Abstract: System and techniques for a visual vehicle parking occupancy sensor are described herein. A color image, including a parking space, is received from a camera. A cascaded search for vehicle features in a hue-saturation-value (HSV) converted version of the color image is performed to produce search results. A search for macro vehicle features in the color image is also performed to produce an indication of found macro vehicle features when the search results are of a first type. An occupancy indicator is provided based on the search results when the search results are of a second type and based on the indication otherwise.

Abstract: A microfluidic ion detector for detecting heavy metal ions in liquid and particulate matter from gas samples is described. The microfluidic ion detector includes a sample extraction structure for extracting sample ions from a sample liquid or extracting sample ions from the particulate matter of a gas sample, a separation structure for separating sample ions of different types once extracted, and a detection structure for detecting the sample ions. The microfluidic ion detector also includes a reference reservoir providing a reference ion against which the sample may be calibrated based on the operation of the separation structure. A portable, self-calibrating ion detector may be realized by including the described components on a single substrate.

Abstract: Micromachined inertial devices are presented having multiple linearly-moving masses coupled together by couplers that move in a linear fashion when the coupled masses exhibit anti-phase motion. The couplers move in opposite directions of each other, such that one coupler on one side of the movable masses moves in a first linear direction and another coupler on the opposite side of the movable masses moves in a second linear direction opposite the first linear direction. The couplers ensure proper anti-phase motion of the masses.

Abstract: Micromachined inertial devices are presented having multiple linearly-moving masses coupled together by couplers that move in a linear fashion when the coupled masses exhibit linear anti-phase motion. Some of the described couplers are flexural and provide two degrees of freedom of motion of the coupled masses. Some such couplers are positioned between the coupled masses. Using multiple couplers which are arranged to move in linearly opposite directions during linear anti-phase motion of the coupled masses provides momentum-balanced operation.

Abstract: Isolated DC-DC converters and methods for operating the same are described herein. DC-DC converters include a driver that drives a primary winding of a transformer to transmit power to a secondary winding of the transformer across an isolation barrier. In some embodiments, a pair of symmetrical serial capacitors are provided between the driver and the primary winding of a resonant DC-DC converter with an on-chip transformer to slow down variations of a common mode voltage on the primary winding during operation. This in turn can suppress radiation emissions related to time variation rates of the common mode voltage and, and can also improve electromagnetic interference (EMI) performance of the DC-DC converter.

Abstract: Micromachined inertial devices are presented having multiple linearly-moving masses coupled together by couplers that move in a linear fashion when the coupled masses exhibit anti-phase motion. The couplers move in opposite directions of each other, such that one coupler on one side of the movable masses moves in a first linear direction and another coupler on the opposite side of the movable masses moves in a second linear direction opposite the first linear direction. The couplers ensure proper anti-phase motion of the masses.

Abstract: Isolated DC-DC converters and methods for operating the same are described herein. DC-DC converters include a driver that drives a primary winding of a transformer to transmit power to a secondary winding of the transformer across an isolation barrier. In some embodiments, a pair of symmetrical serial capacitors are provided between the driver and the primary winding of a resonant DC-DC converter with an on-chip transformer to slow down variations of a common mode voltage on the primary winding during operation. This in turn can suppress radiation emissions related to time variation rates of the common mode voltage and, and can also improve electromagnetic interference (EMI) performance of the DC-DC converter.

Abstract: A voltage regulator is provided comprising: a pass transistor that includes a first node coupled to receive an input voltage and a second node coupled to provide a regulated voltage and a control node; an amplifier circuit coupled to produce a control voltage on a control line that is coupled to control a voltage at the control node of the pass transistor, based at least in part upon a reference voltage and the regulated voltage; a switch configured to transition between a first switch state in which the switch couples the control line to a turn-off voltage having a value to turn off the pass transistor and a second switch state in which the switch decouples the control line from the turn-off voltage; and a switch control circuit configured to maintain the switch in the first switch state during a first time interval while the input voltage ramps up and to transition the switch to the second switch state after the first time interval.

Abstract: A method for assigning, in a database, a relationship between at least one logical channel and at least one antenna element feed that is coupleable to at least one antenna element of an antenna arrangement, is described. The method comprises either: applying a first signal to at least one first logical channel; and detecting whether there is a presence of a radio frequency signal converted from the first signal on at least one first antenna element feed; or applying a second signal to at least one first antenna element feed coupleable to at least one first antenna element of the antenna arrangement; and detecting whether there is a presence of a logical signal converted from the second signal on at least one first logical channel. The method further comprises assigning in the database in response thereto a relationship between the at least one first logical channel and the at least one first antenna element feed.

Abstract: A power converter circuit can be operated in a constant-current mode when a monitored output current exceeds a specified over-current threshold. A value representing an output voltage of the power converter circuit can be compared to a soft-start voltage reference value. The soft-start voltage reference value can be set (or reset) to a value representing the output voltage of the power converter when the difference between the soft-start voltage reference value and the value representing the output voltage of the power converter is greater than a specified threshold. The output voltage of the power converter can be regulated using the soft-start voltage reference value as a target voltage including ramping the soft-start voltage reference value at specified rate to maintain the soft-start voltage reference value within a specified range of a specified regulated output voltage value, such as to constrain a slew rate of the regulated output voltage.

Abstract: A control circuit eliminates the Zeno phenomenon in a power supply controller while transferring control from a primary side controller to a secondary side controller. The primary side controller generates a feedback voltage (e.g., threshold voltage) that is input to a comparator. An output node voltage of the control circuit is fed back to the linear amplifier to be compared with the threshold voltage. While the output node voltage is less than the threshold voltage, a charge pump is coupled to the output node of the control circuit. After the output node voltage has toggled around the threshold voltage a number of times, the comparator output node is coupled to the output node of the control circuit and the charge pump is decoupled from the output node. When the output node voltage has discharged to be equal to the threshold voltage, control is handed off from the primary side controller to the secondary side controller.

Abstract: A method for testing a DAC comprising controlling the DAC digitally to cause it to produce a known desired analog output, for example a fixed amplitude sine wave; determining the duration of fixed voltage segments of the actual output of the DAC and using the duration of the fixed voltage segments to assess or determine performance of the DAC.

Abstract: An isolator system has an isolator that generates differential isolator signals and a receiver that generates digital data representative of signals received from the isolator. The system also may include an RC filter coupled between the isolator and the receiver. During operation, the filter may distribute transient signals across various circuit paths in the isolator, only some of which are coupled to the receiver inputs. Over time, the filter may attenuate transient contributions at the receiver inputs. In this manner, the filter may limit effects of these common mode transients.

Abstract: A resilient device authentication system for use with one or more managed devices each including a physical unclonable function (PUF), comprises: one or more verification authorities (VA) each including a processor and a memory loaded with a complete verification set (CVS) that includes hardware part-specific data associated with the managed devices' PUFs and metadata, the processor configured to create a limited verification set (LVS) through one-way algorithmic transformation of hardware part-specific data together with metadata from the loaded CVS so as to create a LVS representing both metadata and hardware part-specific data adequate to redundantly verify all of the hardware parts associated with the LVS; and one or more provisioning entities (PE) each connectable to a VA and including a processor and a memory loaded with a LVS, and configured to select a subset of the LVS so as to create an application limited verification set (ALVS).

Abstract: A device authentication system for use with an authenticatable device having a physically-unclonable function and constructed to, in response to input, of challenge C, internally generate an output O characteristic to the PUF and the challenge C, and configured to: i) upon receiving challenge C, generate a corresponding commitment value that depends upon a private value r, and ii) upon receiving an authentication query that includes the challenge C and a nonce, return a zero knowledge proof authentication value that corresponds to the commitment value.

Abstract: Systems and methods for synchronous demodulation using passive sampled analog filtering are disclosed. A system for synchronous demodulation includes an input channel for accepting an input signal, a first passive sampled analog filter for filtering the input signal, a mixer for mixing the filtered input signal and outputting a mixed signal, a second passive sampled analog filter for filtering the mixed signal, and an output channel for outputting the filtered mixed signal.

Abstract: In a cascaded integrator comb (CIC) filter, a time-varying gain is added before the last integrating stage transforming its sub optimal boxcar impulse response into an FIR filter of arbitrary length. Make the coefficients sparse and taking them from a set of small integers leads to an efficient hardware implementation that does not compromise any of the essential CIC filter characteristics especially the overflow handling. The proposed sparse CIC structure can improve the worst case stop band attenuation by as much as 10 dB while occupying 77% of the chip area and consuming 30% less power compared to a standard a 5th order CIC filter, and reducing the overall bit growth of the filter and the amount of high rate operations. Design examples are given illustrating the advantages and flexibility of the proposed structure.

Abstract: Suspended microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices including a stack of one or more materials over a cavity in a substrate are described. The suspended MEMS device may be formed by forming the stack, which may include one or more electrode layers and an active layer, over the substrate and removing part of the substrate underneath the stack to form the cavity. The resulting suspended MEMS device may include one or more channels that extend from a surface of the device to the cavity and the one or more channels have sidewalls with a spacer material. The cavity may have rounded corners and may extend beyond the one or more channels to form one or more undercut regions. The manner of fabrication may allow for forming the stack layers with a high degree of planarity.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a digital filter module for use in receivers, particularly suitable for use in a narrow-band electromagnetic receiver. Design of the module is based on a recognition that providing to the module samples of a signal received by a receiver and sampled at a sampling frequency equal to four times the intermediate frequency of the receiver, eliminating zeros in the filter, and implementing the filter module as a resource-shared second-order filter structure that includes two sections advantageously enables saving some hardware components, particularly some multipliers and adders, in implementing a versatile digital filter module that can function either as two real filters or one complex filter. In this manner, substantial reduction of area and power consumption of the filter module may be achieved, while maintaining sufficiently high filtering performance.

Abstract: An optical coupler can be provided for coupling a light beam into a waveguide. The optical coupler can include a stepped structure, such as to reduce difficulties during manufacture, reduce expenses associated with manufacture, and additionally, to provide an increased acceptance angle of the optical coupler. The waveguide can include a guiding region where a cladding thickness can be increased relative to a coupling region, such as to reduce losses due to evanescent outcoupling in the guiding region.