Abstract: The present disclosure relates to circuitry for driving a load. The circuitry comprises driver circuitry configured to generate a drive signal, based on an input signal to the driver circuitry, for driving the load, and commutator circuitry for coupling the driver circuitry to the load. The commutator circuitry is configured to alternate between commutation states in response to a level of the drive signal meeting a drive signal threshold or in response to a level of the input signal meeting a first input signal threshold. The circuitry is configured to apply an offset to the input signal when the input signal is below a second input signal threshold so as to increase a minimum level of the drive signal above the drive signal threshold or to increase a minimum level of the input signal above the first input signal threshold.

Abstract: A power delivery system may include an inductive power converter comprising a shared connection to a shared voltage from a battery, multiple inductive phases, each of the multiple inductive phases configured to generate a respective voltage from the shared voltage, multiple regulated voltage connections, and one or more switches configured and arranged to selectively assign at least one of the multiple inductive phases to a regulated voltage connection selected from the multiple regulated voltage connections.

Abstract: The application describes techniques for adaptively setting a threshold that will be used to determine the gain applied to a haptics signal.

Abstract: An apparatus may include a sense resistor comprising a plurality of parallel-coupled resistor elements, a plurality of positive voltage sense points, and a plurality of negative voltage sense points. A first passive combination network may be configured to combine the plurality of positive voltage sense points into a single positive sense terminal and a second passive combination network may be configured to combine the plurality of negative voltage sense points into a single negative sense terminal. The first passive combination network and the second passive combination network may be arranged such that a sense voltage is measurable between the single positive sense terminal and the single negative sense terminal and a dependence of the sense voltage on a variation in current density in the parallel-coupled resistor elements is minimized.

Abstract: An audio apparatus is described for communicating with a user device, the audio apparatus comprising: a sensor configured to sense a user input and to generate an input signal representing the user input; and electronic circuitry operable to receive the input signal. The electronic circuitry is configured to: process the input signal, and generate a control signal for controlling at least one switch based on the input signal.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to circuitry comprising: amplifier circuitry configured to receive a variable supply voltage, wherein the supply voltage varies according to an output signal of the amplifier circuitry; monitoring circuitry configured to monitor one or more parameters of an output signal of the amplifier circuitry; and processing circuitry configured to receive an indication of the voltage of the variable supply voltage and an indication of the monitored parameters from the monitoring circuitry and to apply a correction to one or more of the monitored parameters to compensate for coupling between the variable supply voltage and the monitoring circuitry.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a compensation circuit for compensating for an offset voltage that is present in an output signal output by a force sensor. The compensation circuit comprises: voltage divider circuitry, the voltage divider circuitry configured to receive a bias voltage that is also supplied to the force sensor and to output a control voltage derived from the bias voltage, wherein a component mismatch ratio of the voltage divider circuitry is adjustable to correspond to a component mismatch ratio of the force sensor; current generator circuitry configured to receive the control voltage and to generate a compensating current based on the received control voltage; and amplifier circuitry configured to receive the differential signal output by the force sensor and the compensating current and to output a compensated differential output signal in which the offset voltage is at least partially cancelled.

Abstract: A correction unit for use in a sensor system, the sensor system comprising a force sensor configured to output a sensor signal indicative of a temporary mechanical distortion of a material under an applied force, the correction unit configured, based on the sensor signal, to: estimate an effect of the applied force on how the material will return towards an undistorted form upon a substantial reduction or removal of the applied force; and generate a corrected signal based on the estimation.

Abstract: A power converter for converting an input voltage at an input of the power converter into an output voltage at an output of the power converter may include a first power converter branch comprising a first capacitor, a first switch network, and a first inductor, the first switch network arranged to selectably couple the first capacitor between an input voltage, a first reference voltage, and a first terminal of the first inductor, wherein a second terminal of the first inductor is coupled to an output node; a second power converter branch comprising a second capacitor, a second switch network, and a second inductor, the second switch network arranged to selectably couple the second capacitor between the input voltage, a second reference voltage, and a first terminal of the second inductor, wherein a second terminal of the second inductor is coupled to the output node; and a third switch network between the first power converter branch and the second power converter branch, wherein the third switch network is

Abstract: A system may include an electromagnetic actuator, a first coil configured to drive mechanical displacement of the electromagnetic actuator, a second coil configured to drive mechanical displacement of the electromagnetic actuator, and an inductance sensing subsystem having an inductance sensing path coupled to the first coil and the second coil.

Abstract: A packaged semiconductor die may include a package terminal array comprising a plurality of terminals, wherein a spacing between the plurality of terminals of the ball grid array is less than 0.5 mm. First and second high-voltage circuits of the die may output a differential signal to a first and second terminal that may exceed 15 volts, in which the first high-voltage circuit and the second high-voltage circuit are positioned symmetrically around an axis and in which the first terminal and the second terminal are located at an edge of the package terminal array. A low-voltage circuit may be coupled to a third terminal and positioned between the first high-voltage circuit and the second high-voltage circuit, wherein the low-voltage circuit comprises circuitry organized in columns aligned along an axis and having a width defined by a fraction of the terminal spacing pitch.

Abstract: Pre-conditioning circuitry for pre-conditioning a node of a circuit to support a change in operation of the circuit, wherein the circuit is operative to change a state of the node to effect the change in operation of the circuit, and wherein the pre-conditioning circuitry is configured to apply a voltage, current or charge directly to the node to reduce the magnitude of the change to the state of the node required by the circuit to achieve the change in operation of the circuit.

Abstract: A method for use in a biometric process, comprising: for a first function and a second function, applying an acoustic stimulus to a user's ear; and for the second function: receiving a response signal of a user's ear to the acoustic stimulus; and extracting, from the response signal, one or more features for use in a biometric process, wherein the first function is a function other than to induce the response signal for use in the biometric process.

Abstract: A method of performing speech recognition, comprises, at a first device: receiving an audio signal representing speech; performing a first data integrity check operation on the received audio signal; performing a speaker recognition process on the received audio signal; forwarding the received audio signal to a second device, wherein the second device comprises a speech recognition function; and forwarding an output of the first data integrity check operation to the second device.

Abstract: A method for estimating actuator parameters for an actuator, in-situ and in real-time, may include driving the actuator with a test signal imperceptible to a user of a device comprising the actuator during real-time operation of the device, measuring a voltage and a current associated with the actuator and caused by the test signal, determining one or more parameters of the actuator based on the voltage and the current, determining an actuator type of the actuator based on the one or more parameters, and controlling a playback signal to the actuator based on the actuator type.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to circuitry for driving a piezoelectric transducer. The circuitry comprises pre-processor circuitry configured to process an input signal to generate a processed signal; driver circuitry coupled to the pre-processor circuitry and configured to generate a drive signal, based on the processed signal, for driving the piezoelectric transducer; and processor circuitry configured to determine a resonant frequency of the piezoelectric transducer. The pre-processor circuitry is configured to process the input signal based on the determined resonant frequency so as to generate the processed signal.

Abstract: A method of cough detection in a headset, the method comprising: receiving a first signal from an external transducer of the headset; receiving a second signal from an in-ear transducer of the headset; and detecting a cough of a user of the headset based on the first and second signals.

Abstract: Compensation circuitry for compensating for a thermal effect in an output signal output by a force sensor may comprise monitoring circuitry configured to monitor one or more electrical parameters of the resistive force sensor and processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to determine an absolute resistance value for the force sensor based on the one or more monitored electrical parameters and to adjust one or more operational parameters of the force sensor system based at least in part on the determined absolute resistance value.

Abstract: A method of equalising an audio signal derived from a microphone, the method comprising: receiving the audio signal; applying an order-statistic filter to the audio signal in the frequency domain to generate a statistically filtered audio signal; equalising the received audio signal based on the statistically filtered audio signal to generate an equalised audio signal.

Abstract: A touch-sensitive user input device comprising: a first electrode layer comprising a first plurality of electrodes; a second electrode layer comprising a second plurality of electrodes; an insulating layer disposed between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer; and at least one piezoelectric transducer, wherein an electrode of the at least one piezoelectric transducer is coupled to the first plurality of electrodes of the first electrode layer.