Abstract: The present invention relates in one aspect to a voltage regulation circuit for an RFID circuit (10), the voltage regulation circuit comprising: an input (20) connectable to a rectifier circuit (14), an output (22) connectable to a processor (18) of the RFID circuit, at least one switch (24) arranged between the input (20) and the output (22) and connected to the input (20) and the output (22), wherein the switch (24) is capable to electrically connect the output (22) to the input (20) and to disconnect the output (22) from the input (20).

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.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a capacitive accelerometer for measuring an acceleration value. The accelerometer comprises: a first electrode; a second electrode; a third, mobile electrode arranged between the first and second electrodes, and forming with the first electrode a first capacitor with a first capacitance value, and with the second electrode a second capacitor with a second capacitance value, the third electrode being arranged to be displaced when the capacitive accelerometer is subject to acceleration thereby arranged to generate a capacitance difference value between the first and second capacitances transformable to electrical charges; a first voltage source and a second voltage source for selectively applying a first voltage value to the first electrode, a second voltage value to the second electrode and a third voltage value to the third electrode, and arranged to generate electrostatic forces acting on the third electrode.

Abstract: A receiver unit for a radio frequency (RF) tag is provided, including a first input terminal and a second input terminal each being connected to an antenna; a communication stage configured to demodulate and/or to modulate an incoming signal in the communication stage; and a power stage including a voltage converter circuit being configured to supply power to the receiver unit, and a regulation circuit being configured to limit an output voltage of the voltage converter circuit, wherein the regulation circuit includes a regulator circuit being configured to determine a first current value and a second current value, the second current value being a current value provided in addition to the first current value, and, if the second current value exceeds a predetermined threshold value, to supply a control signal to a limiter circuit configured to limit an input voltage of the voltage converter circuit.

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.

Abstract: A method for transmitting a beacon message, the method generating, with a beacon generating device at least one beacon message, wherein the at least one beacon message is defined by a beacon message format, wherein the beacon message format comprises a preamble field, an access address field, a protocol data unit (PDU) field and a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) field, wherein the PDU field comprises at least one electronic product code (EPC) encoded EPC-PDU field, and transmitting, with the beacon generating device, the at least one beacon message using a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) wireless communication protocol to a transmission area within a transmission range of the beacon generating device for reception by one or more beacon receiving devices located in the transmission area.

Abstract: An integrated circuit die having at least two bond pads, a redistribution layer, the redistribution layer including at least one solder pad including comprising two portions arranged to enable an electrical connection between each other by a same solder ball placed on the solder pad, but electrically isolated of each other in the absence of a solder ball on the solder pad at least two redistribution wires, each one connecting one of the two portions to one of the two bond pads, a first bond pad connected via a first redistribution wire to a first portion of the solder pad being dedicated to digital ground and a second bond pad connected via a second redistribution wire to a second portion of the solder pad being dedicated to analog ground.

Abstract: The invention relates to an electronic system comprising: an integrated circuit die having: at least 2 bond pads a redistribution layer, said redistribution layer having: at least a solder pad comprising 2 portions arranged to enable an electrical connection between each other by a same solder ball placed on said solder pad, but electrically isolated of each other in the absence of a solder ball on the solder pad at least 2 redistribution wires, each one connecting one of the 2 portions to one of the 2 bond pads, a second bond pad connected via a second redistribution wire to a second portion of the solder pad being dedicated to testing said integrated circuit die a grounded printed circuit board track, a solder ball being placed between the solder pad and the printed circuit board track.

Abstract: The electronic memory device comprises a non-volatile memory matrix organized in rows and columns, an address decoder with address input lines for selecting a row according to a particular address given on the address input lines. Additional address mask input lines are provided, each address mask input line being assigned to an address input line, wherein an address mask input line in activated state has the effect of ignoring the assigned address input line. The method for testing said electronic memory device is performed with a significant lower number of read/write operations, since by ignoring a particular address line a plurality of write operations can be performed simultaneously.

Abstract: An electronic device including: a calculation unit configured to generate a signal representative of a physical magnitude, for a motor driving a display device, the motor including two terminals, one positive and one negative, via which the calculation unit controls the motor; at least one shock detection circuit connected between the calculation unit and one terminal of the motor for detection of an external shock applied to the motor. The shock detection circuit includes a comparison part comparing an induced voltage generated in the motor following a shock to a predetermined reference voltage to identify a shock, and a selection part.

Abstract: A memory circuit is provided, including at least one bit cell configured to store data and having a first terminal and a second terminal, one of the terminals being coupled to a bit-line; at least one current switch connected to the bit-line and connected to a current source and being configured to selectively provide at least a read current to the bit cell; and a sense amplifier having at least one input connected to a sensing node on the bit-line, wherein the sensing node is disposed between the bit cell and the at least one current switch.

Abstract: A DC-DC converter (1) with low start-up power and voltage includes an inductor (3) connected to an input voltage source (2), a switch (11) connected to the inductor and controlled by a controller (10) and a diode (12) connected to a connection node of the inductor and the switch to provide an output voltage (Vout). The controller includes an oscillator and a monostable element, which are powered by the input voltage (Vin). The oscillator provides an oscillation signal (OSC) having a period T of a switching cycle of the switch. The monostable element (103) is controlled by the oscillation signal to determine a duration Tn of conduction of the switch, during which an increasing current (IL) flows through the inductor. The input impedance of the DC-DC converter increases, when the input voltage (Vin) drops below a first voltage threshold with a decreasing duty cycle d=Tn/T.

Abstract: A communication beacon including a calculation unit associated with a memory module for data storage and with a communication circuit, the beacon being powered by a power unit, the communication circuit including a first interface unit using a first protocol, a second interface unit using a second protocol, the memory unit including a first memory unit and a second memory unit each memory unit being electrically connected to each interface unit.

Abstract: A method for transmitting a beacon message, the method generating, with a beacon generating device at least one beacon message, wherein the at least one beacon message is defined by a beacon message format, wherein the beacon message format comprises a preamble field, an access address field, a protocol data unit (PDU) field and a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) field, wherein the PDU field comprises at least one electronic product code (EPC) encoded EPC-PDU field, and transmitting, with the beacon generating device, the at least one beacon message using a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) wireless communication protocol to a transmission area within a transmission range of the beacon generating device for reception by one or more beacon receiving devices located in the transmission area.

Abstract: The time base includes an oscillator generating a periodic signal, a frequency divider circuit formed by a division chain defining several division stages and a circuit for adjusting the divided frequency by inhibiting, in each inhibition period of a plurality of successive inhibition periods, an integer number of clocking pulses at the input of a given stage of the division chain. The time base is arranged to produce, in each inhibition period, a first real number corresponding to the real number of clocking pulses that must be removed to be precise and the adjustment circuit is arranged to calculate, in each inhibition period, a second real number equal to the addition of the first real number and the fractional part of the second real number obtained in the preceding inhibition period, the integer part of this second real number defining the number of clocking pulses to be inhibited in each inhibition period.

Abstract: The motor driver of an horological motor consumes an important part of the electrical energy of the electronic circuit due to the fact that configuration data has to be transferred to configuration registers before each turn/step. In order to reduce the power consumption a circuitry is proposed, which detects a change in at least one of the configuration registers. This detection is used to trigger a refresh of the configuration registers only when actually a change in at least one of these configuration registers occurs.

Abstract: A half-duplex passive transponder including: a resonant circuit including an antenna and input capacitor and configured to allow an electrical signal to oscillate in the resonant circuit when periodically receiving across the antenna an activation signal from a reader; at least one switch between the input capacitor and a storage capacitor so the two capacitors are in parallel when the switch is turned on; a peak voltage detector configured to measure amplitude of the electrical signal oscillating in the resonant circuit; and a variable voltage threshold determination circuit configured to trigger each of plucking pulses when voltage of the oscillating electrical signal substantially attains a variable voltage threshold in a respective period before an extremum of the oscillating electrical signal and in a half-cycle of the extremum, to thus deliver plucking pulses during a transmission period in the resonant circuit to maintain a certain amplitude of the oscillating electrical signal.

Abstract: The present invention relates in one aspect to an auxiliary charge pump for a RFID rectifier, the charge pump, which comprises a first charge pump stage (11; 111) connected to an input (14; 114), a second charge pump stage (12; 112) connected to the input, a diode clamp (13; 113) connected to an output (15; 115), and a regulating transistor (16; 116) having a gate connected with an output (21; 121) of the first charge pump stage and having a source and a drain, wherein one of the source and the drain is coupled to the diode clamp. In further aspects the invention relates to a RFID transponder, to a multistage rectifier and to a rectifier stage comprising such an auxiliary charge pump.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a transponder, which comprises an antenna and a multi-stage rectifier. The antenna is connected to an input of the multi-stage rectifier having m rectifier stages, and a shunt limiter is connected to an output of the rectifier and connected to an nth stage of the multi-stage rectifier, wherein n<m.

Abstract: A circuit (1) is described for detecting a reverse current condition of a DCDC converter (2). This circuit uses a simple logic gate such as an AND gate to sense the voltage on a determined node (7) of the DCDC converter, and the propagation of the gated signal (27) is controlled using the timing control signals SW1 and SW2 of the DCDC converter, together with delay cells (16 and 17), to ensure that the positive or negative state of the sensed voltage at said node (7) is propagated cleanly through the logic gate (18), the flip-flop or latch circuit (19) and the up-down counter (29) to the output timing control circuit (25). The up-down counter is incremented or decremented in dependence on the presence or absence of a reverse current condition at said node, and the count value (24) of the up-down counter determines the duration of the on-period of the second-phase timing control signal SW2.