Patents Examined by Cassandra Cox
  • Patent number: 9548748
    Abstract: A PLL control system is provided that implements a phase tracer module to reduce lock time and output clock jitter. A second clock signal is generated by dividing a frequency of a reference clock signal. A feedback clock signal is generated based on a high-frequency clock signal from a digitally controlled oscillator (DCO) and a PLL feedback divide number. Lead/lag determination circuitry generates a lead/lag detection result that indicates whether the feedback clock signal leads or lags the second clock signal. A skew digitizer digitizes a skew between a falling edge of the second clock signal and a rising edge of the feedback clock signal to generate a skew signal. The phase tracer module processes the lead/lag detection result and the skew signal to generate a digital control signal that controls cycle time of the DCO to change frequency of the high-frequency clock signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: GLOBALFOUNDRIES SINGAPORE PTE. LTD.
    Inventors: Zhihong Luo, Yi Liang, Xiaobo Qiu, Swee Chuen Hoo, Yeung On Au, Benjamin Shui Chor Lau
  • Patent number: 9537490
    Abstract: A duty cycle detection circuit may include a detection block configured to generate a duty detection signal by detecting a duty cycle of an input clock; and a current amount control block configured to control a current flowing through the detection block in response to the input clock, regardless of a variation in a frequency of the input clock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: SK HYNIX INC.
    Inventors: Da In Im, Young Suk Seo
  • Patent number: 9531357
    Abstract: A digital circuit configuration for generating a pulse-width modulated signal, particularly for regulating an analog electrical variable using pulse-width modulation, is described in which an actual value of the analog variable present at the input of an A/D converter is converted to a digital output variable, the digital output variable of the A/D converter being provided or supplied to a comparator unit, which compares the output variable to an upper threshold value and to a lower threshold value; at the output of the comparator unit, a signal being present which indicates whether the output variable of the A/D converter lies above the upper threshold value or below the lower threshold value; and it being particularly provided that the output of the A/D converter is connected to a digital timer, using which the pulse-width ratio of a generated pulse-width modulated signal is settable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Martin Gruenewald, Axel Aue
  • Patent number: 9531353
    Abstract: A switching arrangement for applying voltage pulses across a load, comprising a plurality of capacitive elements (C1-C9) connected in series, and a first switch arrangement (S) connected to the series connection to apply voltage pulses to the load, and a second switch arrangement (S1, S2) connected to a capacitive element of the series connection, such that one of the capacitive elements (C1) can be switched out of or switched into the series connection, in order to produce voltage pulses of respectively lower or higher levels, without the need to dissipate energy into a resistive load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: E2V TECHNOLOGIES (UK) LIMITED
    Inventors: Stephen Mark Iskander, Michael John Bland, Paul Ridgwell
  • Patent number: 9531383
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes: a first signal generation section configured to generate an activation signal having a variable duty ratio; and a first processing section configured to perform intermittent operation, based on the activation signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
    Inventor: Masahisa Tamura
  • Patent number: 9525340
    Abstract: A boost capacitor circuit is disclosed which includes a first nMOS transistor and a voltage doubler circuit including: a first pMOS transistor having a drain coupled to a working voltage, a source coupled to a first node and a gate coupled to a second node; a drive inverter having an input terminal for receiving a first signal; a second pMOS transistor having a gate coupled to an output terminal of the drive inverter, a source and a drain coupled to each other and further to the first node; a third pMOS transistor having a gate for receiving the first signal, a source coupled to the first node and a drain coupled to the second node; and a second nMOS transistor having a gate for receiving the first signal, a source coupled to a low voltage and a drain coupled to the second node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: SHANGHAI HUAHONG GRACE SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CORPORATION
    Inventor: Guangjun Yang
  • Patent number: 9515640
    Abstract: Apparatuses and devices are provided for bias level correction. An example apparatus includes: a bias-voltage generator configured to generate a bias voltage; a first transmission component configured to receive the bias voltage and generate a first output signal based at least in part on the bias voltage and one or more first data signals; and a first bias-level correction component configured to generate one or more first pulses based at least in part on the one or more first data signals to suppress one or more ripples associated with the bias voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
    Inventor: Sergiy Romanovskyy
  • Patent number: 9501042
    Abstract: A timing device is provided. The timing device includes a memory device and a processor. The memory device has a first electrical parameter. The processor is configured to sense an initial value of a first electrical parameter of the memory device. The processor is configured to sense a first value of the first electrical parameter of the memory device after a first time period. And the processor is further configured to calculate the first time period according to the initial value of the first electrical parameter and the first value of the first electrical parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: MACRONIX INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Ming-Hsiu Lee
  • Patent number: 9503064
    Abstract: A skew calibration circuit may include a data delay unit receiving first data and a first code, and output delayed first data as second data by delaying the first data according to the first code; a clock delay unit receiving a first clock signal and a second code, and output delayed first clock signal as second clock signal by delaying the first clock signal according to the second code; a multiplexer receiving a clock signal and output the clock signal or an inverted clock signal of the clock signal as a first clock signal in response to a selection signal; and a control logic unit receiving the second data and the second clock signal and control the first code, the second code and the selection signal in response to the second data and the second clock signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Gyeonghan Cha, Han-Kyul Lim, SungJun Kim, Chaeryung Kim, DongUk Park, Younwoong Chung, JungMyung Choi
  • Patent number: 9496860
    Abstract: A phase control circuit includes: a phase interpolation circuit including a first transistor connected between a power source and an output terminal, and configured to output an output signal from the output terminal by combining input signals having different phases with each other based on a ratio of input bias currents; a bias circuit configured to control an ON-resistance of the first transistor by adjusting a gate voltage of the first transistor based on a total amount of the input bias currents, and to maintain an output common voltage of the phase interpolation circuit regardless of the total amount; and a current controller configured to control a through rate of the output signal with respect to the input signals by adjusting the total amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Win Chaivipas
  • Patent number: 9490812
    Abstract: In a programmable logic device having high-speed serial interface channels, a clock distribution network for providing one or more high-speed clocks to dynamic phase alignment circuitry of those high-speed serial interfaces includes at least one bus that is segmentable (e.g. using tristatable buffers). This allows the bus to be divided into different portions that can be connected to different clock sources when the high-speed serial interfaces are running at different speeds. In one embodiment, the segmenting elements (e.g., the aforementioned buffers) are located between selected channels (e.g., every fourth channel), limiting the size of the different segments. In another embodiment, segmenting elements are located between each channel, allowing complete user freedom in selecting the sizes of the segments. Thus, instead of providing a bus for every clock source, multiple clocks can be made available to different channels by segmenting a single bus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: Altera Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory Starr, Kang Wei Lai, Richard Y. Chang
  • Patent number: 9484901
    Abstract: Circuitry for interpolating a value based on a first plurality of samples from within a larger second plurality of samples includes storage for the second plurality of samples, including a plurality of sample memories corresponding in number to the first plurality of samples. Adjacent samples in the sample memories correspond to samples in the second plurality of samples that are separated by other samples numbering one less than that number. A first sample address into a first one of the sample memories is derived by dividing a floor of an index by the number. Respective circuitry for each respective other one of the sample memories derives a respective other sample address from the first sample address based on a remainder of dividing the floor of the index by the number. Shifting circuitry outputs selected samples in a second order under control of a value determined by the remainder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Altera Corporation
    Inventors: Dan Pritsker, Colman C. Cheung
  • Patent number: 9484900
    Abstract: Systems and methods for converting digital signals into clock phases are disclosed. An example digital-to-phase converter circuit receives a complementary in-phase and quadrature clock signals and produces four clock outputs at a phase controlled by a digital phase control input. The digital-to-phase converter uses first and second pre-driver modules to buffer the -phase and quadrature clock signals and produce corresponding buffered clock signals having controlled slew rates. Mixer modules produce the clock outputs by forming weighted combinations of the buffered clock signals. The weighting is determined based on the phase control input. The controlled slew rates of the buffered clock signals allow digital mixer module to provide accurate phase control. The digital-to-phase converter may also include an output buffer that compensates for nonlinearities in the relationship between the phases of the clock outputs and the phase control input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventor: Hanan Cohen
  • Patent number: 9484937
    Abstract: A fractional error correction circuit includes a time-to-digital converter (TDC) configured to detect a phase difference between a reference clock signal and a variable clock signal, and a configurable multiplier coupled with the TDC. The configurable multiplier has a selectable bit size, the selectable bit size being based on a minimum number of bits needed to obtain a reciprocal of a period of the variable clock signal. The TDC is configured to output a fractional error correction value based on the detected phase difference and the reciprocal of the period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Chia-Chun Liao
  • Patent number: 9484938
    Abstract: Described herein are apparatus, system, and method for controlling temperature drift and/or voltage supply drift in a digital phase locked loop (DPLL). The apparatus comprises a DPLL including a digital filter to generate a fine code for controlling a frequency of an output signal of a digital controlled oscillator (DCO) of the DPLL; a logic unit to monitor the fine code and to generate a compensation signal based on the fine code; and a voltage adjustment unit to update a power supply level to the DCO based on the compensation signal, wherein the updated power supply level to cause the digital filter to generate the fine code near the middle of an entire range of the fine code across various temperatures, and wherein the digital filter to generate the fine code near the middle of the entire range across power supply drift.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventor: Martin Vandepas
  • Patent number: 9482426
    Abstract: The invention relates generally to an illuminable wall socket plate for replacing existing wall sockets in one simple installation step. The illuminable wall socket plate obtains electric current from a socket to power a light by connecting metal tabs on the back side of the illuminable wall socket plate to socket terminals, and transferring electric current from the socket terminals to a light in the wall socket plate through conductive material, in accordance with the invention described herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: VENMILL INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventor: Daniel A Diotte
  • Patent number: 9479149
    Abstract: An overshoot compensation circuit for an input signal, having a slew rate detection circuit configured to detect a slew rate of the input signal; a run time circuit configured to initialize a predetermined run time when an absolute value of the slew rate of the input signal is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold; and a low pass filter configured to decrease the slew rate of the input signal only during the predetermined run time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Michael Augustin, Stefano Marsili, Dietmar Straeussnigg
  • Patent number: 9473043
    Abstract: According to an exemplary implementation, an integrated circuit (IC) includes a logic circuit monolithically formed on the IC. The logic circuit is configured to generate modulation signals for controlling power switches of a power inverter. The logic circuit generates the modulation signals based on at least one input value. The IC further includes a voltage level shifter monolithically formed on the IC. The voltage level shifter is configured to shift the modulation signals to a voltage level suitable for driving the power switches of the power inverter. The logic circuit can be a digital logic circuit and the input value can be a digital input value. The IC can also include a sense circuit monolithically formed on the IC. The sense circuit is configured to generate the input value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Americas Corp.
    Inventors: Marco Giandalia, Toshio Takahashi, Massimo Grasso
  • Patent number: 9473138
    Abstract: Embodiments include apparatuses, methods, and systems for crosstalk compensation. In embodiments, a transmitter may include a crosstalk compensation circuit that may receive a victim data signal and one or more attacker data signals. The crosstalk compensation circuit may adjust the timing of transitions in the victim data signal based on detected transitions in the one or more attacker data signals. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Fengxiang Cai, Zibing Yang, Harry Muljono
  • Patent number: 9473154
    Abstract: Provided are a semiconductor device and a phase-locked loop (PLL) including the same. The semiconductor device including an output node from which an output signal is output, a first transistor which has a drain connected to the output node and is gated by a first signal to increase a voltage level of the output node, a second transistor which has a drain connected to the output node, is gated by a second signal which is a complementary signal of the first signal, and reduces the voltage level of the output node, a pull-up circuit which provides a first compensation current varying according to the voltage level of the output node to a source of the first transistor, and a pull-down circuit which provides a second compensation current varying according to the voltage level of the output node to a source of the second transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Woo-Seok Kim, Tae-Ik Kim, Ji-Hyun Kim