Patents Assigned to Atmel Corporation
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Patent number: 10713188Abstract: An inter-process signaling system and method support implementation of semaphores or messaging signals between masters in a multi-master system, or between tasks in a single master system. A semaphore flag register contains one or more bits indicating whether resources are free or busy. The register is aliased to allow atomic read-and-clear of individual bits in the register. Masters poll the status of a resource until the resource reads as free. Alternatively, interrupts or events per master can be implemented to indicate availability of a resource.Type: GrantFiled: September 27, 2016Date of Patent: July 14, 2020Assignee: Atmel CorporationInventor: Frode Milch Pedersen
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Patent number: 10705651Abstract: A device includes a controller coupled to a touch sensor. The touch sensor includes a first array of capacitive nodes substantially aligned with a second array of capacitive nodes in a mechanical stack. The controller is configured, when in a self-capacitive mode of operation, to send a first drive signal to a plurality of the electrodes of the first array, send a shield signal to at least a portion of the electrodes of the second array at the same time as the first drive signal is sent to the plurality of electrodes of the first array, and sense touch inputs based on signals received from the plurality of electrodes of the first array while the first drive signal is being sent to the plurality of electrodes of the first array and the shield signal is being sent to the at least a portion of the electrodes of the second array.Type: GrantFiled: August 15, 2019Date of Patent: July 7, 2020Assignee: Atmel CorporationInventors: Samuel Brunet, Richard P. Collins, Martin J. Simmons, Justin A. Church
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Patent number: 10698534Abstract: In one embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising logic is configured to, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising measuring samples from a touch sensor. Each sample is measured by determining, based on a first pattern of polarities, a polarity of a charging signal to be applied to an electrode of the touch sensor, the first pattern of polarities based on a signal associated with a noise source; applying the charging signal to the electrode, the charging signal, as applied, having the polarity determined based on the first pattern of polarities; and measuring a received signal from the touch sensor, the received signal resulting, at least in part, from the charging signal applied to the electrode. The operations comprise determining whether a touch event has occurred at the electrode by analyzing the received signals from the samples.Type: GrantFiled: August 1, 2019Date of Patent: June 30, 2020Assignee: Atmel CorporationInventor: David K. Bye
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Patent number: 10684733Abstract: An apparatus includes an integrator circuit, a compensation circuit, and a sense circuit. The compensation circuit applies a positive charge and a negative charge to the integrator circuit during a first time period and a second time period respectively. The integrator circuit integrates a signal and the positive charge to produce a first sense signal. The signal is based on a charge at an electrode of a touch sensor. The integrator circuit integrates the signal and the negative charge to produce a second sense signal. The sense circuit detects a touch based on the first sense signal and the second sense signal.Type: GrantFiled: September 25, 2018Date of Patent: June 16, 2020Assignee: Atmel CorporationInventors: Trond Jarle Pedersen, Armin Prohaska, Torgeir Fenheim, Peter Kolb
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Patent number: 10656189Abstract: A microcontroller is operable to monitor power supply levels corresponding, respectively, to a first power supply (e.g., a main power supply) and a second power supply (e.g., a battery backup power supply). In one or more modes of operation, the same brownout detector in the microcontroller alternately monitors signals corresponding, respectively, to the first and second power supply levels.Type: GrantFiled: October 16, 2018Date of Patent: May 19, 2020Assignee: Atmel CorporationInventors: Patrice Menard, Thierry Gourbilleau, Thibault Kervaon, Régis Vix
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Patent number: 10649595Abstract: In one embodiment, a touch screen device includes a controller, a force sensing layer, a cushion layer, and a reference layer. The controller includes a processor to determine a distance between the force sensing layer and the reference layer. The cushion layer is between the force sensing layer and the reference layer. The cushion layer may include a plurality of holes at selected locations devoid of material of which the cushion layer is made. The reference layer may include a plurality of raised areas at selected locations.Type: GrantFiled: February 28, 2018Date of Patent: May 12, 2020Assignee: Atmel CorporationInventors: Carl Carley, Paul Clements, Karl Attrill, Thomas Matthew Bell
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Patent number: 10616197Abstract: Systems, methods, circuits and computer-readable mediums for message authentication with secure code verification are provided. In one aspect, a system includes a client device storing a code and a security device coupled to the client device. The security device is configured to receive a property of the code generated by the client device, verify correctness of the property of the code based on information associated with the code to determine that the code is an authorized code, the information being stored within the security device. In response to determining that the code is the authorized code, the security device enables to access data stored within the security device and generate a property of a message based on the data.Type: GrantFiled: April 18, 2016Date of Patent: April 7, 2020Assignee: Atmel CorporationInventors: Kerry Maletsky, Oscar Sanchez, Nicolas Schieli
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Patent number: 10489319Abstract: Various embodiments are disclosed for automatic transmission of dummy bits in a serial bus master. The disclosed embodiments allow a single DMA descriptor to be fetched from memory for the reception of a specified amount of data. Dummy bits can be located or generated in the serial bus master either as a user configurable value or a default value. Logic in the serial bus master initiates a data transfer by writing a count value representing an amount of data to be received to a count register in the serial bus master. The single DMA descriptor is then configured to handle the internal transfer of bits received by the serial bus master from a serial bus slave and the DMA controller is enabled. When data transfer is initiated, the serial bus master starts sending dummy bits to the serial bus slave and receiving data bits from the serial bus slave.Type: GrantFiled: October 25, 2017Date of Patent: November 26, 2019Assignee: Atmel CorporationInventor: Eivind Berntsen
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Patent number: 10482255Abstract: Systems, methods, circuits and computer-readable mediums for controlled secure code authentication are provided. In one aspect, a method performed by a host device includes transmitting a request to a client device, the request including a challenge for a property of a code stored within the client device, receiving a response to the request, the response comprising information associated with the property of the code, verifying correctness of the response based on the received information, and based on the verifying of the correctness of the response, determining that the code is an authorized code.Type: GrantFiled: February 16, 2016Date of Patent: November 19, 2019Assignee: Atmel CorporationInventor: Kerry David Maletsky
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Patent number: 10474823Abstract: Systems, methods, circuits and computer-readable mediums for controlled secure code authentication are provided. In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method including: sending a request to a client device, the request including a challenge for a property of a particular portion from among a plurality of portions of code stored within the client device, the challenge including data indicating a particular memory address range corresponding to the particular portion of the code, receiving a response to the request from the client device, the response including information associated with the property of the code, verifying correctness of the response based on the received information, and based on verifying correctness of the response, determining that the code is an authorized code.Type: GrantFiled: February 16, 2016Date of Patent: November 12, 2019Assignee: Atmel CorporationInventor: Kerry David Maletsky
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Patent number: 10466350Abstract: A transmitter-receiver circuit and a method for distance measurement between a first node and a second node of a radio network is provided, wherein a mode of the first node and a mode of the second node are switched from a normal mode for communication in the radio network to a mode for distance measurement, wherein, in the mode for distance measurement for a transit time measurement, a radio signal is transmitted by the first node and received by the second node and a radio signal is transmitted by the second node and received by the first node and a first distance value is determined by measuring the transit time of the radio signals.Type: GrantFiled: January 19, 2016Date of Patent: November 5, 2019Assignee: Atmel CorporationInventors: Wolfram Kluge, Eric Sachse
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Patent number: 10466851Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a first electrode, one or more processors, and one or more memory units coupled to the one or more processors. The one or more memory units collectively store logic that is configured to cause the one or more processors to control connections of the first electrode by connecting the first electrode to a first reference voltage, then connecting the first electrode to a second reference voltage lower than the first reference voltage, and then connecting the first electrode to a third reference voltage lower than the first reference voltage and the second reference voltage. The second reference voltage is coupled to a capacitor.Type: GrantFiled: April 25, 2018Date of Patent: November 5, 2019Assignee: Atmel CorporationInventors: Trond Jarle Pedersen, Torgeir Fenheim, Jan Rune Herheim, Stefan Markus Schabel
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Patent number: 10437516Abstract: A microcontroller includes a microprocessor, a serial flash memory interface, and input/output (I/O) terminals for coupling the serial flash memory interface to external serial flash memory. The microprocessor is operable to generate instruction frames that trigger respective commands to read data from specified addresses in the external serial flash memory. The serial flash memory interface receives and processes the instruction frames, obtains the data contained in the specified addresses in the external serial flash memory regardless of whether the specified addresses are sequential or non-sequential, and provides the data for use by the microprocessor.Type: GrantFiled: February 1, 2018Date of Patent: October 8, 2019Assignee: Atmel CorporationInventors: Frédéric Schumacher, Guillaume Pean, Renaud Tiennot
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Patent number: 10437382Abstract: A device includes a controller coupled to a touch sensor. The touch sensor includes a first array of capacitive nodes substantially aligned with a second array of capacitive nodes in a mechanical stack. The controller is configured, when in a self-capacitive mode of operation, to send a first drive signal to a plurality of the electrodes of the first array, send a shield signal to at least a portion of the electrodes of the second array at the same time as the first drive signal is sent to the plurality of electrodes of the first array, and sense touch inputs based on signals received from the plurality of electrodes of the first array while the first drive signal is being sent to the plurality of electrodes of the first array and the shield signal is being sent to the at least a portion of the electrodes of the second array.Type: GrantFiled: July 2, 2018Date of Patent: October 8, 2019Assignee: Atmel CorporationInventors: Samuel Brunet, Richard P. Collins, Martin J. Simmons, Justin A. Church
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Patent number: 10432500Abstract: In an embodiment, a method of debugging a wireless sensor network comprises: initiating, by a server node over a wireless medium, a single debugging session with a plurality of nodes of the wireless sensor network; receiving, by the server node over the wireless medium, network topology information from the nodes; and presenting, by a display device coupled to the server node, a network topology view constructed from the topology information, the network topology view including a graphical representation of each node in the topology.Type: GrantFiled: November 9, 2015Date of Patent: October 1, 2019Assignee: Atmel CorporationInventors: Vinoth Kumar, Srivatsan Muralidharan, Praveen Babu Reddy Muthulingam, SubbaReddy Mulamreddy
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Patent number: 10423276Abstract: In one embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising logic is configured to, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising measuring samples from a touch sensor. Each sample is measured by determining, based on a first pattern of polarities, a polarity of a charging signal to be applied to an electrode of the touch sensor, the first pattern of polarities based on a signal associated with a noise source; applying the charging signal to the electrode, the charging signal, as applied, having the polarity determined based on the first pattern of polarities; and measuring a received signal from the touch sensor, the received signal resulting, at least in part, from the charging signal applied to the electrode. The operations comprise determining whether a touch event has occurred at the electrode by analyzing the received signals from the samples.Type: GrantFiled: January 30, 2017Date of Patent: September 24, 2019Assignee: Atmel CorporationInventor: David K. Bye
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Patent number: 10416301Abstract: In certain embodiments, a method includes transmitting, by a first node, a first signal with a first frequency. The method includes receiving a second signal with a second frequency by downmixing the second signal to an intermediate frequency. The method includes determining a first value of a first phase for the second frequency. The method includes transmitting a third signal with a third frequency, the first frequency and the third frequency having a frequency difference, and receiving a fourth signal with a fourth frequency, the second frequency and the fourth frequency having the frequency difference. The method includes determining a second value of the first phase for the fourth frequency. The first frequency and the second frequency are spaced apart by an amount of the intermediate frequency, and the third frequency and the fourth frequency are spaced apart by the amount of the intermediate frequency.Type: GrantFiled: February 29, 2016Date of Patent: September 17, 2019Assignee: Atmel CorporationInventors: Wolfram Kluge, Eric Sachse
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Patent number: 10416801Abstract: In certain embodiments, an apparatus includes controller circuitry and a touch sensor that includes first electrodes. The controller circuitry is configured to measure first capacitance values during a first time period, each first capacitance value associated with a respective first electrode. The controller circuitry is also configured to determine a first hand-usage value based at least on a distribution of the first capacitance values. The controller circuitry is also configured to estimate a hand-usage state based at least on the first hand-usage value. The hand-usage state indicates one of the following hand configurations: right-handed interaction with the touch sensor, left-handed interaction with the touch sensor, or two-handed interaction with the touch sensor.Type: GrantFiled: April 8, 2014Date of Patent: September 17, 2019Assignee: Atmel CorporationInventors: Martin J. Simmons, Thomas Myers
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Patent number: 10409428Abstract: In certain embodiments, a method includes determining a position of a touch input in a touch-sensitive area of a touch sensor. The touch sensor includes a first number of electrodes having a first orientation and a second number of electrodes having a second orientation. The second orientation being different from the first orientation. The method also includes selecting a first set of the first number of electrodes corresponding to at least a portion of an area of the touch input within the touch-sensitive area; and applying a first pre-determined voltage to the selected first set of the first number of electrodes based at least in part on the area of the touch input being larger than a pre-determined area.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2015Date of Patent: September 10, 2019Assignee: Atmel CorporationInventor: Thomas Bell
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Patent number: 10409429Abstract: In certain embodiments, a method includes selecting, for a touch sensor including a first number of electrodes and a second number of electrodes, a first set of the first number of electrodes and a second set of the second number of electrodes. The first number of electrodes has a first orientation and the second number of electrodes has a second orientation. The second orientation being different from the first orientation. An overlap area is formed by an overlap of the first set and second set. The method also includes applying, during a first time period, a signal including a first pre-determined voltage to the first set and the second set such that, during the first time period, the overlap area has a first signal state; and applying, during a second time period, the signal to the first set and a second pre-determined voltage to the second set.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2015Date of Patent: September 10, 2019Assignee: Atmel CorporationInventor: Thomas Bell