Abstract: The present invention provides a semiconductor device comprising a plurality of layers, the semiconductor device comprising:—a substrate having a first major surface,—an inductive element fabricated on the first major surface of the substrate, the inductive element comprising at least one conductive line, and—a plurality of tilling structures in at least one layer, wherein the plurality of tilling structures are electrically connected together and are arranged in a geometrical pattern so as to substantially inhibit an inducement of an image current in the tilling structures by a current in the inductive element. It is an advantage of the above semiconductor device that, by using such tilling structures, an inductive element with improved quality factor is obtained. The present invention also provides a method for providing an inductive element in a semiconductor device comprising a plurality of layers.

Abstract: A current steering Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC), a video adapter including a current steering DAC, and a video circuit including a current steering DAC are described. In one embodiment, a current steering DAC includes multiple DAC unit cells that are connected in parallel with each other. Each of the DAC unit cells includes three output switches connected to a current source. The three output switches are configured to form two differential pairs of switches that are placed in parallel with each other and share a negative output switch of the three output switches. The current steering DAC also includes at least one switch control circuit configured to receive digital input data and to control the three output switches of each of the DAC unit cells to generate differential analog output data based on the digital input data and a current from the current source. Other embodiments are also described.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device is presented. The device has: a gate terminal formed from polysilicon and covered by an insulation layer; and a plug extending through an insulation layer to provide an electrical connection to the gate trench. A metal layer is deposited to cover at least a portion of the insulation layer. The metal layer is then etched to remove the metal layer from above the plug.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an electronic device especially for car audio entertainment including a car audio equipment (2) and an other electronic device (4) like a handheld including at least one data connection (5) and at least one control connection (3) between the car audio equipment and the other electronic device, whereby the car audio equipment is able to send data to the other electronic device which is able to respond to the data send by the car audio equipment by sending a data answer, wherein the car audio equipment is able to compare the data send and the data received and generates a control signal to allow the control of the other electronic device like the handheld by the car audio equipment.

Abstract: A DC-DC converter for driving one or more LED (38), which converter comprises an integrated circuit (12) having a switch mode power circuit (24) and a 5 temperature sensing circuit (40) for providing an output indicating a temperature of said integrated circuit (12), the arrangement being such that, in use, said integrated circuit consumes power, some of which power is dissipated in said integrated circuit as heat causing a rise in said internal temperature, and wherein a change in said output from said temperature sensing circuit (40) is used by said integrated circuit to 10 adjust said consumed power whereby said internal temperature may be controlled.

Abstract: Consistent with an example embodiment, there is integrated circuit (IC) die responsive to a reset signal. The IC die includes a detector coupled to a power supply of the die for generating the reset signal in response to the detection of a voltage increase of the power supply. Coupled to the detector, a reset signal output, coupled to the detector, provides the reset signal to an external device.

Abstract: A circuit has a reference source (12) for supplying a bias signal to set a small signal transconductance of an amplifier transistor in an amplifier (10) to a predetermined value. The reference source has at least one reference transistor (120a-b, 30). A feedback circuit (128, 129, 38) has an input coupled to the main current channel of the reference transistor or reference transistors (120a-b, 30) and an output coupled to the control electrode of the reference transistor or reference transistors (120a-b, 30). The feedback circuit controls a control voltage at the control electrode, so as to equalize an offset current and a difference between main currents flowing through the current channel of the reference transistor or reference transistors (120a-b, 30), obtained with and without a small voltage offset added to the control voltage.

Abstract: A line-based one-dimensional system and method for video and graphic compression compresses an image data block that contains image data values from one or more neighboring pixels. The system and method involves compressing an image data sample of the image data block using multiple different compression techniques to generate multiple compression results, selecting one of the compression results, and compressing a next image data sample using the multiple different compression techniques and a compression error from the selected one of the compression results.

Abstract: A method of controlling an electronic ballast for a lighting circuit, the ballast including a bleeder, for use with dimmer circuits, by, in response to a mains supply being connected to the lighting circuit, determining whether a dimmer circuit is present in the lighting circuit; and in response to determining a dimmer circuit is not present, disconnecting the bleeder from the lighting circuit at least until the mains supply is disconnected. The method may be used during start, and the determination of whether a dimmer circuit is present is stored at least until the mains supply is disconnected. Determination of either a leading or trailing edge phase cut dimmer may be made by looking for deviation from the expected sine-wave voltage, either directly through temporal or voltage deviation, or indirectly by examining the second differential of the voltage with respect to time.

Abstract: Embodiments of an electronic device are disclosed. In one embodiment, the electronic device includes a circuit board, a central processing unit (CPU), an RFID IC, and a physically secure communications channel. The circuit board includes a radio frequency (RF) antenna, the CPU is connected to the circuit board and includes a CPU-to-RF identification (RFID) interface that does not support a digital security measure which requires asymmetric key cryptography, the CPU being enclosed within a package. The RFID IC is connected to the RF antenna and has an RFID-to-CPU interface that does not support a digital security measure which requires asymmetric key cryptography. The RFID IC also has non-volatile memory that stores configuration data for configuring the electronic device. The physically secure communications channel connects the CPU-to-RFID interface to the RFID-to-CPU interface and the physically secure communication channel is protected from physical access by a structural barrier.

Abstract: There is disclosed an AC/DC converter circuit. The circuit comprises: an input terminal for receiving an AC supply voltage; a driver circuit adapted to supply a DC drive current or voltage to an output of the circuit based on a signal provided to a control terminal of the driver circuit; and an AC coupling network connected between the input terminal and the control terminal of the driver circuit. The AC coupling network is adapted to derive a signal from an AC supply voltage received by the input terminal and to supply the derived signal to the control terminal of the driver circuit.

Abstract: A method for managing a secure element which is embedded into a host unit. The described method comprises (a) transmitting a request for a management script from the host unit to a program element of the secure element, (b) at the program element, generating a management script in accordance with the request and encrypting the generated management script, (c) transmitting the encrypted management script from the program element to the host unit, (d) transmitting the encrypted management script from the host unit to a secure domain of the secure element, and (e) at the secure domain, decrypting and executing the management script.

Abstract: There is described a method for initializing a secure element (112, 122, 212, 222) for use with a host unit (121, 221), the method comprising (a) storing a set of initial keys and a master key in a memory of a secure element (112, 122, 212, 222), (b) providing an identifier of a host (121, 221) unit associated with the secure element, (c) generating a modified set of keys based on the initial set of keys, the master key and the identifier of the host unit, and (d) storing the modified set of keys in the memory of the secure element. There is also described a secure element (112, 122, 212, 222) adapted for being embedded into a host unit (121, 221). Furthermore, there is described a system for initializing a secure element, a computer program and a computer program product.

Abstract: An integrated circuit comprising a MEMS (microelectromechanical system) element in a plane of the integrated circuit, the MEMS element being suspended in a cavity over a substrate, said cavity including a first cavity region in said plane spatially separating an edge of the MEMS element from a wall section, said edge being arranged to be displaced relative to the wall section; and a second cavity region in said plane forming part of a fluid path further including the first cavity region, said fluid path defining a first volume; and a third cavity region in said plane defining a second volume in fluid connection with the second cavity region, wherein the maximum width of the second cavity region is larger than the maximum width of the third cavity region, the second and third cavity regions having maximum widths that are larger than the maximum width of the first cavity region.

Abstract: A FlexRay network guardian including: a resetting leading coldstart node (RLCN) detector configured to detect a RLCN failure; a deaf coldstart node (DCN) detector configured to detect a DCN failure; a babbling idiot (BI) detector configured to detect a BI failure; and a FlexRay network decoder configured to output a signal regarding the status of the FlexRay network to the RLCN detector, DCN detector, and BI detector, wherein the RLCN detector, DCN detector, and BI detector are configured to send an indication of a failure to a containment module.

Abstract: A power supply circuit comprises an input for receiving a power supply from a battery and a DC/DC converter for supplying a converted voltage to a load. A regulator is used for controlling the DC/DC converter such that the current drawn from the converter is smoothed. A charge storage device at the output of the DC/DC converter enables delivery of a non-constant current to the load.

Abstract: Noise cancellation is effected for audio devices. In connection with various embodiments, a forward leakage transfer function is determined using a signal corresponding to detected portions of the generated sound that has leaked out of the user's ear canal with the proximate end of the earphone inserted in (or otherwise fitted to) the ear. This forward leakage transfer function can be used to characterize ambient noise entering a user's ear canal. A signal corresponding to ambient noise is processed with the forward leakage transfer function to generate and output a noise-cancelling signal for canceling at least a portion of the detected ambient noise.

Abstract: Various aspects of the present disclosure are directed to monitoring battery cells. In accordance with various embodiments, an energy storage cell apparatus includes a current injection circuit that separately inject current into individual ones of a plurality of battery cells that store energy, and an impedance-detection circuit detects an impedance characteristic of each of the plurality of battery cells in response to the injected current. A filter circuit receives impedance data regarding the detected impedance characteristic and separates low-frequency components of the impedance data from high-frequency components of the impedance data. A memory circuit stores data corresponding to high-bandwidth data including both the low-frequency components and the high-frequency components, and an access circuit provides the low-frequency components for the plurality of battery cells to a battery pack controller.

Abstract: A communications network comprising a plurality of nodes, each comprising a network device and a network interface, at least one of the nodes having a first local power manager associated therewith and adapted to control power to the network device.

Abstract: A control device (701) for controlling the output of one or more full-bridges (101, 102) is described. The control device (701) reduces the amount of electromagnetic emissions by staggering the switching the outputs from the full-bridge inverters (101, 102). This is achieved by synchronizing the outputs to be symmetrical about a synchronization pulse (305).