Patents Assigned to EM Microelectronic
  • Patent number: 10796300
    Abstract: An assembly includes a main terminal equipped with a communication module using at least a first communications protocol capable of connecting the main terminal to a communication network, which enables the use of at least one function, the main terminal being arranged to use at least one configuration program, and the configuration program enables at least one preferred function to be selected and a code representing the selected preferred function to be generated, and a second communications protocol. The assembly additionally comprises at least one secondary terminal equipped with a passive communication module using the second communications protocol to communicate with the main terminal in order to protect the code representing the selected preferred function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: EM Microelectronic-Marin S.A.
    Inventors: Georges Nicolas Hayek, Michel Willemin, Jean-Claude Martin, Thomas Gyger
  • Publication number: 20200284854
    Abstract: A method of determining an absolute angle of a magnetic field includes receiving a first digital measurement value Bx of a first magnetic field component indicating intensity of the magnetic field along a first axis; receiving a second digital measurement value Bz of a second magnetic field component indicating the intensity of the magnetic field along a second axis, orthogonal to the first axis; determining absolute values for the first and second magnetic field components; and determining the angle of the magnetic field with respect to the first or second axis. The angle is determined so that the angle is derivable from the value of arcsin of Bz or of its approximation, when the absolute value of Bz? the absolute value of Bx, and derivable from the value of arccos of Bx or of its approximation, when the absolute value of Bz> the absolute value of Bx.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2019
    Publication date: September 10, 2020
    Applicant: EM Microelectronic-Marin SA
    Inventors: Lorenzo PIEROBON, Alexandre DESCHILDRE, Evan LOJEWSKI, Jeremy SCHLACHTER
  • Patent number: 10763805
    Abstract: The present invention concerns a programmable power amplifier comprising: an amplifier core transistor circuit connected to an amplifier output node; a switch connected to the amplifier core transistor circuit, the switch being configured to switch on and off the amplifier core transistor circuit; and a feedback circuit of the amplifier core transistor circuit. The feedback circuit comprises a digital-to-analog converter and an operational amplifier having a first input node configured to receive a first reference signal; a second input node connected to the digital-to-analog converter; and an output node for outputting an operational amplifier output signal and connected to the amplifier core transistor circuit for controlling the amount of current flowing in the amplifier core transistor circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: EM Microelectronic-Marin S.A.
    Inventors: Robert R. Rotzoll, Kevin Scott Buescher
  • Publication number: 20200249096
    Abstract: A temperature sensor arrangement (10), including a bandgap voltage generator (12), which is configured to provide an output voltage (Vbg); at least one semiconductor junction (14) for temperature sensing, which is biased by a biasing current flowing through said semiconductor junction (14); and at least one poly-resistor (Rb3) which is connected between the output (23) of the bandgap voltage generator (12) and the semiconductor junction (14), thereby providing said biasing current from the bandgap voltage generator (12) to the semiconductor junction (14).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2019
    Publication date: August 6, 2020
    Applicant: EM MICROELECTRONIC MARIN S.A.
    Inventors: Yonghong TAO, Pinchas Novac, Sylvain Grosjean, Alexandre Deschildre, Hugues Blangy
  • Publication number: 20200204997
    Abstract: A method of authenticating a transponder communicating with a server, including: calculating a one-time password in the transponder with a dedicated algorithm, on the basis of the state of a counter and a physical quantity, such as a transmission delay determined in the transponder during reading by a reading device; transmitting the password to the server by the reading device, which determines a transmission delay of the transponder, and transmitting to the server, in addition to the password, the information about the transmission delay determined in the reading device; decrypting by the dedicated algorithm the password, and checking if the decrypted transmission delay of the received password corresponds to the transmission delay determined by the reading device within a determined temporal margin, and if the state of the counter is different from a received previous state of the counter so as to authenticate the transponder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Applicant: EM Microelectronic-Marin SA
    Inventors: Stéphanie SALGADO, Julian GUILLOUX
  • Publication number: 20200153334
    Abstract: The invention relates to a DC-DC converter (1) for a power source (2) generating extremely low voltage, the converter (1) operating in discontinuous mode, wherein the converter (1) comprises a self-oscillating charge pump (3a) having an array of interconnected ring oscillators (RO1-RON) for successively stepping up an input voltage (Vin) so as to result in the accumulated voltage (XN) at the last ring oscillator (RON), an amplifier (3b) and a pulse signal generator (3c) that generates a pulse signal that actuates a switch (11) so that the stepped-up, output voltage may be provided via a diode (12). The invention further relates to a method for actuating the DC-DC converter (1) for a power source (2) generating extremely low voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2019
    Publication date: May 14, 2020
    Applicant: EM MICROELECTRONIC-MARIN S.A.
    Inventors: Mathieu COUSTANS, Yves THEODULOZ, Jerome SABY, Cyril MARTI, Mario DELLEA
  • Publication number: 20200133765
    Abstract: The present invention concerns an anti-tearing protection system (1) for a non-volatile memory (3) comprising a first memory block (5) and a second memory block (7), the first and second memory blocks (5, 7) being arranged to store a data set comprising user data and an error detection code obtained based on the user data. The first and second memory blocks (5, 7) can be read in a first read mode for determining logic states of data elements comprised in the data set according to the first read mode. The user data in a respective memory block are considered to be correct according to the first read mode if its error detection code equals a first given value. The first and second memory blocks (5, 7) can further be read in a second read mode for determining the logic states of the data elements comprised in data set according to the second read mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2019
    Publication date: April 30, 2020
    Applicant: EM MICROELECTRONIC MARIN S.A.
    Inventors: Tomas NOVAK, Filippo MARINELLI
  • Publication number: 20200106408
    Abstract: The present invention concerns a programmable power amplifier comprising: an amplifier core transistor circuit connected to an amplifier output node; a switch connected to the amplifier core transistor circuit, the switch being configured to switch on and off the amplifier core transistor circuit; and a feedback circuit of the amplifier core transistor circuit. The feedback circuit comprises a digital-to-analog converter and an operational amplifier having a first input node configured to receive a first reference signal; a second input node connected to the digital-to-analog converter; and an output node for outputting an operational amplifier output signal and connected to the amplifier core transistor circuit for controlling the amount of current flowing in the amplifier core transistor circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2018
    Publication date: April 2, 2020
    Applicant: EM Microelectronic-Marin S.A.
    Inventors: Robert R. Rotzoll, Kevin Scott Buescher
  • Publication number: 20200099107
    Abstract: The system (4) is provided for managing at least one sub-assembly (2) of an electric battery. Each sub-assembly comprises a plurality of power storage cells (12). The system includes, for each power storage cell, a circuit (14) for managing the state of the cell and a communication circuit (16), which is configured such that it receives and transmits data relative to the cell. The communication circuit is configured such that it transposes, over a carrier frequency, the data to be received and transmitted, the value of said carrier frequency being greater than or equal to 1 GHz. The management system further includes, for each sub-assembly, a loss cable (18) connecting the power storage cells of said sub-assembly. The loss cable acts as a waveguide and is coupled by capacitive coupling to the communication circuit of each power storage cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2019
    Publication date: March 26, 2020
    Applicant: EM Microelectronic-Marin SA
    Inventors: Thierry SCORDILIS, Jerome SABY, Arnaud CASAGRANDE, Luca DE ROSA
  • Publication number: 20200099366
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a detector circuit (10) being part of an RFID-device, and comprising: a bias current generator circuit (20) configured to generate an output bias current that is proportional to the square of a temperature-dependent input current, a first and a second FET-devices (21, 22), at least one of the first and the second FET-devices (21, 22) is biased by means of the output bias current of the bias current generator circuit (20) so that it operates in the sub-threshold region, an incoming RF-signal is coupled into at least one of the first and the second FET-devices, a current source (18) for generating a variable threshold current, and a comparator (19) for determining, on the basis of the variable threshold current and the incoming RF-signal, whether the value of the incoming RF-signal exceeds a threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2018
    Publication date: March 26, 2020
    Applicant: EM Microelectronic-Marin S.A.
    Inventors: Robert R. ROTZOLL, Kevin Scott BUESCHER
  • Patent number: 10581380
    Abstract: The self-polarised quartz oscillator circuit comprises an amplifier with an output which is connected to a first electrode of the quartz and an input which is connected to a second electrode of the quartz, an output capacitor which is connected to the first electrode of the quartz and an input capacitor which is connected to the second electrode of the quartz. The amplifier is polarised by a current through a MOS polarisation transistor, which is generated in an amplitude regulation assembly which comprises also an amplitude regulation stage. The second electrode of the quartz is connected to the gate of the polarisation transistor and to the amplitude regulation stage in order to modulate the polarisation current and to regulate the oscillation amplitude of the quartz.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: EM Microelectronic-Martin SA
    Inventors: Mathieu Coustans, Luca Rossi, Yves Godat
  • Patent number: 10564176
    Abstract: A capacitive accelerometer for measuring an acceleration value is provided, including a first and a second electrode; a third mobile electrode arranged therebetween, and forming with the first electrode a first capacitor, and with the second electrode a second capacitor, the third electrode being displaced when the accelerometer is subject to acceleration and generates a capacitance difference value transformable to electrical charges; a first and a second voltage source configured to selectively apply first and second voltages to the first and the second electrodes, respectively, and a third voltage to the third electrode, and to generate electrostatic forces acting on the third electrode, the first, second and/or third voltages applied during electrical charge transfers for collecting the electrical charges to measure the acceleration; and an electrostatic force compensator to compensate for missing electrostatic forces due to a modified charge transfer rate, a compensation amount dependent on the modified
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: EM Microelectronic-Marin SA
    Inventors: Sylvain Grosjean, Yonghong Tao, Jean-Michel Daga
  • Patent number: 10523157
    Abstract: A method for improving threshold accuracy in an RFID-device through offset cancellation, and including the steps of providing a comparator including a first and a second amplifiers, providing a current output digital-to-analogue converter, AC-coupling in an RF-signal into the detector circuit, during a first phase, applying a signal based on the RF-signal into the first amplifier while a current of the DAC is set to zero, and applying a current of the DAC into the second amplifier while a signal based on the RF-signal is set to zero, during a second phase, applying the current of the DAC into the first amplifier while the signal based on the RF-signal is set to zero, and applying the signal based on the RF-signal into the second amplifier while the current of the DAC is set to zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: EM Microelectronic-Marin SA
    Inventors: Robert R. Rotzoll, Kevin Scott Buescher
  • Patent number: 10509993
    Abstract: A method for providing identification and access with respect to a passive radio-frequency tag in a tag population, the passive tag being configured for receiving ACK commands including an identification parameter, the method including receiving an initiating command for identifying and accessing a tag, the initiating command including a slot number having a first value if a value in a slot counter of the tag is equal to the first value, then transitioning to an Open or a Secured state, otherwise transitioning to an Arbitrate state in a case where the tag has transitioned to the Arbitrate state, receiving a command for repeating a tag access request, referred to as repetition command, the command including a slot number having a second value, different from the first value, the second value being equal to the value in the slot counter of the tag, transitioning to the Open or Secured state, receiving an ACK command, ignoring the ACK command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: EM Microelectronic-Marin SA
    Inventors: James J Springer, Tomas Hrdy, Martin Jager
  • Publication number: 20190372808
    Abstract: An RFID circuit and to a demodulator for an RFID circuit, the demodulator including an input and at least one output, a clock extractor connected to the input, a comparator connected to at least one output, a finite impulse response FIR filter arrangement connected to the input and connected to the comparator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2019
    Publication date: December 5, 2019
    Applicant: EM Microelectronic-Marin SA
    Inventors: Alessandro VENCA, Michel MOSER
  • Publication number: 20190372458
    Abstract: The elementary pumping cell comprises an input (E) receiving an input voltage (Vin), a clock terminal (H) receiving a first clock signal (CK1) and an output (S), a first capacitor (C1) having a first terminal connected to the clock terminal and a second terminal, a first transistor (A1) having a first source/drain terminal coupled to the input, a second source/drain terminal and a gate terminal, a second transistor (A2) having a first source/drain terminal, a second source/drain terminal coupled to the input and a gate terminal coupled to the second terminal of the first capacitor, a third transistor (A3) having a first source/drain terminal coupled to the first source/drain terminal of the second transistor, a second source/drain terminal coupled to the gate terminal of the second transistor and a gate terminal coupled to the input, and a fourth transistor (A4) having a first source/drain terminal coupled to the second source/drain terminal of the first transistor, a second source/drain terminal coupled to t
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2019
    Publication date: December 5, 2019
    Applicant: EM Microelectronic-Marin SA
    Inventors: Mathieu COUSTANS, Lubomir PLAVEC, Mario DELLEA
  • Publication number: 20190310699
    Abstract: A power management integrated circuit including a reference signal generator, a start-up unit and a supervisory circuit. The supervisory circuit includes an electrical resistance circuit connected between a first end node and a second end node; a power supply input for receiving a supply voltage, this power supply input being connected to the first end node; a low reference potential node; a comparator for comparing a reference voltage value at a first input and a divided voltage value at a second input connected to an internal electrical node of the electrical resistance circuit, the comparator can output a monitoring signal. The supervisory circuit includes a switch controlled by the start-up unit so that the switch is selectively closed and opened based on a detected operational state of the reference signal generator indicating a normal functioning phase of the power management circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2019
    Publication date: October 10, 2019
    Applicant: EM Microelectronic-Marin SA
    Inventors: Jerome SABY, Matteo Contaldo, Yves Theoduloz
  • Patent number: 10429334
    Abstract: A humidity sensor is provided, including a silicon base plate on which several intermetallic dielectric layers, each of which is provided with a metallic zone, and a metal layer are disposed, wherein the metal layer is etched to form two electrodes, each including an armature provided with a plurality of arms, wherein each armature is mounted so that the arms are interlaced to have arms positioned to face one another. The sensor also includes a temperature module or a heating module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: EM Microelectronic-Marin SA
    Inventor: Pinchas Novac
  • Patent number: 10411648
    Abstract: The present invention concerns an electronic oscillator comprising: an LC resonant circuit comprising an inductive component and a capacitive component, the LC resonant circuit being connected to a first reference voltage node and to an oscillator output node; a first transistor connected to the oscillator output node and arranged to periodically operate in a conducting state and a non-conducting state; and a phase shift circuit. A phase shift circuit output is connected to the first transistor, while a phase shift circuit input is connected by a first feedback circuit to the oscillator output node. The phase shift circuit comprises a signal phase shifter for shifting the phase of a first feedback signal from the first feedback circuit by substantially 180 degrees.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: EM Microelectronic-Marin SA
    Inventors: Tu Cao-Thong, Mario Dellea
  • Patent number: 10361593
    Abstract: The Dual frequency HF-UHF identification device comprises a RFID integrated circuit with a power supply having a HF part, formed by a HF rectifier connected to a HF antenna, and a UHF part formed by a UHF rectifier connected to a UHF antenna. The RFID integrated circuit comprises a storage capacitor common to the HF and UHF parts of the power supply. The HF rectifier output and the UHF rectifier output are both continuously connected to the supply terminal of the common storage capacitor. Further, the supply terminal of the common storage capacitor is connected, on the one hand, to the output of the HF rectifier through a diode arranged so as to block a current from said supply terminal to the HF rectifier output and, on the other hand, directly to the output of the UHF rectifier formed by a charge pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignee: EM Microelectronic-Marin SA
    Inventors: Jiri Kolman, Goran Stojanovic, Catalin Lazar, Frederic Sacksteder