15, 2016Publication date: June 22, 2017Applicant: Stichting IMEC NederlandInventors: Vijay Kumar Purushothaman, Yao-Hong Liu, Robert Bogdan Staszewski
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Patent number: 9681844Abstract: A biopotential signal acquisition system, comprising: a first active electrode including an integrated pre-amplifier and an analogue to digital converter; a second active electrode including an integrated pre-amplifier and an analogue to digital converter, wherein the second active electrode has variable gain; a test signal generator for generating a test signal at a test frequency and coupling the test signal to the first and/or second active electrodes; and a digital signal processor configured to: process the digital outputs of the first and second active electrodes to derive a gain control signal based on a difference between the first and second active electrode outputs at the test frequency, and apply the gain control signal to the second active electrode. The disclosure also relates to an electronic circuit or device and a biopotential signal acquisition method.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2014Date of Patent: June 20, 2017Assignees: IMEC VZW, Stichting IMEC NederlandInventors: Jiawei Xu, Refet Firat Yazicioglu
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Publication number: 20170170815Abstract: The present disclosure discloses an apparatus and method for monitoring performance of an integrated circuit. The apparatus includes a delay line, which receives a pulse signal. The delay line has a controllable, variable length and propagates the pulse signal through a set length. The apparatus also includes a comparator, which receives the propagated pulse signal from the delay line and a clock signal, the comparator being arranged to determine whether the received signal is received early or late. The apparatus also includes a feedback loop, which receives input from the comparator for dynamically increasing or decreasing the set length of the delay line in dependence of the determination by the comparator. The apparatus determines a speed of the integrated circuit based on a determination by the comparator that the signal from the delay line closely matches the clock signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 8, 2016Publication date: June 15, 2017Applicant: Stichting IMEC NederlandInventor: Jan Stuijt
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Patent number: 9675262Abstract: The disclosed technology generally relates to sensors comprising a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG), and more particularly to an AlGaN/GaN 2DEG-based sensor for sensing signals associated with electrocardiograms, and methods of using the same. In one aspect, a sensor comprises a substrate and a GaN/AlGaN hetero-junction structure formed on the substrate and configured to form a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) channel within the GaN/AlGaN hetero-junction structure. The sensor additionally comprises Ohmic contacts connected to electrical metallizations and to the 2DEG channel, wherein the GaN/AlGaN hetero-junction structure has a recess formed between the Ohmic contacts. The sensor further comprises a dielectric layer formed on a top surface of the sensor.Type: GrantFiled: April 29, 2014Date of Patent: June 13, 2017Assignee: Stichting IMEC NederlandInventors: Roman Vitushinsky, Peter Offermans