Abstract: Fiber Bragg grating interrogation and sensing used for strain and temperature measurements. A simple, broadband light source is used to interrogate one or more fiber Bragg grating (FBG). Specifically, a packaged LED is coupled to fiber, the light therefrom is reflected off a uniform FBG. The reflected light is subsequently analyzed using a filter and a plurality of Si photodetectors. In particular, the filter is a chirped FBG or an optically coated filter, in accordance with some embodiments. Measurement analysis is performed by ratio of intensities at the plurality of detectors, at least in part.

Abstract: Techniques to increase a data throughput rate of a filter circuit by preloading selectable memory circuits of the filter circuit with reference data, sampling input data at an input of the filter circuit, combining the sampled input data with the preloaded reference data, and generating a filter output based on the combined sampled input data and preloaded reference data.

Abstract: Integrated digital isolators comprise a first transformer coil or capacitor plate mounted on an integrated circuit substrate, and separated from a second transformer coil or capacitor plate via an electrically insulating isolation layer. The electrical isolation that is achieved is dependent upon the material and thickness of the isolation layer. In order to reduce the amount of time required for fabrication while still allowing thick isolation layers to be deployed, in examples of the disclosure a pre-formed solid layer of dielectric material is bonded to the substrate over the first transformer coil or capacitive plate. The preformed solid layer is formed from a thick layer of solid dielectric material, which is ground to the required thickness, either prior to being bonded to the circuit substrate, or thereafter. Such techniques result in a thick isolation layer that is formed more quickly and with lower outgassing risk than conventional spin-coating or deposition techniques.

Abstract: A BAW gyroscope is configured to operate with two pairs of orthogonal modes instead of a single pair in order to mitigate the impact of changes in gaps (e.g., introduced from external stresses such as thermal gradients, external shocks, mechanical stress/torque, etc.). Specifically, the BAW gyroscope resonator is configured to be simultaneously driven to resonate with a two disparate resonant modes (referred to herein as the “fundamental” mode and the “compound” mode), with the same set of drive electrodes used to drive both resonant modes (i.e., all of the drive electrodes are used to drive the two drive modes). When the sensor experiences external rotation, energy couples from the driven modes of vibration to two corresponding orthogonal sense modes via the Coriolis force. The same set of sense electrodes is used to sense both sense modes (i.e., all of the sense electrodes are used to sense the two sense modes).

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a system and method to determine at least one parameter of a motor, such as an inductance. The inductance can be determined, such as based on one or more digitally sampled motor winding currents. A digital filter can be applied to the digital samples such as to determine a slope of the motor winding currents. The digital filter can include a least squares fit that can be applied to the digital samples, such as to determine a slope of the motor winding currents. The least squares fit can be determined based on a computation of central tendencies such as an average value of time, an average value of current, an average value of the square of time, and the average value of the product of time and current. The average values can be determined recursively to provide improved computational speed.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for reducing power in in-memory computing, matrix-vector computations, and neural networks. An apparatus for in-memory computing using charge-domain circuit operation includes transistors configured as memory bit cells, transistors configured to perform in-memory computing using the memory bit cells, capacitors configured to store a result of in-memory computing from the memory bit cells, and switches, wherein, based on a setting of each of the switches, the charges on at least a portion of the plurality of capacitors are shorted together. Shorting together the plurality of capacitors yields a computation result.

Abstract: Various embodiments mitigate the risk of frequency-lock in systems having multiple resonators by dynamically changing the frequency at which at least one of the resonators is driven. More particularly, the drive frequency of at least one of the resonators is changed often enough that the multiple resonators do not have time to achieve frequency lock. Changes in the oscillation of the resonators may be analyzed to determine, for example, acceleration of such systems. Some embodiments implement self-test by assessing expected performance of a system with toggling drive frequencies. More particularly, some embodiments implement self-test by artificially inducing displacement of a movable member of a system.

Abstract: In an example, a system for detecting an object in an area over a screen of a mobile device may comprise a light source and a photodetector tilted toward the screen. Since a field of view of the photodetector and a radiation field of the light source may be directed toward the screen, the system may detect that a user performed a non-contacting gesture in the area over the screen. In another example, a system for detecting multiple modes of finger gestures may detect at least one of a signature gesture, a thumb joystick mode, or a thumb mouse mode. The system can execute a calendar application upon detecting that a user gestured in the shape of a letter “C”. When detecting a thumb gesture, the system may utilize a sensor having a reduced range relative to the range needed for hand gestures and, thereby, reduce power consumption.

Abstract: A lidar system can be provided for measuring a clearance of overhead infrastructure, such as a bridge or overpass. The lidar system can alert a vehicle driver or automatically brake the vehicle if the available clearance is smaller than a height of the vehicle. The lidar system can emit rays of light over a range of angles towards a target region where the rays of light can have a vertical span. The lidar system can then receive rays of light reflected or scattered from the target region and can determine a distance traveled by the rays of light by determining a round trip travel time of the rays. A clearance of the overhead infrastructure can then be determined using geometric relationships.

Abstract: Various examples are directed to systems and methods for wideband digital predistortion. A digital pre-distortion circuit may be programmed to receive a complex baseband signal and generate a pre-distorted signal. Generating the pre -distorted signal may comprise applying to the complex baseband signal a first correction for an Nth order distortion of a power amplifier at an Ith harmonic frequency zone centered at about an Ith harmonic of a carrier frequency and applying to the complex baseband signal a second correction for the Nth order distortion at a Jth harmonic frequency zone centered at about a Jth harmonic of the carrier frequency different than the Ith harmonic of a carrier frequency.

Abstract: In an example, there is disclosed a computing apparatus, having: a first master having a first ordinal quality of service (QoS) profile; a second master having a second ordinal QoS profile, wherein the second ordinal QoS profile is higher in order than the first ordinal QoS profile; a slave; a multiplexed interconnect to communicatively couple the first master and second master to the slave with a priority according to the ordinal QoS profiles; and one or more logic elements, including at least one hardware logic element, providing a QoS engine to: determine that the first master has initiated a slave operation via the interconnect; determine that completing the slave operation according to a QoS criterion provided by the second master requires elevated QoS; and promote the first master to a third ordinal QoS profile having an order higher than the second ordinal QoS profile.

Abstract: An integrated circuit may include a substrate and a dielectric layer formed over the substrate. A plurality of p-type thermoelectric elements and a plurality of n-type thermoelectric elements may be disposed within the dielectric layer that are connected in series while alternating between the p-type and the n-type thermoelectric elements. The integrated circuit may include first and second substrates each having formed thereon a plurality of thermoelectric legs of a respective type of thermoelectric material. The first and second thermoelectric substrates also may have respective conductors, each coupled to a base of an associated thermoelectric leg and forming a mounting pad for coupling to a thermoelectric leg of the counterpart substrate.

Abstract: A transimpedance amplifier (TIA) can include an operational amplifier with a programmable compensation capacitor, such as can be used for compensating first transconductance stage of an operational amplifier circuit that can be used in a TIA configuration. This technique is particularly suitable, for example, for an Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) application, which can use variable pulsewidth launch pulses. Based on the pulsewidth of such launch pulses, the bandwidth of an operational amplifier of the TIA can be adjusted, such as to decrease the signal and noise bandwidth when relatively wider pulses are to be used, to improve the noise performance for such wider pulses, and to increase the signal and noise bandwidth when relatively narrower pulses are to be used.

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: Techniques for indicating a load level of a DC-DC switching converter are provided. IN an example, a method for real-time load current detection for a switching converter using a discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) of operation can include generating a minimum DCM current threshold based on an reference current source and a duty cycle of the switching converter, receiving a representation of inductor charge current from power switch of the switching converter at a comparator, comparing the representation to the DCM current threshold, and controlling the power switch using a discontinuous conduction mode of the switching converter when a peak of the representation exceeds the minimum DCM current threshold.

Abstract: A method for detecting frequency mismatch in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) gyroscopes is described. Detection of the frequency mismatch between a drive signal and a sense signal may be performed by generating an output signal whose spectrum reflects the physical characteristics of the gyroscope, and using the output signal to determine the frequency fC of the sense signal. The output signal may be generated by cross-correlating a random or pseudo-random noise signal with a response signal, where the response signal can be obtained by allowing the noise signal to pass through a system designed to have a noise transfer function that mimics the frequency response of the gyroscope. Since the noise signal is random or pseudo-random, cross-correlating the noise signal with the response signal reveals spectral characteristics of the gyroscope. To improve computational efficiency, the cross-correlation can be performed on demodulated versions of the noise signal and the response 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: According to some aspects, a low-leakage switch is provided. In some embodiments, the low-leakage switch includes a plurality of pass transistors in series that selectively couple two ports of the low-leakage switch and a node biasing circuit coupled to a node between the plurality of pass transistors. In these embodiments, the node biasing circuit may adjust a voltage at the node to change the gate-to-source voltage of the pass transistors and, thereby, reduce the leakage current through the pass transistors when the low-leakage switch is turned off. The node biasing circuit may also include circuitry to reduce the leakage current introduced by the node biasing circuit into the node when the low-leakage switch is turned on.

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.