Abstract: A power management system for use in a device comprising a battery and one or more components configured to draw electrical energy from the battery may include a first power converter configured to electrically couple between charging circuity configured to provide electrical energy for charging the battery and the one or more downstream components and a bidirectional power converter configured to electrically couple between the charging circuitry and the battery, wherein the bidirectional power converter is configured to transfer charge from the battery or transfer charge from the battery based on a power requirement of the one or more components and a power available from the first power converter.

Abstract: A multicore processor may include a plurality of cores including at least a first core and a second core, a shared peripheral comprising a plurality of interrupt register banks including at least a first interrupt register bank dedicated to the first core and a second interrupt register bank dedicated to the second core, and a plurality of communications bridges, including at least a first bridge interfaced between the first core and the shared peripheral and at least a second bridge interfaced between the second core and the shared peripheral. The first core may be configured to program the first interrupt register bank via the first bridge to configure the shared peripheral for access by the first core. The second core may be configured to program the second interrupt register bank via the second bridge to configure the shared peripheral for access by the second core.

Abstract: A method of identifying a system, the method comprising: obtaining an indication of background noise present at the system; generating a probe signal based on the indication; applying the probe signal to the system; estimating a response of the system to the probe signal; and identifying the system based on the measured response and the probe signal, wherein the probe signal comprises a whitening component configured to whiten noise in the estimated response due to the background noise present at the system.

Abstract: This application relates to circuitry for monitoring for instability of an amplifier. The amplifier (100) has a first signal path between an amplifier input (INN) and an amplifier output (VOUT) and a feedback path from the output to form a feedback loop with at least part of the first signal path. A comparator (212) has a first input configured to receive a first signal (INN) derived from a first amplifier node which is part of said feedback loop and a second input configured to receive a second signal (INP) derived from a second amplifier node which varies with the signal at the amplifier input but does not form part of said feedback loop. The comparator is configured to compare the first signal to the second signal and generate a comparison signal (COMP), wherein in the event of amplifier instability the comparison signal comprises a characteristic indicative of amplifier instability.

Abstract: Circuitry for measuring a characteristic of an electrochemical cell, the circuitry comprising: a comparator having a first comparator input, a second comparator input and a comparator output; a feedback path between the comparator output and the second comparator input configured to provide a feedback signal to the second comparator input; and a loop filter configured to apply filtering to the feedback path to generate the feedback signal, wherein the loop filter comprises the electrochemical cell.

Abstract: A system may include an electromagnetic load capable of generating a haptic event and a haptic processor configured to receive at least one first parameter indicative of a desired perception of the haptic event to a user of a device comprising the electromagnetic load, receive at least one second parameter indicative of one or more characteristics of the device, and process the at least one first parameter and the at least one second parameter to generate a driving signal to the electromagnetic load in order to produce the desired perception to the user despite variances in the device that cause an actual perception of the haptic event to vary from the desired perception.

Abstract: Circuitry for estimating a displacement of a piezoelectric transducer in response to a drive signal applied to the piezoelectric transducer, the circuitry comprising: monitoring circuitry configured to be coupled to the piezoelectric transducer and to output a sense signal indicative of an electrical signal associated with the piezoelectric transducer as a result of the drive signal; wherein the circuitry is configured to generate a difference signal based on the drive signal and the sense signal; and wherein the circuitry further comprises processing circuitry configured to apply at least one transfer function to the difference signal to generate a signal indicative of the displacement of the piezoelectric transducer.

Abstract: A method of own voice detection is provided for a user of a device. A first signal is detected, representing air-conducted speech using a first microphone of the device. A second signal is detected, representing bone-conducted speech using a bone-conduction sensor of the device. The first signal is filtered to obtain a component of the first signal at a speech articulation rate, and the second signal is filtered to obtain a component of the second signal at the speech articulation rate. The component of the first signal at the speech articulation rate and the component of the second signal at the speech articulation rate are compared, and it is determined that the speech has not been generated by the user of the device, if a difference between the component of the first signal at the speech articulation rate and the component of the second signal at the speech articulation rate exceeds a threshold value.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to current control circuitry for controlling a current through a load, the current control circuitry comprising: amplifier circuitry; reference voltage generator circuitry configured to supply a fixed reference voltage to a first input of the amplifier circuitry; an output stage comprising: a control terminal coupled to an output of the amplifier circuitry; a current input terminal configured to be coupled to the load; a current output terminal; a clock-controlled variable resistance coupled to the current output terminal of the output stage, wherein a resistance of the variable resistance is based on a digital code input to the variable resistance; and a feedback path between the current output terminal of the output stage and a second terminal of the amplifier circuitry for providing a feedback voltage to a second input of the amplifier circuitry.

Abstract: The present invention relates to circuitry comprising: interpolation filter circuitry configured to receive a digital input signal and to output an interpolated digital signal; amplifier circuitry configured to generate an output signal based on the interpolated digital signal; and protection circuitry. The protection circuitry is configured to activate in response to detection of a fault condition at an output of the amplifier circuitry. The circuitry further comprises first detection circuitry configured to output a control signal to disable the protection circuitry on detection of a transient signal at an output of the interpolation filter circuitry that is unrelated to a fault.

Abstract: A system may include a boost converter configured to receive an input voltage and boost the input voltage to an output voltage and control circuitry configured to enforce a maximum current limit to limit a current drawn by the boost converter and in response to the output voltage decreasing below the input voltage, dynamically increase the current above the maximum current limit to cause the output voltage to be approximately equal to the input voltage.

Abstract: A method for determining sensor parameters of an actively-driven sensor system may include performing an initialization operation to establish a baseline estimate of the sensor parameters, obtaining as few as three samples of a measured physical quantity versus frequency for the actively-driven sensor system, performing a refinement operation to provide a refined version of the sensor parameters based on the as few as three samples, iteratively repeating the refinement operation until the difference between successive refined versions of the sensor parameters is below a defined threshold, and outputting the refined sensor parameters as updated sensor parameters for the actively-driven sensor system.

Abstract: A system may include at least one resistive-inductive-capacitive sensor and a control circuit configured to maintain timing parameters for operation of the at least one resistive-inductive-capacitive sensor and vary at least one of the timing parameters to control a spectrum associated with the at least one resistive-inductive-capacitive sensor, wherein the spectrum comprises one of a sensor activity spectrum of the at least one resistive-inductive-capacitive sensor and a current usage spectrum associated with electrical current delivered to the at least one resistive-inductive-capacitive sensor from a source of electrical energy.

Abstract: The present application relates to current sensing circuitry (100) that comprises a differential amplifier (110) comprising first and second inputs configured to sense a current across a sense resistance, and an output configured to output a current sense signal. The circuitry (100) further comprises a first current source, a second current source and a switch network operable in: a first phase in which the first current source is connected to the first input and disconnected from the output, and the second current source is connected to the output and disconnected from the first input; and a second phase in which the first current source is connected to the output and disconnected from the first input, and the second current source is connected to the first input and disconnected from the output.

Abstract: A method for determining if an inductor coupled to a switching network has been electrically shorted may include applying a voltage across the inductor for a predetermined period of time, controlling an impedance in an electrical path of a voltage source generating the voltage and the inductor, sensing an inductor current through the inductor, comparing the inductor current with a predetermined current threshold, and determining whether the inductor has been electrically shorted based on the inductor current, the predetermined current threshold, and the predetermined period of time.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to circuitry for driving a piezoelectric transducer. The circuitry may be implemented as an integrated circuit and comprises driver circuitry configured to supply a drive signal to the piezoelectric transducer to cause the transducer to generate an output signal and active inductor circuitry configured to be coupled with the piezoelectric transducer. The active inductor circuitry may be tuneable to adjust a frequency characteristic of the output signal.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods, apparatus and systems for audio playback via a personal audio device following a biometric process. A personal audio device may be used to obtain ear model data for authenticating a user via an ear biometric authentication system. Owing to that successful authentication, the electronic device is informed of the person who is listening to audio playback from the device. Thus the device can implement one or more playback settings which are specific to that authorised user.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide apparatus, methods and computer programs for ultrasonic proximity-detection.

Abstract: This application relates to control of semiconductor devices, in particular MOS devices, so as to reduce RTS/flicker noise. A circuit (100) includes a first MOS device (103, 104) and a bias controller (107). The circuit is operable in at least a first circuit state (PRO) in which the first MOS device is active to contribute to a first signal (Sout) and a second circuit state (PRST) in which the first MOS device does not contribute to the first signal. The bias controller is operable to control voltages at one or more terminals of the first MOS device to apply a pre-bias (VPB1, VPB2) during an instance of the second circuit state. The pre-bias is applied to set an occupancy state of charge carriers traps within the first MOS device, to limit noise during subsequent operation in the first circuit state. In embodiments, the bias controller is configured so that at least one parameter of the pre-bias is selectively variable in use based on one or more operating conditions.

Abstract: A system may include a resistive-inductive-capacitive sensor configured to sense a physical quantity, and a measurement circuit communicatively coupled to the resistive-inductive-capacitive sensor and configured to measure one or more resonance parameters associated with the resistive-inductive-capacitive sensor and indicative of the physical quantity and, in order to maximize dynamic range in determining the physical quantity from the one or more resonance parameters, dynamically modify, across the dynamic range, either of reliance on the one or more resonance parameters in determining the physical quantity or one or more resonance properties of the resistive-inductive-capacitive sensor.