Patents Assigned to NXP
  • VOLTAGE REGULATOR AND METHOD FOR OPERATING A VOLTAGE REGULATOR
    Publication number: 20190199210
    Abstract: Embodiments of voltage regulators and methods for operating a voltage regulator are described. In one embodiment, a voltage regulator includes a power stage configured to convert an input direct current (DC) voltage into an output DC voltage, a driver device configured to drive the power stage, a timer configured to generate a constant on-time signal, a ripple generation device configured to generate a ripple signal, a comparator configured to perform voltage comparison in response to the ripple signal to generate an input to the timer, and a controller configured to generate a drive signal for the driver device in response to an inductor peak current in the voltage regulator and the constant on-time signal. Other embodiments are also described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2017
    Publication date: June 27, 2019
    Applicant: NXP USA, INC.
    Inventor: Bin Shao
  • RIPPLE GENERATION DEVICE AND METHOD FOR A CONSTANT ON-TIME VOLTAGE REGULATOR
    Publication number: 20190199209
    Abstract: Embodiments of ripple generation devices for a constant on-time voltage regulator and methods for ripple generation for a constant on-time voltage regulator are described. In one embodiment, a ripple generation device for a constant on-time voltage regulator includes a ripple generator configured to generate a ripple signal, a detector operably connected to the ripple generator and configured to detect a difference between an amplitude of the ripple signal and at least one reference amplitude and a feedback controller operably connected to the ripple generator and the detector and configured to generate a control signal for controlling the amplitude of the ripple signal based on the detected difference. Other embodiments are also described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2017
    Publication date: June 27, 2019
    Applicant: NXP USA, INC.
    Inventor: Bin Shao
  • UNMANNED VEHICLE RADAR SYSTEM
    Publication number: 20190198985
    Abstract: The embodiments described herein provide radar systems for use on unmanned vehicles. The radar systems can be applied to a wide variety of unmanned vehicles, including unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned land vehicles. In general, the unmanned vehicle comprises a housing having at least one propulsion motor, a radar processing unit coupled to the body, and an antenna. In accordance with the embodiments described herein, the antenna includes an antenna body defining at least one transmitting waveguide and at least one receiving waveguide coupled to the radar processing unit. The antenna body is formed from plastic and includes metalized surface. In one embodiment, the antenna body is formed from 3-dimensional (3D) plastic printing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2017
    Publication date: June 27, 2019
    Applicant: NXP USA, INC.
    Inventors: Ernst Seler, Ziqiang Tong
  • METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING A LOCATION OF A MOBILE DEVICE
    Publication number: 20190195981
    Abstract: Embodiments of methods for determining a location of a mobile device, a mobile device, and a location beacon system are described. In an embodiment, a method for determining a location of a mobile device involves receiving, at a dual-antenna receiver of the mobile device, a plurality of ultra wide band (UWB) signals from a group of unsynchronized beacons having a quadrilateral formation, at the mobile device, determining angle of arrival (AoA) information from the UWB signals, and at the mobile device, calculating the location of the mobile device based on the AoA information. Other embodiments are also described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2017
    Publication date: June 27, 2019
    Applicant: NXP B.V.
    Inventors: Jingfeng Ding, Ghiath Al-kadi, Erich Merlin
  • Sigma-delta modulator
    Patent number: 10333545
    Abstract: Proposed is a sigma-delta modulator circuit. The circuit comprises a loopfilter having at least one integrator or resonator section; and a feed-forward path adapted to provide a feed-forward signal to the output of the at least one integrator or resonator section via a filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventor: Lucien Johannes Breems
  • Angular rate sensor with in-phase motion suppression structure
    Patent number: 10330476
    Abstract: An angular rate sensor includes four Coriolis masses, configured such that the Coriolis masses move along perpendicular drive and sense axes, and a lever mechanism having first and second sets of levers. The first set of levers is coupled outside a boundary of the Coriolis masses, and the second set of levers is coupled within a boundary of the first set of levers and between the Coriolis masses. The second set of levers is configured to produce an anti-phase drive mode motion of the Coriolis masses along the drive axis. The first set of levers is configured to allow an anti-phase sense mode motion of the Coriolis masses along the sense axis responsive to the angular rate sensor rotating around an input axis that is perpendicular to the drive and sense axes. The first and second sets of levers are configured to constrain an in-phase motion of the Coriolis masses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: NXP USA, Inc.
    Inventor: Peng Shao
  • Segmented electrode structure for quadrature reduction in an integrated device
    Patent number: 10330475
    Abstract: An integrated device includes a MEMS device, such as a gyroscope, having a movable mass spaced apart from a substrate, the movable mass being configured to oscillate in a drive direction relative to the substrate. The integrated device further comprises an integrated circuit (IC) die having a surface coupled with the MEMS device such that the movable mass is interposed between the substrate and the surface of the IC die. An electrode structure is formed on the surface of the IC die, the electrode structure including a plurality of electrode segments vertically spaced apart from the movable mass. Openings extend through the movable mass and the electrode segments overlie the openings. Suitably selected electrode segments can be activated to electrostatically attract the movable mass toward sense electrodes vertically spaced apart from the MEMS to reduce quadrature motion of the movable mass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: NXP USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Thierry Cassagnes, Gerhard Trauth, Margaret Leslie Kniffin, Aaron A. Geisberger
  • Controller for a synchronous rectification MOSFET, a switched mode power converter, and a control method
    Patent number: 10333411
    Abstract: There is disclosed a controller configured to control a synchronous rectification MOSFET having a drain, a source and a gate; the controller comprising a regulator configured to regulate a voltage between the drain and the source to a first regulation voltage, and a gate charger operable during a turn-on phase of the synchronous rectification MOSFET operation and configured to regulate a voltage between the drain and the source to a second regulation voltage having a larger absolute value than the absolute value of the first regulation voltage, wherein the gate charger is further configured to, when in operation, disable the regulator. Also disclosed is a switched mode power converter comprising such a synchronous rectification MOSFET, and a method for controlling such a synchronous rectification MOSFET.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventors: Jan Dikken, Jeroen Kleinpenning
  • Apparatus comprising multiple power converters with real or artifical hysteresis
    Patent number: 10333402
    Abstract: An apparatus is described, comprising: a first power converter with real or artificial hysteresis; a second power converter with real or artificial hysteresis; and a control circuit configured to output a control signal dependent on a phase difference or frequency difference between the first and second power converters; wherein the apparatus is configured such that a magnitude of hysteresis of at least one of said first and second power converters is controlled by said control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventor: Henricus Cornelis Johannes Buthker
  • Method and device for data streaming in a mobile communication system
    Patent number: 10334008
    Abstract: Interfacing between radio units in a base station in a mobile communication system uses a common public radio interface CPRI for streaming IQ data samples arranged in lanes. A separate serial interface sRIO is now additionally used for transferring selected data samples arranged in packets, the selected samples corresponding to selected lanes streamed between other radio units via the common public radio interface. In the radio unit, the selected data samples are arranged in packets to be transmitted via the serial interface, and, vice versa, the selected data samples arranged in packets received via the serial interface are arranged in lanes. A system timer coupled to the CPRI generates a timebase for controlling the sRIO interface in order to have it synchronized. Advantageously the data sample transfer capacity of the streaming CPRI interface is extended using the packet based serial interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: NXP USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Roy Shor, Ori Goren, Avraham Horn, Avraham Rabinovich
  • Quadrature error compensation circuit for a MEMS gyroscope
    Patent number: 10330474
    Abstract: MEMS gyroscopes are often integrated in modern electronic products for measuring orientation or rotation in those products. However, these MEMS gyroscopes are often inaccurate. The invention provides a compensation circuit to compensate for errors causing a distortion of a measured Coriolis force. The compensation circuit demodulates an input signal provided by the MEMS gyroscope to produce a quadrature signal indicative of the quadrature error and provides a compensation signal to the MEMS gyroscope for actively compensating the quadrature error.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: NXP USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Hugues Beaulaton, Philippe Patrick Calmettes, Thierry Dominique Yves Cassagnes
  • Receiver
    Patent number: 10333641
    Abstract: A receiver node for use in a digital broadcast system, comprising a receiver configured to receive a signal containing a service encoded with an error correcting code for decoding and wherein said receiver is further configured to ignore the signal during an ignore period, the node configured to use said error correcting code and the encoded service received outside the ignore period to reconstruct the part of the service ignored by the receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventor: Martin Kessel
  • Magnetic field sensor with coil structure and method of fabrication
    Patent number: 10330741
    Abstract: A method includes forming first coil segments in an electrically conductive layer of an active silicon substrate, forming a magnetic sense element over an electrically insulating layer of the active silicon substrate, the magnetic sense element being separated from the first coil segments in the electrically conductive layer by the electrically insulating layer. A protective layer is formed over the magnetic sense element. Conductive vias are formed extending through the protective layer and the electrically insulating layer to electrically couple with the first coil segments, and second coil segments are formed over the protective layer, the second coil segments electrically coupling with the conductive vias to produce a coil structure of the first coil segments, the conductive vias, and the second coil segments, with the coil structure surrounding the magnetic sense element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventor: Mark Isler
  • Fringe Capacitor for High Resolution ADC
    Publication number: 20190189350
    Abstract: A fringe capacitor with a shielded the top capacitor plate is formed in multiple interconnect layers to include a first plate having a first defined finger structure located in one or more middle interconnect layers to form a top capacitor plate; a set of second plates located in the middle interconnect layer(s) and bottom and top interconnect layers that are connected to form a bottom capacitor plate which includes a second plate in the middle interconnect layer(s) having defined finger structures that are interleaved with the first defined finger structure of the top capacitor plate to vertically and horizontally sandwich the top capacitor plate; and a set of shield layers formed to surround and shield the top capacitor plate on lateral sides, where the set of shield layers are connected to a reference voltage, thereby shielding the top capacitor plate from parasitic capacitance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2017
    Publication date: June 20, 2019
    Applicant: NXP USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Mohammad N. Kabir, Paul L. Hunt, Rakesh Shiwale, Brandt Braswell
  • RF switches, integrated circuits, and devices with multi-gate field effect transistors and voltage leveling circuits, and methods of their fabrication
    Patent number: 10326440
    Abstract: Embodiments of field effect transistor (FET) circuits, RF switches, and devices include source and drain terminals coupled to an active surface of a semiconductor substrate, a channel in the substrate between the source and drain terminals, and a plurality of gate structures coupled to the active surface over the channel. A channel contact is coupled to the active surface over the channel between a first pair of the gate structures, and a first capacitor is electrically coupled between the channel contact and a gate structure of the plurality of gate structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: NXP USA, Inc.
    Inventor: Venkata Naga Koushik Malladi
  • Monotonic counter and method of operating a monotonic counter
    Patent number: 10326453
    Abstract: The present application relates to a system hosting a monotonic counter and a method of operating the system. The system comprises a non-volatile memory (110) for holding a save counter value and a volatile memory (120) for maintaining a current counter value. The system (100) is configured during a startup phase to retrieve the saved counter value of the monotonic counter from the non-volatile memory (110); to detect whether a previous shutdown of the system (100) was an uncontrolled shutdown; and to adjust the retrieved counter value in accordance with a step size (130) provided at the system (100) in case an previous uncontrolled shutdown is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventors: Thierry G. C. Walrant, Bernd Uwe Gerhard Elend, Andreas Bening
  • Apparatus and associated methods for collision avoidance
    Patent number: 10325508
    Abstract: An apparatus comprising a hand-portable electronic device including a detection-and-ranging element configured to provide spatial information of one or more physical objects in a space around the hand-held portable electronic device for collision avoidance, the detection-and-ranging element configured to transmit one or more electromagnetic, wireless detection signals and configured to detect one or more reflections of said one or more electromagnetic, wireless detection signals from the one or more objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventors: Holger Mahnke, Abdellatif Zanati, Michael Doescher, Gennaro Gentile
  • Mobile device, base structure, system and method for recovery of 3D parameters of low frequency magnetic field vectors
    Patent number: 10325431
    Abstract: Disclosed are: a mobile device, in particular a mobile Passive Keyless Entry, PKE, key device, and an associated method for providing 3D field values of a magnetic field H; an evaluation device for use in a PKE system having a Mobile device and an associated method for determining the direction of a magnetic field vector H=(x, y, z), which is present locally at a position of a 3D antenna of the mobile device; and a PKE system having a PKE base structure, to which preferably the mobile device is associated and which has at least a first base structure antenna, which is operable to emit the, particularly low frequency, magnetic field, the mobile PKE device and the evaluation unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventors: Wolfgang Eber, Bernhard Spiess, Marcin Tomasz Bawolski, Matja{hacek over (z)} Gu{hacek over (s)}tin
  • Electromagnetic device for damping a first circuit with respect to a second circuit
    Patent number: 10326536
    Abstract: One example discloses an electromagnetic device, including: a first circuit, configured to generate a first electromagnetic field; a second circuit responsive to the first electromagnetic field; a damping circuit configured to generate a second electromagnetic field in response to a current induced by the first electromagnetic field; and wherein the second electromagnetic field reduces the second circuit's responsiveness to the first electromagnetic field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventor: Anthony Kerselaers
  • RF switches, integrated circuits, and devices with multi-gate field effect transistors and voltage leveling circuits, and methods of their fabrication
    Patent number: 10326018
    Abstract: Embodiments of field effect transistor (FET) circuits, RF switches, and devices include source and drain terminals coupled to an active surface of a semiconductor substrate, a channel in the substrate between the source and drain terminals, and a plurality of gate structures coupled to the active surface over the channel. A channel contact is coupled to the active surface over the channel between a pair of the gate structures. A first capacitor is electrically coupled between the channel contact and the source terminal, and a second capacitor is electrically coupled between the channel contact and the drain terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: NXP USA, Inc.
    Inventor: Venkata Naga Koushik Malladi