Patents Assigned to STMicroelectronics Ltd.
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Patent number: 11226480Abstract: An electronic device includes an analog to digital converter receiving an analog mirror sense signal from an oscillating mirror and generating a digital mirror sense signal therefrom, and a digital signal processing block. The digital signal processing block cooperates with the analog to digital converter to take a first sample of the digital mirror sense signal at a first time where a derivative of capacitance of the digital mirror sense signal crosses zero, take a second sample of the digital mirror sense signal at a second time between a peak of the digital mirror sense signal and the first time, and take a third sample of the digital mirror sense signal at a third time after the digital mirror sense signal has reached a minimum. Control circuitry determines an opening angle of the oscillating mirror as a function of the first, second, and third samples.Type: GrantFiled: June 10, 2020Date of Patent: January 18, 2022Assignee: STMicroelectronics LTDInventors: Elik Haran, Offir Duvdevany, Naomi Petrushevsky
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Publication number: 20220006988Abstract: A light projection system includes a MEMS mirror operating on a mirror drive signal to generate a mirror sense signal resulting from operation of the MEMS mirror based on the mirror drive signal. A mirror driver generates the mirror drive signal from a drive control signal. A controller receives the mirror sense signal from the MEMS mirror, obtains a first sample of the mirror sense signal at a first phase thereof, obtains a second sample of the mirror sense signal at a second phase thereof, wherein the first and second phases are separated by a half period of the mirror drive signal, with the second phase occurring after the first phase, and generates the drive control signal based on a difference between the first and second samples to keep the mirror drive signal separated in phase from the mirror sense signal by a desired amount of phase separation.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 20, 2021Publication date: January 6, 2022Applicants: STMicroelectronics LTD, STMicroelectronics S.r.l.Inventors: Massimo RATTI, Eli YASER, Naomi PETRUSHEVSKY, Yotam NACHMIAS
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Patent number: 11195809Abstract: A fan-out wafer level package includes a semiconductor die with a redistribution layer on a sidewall of the semiconductor die. A redistribution layer positioned over the die includes an extended portion that extends along the sidewall. The semiconductor die is encapsulated in a molding compound layer. The molding compound layer is positioned between the extended portion of the redistribution layer and the sidewall of the semiconductor die. Solder contacts, for electrically connecting the semiconductor device to an electronic circuit board, are positioned on the redistribution layer. The solder contacts and the sidewall of the redistribution layer can provide electrical contact on two different locations. Accordingly, the package can be used to improve interconnectivity by providing vertical and horizontal connections.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2019Date of Patent: December 7, 2021Assignee: STMICROELECTRONICS LTDInventors: Endruw Jahja, Cheng-Yang Su
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Publication number: 20210336533Abstract: An AC capacitor is coupled to a totem-pole type PFC circuit. In response to detection of a power input disconnection, the PFC circuit is controlled to discharge the AC capacitor. The PFC circuit includes a resistor and a first MOSFET and a second MOSFET coupled in series between DC output nodes with a common node coupled to the AC capacitor. When the disconnection event is detected, one of the first and second MOSFETs is turned on to discharge the AC capacitor with a current flowing through the resistor and the turned on MOSFET. Furthermore, a thyristor may be simultaneously turned on, with the discharge current flowing through a series coupling of the MOSFET, resistor and thyristor. Disconnection is detected by detecting a zero-crossing failure of an AC power input voltage or lack of input voltage decrease or input current increase in response to MOSFET turn on for a DC input.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 27, 2020Publication date: October 28, 2021Applicants: STMicroelectronics (Tours) SAS, STMicroelectronics LTDInventors: Ghafour BENABDELAZIZ, Laurent GONTHIER
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Publication number: 20210305438Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a package, such as a wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP), with a die coupled to a central portion of a transparent substrate. The transparent substrate includes a central portion having and a peripheral portion surrounding the central portion. The package includes a conductive layer coupled to a contact of the die within the package that extends from the transparent substrate to an active surface of the package. The active surface is utilized to mount the package within an electronic device or to a printed circuit board (PCB) accordingly. The package includes a first insulating layer separating the die from the conductive layer, and a second insulating layer on the conductive layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 26, 2021Publication date: September 30, 2021Applicants: STMICROELECTRONICS LTD, STMICROELECTRONICS PTE LTDInventors: David GANI, Yiying KUO
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Publication number: 20210226553Abstract: A capacitive element has its terminals coupled together by two thyristors electrically in antiparallel. The discharge of the capacitive element is controlled by the application of a gate current to one thyristor of the two thyristors which is in a reverse-biased state in response to a voltage stored across the terminals of the capacitive element. The reverse-biased thyristor responds to the applied gate current by passing a leakage current to discharge the stored voltage.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 13, 2021Publication date: July 22, 2021Applicant: STMicroelectronics LTDInventor: Laurent GONTHIER
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Patent number: 11054635Abstract: A system includes a mirror controller driving fast and slow axis mirrors of a projector with fast and slow axis drive signals to reflect a collimated light beam in a scan pattern across the target. The scan pattern includes trace lines which cause display of an input video stream on the target, and retrace lines which operate to return the slow axis mirror to a proper location to begin a next frame of the scan pattern. The slow axis drive signal is generated to maintain a number of trace lines in each frame of the scan pattern constant across frames, but the slow axis drive signal is modified to lock a phase and frequency of the displayed video to a phase and frequency of the input video stream by changing a number of retrace lines in each frame of the scan pattern on a frame-by-frame basis by a non-integer number.Type: GrantFiled: February 13, 2020Date of Patent: July 6, 2021Assignee: STMicroelectronics LTDInventors: Eli Yaser, Dadi Sharon
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Publication number: 20210193709Abstract: Disclosed herein is an ambient light sensor formed by a substrate, and an inner central area defined on the substrate, and a concentric polygonal shape defined on the substrate about the inner central area. The concentric polygonal shape is defined by concentric polygonal isolation regions and spoke shaped isolation regions extending through respective corners of the concentric polygonal isolation regions to the inner central area to thereby divide the concentric polygonal shape into a plurality of concentric polygonal regions, with each of the plurality of concentric polygonal regions divided into a plurality of trapezoidal sections. A plurality of photodiodes ae formed on the substrate such that each of the plurality of trapezoidal sections contains at least one photodiode. A color filter is applied to the plurality of trapezoidal sections and their respective photodiodes to thereby form a plurality of color channels.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 19, 2019Publication date: June 24, 2021Applicant: STMicroelectronics LtdInventor: Yu-Tsung LIN
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Publication number: 20210048737Abstract: A control circuit includes a first control circuit generating a first drive control signal from a pre-drive signal (that is a frequency at which an opening angle of the first and second mirrors is equal) for the first mirror. A second control circuit generates a second drive control signal from the pre-drive signal for the second mirror. First and second drivers generate first and second drive signals for the first and second mirrors from the first and second drive control signals. The first and second drive control signals are generated so that the first and second drive signals each have a same frequency as the pre-drive signal but are different in amplitude from one another to cause the first and second mirrors to move at a same frequency, with a same and substantially constant given opening angle as one another, and in phase with one another.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 14, 2019Publication date: February 18, 2021Applicant: STMicroelectronics LTDInventors: Eli YASER, Guy AMOR, Yotam NACHMIAS, Dadi SHARON, Sivan NAGOLA
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Publication number: 20200404233Abstract: A light projection system includes a microelectromechanical (MEMS) mirror configured to operate in response to a mirror drive signal and to generate a mirror sense signal as a result of the operation. A mirror driver is configured to generate the mirror drive signal in response to a drive control signal. A zero cross detector is configured to detect zero crosses of the mirror sense signal. A controller is configured to generate the drive control signal as a function of the detected zero crosses of the mirror sense signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 4, 2020Publication date: December 24, 2020Applicants: STMicroelectronics Ltd, STMicroelectronics S.r.l.Inventors: Massimo RATTI, Eli YASER, Naomi PETRUSHEVSKY, Yotam NACHMIAS
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Patent number: 10859817Abstract: A controller chip includes processing circuitry configured to process received samples by estimating trend functions from the samples, subtracting the trend functions from the samples to produce de-trended samples, performing a mathematical transform on the de-trended samples to produce frequency bins. The frequency bins may correspond to unwanted resonance movement of a movable mirror associated with the received samples. The processing circuit further generates an error function from the frequency bins. The error function can be used to generate correction signals for the movable mirror that serve to minimize the error function.Type: GrantFiled: December 3, 2019Date of Patent: December 8, 2020Assignee: STMicroelectronics LtdInventor: Avi Resler
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Publication number: 20200381992Abstract: A circuit includes two thyristors coupled in anti-series. An AC capacitor has first and second electrodes respectively coupled to two different electrodes of the two thyristors. The first and second electrodes are coupled to receive an AC voltage. A control circuit detects discontinuance of application of the AC voltage to the AC capacitor and in response thereto simultaneously applies same gate currents to the two thyristors. A current path through the two thyristors (one passing current in forward mode and the other in reverse mode) discharges a residual voltage stored on the AC capacitor.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 28, 2020Publication date: December 3, 2020Applicant: STMicroelectronics LTDInventor: Laurent GONTHIER
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Patent number: 10838196Abstract: A method for controlling operation of a MEMS mirror includes steps for: generating activation pulses for operating the MEMS mirror and generating a window activation signal for current detection, with the window activation signal overlapping with an end of an activation pulse. The method also includes detecting current through a stator or a rotor of the MEMS mirror during the window activation signal and terminating a current activation pulse and the window activation signal in response to detecting a change in the direction of the current through the stator or the rotor of the MEMS mirror during the window activation signal.Type: GrantFiled: January 25, 2019Date of Patent: November 17, 2020Assignee: STMicroelectronics LtdInventor: Sason Sourani
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Patent number: 10805583Abstract: A light projection system includes a GPU that receives video data containing video images, defines a two-dimensional grid (each element of which represents a position of a light beam at a different time), designates which elements of the two-dimensional grid correspond to positions of the light beam in a designated area, designates which elements correspond to positions of the light beam outside of the designated area with some positions outside being designated as calibration positions, maps each element corresponding to positions in the designated area to a corresponding pixel of a frame of a video image, and maps elements corresponding to calibration positions to calibration pixels. An ASIC receives the mapped pixels and mapped calibration pixels from the GPU, and generates a beam position control signal therefrom. A controller controls a movable mirror based on the beam position control signal.Type: GrantFiled: September 27, 2019Date of Patent: October 13, 2020Assignees: STMicroelectronics S.r.l., STMicroelectronics LtdInventors: Massimo Ratti, Eli Yaser, Naomi Petrushevsky, Yotam Nachmias
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Publication number: 20200301127Abstract: An electronic device includes an analog to digital converter receiving an analog mirror sense signal from an oscillating mirror and generating a digital mirror sense signal therefrom, and a digital signal processing block. The digital signal processing block cooperates with the analog to digital converter to take a first sample of the digital mirror sense signal at a first time where a derivative of capacitance of the digital mirror sense signal crosses zero, take a second sample of the digital mirror sense signal at a second time between a peak of the digital mirror sense signal and the first time, and take a third sample of the digital mirror sense signal at a third time after the digital mirror sense signal has reached a minimum. Control circuitry determines an opening angle of the oscillating mirror as a function of the first, second, and third samples.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 10, 2020Publication date: September 24, 2020Applicant: STMicroelectronics LTDInventors: Elik HARAN, Offir DUVDEVANY, Naomi PETRUSHEVSKY
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Patent number: 10778940Abstract: A projector includes a first laser source projecting a first laser beam, a second laser source projecting a second laser beam at an angle with respect to the first laser beam, and a mirror reflecting the first and second laser beams. Circuitry controls the mirror to simultaneously reflect the first and second laser beams in a first scan pattern to form a first image having a number of scan lines greater than two times a horizontal resonance frequency of the mirror divided by a desired frame rate of the first image. The first laser beam forms a first angle of incidence with the mirror and the second laser beam forms a second angle of incidence with the mirror, the second angle of incidence being equal to the first angle of incidence summed with the angle of the second laser beam with respect to the first laser beam.Type: GrantFiled: February 4, 2019Date of Patent: September 15, 2020Assignee: STMicroelectronics LtdInventors: Gilad Adler, Sason Sourani
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Publication number: 20200249465Abstract: Mirror control circuitry operates to control a movable mirror. The mirror control circuitry includes drive circuitry for providing a drive signal to the movable mirror, and a processor. The processor causes the drive circuitry to generate the drive signal so as to have pulses with leading edges occurring an offset period of time after a maximum opening angle of the movable mirror and trailing edges occurring an offset period of time before a zero crossing of the movable mirror. The processor may sample a mirror sense signal from the movable mirror at times at which a derivative of capacitance of the movable mirror with respect to time is zero, and then perform an action based upon the samples.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 22, 2020Publication date: August 6, 2020Applicant: STMicroelectronics LtdInventors: Sivan KINSTLICH, Offir DUVDEVANY
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Patent number: 10719114Abstract: An embodiment is a circuit for use with a display device, the circuit including: a first input node configured to be operatively coupled to a first port of a data source device that provides the display device with data, to receive a first direct voltage used for a real-time display of the data on the display device; and at least one output node, configured to operatively provide the display device with at least one output voltage generated based on the first direct voltage, wherein the first port is isolated from a data port used to transmit the data.Type: GrantFiled: April 30, 2018Date of Patent: July 21, 2020Assignees: STMicroelectronics (Shenzhen) R&D Co. Ltd., STMicroelectronics Ltd.Inventors: Andy Lin, Johnny Yoon, Danny Sheng
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Patent number: 10718940Abstract: Disclosed herein is an electronic device that includes a peak detection circuit configured to receive a mirror sense signal from an oscillating mirror and to generate peak information for a mirror period as a function thereof. The electronic device includes a mirror control circuit that estimates an opening angle of the oscillating mirror as a function of the peak information, generates a control signal for the oscillating mirror as a function of the estimated opening angle, and resets the peak detection circuit at an end of the mirror period.Type: GrantFiled: December 12, 2017Date of Patent: July 21, 2020Assignee: STMicroelectronics LtdInventors: Elik Haran, Offir Duvdevany, Naomi Petrushevsky
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Publication number: 20200204765Abstract: A control system for a laser scanning projector includes a mirror controller generating horizontal and vertical mirror synchronization signals for an oscillating mirror apparatus based upon a mirror clock signal, and laser modulation circuitry. The laser modulation circuitry generates horizontal and vertical laser synchronization signals as a function of a received laser clock signal, and generates control signals for a laser that emits a laser beam that impinges on the oscillating mirror apparatus. Synchronization circuitry generates the laser clock signal and sends the laser clock signal to the laser modulation circuitry, receives the horizontal and vertical mirror synchronization signals from the mirror controller, receives the horizontal and vertical laser synchronization signals from the laser modulation circuitry, and modifies the laser clock signal so as to achieve alignment between the horizontal and vertical mirror synchronization signals and the horizontal and vertical laser synchronization signals.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 2, 2020Publication date: June 25, 2020Applicant: STMicroelectronics LtdInventor: Elik HARAN