Abstract: A three-dimensional printing technique can be used to form a microphone package. The microphone package can include a housing having a first side and a second side opposite the first side. A first electrical lead can be formed on an outer surface on the first side of the housing. A second electrical lead can be formed on an outer surface on the second side of the housing. The first electrical lead and the second electrical lead may be electrically shorted to one another. Further, vertical and horizontal conductors can be monolithically integrated within the housing.

Abstract: A chip-scale vibrational energy harvester circuit may include magnets and coils with magnetic cores provided in proximity thereto. Either the magnets or the coils may be mounted on a micro-electromechanical spring system (MEMS) that is coupled to a stationary frame. The counterpart component may be mounted on the stationary frame. When the stationary frame experiences vibrational activity, the magnets and the coils may move with respect to each other, causing variations in the flux passing through the coils. The variations in the flux may induce voltages across the coils. The induced voltages may be rectified and stored as energy for later use.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems and methods for providing integrated waveguide-based spectrometer systems. In one aspect, the system includes an optical spectrometer comprising one or more waveguides configured to support propagation of optical radiation (i.e. light) through the waveguides to a photodetector. The spectrometer further includes an input coupler for each waveguide, the input coupler configured to couple the radiation from free space into the waveguide in absence of fiber-optic coupling of the radiation into the waveguide. Because at least a portion of the light propagated through the waveguides has interacted with a sample to be spectroscopically evaluated, the light detected by the photodetector allows to carry out the spectroscopic evaluation of the sample. At least some components of the spectrometer are provided on a single die using conventional CMOS techniques, yielding a compact and low cost device.

Abstract: Analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) can have errors which can affect their performance. To improve the performance, many techniques have been used to compensate or correct for the errors. When the ADCs are being implemented with sub-micron technology, ADCs can be readily and easily equipped with an on-chip microprocessor for performing a variety of digital functions. The on-chip microprocessor and any suitable digital circuitry can implement functions for reducing those errors, enabling certain undesirable artifacts to be reduced, and providing a flexible platform for a highly configurable ADC. The on-chip microprocessor is particularly useful for a randomized time-interleaved ADC. Moreover, a randomly sampling ADC can be added in parallel to a main ADC for calibration purposes. Furthermore, the overall system can include an efficient implementation for correcting errors in an ADC.

Abstract: A transistor switch device is provided that exhibits relatively good voltage capability and relatively easy drive requirements to turn the device on and off. This can reduce transient drive current flows that may perturb other components.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus comprises a micromechanical gyroscope and a circuit. The micromechanical gyroscope is configured to be excited in a first mode by a drive signal, and configured to be excited in a second mode by a gyroscopic effect. The circuit is coupled to the micromechanical gyroscope and configured to detect the gyroscopic effect when the micromechanical gyroscope is in the second mode.

Abstract: Many processes for audio signal processing can benefit from voice activity detection, which aims to detect the presence of speech as opposed to silence or noise. The present disclosure describes, among other things, leveraging energy-based features of voice and insights on first and second formant frequencies of vowels to provide a low-complexity and low-power voice activity detector. A pair of two channels is provided whereby each channel is configured to detect voice activity in respective frequency bands of interest. Simultaneous activity detected in both channels can be a sufficient condition for determining that voice is present. More channels or pairs of channels can be used to detect different types of voices to improve detection and/or to detect voices present in different audio streams.

Abstract: Conventional user interface for sensing gestures often require physical touching of a sensor pad, or an area filled with sensor pads. These conventional sensor pads take up precious real estate on a compact mobile device, interferes significantly with other components of the mobile device, complicates design, consumes power, and adds costs to the final product. With two or more small capacitive sensing electrodes placed on a mobile device (arbitrarily or with far less restrictions), capacitive sensing can provide a virtual sensor pad as a user interface. By implementing an algorithm which detects for three different conditions, the virtual sensor pad can be used effectively as a user interface modality to detect gestures such as a sliding gesture, drawing gesture, letters, writing, etc. The resulting virtual sensor pad can flexibly change to different desirable locations, and no longer suffers from the limitations of the conventional sensor pad.

Abstract: A method of controlling sound reproduction may include applying an audio signal to a voice coil of the electrodynamic loudspeaker to produce sound, detecting one of an impedance and admittance of the loudspeaker across a predetermined audio frequency range based on a detected voice coil current and voice coil voltage and determining a fundamental resonance frequency of the loudspeaker based on the detected impedance or admittance. The fundamental resonance frequency of the loudspeaker may be compared with a nominal fundamental resonance frequency of the loudspeaker representing a nominal acoustic operating condition of the loudspeaker. A change of operating condition of the loudspeaker may be detected based on a frequency deviation between the determined fundamental resonance frequency and a nominal fundamental resonance frequency of the loudspeaker. The level of the audio signal may be attenuated in response to the frequency deviation meets a predetermined frequency error criterion.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are disclosed related to radio frequency (RF) power detection. One such apparatus includes a directional coupler, an RF switch, and an RF power detector. The RF switch can selectively change coupling between the directional coupler and the RF power detector. This can enable accurate power detection based on a ratio of power levels, without factory calibration or laser trimming.

Abstract: An exemplary multipath feedforward amplifier includes a plurality of amplification stages configured to form at least partially distinct amplification paths extending from an input terminal to an output terminal, each amplification path defined by a respective subset of the plurality of amplification stages, wherein at least one amplification stage is a band pass resonator. In various implementations, multipath feedforward amplifier can maximize gain at a frequency of interest by having an amplification path that cascades band pass resonators. In various implementations, the plurality of amplification paths are configured to optimize gain at a center frequency ranging from about 2 GHz to about 3 GHz.

Abstract: For small cells, transceivers demand high performance while maintaining system efficiency. The present disclosure describes a highly integrated cellular transceiver that offers such features by providing one or more digital functions on-chip, onto the same die in the cellular transceiver. Effectively, the scope and boundary of the cellular transceiver is expanded to move beyond the data converters of the transceiver to include a variety of digital functions, thus integrating more of the signal chain in the cellular transceiver. Integration can greatly reduce complexity for the baseband processing, lower the cost of the overall transceiver system, reduce power consumption, and at the same time, benefit from improvements on the digital functions through integration.

Abstract: An improved algorithm for edge detection is provided that utilizes the second order derivative of the intensity distribution function of an image to provide edge orientation information for the detected edges. An exemplary embodiment of the improved algorithm includes determining the second order derivative of the intensity distribution function, identifying zero-crossings in the horizontal and vertical directions, assigning angle information to the identified zero-crossings in the horizontal and vertical directions; and identifying an edge orientation based the assigned angle information for the horizontal and vertical zero-crossing of the edge and adjacent edges.

Abstract: An integrated circuit has a semiconductor die provided in a first IC layer and an inductor fabricated on a second IC layer. The inductor may have a winding and a magnetic core, which are oriented to conduct magnetic flux in a direction parallel to a surface of a semiconductor die. The semiconductor die may have active circuit components fabricated in a first layer of the die, provided under the inductor layer. The integrated circuit may include a flux conductor provided on a side of the die opposite the first layer. PCB connections to active elements on the semiconductor die may progress through the inductor layer as necessary.

Abstract: Current measurement apparatus comprises a measurement arrangement and a signal source. The measurement arrangement is configured to measure a current signal drawn by a load. The signal source is operative to apply a reference input signal to the measurement arrangement whereby an output signal from the measurement arrangement comprises a load output signal corresponding to the load drawn current signal and a reference output signal corresponding to the reference input signal.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for implementing a bootstrapped switching circuit having improved (i.e. faster) turn-on time is provided. In an embodiment, an inner switching loop is implemented in a bootstrapped switching circuit where the inner switching loop is configured to turn on an input switch in the bootstrapped drive circuit independent of the drive circuit output. The embodiment decouples the inner switching loop circuitry from the output drive circuit of the bootstrapped switching circuit, which typically has a larger load capacitance than the inner switching loop. This allows the inner switching loop to turn on the input switch in the bootstrapped switching circuit faster and decreases the turn-on time of the bootstrapped switching circuit.

Abstract: When reservoir capacitors are moved on-chip for individual bit decisions, a successive approximation register analog-to-digital converter (SAR ADC) has an addition source of error which can significantly affect the performance of the SAR ADC. Calibration techniques can be applied to measure and correct for such error in an SAR ADC using decide-and-set switching. Specifically, a calibration technique can expose the effective bit weight of each bit under test using a plurality of special input voltages and storing a calibration word for each bit under test to correct for the error. Such a calibration technique can lessen the need to store a calibration word for each possible output word to correct the additional source of error. Furthermore, another calibration technique can expose the effective bit weight of each bit under test without having to generate the plurality of special input voltages.

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: Embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a method of calibrating an isolator system. The method may comprise the steps of driving a common signal to a pair of input terminals of the isolator system; measuring differences in signals at output terminals of the isolator system; and varying impedance of impedance elements connected between the output terminals and a center-tap terminal of the isolator system until a mismatch at the output terminals is minimized.

Abstract: A voltage generator is provided which is reliable, self starting and only requires a few components. The voltage generator comprises a first stage that provides a current to a second stage. The first stage has a temperature coefficient of one sign, such as positive, and the second stage has an opposing temperature coefficient, e.g. negative. The responses are summed such that the overall temperature coefficient is reduced.