Abstract: A method and system control the adding or dropping of phases in a multiphase voltage regulator. The regulator has an efficiency and this efficiency of the regulator is calculated for a given number of phases being activated from an output voltage, input voltage, output current, and duty cycle of the regulator. The efficiency of the regulator is also calculated if a phase is added using the derivative of the duty cycle as a function of the output current. The efficiency of the regulator is further calculated if a phase is dropped using the derivative of the duty cycle as a function of the output current. From these operations of calculating, a phase is either added, dropped, or the phase is maintained at its current value to thereby optimize the efficiency of the regulator.

Abstract: An embodiment of a cartridge is proposed for testing integrated circuits on a wafer with the wafer that has a wafer front surface with a plurality of terminals of the integrated circuits. The cartridge includes a probe card, which has a card front surface with a plurality of probes for contacting the terminals of the integrated circuits electrically, and a card back surface opposite the card front surface. Locking means is provided for locking the wafer on the probe card. The locking means includes one or more through-holes that cross the probe card from the card front surface to the card back surface; sealing means is arranged on the card front surface around the probes and the through-holes. In this way, a substantially airtight chamber is defined by the probe card, the sealing means and the wafer when the wafer front surface abuts against the sealing means. Coupling means is arranged on the card back surface.

Abstract: In BLDC motors driven via sensorless techniques, the BEMF signals in the motor coils may be used to detect the position of the motor such that speed of the motor may be accurately controlled. When detecting the BEMF signals, however, small perturbations occur which negatively impact the rotational torque of the motor. As a result, torque ripple may occur at regular intervals which may result in inefficiencies as well as audible noise. In various embodiments as described herein, the sampling of the BEMF signals may be done so at pseudo-random intervals such that the overall spectral energy that presents from the BEMF detections may be reduced at specific frequencies (such as fundamental sampling frequencies and harmonics thereof) and spread out over many more frequencies. Thus, despite the overall spectral energy being the same, the amplitude of any given frequency is lower as the sampling of the BEMF is less periodic.

Abstract: An embodiment of method is described for controlling a voltage regulator of the type comprising at least one modulator of the PWM type, the method comprising: 1) generation of a control voltage signal for said PWM modulator; 2) frequency modulation of said control voltage signal obtaining a modulated control voltage signal having an harmonic at a switching frequency of said voltage regulator of reduced entity with respect to said control voltage signal; and 3) application of said modulated control voltage signal to said PWM modulator for generating a driving signal for said voltage regulator.

Abstract: Process for manufacturing a semiconductor power device, wherein a trench is formed in a semiconductor body having a first conductivity type; the trench is annealed for shaping purpose; and the trench is filled with semiconductor material via epitaxial growth so as to obtain a first column having a second conductivity type. The epitaxial growth is performed by supplying a gas containing silicon and a gas containing dopant ions of the second conductivity type in presence of a halogenide gas and occurs with uniform distribution of the dopant ions. The flow of the gas containing dopant ions is varied according to a linear ramp during the epitaxial growth; in particular, in the case of selective growth of the semiconductor material in the presence of a hard mask, the flow decreases; in the case of non-selective growth, in the absence of hard mask, the flow increases.

Abstract: An embodiment of a probe card comprising: a probe base plate including a ceramic base plate and a plurality of conductive paths; and a plurality of contacts disposed on one face of the probe base plate and electrically connected to the conductive paths. The ceramic base plate may be provided with: a plurality of first layers having a heating element which generates heat by electric power and disposed at intervals in the thickness direction of the ceramic base plate; second layers each interposed between adjoining first layers; and a power supply path for supplying electric power for heating to the heating element.

Abstract: An integrated clutch-transmission assembly for a road vehicle; the integrated clutch-transmission assembly has a power-assisted clutch having a number of first hydraulic actuators; a power-assisted transmission having a number of second hydraulic actuators; a high-pressure pump for the hydraulic actuators; a number of solenoid valves for controlling the hydraulic actuators; a housing having a first chamber housing the clutch, and a second chamber housing the transmission; and a flat supporting plate, which is housed removably inside the housing to separate the two chambers of the housing, has a first wall fitted with the clutch, and has a second wall parallel to and opposite the first wall and fitted with the high-pressure pump and at least some of the solenoid valves.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing a MOS device and the MOS device manufactured thereby are disclosed. The process includes in a semiconductor layer forming a gate structure above the semiconductor layer; forming a first doped region within a first surface portion of the semiconductor layer; and irradiating the first doped region with electromagnetic radiation, to carry out annealing thereof. Prior to the irradiating step, a dielectric mirror is formed above a second surface portion of the semiconductor layer. The dielectric mirror, which may be of the Bragg-reflector type, reflects at least in part the electromagnetic radiation, and protects underlying regions from the electromagnetic radiation.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a subwindow setting method for a face detector for detecting whether one or more facial images exist in each of subwindows having a set size while sequentially setting the subwindows in the width direction of an input image. A scan interval between two neighboring subwindows under consideration in the width direction is determined based on the facial color density of a first subwindow of the two neighboring subwindows. Further, a scan interval between the first and second rows in a height direction of the input image is determined based on the facial color density of the subwindows included in the first row.

Abstract: In a load balancing system, user-configurable geographic prefixes are provided. IP address prefix allocations provided by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) and associated geographic locations are stored in a first, static database in a load balancing switch, along with other possible default geographic location settings. A second, non-static database stores user-configured geographic settings. In particular, the second database stores Internet Protocol (IP) address prefixes and user-specified geographic regions for those prefixes. The specified geographic region can be continent, country, state, city, or other user-defined region. The geographic settings in the second database can override the information in the first database. These geographic entries help determine the geographic location of a client and host IP addresses, and aid in directing the client to a host server that is geographically the closest to that client.

Abstract: An embodiment is proposed for trimming a programmable delay line in an integrated device, which delay line is adapted to delay an input signal being synchronous with a synchronization signal of the integrated device—by a total delay. An embodiment of a corresponding method includes the steps of: preliminary programming the delay line to provide a selected nominal value of the total delay equal to a period of the timing signal, and trimming the delay line to vary an actual value of the total delay until the actual value of the total delay matches the period of the synchronization signal.

Abstract: An embodiment of a voltage converter, provided with: a voltage transformer having a primary winding receiving an input voltage, a secondary winding supplying an output voltage, and an auxiliary winding supplying a feedback voltage correlated to the output voltage; a main switch, coupled to the primary winding; a control circuit, which controls switching of the main switch and has a sampling stage for sampling and holding the feedback voltage and supplying a sampled signal; and a voltage limiting circuit, provided with a clamp capacitor, designed to be coupled across the primary winding. A sampling control stage is coupled to the sampling stage, and is designed, during a given operating condition of the voltage converter, to enable updating of the sampled signal on the basis of a state of charge of the clamp capacitor.

Abstract: A method for making a micro structure (100) is proposed. The method starts with the step of providing a silicon substrate (102), which has a main surface. A porous silicon layer (103)—extending into the silicon substrate from the main surface—is then formed. The method continues by etching the porous silicon layer selectively to obtain a set of projecting microelements of porous silicon (112); each projecting microelement projects from a remaining portion of the silicon substrate (106), thereby exposing a corresponding external surface. The projecting microelements are then treated to obtain a set of corresponding conductive (115) or insulating (115?) microelements; each conductive or insulating microelement is obtained by converting at least a prevalent portion of the porous silicon (extending into the corresponding projecting element from the external surface) into porous metal or ceramics, respectively.

Abstract: A system and method for analyzing a signal to monitor the dynamics of its magnitude and frequency characteristics over time. An electronic circuit for identifying feedback in an audio signal, formed in accordance with embodiments of the invention may comprise a feedback control block operable to determine a candidate frequency having potential feedback such that the feedback control block is further operable to perform an iterative analysis of the magnitude of the audio signal at the candidate frequency to determine the growth characteristics of the signal. The electronic circuit may further include a test filter block operable to deploy a test filter at a candidate frequency and a permanent filter block operable to deploy a permanent filter at the candidate frequency if the feedback control block determines that the growth characteristics of the signal at the candidate frequency comprises feedback characteristics after the test filter has been deployed.

Abstract: Disclosed is a device for measuring the concentration of the particles contained in a fluid. The device comprises a control volume body having a predetermined effective volume. An inlet path is formed at an end of the control volume body to feed the fluid into the control volume body therethrough. An outlet path is formed at another end of the control volume body to discharge the fluid from the control volume body therethrough. Measuring instruments are provided at the inlet path and the outlet path to emit electrical signals when the fine particles pass through the inlet path and the outlet path. A computing machine receives the electrical signals transmitted from the measuring instruments, and then computes the number and the concentration of fine particles contained in the control volume body. The device is easily integrated with Micro-TAS (Total analysis System).

Abstract: An embodiment of a motoring aid method and system for a road vehicle, whereby a motoring aid information item is generated as the road vehicle travels along a road having a road surface; the information is converted into a graphic display image; and the image is projected onto a portion of the road surface ahead of the road vehicle, to allow the driver of the road vehicle to view the image without distracting the driver's attention from the road.

Abstract: In an embodiment of a method for converting an input video sequence, comprising digital images organized in frames and operating at a variable frame-rate, into an output video sequence, operating at a pre-set constant frame-rate, it is envisaged to store the input video sequence temporarily and to control fetching of images of said temporarily stored input video sequence. The method moreover envisages: controlling fetching of images from the temporarily stored input video sequence by adjusting an emptying rate to form an intermediate video sequence; and carrying out an operation of motion-compensated interpolation on the intermediate video sequence to form the output video sequence operating at a pre-set constant frame-rate, the emptying rate being adjusted as a function of a number of images of the input video sequence with variable frame-rate temporarily stored.

Abstract: Internal combustion engine provided with a plurality of cylinders divided into a first group and a second group; a control unit for deactivating all the cylinders of the second group; a first exhaust conduit and a second exhaust conduit, which are reciprocally connected at an intersection and which are respectively connected to cylinders of the first group and to cylinders of the second group; a catalyzer, which is arranged along the first exhaust conduit upstream of the intersection and is provided with first sensors for detecting the exhaust gases; and a second catalyzer, which is arranged downstream of the intersection and is provided with second sensors for detecting the exhaust gas composition.

Abstract: An embodiment of a control method for carrying out a gear shifting in an automatic manual transmission having a dual-clutch gearbox to pass from a current shorter gear to a successive longer gear; the embodiment includes the steps of: receiving a gear shifting command; opening a first clutch associated to the current gear; closing a second clutch associated to the successive gear in a same first moment; finishing the opening of the first clutch associated to the current gear and finishing the closure of the second clutch associated to the successive gear in a same closing moment; keeping the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the engine constant and equal to an initial value imposed by the gear ratio of the current gear until the closing moment in which the opening of the first clutch is completed; after the closing moment, progressively decreasing the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the engine from the initial value imposed by the gear ratio of the current gear to a final value imposed by the gear rat