Patents Assigned to NORDIC Semiconductor ASA
  • Patent number: 11954497
    Abstract: A method and system for moving data from a source memory to a destination memory by a processor are disclosed. The processor has a plurality of registers and the source memory stores a sequence of instructions that include one or more load instructions and one or more store instructions. The processor moves the load instructions from the source memory to the destination memory. Then, the processor initiates execution of the load instructions from the destination memory in order to load the data from the source memory to one or more registers in the processor. Execution then returns to the sequence of instructions stored in the source memory, and the processor stores the data from the registers to the destination memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Nordic Semiconductor ASA
    Inventor: Chris Smith
  • Patent number: 11955983
    Abstract: Analog to digital conversion circuitry has an input sampling buffer, which has an input sampling capacitor for sampling an analog signal. The conversion circuitry also has a successive-approximation-register analog to digital converter (SAR-ADC) which converts the sampled analog signal to a digital signal. The input sampling buffer has an amplifier and a gain-control capacitor, and has an amplification configuration and an error-feedback configuration. In the amplification configuration, the input sampling capacitor is coupled to the amplifier and gain-control capacitor, with the gain-control capacitor connected in feedback with the amplifier, for applying gain to the sampled analog signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Nordic Semiconductor ASA
    Inventors: Erlend Strandvik, Harald Garvik
  • Publication number: 20240107475
    Abstract: A radio receiver device is disclosed. The radio receiver device is configured to receive a radio signal comprising a data packet, said data packet comprising a first portion comprising an encoded bit sequence and including information specific to the data packet and a second portion comprising an encoded bit sequence and comprising corresponding information specific to the data packet. The radio receiver device is configured to calculate a correlation metric using the first portion and the second portion; and to estimate a carrier frequency offset between the radio signal and the radio receiver device using the correlation metric.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2023
    Publication date: March 28, 2024
    Applicant: Nordic Semiconductor ASA
    Inventor: Karthik KHANNA
  • Publication number: 20240097962
    Abstract: A receiver apparatus for receiving an OFDM radio signal comprising a first plurality of subcarrier-symbols, modulated on a corresponding plurality of subcarriers, and a second plurality of subcarrier-symbols, modulated on the corresponding plurality of subcarriers, to generate first and second bit sequences, the first bit sequence being an interleaved version of the second bit sequence according to a predetermined interleave function. Soft-output decoder logic generates a first soft-bit sequence for the first plurality of subcarrier-symbols, and a second soft-bit sequence for the second plurality of subcarrier-symbols. Combiner logic combines the soft-bit sequences, with the soft-bit sequences either both in an interleaved state or both in a non-interleaved state, by combining a respective soft-bit having a bit position in the first soft-bit sequence with a respective soft-bit having a same bit position in the second soft-bit sequence.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2023
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Applicant: Nordic Semiconductor ASA
    Inventors: George VARGHESE, Karthik Khanna SUBRAMANI
  • Publication number: 20240097818
    Abstract: A receiver apparatus is configured to receive a radio-frequency signal comprising a first subcarrier comprising first subcarrier symbols and a second subcarrier comprising second subcarrier symbols, wherein the first subcarrier symbols and the second subcarrier symbols both encode a same bit sequence in a respective first subcarrier symbol and a second subcarrier symbol. Soft-output decoder logic calculates respective log-likelihood ratios for each of the first subcarrier symbols and generates a first output sequence comprising the respective log-likelihood ratios calculated for the first subcarrier symbols and similarly generates a second output sequence.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2023
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Applicant: Nordic Semiconductor ASA
    Inventor: George VARGHESE
  • Publication number: 20240094789
    Abstract: An integrated-circuit device comprises a resettable source register in a first reset domain. A destination circuit, outside the first reset domain, is arranged to sample an output of the resettable source register. A digital logic module causes a central reset controller to output a reset-warning signal in response to receiving a request to reset first reset domain, and to reset the first domain after a predetermined delay period from outputting the reset-warning signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2022
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Applicant: Nordic Semiconductor ASA
    Inventors: Ari OJA, Martin Olof OLSSON
  • Patent number: 11936501
    Abstract: A radio receiver tunes a radio channel by generating a periodic signal, mixing the periodic signal with received radio signals and passing the mixed signal through a channel filter that has a passband that corresponds to the bandwidth of the tuned channel. The receiver receives allocation information identifying a set of subcarriers in the tuned channel on which to receive an OFDM data signal. It uses this information to receive the OFDM data, modulated on the allocated subcarriers. When the allocated subcarriers span an allocated frequency range that is less than the width of the tuned channel and that is offset from the centre of the tuned channel in an offset direction, the receiver offsets the channel filter from the centre of the tuned channel in the offset direction such that the channel filter passes i) said OFDM data signal, ii) an in-allocation reference signal, and iii) an out-of-channel reference signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Nordic Semiconductor ASA
    Inventor: Kjell Östman
  • Publication number: 20240080111
    Abstract: There is provided a method of testing an RF transceiver circuit and an RF transceiver circuit arranged to be operable in a test mode comprising a transmitter circuit portion and a receiver circuit portion, the receiver circuit portion including a mixer. The method involves the transmitter circuit portion generating a modulated signal and the receiver circuit portion receiving a continuous radio frequency wave. The mixer mixes the modulated signal with a signal derived from the continuous radio frequency wave to produce an output. A remainder of the receiver circuit portion processes the output of the mixer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2021
    Publication date: March 7, 2024
    Applicant: Nordic Semiconductor ASA
    Inventors: Tor Øyvind VEDAL, Sverre WICHLUND, Stein Erik WEBERG
  • Patent number: 11923805
    Abstract: An oscillator arrangement is provided, comprising a relaxation oscillator having an active state and an inactive state; a bias current circuit portion arranged to provide a bias current to the relaxation oscillator during said active state; and an electronic switch arranged to isolate said relaxation oscillator from the bias current circuit portion when in said inactive state. The oscillator arrangement is arranged to store an internal voltage value associated with said bias current and the bias current circuit portion is arranged to use the stored internal voltage value to generate the bias current when the oscillator is started up from the inactive state to the active state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Nordic Semiconductor ASA
    Inventors: Mikko Lintonen, Jarmo Väänänen
  • Publication number: 20240072749
    Abstract: A control portion for controlling an amplifier portion of a transmitter device is provided. The amplifier portion is arranged to amplify a radio signal with a transmission gain based at least partially on a gain control signal and having a nominal gain relationship between the gain control signal and the transmission gain. The control portion is arranged to determine a desired transmission gain, to determine one or more operating conditions, to calculate a gain control signal for causing the amplifier portion to apply the desired transmission gain, taking into account the nominal gain relationship and the one or more operating conditions, and to output said gain control signal. The gain control signal is different to a gain control signal calculated based only on the nominal gain relationship.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2023
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Applicant: Nordic Semiconductor ASA
    Inventors: Paal KASTNES, Czeslaw MAKARSKI, Jedrzej CIUPIS, Andrzej KUROS, Artur HADASZ, Piotr SLAWECKI, Dawid PRZYBYLO
  • Patent number: 11917402
    Abstract: A method of digital radio communication between a first device and a second device is disclosed. An advertising packet is transmitted between first and second devices, wherein the packet includes a first address and a data portion. Additionally, an encryption key is transmitted between the devices. The first device generates a second address by encrypting an identity value derived from part of the first address using the encryption key and the data portion. The result is encrypted to generate second portion of the second address. The first device then transmits a connection request including the second address. The second device decrypts the second portion and uses the encryption key to determine correspondence with the first portion. If said correspondence is determined, the second device decrypts the first portion using at least the encryption key and compares it to an expected identity value derived from the first address.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Nordic Semiconductor ASA
    Inventors: Carsten Wulff, Pål Håland
  • Patent number: 11914445
    Abstract: An electronic device comprising a system on chip and an external module. The system on chip includes a plurality of internal subsystems and a power management system including a plurality of internal voltage regulators which supply power to the plurality of internal subsystems. Each of the internal voltage regulators has an associated current limiter. The external module includes at least one external voltage regulator which can provide power to at least one of the internal subsystems. The power management system during a start-up phase enables the internal voltage regulators and the current limiters and in a subsequent phase determines an externally powered set of the internal subsystems, disables the corresponding internal voltage regulators, and disables the current limiters associated with the internal subsystems not externally powered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Nordic Semiconductor ASA
    Inventors: Bartosz Gajda, Frode Pedersen
  • Patent number: 11909414
    Abstract: A circuit portion comprising a clock domain is disclosed. A first clock is arranged to clock components in the clock domain. An analogue to digital converter is clocked by a second clock with a duty cycle. The second clock is derived from the first clock. The analogue to digital converter is arranged to output a feedback signal upon finishing a conversion of a sample, and the feedback signal is arranged to control the duty cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Nordic Semiconductor ASA
    Inventors: Henrik Fon, Tor Øyvind Vedal
  • Publication number: 20240057042
    Abstract: A radio transmitter is configured to operate in accordance with a first predetermined OFDM radio protocol. The transmitter reserves, within a timeslot with a predetermined timeslot duration, a reserved set of time-frequency resource units not available for an OFDM data channel defined by the first protocol. The transmitter allocates, within the timeslot, an allocated set of R time-frequency resource units for the OFDM data channel defined by the first protocol, wherein a number M of time-frequency resource units are included in both the allocated set and the reserved set, wherein the value R is such that R>N and R?M?N, where N is a predetermined maximum number of time-frequency resource units that can be used to carry the data channel. The transmitter then transmits data indicative of the allocated set of R time-frequency resource units and data indicative of the reserved set of time-frequency resource units.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2023
    Publication date: February 15, 2024
    Applicant: Nordic Semiconductor ASA
    Inventors: Karol SCHOBER, Mauri NISSILÄ
  • Publication number: 20240056894
    Abstract: A digital radio transmitter device operates in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol that defines a default inter-frame spacing. The device has a minimum inter-frame spacing that is shorter than said default inter-frame spacing. The device is configured to: transmit a first data packet indicating that the device is able to support an inter-frame spacing shorter than said default inter-frame spacing; receive a second data packet from a peer device after said default inter-frame spacing; if said second data packet indicates that said peer device is able to support an inter-frame spacing shorter than said default inter-frame spacing, transmit a third data packet using an inter-frame spacing shorter than said default inter-frame spacing; and if said second data packet does not indicate that said peer device is able to support an inter-frame spacing shorter than said default inter-frame spacing, transmit said third packet using said default inter-frame spacing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2021
    Publication date: February 15, 2024
    Applicant: Nordic Semiconductor ASA
    Inventor: Pål HÅLAND
  • Publication number: 20240044979
    Abstract: An integrated-circuit chip and method of operating said chip is provided. The integrated-circuit chip includes multiple processors, a system memory and a main system bus for carrying data between each of the processors and the system memory. The chip also has debug logic, a debug port for communicating with the debug logic from outside the chip and a debug connection that connects the debug logic to the main system bus. A power management system is also included for controlling the power supplied to each of a number of power domains on the chip. The debug logic and each of the processors are in different respective power domains. The debug logic is configured to send a debug instruction to any of the processors. The debug instruction is communicated over the debug connection and over the main system bus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2022
    Publication date: February 8, 2024
    Applicant: Nordic Semiconductor ASA
    Inventor: Hannu TALVITIE
  • Patent number: 11881778
    Abstract: A circuit portion comprises a DCDC converter that is configured to charge and discharge an inductor according to a duty cycle to provide current to an output load. A duty module is configured to determine the duty cycle such that the DCDC converter will output a target current. A duty limiter module is configured to cause the inductor to discharge early if the determined duty cycle exceeds a threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: Nordic Semiconductor ASA
    Inventor: Samuli Hallikainen
  • Patent number: 11881285
    Abstract: According to an aspect, there are provided an apparatus and a method for providing an access to a memory circuit. A read enable input initializing a wait state counter configured to count a predetermined number of clock cycles is received (200) and the wait state counter output is monitored. A memory ready signal output is received (202) from the memory circuit at a synchronizer input and the output signal of the synchronizer is monitored. An ON-state data ready signal is provided (204) when either the wait state counter has elapsed, or the output signal of the synchronizer is in ON-state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: Nordic Semiconductor ASA
    Inventor: Jussi Takkala
  • Publication number: 20240022210
    Abstract: An amplitude regulator circuit portion is arranged to supply a current to an inverter in an oscillator circuit. The regulator monitors a voltage at the input terminal of the inverter and varies the current supplied to the inverter in response to the monitored voltage. The amplitude regulator comprises first, second, and third PMOS transistors, and first and second NMOS transistors and is arranged such that an input node is connected to the input terminal of the inverter, a respective gate terminal of each of the first and second NMOS transistors, and a respective drain terminal of the first NMOS and first PMOS transistors. The amplitude regulator also comprises a back-bias circuit portions arranged to vary a back-bias voltage at a back-gate terminal of the second NMOS transistor, to vary a threshold voltage, where the threshold voltage of the second NMOS transistor is lower than that of the first NMOS transistor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2021
    Publication date: January 18, 2024
    Applicant: Nordic Semiconductor ASA
    Inventor: Hsin-Ta WU
  • Publication number: 20240004805
    Abstract: There is disclosed an electronic device and a method of operating an electronic device. It has peripherals which each have one or more event outputs or task inputs, connected to a peripheral interconnect. The device also has a controller for configuring the peripheral interconnect and a memory, which are communicatively coupled to a bus system. The peripheral interconnect receives configuration data from the controller, which selectively connects peripheral event outputs and task inputs. The controller uses the bus system to access a sequence of instructions in a script stored in the memory. Each instruction in the sequence identifies a peripheral task input, event output and a second peripheral event output. Each subsequent instruction in the sequence is implemented in response to detecting an event signalled from the second peripheral event output identified by the preceding instruction in the sequence.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2021
    Publication date: January 4, 2024
    Applicant: Nordic Semiconductor ASA
    Inventors: Pål HÅLAND, Carsten WULFF