Abstract: A system includes a multi-conductor bus, a master device coupled to the multi-conductor bus, and at least one slave device coupled to the multi-conductor bus. The multi-conductor bus has a clock line and a data line. The master device is arranged to transmit an address configuration sequence, and the at least one slave device is arranged to configurably determine its own address based on at least one portion of the address configuration sequence. The at least one slave device has a physical address configuration input coupled to either a fixed voltage potential or a changing voltage potential. The at least one slave device is arranged with a first address during a pre-initialization state and arranged with a second address during a post-initialization state.

Abstract: An avalanche photodiode for detecting ultraviolet radiation, including: a silicon carbide body having a first type of conductivity, which is delimited by a front surface and forms a cathode region; an anode region having a second type of conductivity, which extends into the body starting from the front surface and contacts the cathode region; and a guard ring having the second type of conductivity, which extends into the body starting from the front surface and surrounds the anode region.

Abstract: A control device controls a switching converter having an input alternating supply voltage and a regulated direct voltage at the output terminal. The converter comprises a switch and the control device is adapted to control the on time period and the off time period of said switch for each cycle. The control device has a first input signal representative of the current flowing through at least one element of the converter and comprises a zero crossing detector adapted to detect at least one pair of first and second zero crossings of said first signal for each switching cycle, said second zero crossing immediately following the first zero crossing and occurring in opposite direction with respect to the first zero crossing. The control device comprises a synchronizer adapted to synchronize the start of the on period with each second zero crossing of said first signal.

Abstract: A micromechanical detection structure includes a substrate of semiconductor material and a driving-mass arrangement is coupled to a set of driving electrodes and driven in a driving movement following upon biasing of the set of driving electrodes. A first anchorage unit is coupled to the driving-mass arrangement for elastically coupling the driving-mass arrangement to the substrate at first anchorages. A driven-mass arrangement is elastically coupled to the driving-mass arrangement by a coupling unit and designed to be driven by the driving movement. A second anchorage unit is coupled to the driven-mass arrangement for elastically coupling the driven-mass arrangement to the substrate at second anchorages. Following upon the driving movement, the resultant of the forces and of the torques exerted on the substrate at the first and second anchorages is substantially zero.

Abstract: A magnetic energy harvesting and scavenging circuit includes a first substrate having first and second surfaces and at least one energy harvesting and scavenging coil formed adjacent the first surface. An electromechanical systems device includes a moveable mass extending over the first surface and is displaced relative to the first substrate in three dimensions responsive to an external force applied to the moveable mass. The movable mass includes a magnet support layer and a number of permanent magnet segments attached to the magnet support layer. The permanent magnet segments are magnetically coupled to the at least one energy harvesting and scavenging coil. Energy harvesting and scavenging circuitry is electrically coupled to the at least one energy harvesting and scavenging coil and generates electrical energy due to magnetic flux variation through the at least one energy harvesting and scavenging coil responsive to movement of the moveable mass.

Abstract: A gas measurement device measures gas using a gas sensor including a sense resistance exposed to the gas and a reference resistance not exposed to the gas. The gas measurement device applies a first current value and a second current value to the sensor. A detector functions to detect a first resistance variation and a second resistance variation of the sense resistance exposed to the gas with respect to the reference resistance as a function of the first current value and the second current value, respectively. The resistance variation dependent on relative humidity is then determined as a function of the first and second resistance variations and a first constant. The resistance variation dependent on gas content is then determined as a function of the first and second resistance variations and a second (different) constant.

Abstract: A packaged device has a die of semiconductor material bonded to a support. An electromagnetic shielding structure surrounds the die and is formed by a grid structure of conductive material extending into the support and an electromagnetic shield, coupled together. A packaging mass embeds both the die and the electromagnetic shield. The electromagnetic shield is formed by a plurality of metal ribbon sections overlying the die and embedded in the packaging mass. Each metal ribbon section has a thickness-to-width ratio between approximately 1:2 and approximately 1:50.

Abstract: A memory includes error correction circuitry that receives a data packet, outputs a correctable error flag indicating presence or absence of a correctable error in the data packet, and outputs an uncorrectable error flag indicating presence or absence of an uncorrectable error in the data packet. A response manager, operating in availability mode, generates output indicating that a correctable error was present if the correctable error flag indicates presence thereof, and generates an output indicating that an uncorrectable error was present if the uncorrectable error flag indicates presence thereof. In a coverage mode, the response manager generates an output indicating that a correctable error was potentially present but should be treated as an uncorrectable error if the correctable error flag indicates presence of the correctable error, and generates an output indicating that an uncorrectable error was present if the uncorrectable error flag indicates presence thereof.

Abstract: First and second video frames in a flow of digital video frames are encoded by extracting respective sets of keypoints and descriptors, each descriptor including a plurality of orientation histograms regarding a patch of pixels centered on the respective keypoint. Once a pair of linked descriptors has been identified, one for each frame, which have a minimum distance from among the distances between any one of the descriptors of the first frame and any one of the descriptors of the second frame, the differences of the histograms of the descriptors linked in the pair are calculated, and the descriptors linked in the pair are encoded as the set including one of the linked descriptors and the histogram differences by subjecting the histogram differences to a thesholding setting at zero all the differences below a certain threshold, to quantization, and to run-length encoding.

Abstract: A level-shifter circuit operates to shift an input signal referenced to a first set supply voltages to generate an output signal referenced to a second set of supply voltages. The output signal from the level-shifter circuit is latched by a latching circuit. A logic gate has a first input configured to receive the input signal, a second input configured to receive a feedback signal and an output coupled to a input of the level shifting circuit. A feedback circuit has a first input configured to receive the output signal, a second input configured to receive the input signal and an output configured to generate the feedback signal. The feedback circuit operates to sense an uncontrolled switching event of the output signal occurring in the absence of a switching of the input signal and apply, in response thereto, the feedback signal to cancel the uncontrolled switching event.

Abstract: A MEMS gyroscope, wherein a suspended mass is mobile with respect to a supporting structure. The mobile mass is affected by quadrature error caused by a quadrature moment; a driving structure is coupled to the suspended mass for controlling the movement of the mobile mass in a driving direction at a driving frequency. Motion-sensing electrodes, coupled to the mobile mass, detect the movement of the mobile mass in the sensing direction and quadrature-compensation electrodes are coupled to the mobile mass to generate a compensation moment opposite to the quadrature moment. The gyroscope is configured to bias the quadrature-compensation electrodes with a compensation voltage so that the difference between the resonance frequency of the mobile mass and the driving frequency has a preset frequency-mismatch value.

Abstract: A device measures the current in an inductive load using two separate current-measuring paths to detect the current in the inductive load. The inductive load is connected between first and second nodes, and the first node connected to a first voltage. The device includes first and second transistors cascaded together between the first node and a third node that is connected to a second voltage. First and second sense amplifiers measure the current in the inductive load. The first and second sense amplifiers are connected to at least one terminal of the first and second transistors. Two blocks sample and hold signals from the first and second sense amplifiers, which represent, respectively, the currents in the two separate current-measuring paths. The two currents are subtracted in a comparison node for generating an error signal that is compared with a predefined window and if outside the window a failure signal is generated.

Abstract: An integrated data concentrator, so-called “sensor hub”, for a multi-sensor MEMS system, implements: a first interface module, for interfacing, in a normal operating mode, with a microprocessor through a first communication bus; and a second interface module, for interfacing, in the normal operating mode, with a plurality of sensors through a second communication bus; the sensor hub further implements a pass-through operating mode, distinct from the normal operating mode, in which it sets the microprocessor in direct communication with the sensors, through the first communication bus and the second communication bus. In particular, the sensor hub implements the direct pass-through operating mode in a totally digital manner.

Abstract: A control circuit controls the operation of a brushless DC (BLDC) sensorless motor having a first terminal connected to a first winding, a second terminal connected to a second winding and a third terminal connected to a third winding. A driver circuit applies drive signals to the first and second terminals and places the third terminal in a high-impedance state. The drive signals include first drive signals at a first current amplitude and second drive signals at a second, different, current amplitude. A differencing circuit senses a first mutual inductance voltage at the third terminal in response to the first drive signals and senses a second mutual inductance voltage at the third terminal in response to the second drive signals. The differencing circuit further determines a difference between the first and second mutual inductance voltages and produces a difference signal that is used for zero-crossing detection and rotor position sensing.

Abstract: A transmission channel transmits high-voltage pulses in a transmission phase and receives echoes of the high-voltage pulses in a receiving phase. The transmission channel includes a buffer with anti-memory circuitry to couple drain conduction terminals of buffer transistors of a high-side of a buffer of the transmission channel to a low-side reference voltage of a low-side of the buffer and couple drain conduction terminals of buffer transistors of the low-side of the buffer to a high-side reference voltage of the high-side of the buffer during the clamping phase.

Abstract: A converter configured to convert a DC input voltage to a DC output voltage, may include: a high-side driver circuit having a first terminal coupled to a first die pad; a high-side transistor having a drain terminal coupled to a second die pad and a source terminal coupled to a third die pad; and a low-side transistor having a source terminal coupled to a fourth die pad and a drain terminal coupled to a fifth die pad. The converter may further include a resistive element coupled between the source terminal of the high-side transistor and the drain terminal of the low-side transistor, where a second terminal of the high-side driver circuit is coupled to a sixth die pad.

Abstract: A control device controls a switching converter having an input alternating supply voltage and a regulated direct voltage at the output terminal. The converter comprises a switch and the control device is adapted to control the on time period and the off time period of said switch for each cycle. The control device has a first input signal representative of the current flowing through at least one element of the converter and comprises a zero crossing detector adapted to detect at least one pair of first and second zero crossings of said first signal for each switching cycle, said second zero crossing immediately following the first zero crossing and occurring in opposite direction with respect to the first zero crossing. The control device comprises a synchronizer adapted to synchronize the start of the on period with each second zero crossing of said first signal.

Abstract: A switching amplifier, such as a Class D amplifier, includes a current sensing circuit. The current sensing circuit is formed by replica loop circuits that are selectively coupled to corresponding output inverter stages of the switching amplifier. The replica loop circuits operated to produce respective replica currents of the output currents generated by the output inverter stages. A sensing circuitry is coupled to receive the replica currents from the replica loop circuits and operates to produce an output sensing signal as a function of the respective replica currents.

Abstract: A circuit includes a multiplier, an adder, a first result register and a second result register coupled to outputs of the multiplier and the adder, respectively. The circuit further includes: a first selection unit configured to selectively provide, to the multiplier and in response to a first control signal, a first value from a first plurality of values; and a second selection unit configured to selectively provide, to the multiplier and in response to a second control signal, a second value from a second plurality of values. The circuit also includes: a third selection unit configured to selectively provide, to the adder and in response to a third control signal, a third value from a third plurality of values; and a fourth selection unit configured to selectively provide, to the adder and in response to a fourth control signal, a fourth value from a fourth plurality of values.

Abstract: An oscillator is coupled to a first side of a galvanic barrier for supplying thereto an electric supply signal. The oscillator is configured to be alternatively turned on and off as a function of a PWM drive signal applied thereto. A receiver circuit coupled to the galvanic barrier receives therefrom a PWM power control signal. A signal reconstruction circuit coupled between the receiver circuit block and the oscillator provides to the oscillator a PWM drive signal reconstructed from the PWM power control signal. The signal reconstruction circuit includes a PLL circuit coupled to the receiver circuit block and configured to lock to the PWM control signal from the receiver circuit block. A PLL loop within the PLL circuit is sensitive to the PWM drive signal applied to the oscillator. The PLL loop is configured to be opened as a result of the power supply oscillator being turned off.