Patents Examined by Hai L. Nguyen
  • Patent number: 11296700
    Abstract: A triple modular redundancy (TMR) flip-flop includes a set of master-gate-latch circuits including a first set of inputs to receive a first digital signal, and a second set of inputs to receive a clock; and a voting logic circuit including a set of inputs coupled to a set of outputs of the set of master-gate-latch circuits, and an output to generate a second digital signal based on the first digital signal. Another TMR flip-flop includes a set of master-gate-latch circuits to receive a set of digital signals in response to a first edge of a clock, respectively; and latch the set of digital signals in response to a second edge of the clock, respectively; and a voting logic circuit to receive the latched set of digital signals; and generate a second digital signal based on a majority of logic levels of the latched first set of digital signals, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: QUALCOMM INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Hari Rao, Renaud Francois Henri Gelin
  • Patent number: 11277110
    Abstract: A variable filter and method of switching a resonant frequency of the variable filter from an initial frequency to a desired frequency, where the variable filter has a tunable frequency and a variable Q. With the variable filter operating at the initial frequency and an initial Q, the variable filter is Q-spoiled toward a low-Q state. The variable filter is tuned toward the desired frequency and the tunable resonator is Q-enhanced from the low-Q state to achieve a desired filter response.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: Anlotek Limited
    Inventor: Jorgen Staal Nielsen
  • Patent number: 11277143
    Abstract: A reference sampling Type-I fractional-N PLL directly samples the reference clock and therefore does not use a reference buffer. Here, a phase-detector is a passive sampling switch which neither consumes any power nor generates any noise. Therefore, all the major contributors of in-band phase-noise are eliminated by the reference sampling Type-I fractional-N divider. A double sampling phase-detector with a switched-capacitor passive voltage interpolator circuit is used to achieve fractional-N output. To achieve a high resolution of the voltage interpolator or the switched capacitor, a sigma-delta modulator is used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Somnath Kundu, Abhishek Agrawal, Brent Carlton
  • Patent number: 11277145
    Abstract: A sample-and-hold circuit includes a first input resistor, a first transistor, a first capacitor, a second resistor, and a first current source device. A first current terminal of the first transistor is coupled to the first input resistor. A first terminal of the first capacitor is coupled to the second current terminal of the first transistor at a first output node. A first terminal of the second resistor is coupled to the second terminal of the first transistor at the first output node. The first current source device is coupled the first input resistor and to the first current terminal of the first transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Sai Aditya Krishnaswamy Nurani, Joseph Palackal Mathew, Prasanth K, Visvesvaraya Appala Pentakota, Shagun Dusad
  • Patent number: 11271573
    Abstract: Disclosed is an electronic device that is configured to determine whether a phase locked loop (PLL) circuit is operating normally, thereby preventing component damage in the electronic device and preventing disconnection from a communication network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Inventors: Youngmin Lee, Woojin Kim, Hyoseok Na
  • Patent number: 11264983
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are described to parallelize transistors. An example apparatus includes a first transistor on a first die and a second transistor on a second die. The example apparatus includes a parallel feedback terminal coupled to the first die and the second die and a current sensor including a first contact and a second contact. The example apparatus includes a resistor coupled to the current sensor and at least one of the switched terminal or a ground terminal. The example apparatus includes an active drive controller including a first input coupled to the resistor, a second input coupled to the parallel feedback terminal, and an output coupled to the parallel feedback terminal. The example apparatus includes an edge delay controller adapted to be coupled to a gate driver and an error amplifier, and a control contact adapted to be coupled to the gate driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Cetin Kaya, Nathan Richard Schemm
  • Patent number: 11264986
    Abstract: A method for capacitive touch sensing with high safety integrity includes measuring at least one of a first mutual-capacitance of an electrode pair comprising two of a first electrode, a second electrode and a third electrode, and a self-capacitance between the third electrode and a body biased to a fixed voltage. A contact of the body to a dielectric overlaying each of the first electrode, the second electrode and the third electrode is detected by comparing at least one of the first mutual-capacitance of the electrode pair to a first reference range, and the self-capacitance to a second reference range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: NXP USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Petr Cholasta, Michael Rohleder, Anita Eveline Maliverney, Yiling Zhang
  • Patent number: 11262778
    Abstract: A reference voltage generator includes an input terminal configured to receive an enable signal and an output terminal configured to provide an output signal. A voltage generator circuit is arranged to generate a first output voltage signal, and a pre-settling circuit is arranged to generate a second output voltage. The pre-settling circuit is configured to provide the second output voltage signal at the output terminal in response to the enable signal received at the input terminal, and following a first time period provide the first output voltage at the output terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Yen-An Chang, Yi-Chun Shih, Chieh-Pu Lo
  • Patent number: 11251797
    Abstract: Power consumption of a time-to-digital converter (TDC) used in a phase locked loop (ADPLL) is suppressed. The time-to-digital converter includes an analog-to-digital converter and a current source circuit. The analog-to-digital converter includes a predetermined charge capacitor. The current source circuit supplies a charge current that charges the charge capacitor of the analog-to-digital converter with a charge. The charge current supplied by the current source circuit is supplied so that a charge voltage at the time of charging the charge capacitor of the analog-to-digital converter with the charge current has a constant gradient with respect to a charge time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinichirou Etou, Tetsuya Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 11245391
    Abstract: Described herein are multiple designs for an improved analog switch for use in transmitting high voltage signals without using high voltage power supplies for the switch. The analog switches are able to pass and block input signals in the approximate range of ?100 V to +100 V. The use of translinear loops and a bootstrap configuration results in a constant on-resistance of the symmetrical switches and matches the conductance of each analog switch to the transconductance of an NMOS transistor, which can be easily stabilized with a constant gm biasing scheme. In certain embodiments, a shunt termination (T-switch) configuration is used for better off-isolation, and each of the symmetrical switches has its own translinear loop and thus flexibility of on-resistance and termination voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INC.
    Inventors: Isaac Ko, Ka Wai Ho, Wan Tim Chan, Jimes Lei
  • Patent number: 11245331
    Abstract: An active two-terminal capacitor device with a controllable capacitance based on a capacitance value input C_I. A processor system PRS executes an algorithm which controls a power converter PCV with controllable electric switches connected to the two external terminals A, B along with a fixed value capacitor component CI. Based on sampling of at least the voltage across the capacitor component CI, the algorithm controls the power converter PCV to provide a resulting capacitance across the external terminals A, B which serves to match the capacitance value in ut C_I.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Inventors: Huai Wang, Haoran Wang, Frede Blaabjerg
  • Patent number: 11233450
    Abstract: According to an aspect, a power supply is provided. The power supply includes a plurality of voltage converters including a first voltage converter and one or more other voltage converters. The power supply also includes a power supply control configured to perform a plurality of operations including enabling the first voltage converter during a start-up mode of operation, monitoring and regulating an output of the first voltage converter, reconfiguring the power supply control to enable the one or more other voltage converters based on determining that the output of the first voltage converter meets a regulation threshold, and transitioning from the start-up mode of operation to a regular mode of operation based on enabling the one or more other voltage converters to output one or more regulated voltages by the power supply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventors: Vaibhav Kumar Somani, William E. Villano, Alagan Thiruvarul Selvakkumaran Sathyan, Raviprakash Yadav, Ishwar Bhat
  • Patent number: 11233502
    Abstract: In a general aspect, a circuit can include a pass device configured to receive an input voltage and provide an output voltage. The circuit can further include a current sink coupled with a control terminal of the pass device, the current sink being configured to discharge the control terminal of the pass device to limit the output voltage in response to the input voltage exceeding a threshold voltage. The circuit can also include a switch coupled in series with the current sink, the switch being configured to enable the current sink in response to the input voltage exceeding the threshold voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC
    Inventor: Adam John Whitworth
  • Patent number: 11231736
    Abstract: A reference voltage generating circuit includes: an operational amplifier including a first input terminal connected to a first node and a second input terminal connected to a second node; a first transistor connected between a ground terminal and the first node, wherein a first current flows in the first transistor; a second transistor connected to the ground terminal; and a first variable resistor connected between the second transistor and the second node, wherein the first variable resistor has a first resistance value for adjusting the first current, based on a change in a current characteristic of the first transistor caused by a variation in a process of forming the first transistor. The reference voltage generating circuit provides a reference voltage, based on a voltage of the first node and a voltage across the first variable resistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Joo-Seong Kim, Kwang-Ho Kim, Sang-Ho Kim
  • Patent number: 11233506
    Abstract: In certain aspects, a driver includes a pull-down transistor coupled between an output and a ground, a pull-up n-type field effect transistor (NFET) coupled between a first voltage rail and the output, and a pull-up p-type field effect transistor (PFET) coupled between the first voltage rail and the output. The driver also includes a first switch coupled between a gate of the pull-up NFET and the ground, and a second switch coupled between a gate of the pull-up PFET and a second voltage rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: QUALCOMM INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Madjid Hafizi
  • Patent number: 11228318
    Abstract: Exemplary aspects of the present disclosure involve a system and related method of PLL circuitry in a chirp signaling FMCW system having a variable PLL bandwidth (BW). To adjust the BW, the PLL circuitry may provide for variable capacitance in the circuitry. This capacitance change may allow for a bandwidth for one slope, as used for the acquisition period. The capacitance may then be adjusted to allow for a different bandwidth for another slope which is used to reset the circuitry in preparation for another frequency sweep. Adjusting the PLL BW, via variable capacitance, may be used to mitigate phase noise which can adversely the PLL.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventors: Tarik Saric, Piotr Gibas, Zhirui Zong
  • Patent number: 11223351
    Abstract: A switch with clock-gating control and a method for clock gating a switch are described herein. In one example, the method generally includes detecting a state of one or more input ports and a state of one or more output ports of the switch, determining whether the state of the one or more input ports and the state of the one or more output ports has been stable for a preset number of clock cycles, and gating the switch from a clock signal until the state of the one or more input ports or the state of the one or more output ports change upon determining the states have been stable for the preset number of the cycles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: XILINX, INC.
    Inventors: Amarnath Kasibhatla, Saurabh Mathur, Mansi Shrikant Patwardhan, Tim Tuan
  • Patent number: 11218026
    Abstract: An inverter for wireless power transfer includes a primary inverter connected in series with a first primary inductor. A first primary capacitor is connected in parallel with the first primary inductor and primary inverter. A series-connected second primary capacitor and primary pad inductor are in parallel with the second primary capacitor. The synchronous inverter includes a controller configured to detect a first primary current in the first primary inductor to control switches in the primary inverter to provide a positive primary inverter voltage across the output of the primary inverter in response to detecting a positive first primary current, and control the switches in the primary inverter to provide a negative primary inverter voltage across the output of the primary inverter in response to detecting a negative first primary current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: Utah State University
    Inventors: Matthew J Hansen, Regan A Zane, Abhilash Kamineni
  • Patent number: 11218154
    Abstract: An integrated circuit according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a plurality of function blocks, a spread spectrum clock (SSC) generator that generates a spread spectrum clock based on a frequency modulation rate value, a clock distribution circuit that distributes the generated spread spectrum clock into the plurality of function blocks, a memory that stores predetermined frequency modulation rate values respectively corresponding to the plurality of function blocks, and a control circuit, and the control circuit may be configured to generate the spread spectrum clock based on a smaller frequency modulation rate value among a first frequency modulation rate value and a second frequency modulation rate value respectively corresponding to a first function block and a second function block, which are operating, from among the plurality of function blocks. Moreover, various embodiment found through the present disclosure are possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Seungjoon Yoon, Cheolho Lee
  • Patent number: 11218151
    Abstract: A system for performing a phase control operation includes: an internal clock generation circuit configured to generate an internal clock by delaying a clock by a first delay variation, and generate a reference clock by delaying the clock by a second delay variation, wherein the internal clock generation circuit generates the internal clock by delaying the clock by the first delay variation which is controlled according to a phase difference between the internal clock and the reference clock; and a data input/output circuit configured to input/output data in synchronization with the internal clock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Geun Ho Choi