Abstract: A continuous-time sigma delta modulator circuit includes a scaling circuit that scales an input analog signal by a selectable range of different scaling factors in order to change a range of signal levels of the input analog signal to a desired range of signal levels in a scaled analog signal prior to conversion of the scaled analog signal to a digital signal. The scaling factor is selected based on the range of signal levels of the input analog signal in order to provide signal levels of the scaled signal within a desired range. The scaling circuit maintains current flow of the input analog signal at a substantially constant level regardless of the different scaling factors that are used to scale the input analog signal.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a voltage reference circuit and a method of providing a voltage reference. The voltage reference circuit uses a switched capacitor arrangement to move charge between capacitors during different phases of operation of the circuit to which the voltage reference is being provided. The circuit being provided with a voltage reference may be an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). A reservoir capacitor is used to supply the reference voltage. During a phase in which no voltage reference is required, charge is shared between the capacitors of the switched capacitor arrangement, in order to boost the charge on the reservoir capacitor. After charge sharing, the reservoir capacitor is topped up with an output from a reference buffer. The reservoir capacitor may then be used again in the next conversion phase.

Abstract: The present invention relates in one aspect to a method of detecting diaphragm excursion of an electrodynamic loudspeaker. The method comprises steps of generating an audio signal for application to a voice coil of the electrodynamic loudspeaker and adding a high-frequency probe signal to the audio signal to generate a composite drive signal. The method further comprises a step of applying the composite drive signal to the voice coil through an output amplifier and detecting a modulation level of a probe signal current flowing through the voice coil.

Abstract: Wireless sensor nodes for enabling network connectivity in a wireless sensor network system are disclosed herein. An exemplary method includes receiving a Lightweight Machine-to-Machine (LWM2M) network packet from a network node over a network; using a media access control (MAC) layer to route the LWM2M network packet to a sensor node when a destination Internet Protocol (IP) address specified in the LWM2M network packet matches a virtual IP address; and using a network layer to route the LWM2M network packet to the sensor node when the destination IP address does not match a virtual IP address.

Abstract: A converter circuit is provided that includes an amplifier circuit and further includes: a summing current resistor that exhibits nonlinear resistance coupled between a voltage node and a summing current node of the amplifier; a compensation resistor circuit includes resistors that exhibit nonlinear resistance; the compensation resistor circuit produces a compensation current at the summing current node that compensates for nonlinear current flow in the summing current resistor.

Abstract: A wireless charging network system is disclosed that includes wirelessly charged sensor nodes. The wireless network system can include a gateway node configured to aggregate data from sensor nodes within a coverage area of the gateway node. The gateway node is further configured to wirelessly transmit power to the sensor nodes using a beamformed signal, wherein the gateway node adjusts the beamformed signal to maximize wireless power transfer to sensor nodes within each sector of the coverage area. Location information can be used to adjust the beamformed signal. For example, in various embodiments, the gateway node includes a beamformer sector profile table that defines channel adaptive beam profiles for the beamformed signal for each sector of the coverage area. The gateway node can use location information to define the beam profiles.

Abstract: An isolator device is provided comprising a body of first dielectric material between the first and second conductors, such as primary and secondary coils of a micro-transformer. A region of second dielectric material is provided between the body of first dielectric material and at least one of the first and second electrodes, wherein the second dielectric material has a higher relative permittivity than the first dielectric material. This provides enhances ability to withstand the Electric fields generated at the edge of a conductor. The body of the first dielectric can be tapered to provide stress relief to prevent the second dielectric material developing stress cracks.

Abstract: A transformer based digital isolator is provided that has improved immunity to common mode interference. The improved immunity is provided by placing the transformer in association with an H-bridge drive circuit, and taking additional effort to tailor the on state resistance of the transistors to control a common mode voltage at the transformer.

Abstract: A monolithic vapor chamber heat dissipating device uses a phase change liquid and one or more wicks to dissipate heat from a heat-generating system. The phase change liquid and one or more wicks may be directly coupled to the heat-generating system, or may be coupled to an intermediate evaporator substrate. The phase change liquid vaporizes as it absorbs heat from the heat-generating system. When the vapor rises and encounters a condenser substrate, the vapor condenses and transfers the heat to the condenser substrate. The condensed vapor is drawn by gravity and the one or more wicks to the phase change liquid coupled to the heat-generating system.

Abstract: A transformer-based balun circuit is disclosed herein. The balun can be implemented using a spiral transformer, where primary and secondary transformer windings can be inductively coupled and can be implemented on the same metal layer (or different metal layers, e.g. vertically adjacent metal layers). The balun can further include a compensation capacitor and a digital frequency tuning circuit. The compensation capacitor can be introduced at one of the differential terminals to reduce or suppress the amplitude and phase imbalance. The digital frequency tuning circuit can be a switchable bank of capacitors, which allows for tuning the frequency of operation of the transformer-based balun.

Abstract: An analog multiplexer may be used for sampling an input voltage that is capable of having a higher voltage level than an upper supply voltage. The analog multiplexer includes a plurality of input switch circuits and a shorting switch circuit. The plurality of input switch circuits include n-type or p-type laterally diffused field effect transistors (NLDFETs or PLDFETs). At least one of the input switch circuits includes a level shifting switch circuit that is able to sample an input voltage that is greater than the upper supply voltage for the multiplexer. A shorting switch circuit, at an output of the multiplexer, includes a capacitively coupled gate drive circuit and is configured to short a first differential output to a second differential output after the input voltage is sampled.

Abstract: Techniques and related circuits are disclosed and can be used to characterize glitch performance of a digital-to-analog (DAC) converter circuit in a rapid and repeatable manner, such as for use in providing an alternating current (AC) glitch value specification. A relationship can exist between a glitch-induced DAC output offset value and a DAC circuit input event rate. A relationship between the event rate (e.g., update rate) and the DAC output offset can be used to predict an offset value based at least in part on update rate or to estimate a corresponding glitch impulse area. In particular, a value representing glitch impulse area can be obtained by use of a hardware integration circuit without requiring use of a digitized time-series of glitch event waveforms.

Abstract: A communication unit comprises a plurality of antenna element feeds (203, 205) for coupling to a plurality of antenna elements of an antenna array, where each antenna element feed comprises at least one coupler; and a plurality of transmitters operably coupled to the plurality of antenna element feeds. At least one transmitter of the plurality of transmitters comprises: an input for receiving a first signal and at least one second signal; beamformer logic arranged to apply independent beamform weights (RefBF1, RefBF2) on the first signal and the at least one second signal of the transmitter respectively, wherein each of the independent beamform weights is allocated on a per sector basis; and a signal combiner arranged to combine the first signal and the second signal to produce a combined signal, such as that the combined signal supports a plurality of sectored beams.

Abstract: A wide range differential current switching circuit can operate across a wide range of input currents and across a broad range of frequencies. A first differential current source can include a first transistor and a second transistor. The first transistor receives a switching signal and provides an output current and at output node. The second transistor receives an inverted switching signal, the first transistor and the second transistor coupled to each other at a tail node. A current source provides an input current to the tail node. A third transistor can provide a boost current to the tail node while the first transistor is off.

Abstract: Residue generation systems for use in continuous-time and hybrid ADCs are described. An exemplary system includes a filter, e.g. a FIR filter, for generating a filtered analog output based on an analog input, a quantizer for generating a digital input to a feedforward DAC based on the filtered analog output generated by the filter, a feedforward DAC for generating a feedforward path analog output based on the digital input generated by the quantizer, and a subtractor for generating a residue signal based on the feedforward path analog output. Providing a filter that filters the analog input before it is quantized advantageously allows blockers to be attenuated before they are sampled and aliased by the quantizer. At least some of the residue generation systems described herein may be implemented with relatively small design and power dissipation overheads.

Abstract: An microelectromechanical switch uses electrostatic attraction to draw a beam toward a contact and electromagnetic repulsion to disengage and repel the beam from the contact. The electrostatic attraction is generated by a gate electrode. The electromagnetic repulsion is generated between the beam and a magnetic coil positioned on the same side of the beam as the contact. The magnetic coil produces a magnetic field, which induces a current in the beam that repels the magnetic coil. The gate electrode and the magnetic coil may be co-planar or in different planes. A circuit may also operate a coil-shaped structure act as the gate electrode and the magnetic coil, depending on the configuration.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems and techniques for adaptive use of multiple power supplies in a communication system. For example, in some embodiments, a slave device may include: an upstream transceiver to couple to an upstream link of a bus of a communication system; and circuitry to couple to the upstream link of the bus and to a local power supply, wherein the circuitry is to switch from providing the local power supply to power the slave device to providing bus power supplied by the upstream link of the bus to power the slave device.

Abstract: A protection device is provided that is placed in series connection between an input or signal node and a node to be protected. If the node to be protected is a relatively high impedance node, such as the gate of a MOSFET, then the protection device need not carry much current. This enables it to be built to be very fast. This enables it to respond rapidly to an overvoltage event so as to protect the circuit connected to the node to be protected. The protection device may be used in conjunction with other protection cells that offer greater current carrying capability and controllable trigger voltages, but which are intrinsically slower acting.

Abstract: A residue generation apparatus for use in continuous-time and hybrid ADCs is proposed. The apparatus includes a quantizer for digitizing an analog input to generate a digital output, and means for applying a first transfer function to the digital output from the quantizer to generate a digital input to a feedforward DAC, based on which the DAC can generate a feedforward path analog output. The apparatus further includes means for applying a second, continuous-time, transfer function to the analog input provided to the quantizer to generate a forward path analog output, and a subtractor for generating a residue signal based on a difference between the forward path analog output and the feedforward path analog output. Proposed apparatus allows selecting a combination of the first and second transfer functions so that, when each is applied in its respective path, the residue signal passed to further stages of an ADC is reduced.

Abstract: Systems for monitoring or control can include reconfigurable input and output channels. Such reconfigurable channels can include as few as a single terminal and a ground pin, or such channels can include three or four terminal configuration such as for use in four-terminal resistance measurements. Channel reconfiguration can be accomplished such as using software-enabled or firmware-enabled control of channel hardware. Such channel hardware can include analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog conversion capability, including use of a digital-to-analog converter to provide field power or biasing. In an example, the interface circuit can provide a selectable impedance.