Abstract: A voltage generation circuit that includes: a voltage generator integrated in a semiconductor chip and structured to generate an output voltage in accordance with a calibration parameter; a heater operable to heat the voltage generator; a control device configured to receive the output voltage, activate the heater and provide the calibration parameter to the voltage generator.

Abstract: Detection method and device for a receiver in a digital communication system designed to process a frame comprising a periodic sub-set of length n, said method comprising the following steps:—determining a first vector u having a length n;—determining a second shifted vector v;—calculating a correlation function between said first and second vectors;—calculating a quadratic error function between said first and second vectors;—calculating a first cost function that is a linear combination of both preceding functions and, according to the sign of the result,—calculating a second cost function of frame beginning estimate; and—starting the communication system receiver.

Abstract: A memory is secured against an error injection during the reading of a datum. The memory includes: means for reading a reference datum in the memory during a phase of reading a datum stored in the memory; means for comparing the reference datum read with an expected value; and means for generating an error signal if the datum read is different from the expected value. Application is provided particularly but not exclusively to the protection of memories integrated into smart cards.

Abstract: A photovoltaic energy conversion system includes a distributed control structure for groups of cells of each multi-cellular panel, the components of which are entirely physically integrated in the photovoltaic panel. Each multi-cellular photovoltaic panel has a DC bus, supplied in parallel by a plurality of DC-DC converters, each provided with a controller that controls the working point of the photovoltaic cells coupled to the input of the DC-DC converter for a maximum yield of electric power by implementing a relatively simple MPPT algorithm. The controller includes a logic circuit and A/D converters of analog signals representing the input voltage and the input current generated by the group of cells that is coupled to the input of the DC-DC converter and optionally also of the output voltage of the converter, and a relatively simple D/A converter of the drive control signal of the power switch of the DC-DC converter.

Abstract: Fair usage of working channels in a wireless network is disclosed. A base station associated with a cell within a wireless community monitors the congestion of the working channel of neighboring communities. Upon determining that the congestion of the working channel of a neighboring community is less than that of its existing working channel, the base station initiates a switch to the neighboring community's working channel. Upon joining the new community, the frame structure and other networking parameters and attributes are adjusted.

Abstract: A method is for decoding a succession of blocks of data encoded with an LDPC code. The method includes storing the blocks temporarily and successively in an input memory before decoding the blocks successively in an iterative manner, the input memory having a memory size for storage of at least two blocks, and defining a current indication representative of a threshold number of iterations for decoding a current block. The method includes decoding the current block until a decoding criterion is satisfied or so long as a number of iterations performed for decoding the current block has not reached the current indication while at least one of a first subsequent block and a part of a second subsequent block are stored in the input memory, and updating the current indication for decoding the first subsequent block as a function of the number of iterations performed for decoding the current block.

Abstract: A driving mass of an integrated microelectromechanical structure is moved with a rotary motion about an axis of rotation, and a sensing mass is connected to the driving mass via elastic supporting elements so as to perform a detection movement in the presence of an external stress. The driving mass is anchored to an anchorage arranged along the axis of rotation by elastic anchorage elements. An opening is provided within the driving mass and the sensing mass is arranged within the opening. The elastic supporting and anchorage elements render the sensing mass fixed to the driving mass in the rotary motion, and substantially decoupled from the driving mass in the detection movement. The detection movement is a rotation about an axis lying in a plane. The sensing mass has, in plan view, a non-rectangular shape; in particular, the sensing mass has a radial geometry and, in plan view, the overall shape of a radial annulus sector.

Abstract: An electronic device includes a substrate provided with a passing opening and a MEMS device including an active surface wherein a portion of the MEMS device is integrated sensitive to chemical/physical variations of a fluid. The active surface of the MEMS device faces the substrate and is spaced therefrom, the sensitive portion being aligned to the opening. A protective package incorporates at least partially the MEMS device and the substrate, leaving at least the sensitive portion of the MEMS device, and the opening of the substrate exposed. A barrier element is positioned in an area which surrounds the sensitive portion to realize a protection structure for the MEMS device, so that the sensitive portion is free.

Abstract: A circuit for controlling a matrix display formed of light-emitting diodes, capable of successively selecting lines of the screen and, for each line from a set of selected lines, of selecting columns, the voltage of each selected column settling at an operating voltage. The circuit is capable, before selection of each line from said set of lines, of precharging at least the columns to be selected to a precharge voltage. The circuit includes a device for adjusting the precharge voltage including a measurement circuit capable, on each selection of a line from said set of lines, of measuring the maximum operating voltage from among the operating voltages of the selected columns; a circuit capable of storing the maximum measured operating voltage; and a circuit capable of adjusting the precharge voltage based on the maximum stored operating voltage.

Abstract: A continuous time sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter comprising: a summator of an input analog signal and a feedback signal; a feed-forward integrator path connected to the summator and configured to provide a digital signal; a feedback digital-to-analog converter to convert the digital signal into a feedback analog signal; a feedback low pass filter structured to filter the feedback analog signal and provide the feedback signal to the summator.

Abstract: An integrated circuit comprising: at least one test input for receiving test data; test control circuitry between the at least one test input and circuitry to be tested; wherein the test data is clocked in on a rising clock edge and a falling clock edge.

Abstract: There is disclosed a multi-carrier transceiver system for use in echo cancellation. The transceiver system is arranged to generate from input data a multicarrier transmit signal comprising a plurality of multi-carrier data blocks. The transceiver system also has a multi-carrier signal receiver responsive to an input multi-carrier receive signal received from a remote signal transmitter. An echo canceller is arranged to generate from a pair of multi-carrier data blocks (u) a set of frequency-domain echo parameters for use in generating an echo signal, to generate the echo signal using the frequency-domain echo parameters, and to input the echo signal to the multi-carrier signal receiver for use in generating an echo-cancelled receive signal from the input receive signal and the echo signal.

Abstract: A method and an element of ciphering by an integrated processor of data to be stored in a memory, including applying a ciphering algorithm which is a function of a key specific to the integrated circuit and of an initialization vector, and of memorizing at least the ciphered data, the initialization vector depending at least on the address of storage of the data in the memory.

Abstract: In a data-input device an actuator element that can be manually actuated, and a sensor mechanically coupled to the actuator element. The sensor is formed in a body of semiconductor material housing a first sensitive element, which detects the actuation of the actuator element and generates electrical control signals. The first sensitive element is a microelectromechanical pressure sensor, formed by: a cavity made within the body; a diaphragm made in a surface portion of the body and suspended above the cavity; and piezoresistive transducer elements integrated in peripheral surface portions of the diaphragm in order to detect its deformations upon actuation of the actuator element.

Abstract: A printed media product, such as a trading card, that has a substrate and an encoded data element applied to a surface of the substrate containing information. The encoded data element includes first, second, and third data layers with first, second, and third patterns of encoded, colored dots defined by a binary encoding scheme. The dots of the first, second, and third layers are different colors separately resolvable by a scanner with decoding software. The colors of the dots are cyan, yellow, and magenta, and the layers are printed so that the dots overlap. The binary encoding scheme includes a two dimensional run length limited code. The printed media product includes a graphics element that can be interpreted by a human user, and typically, the information encoded in the encoded data element layers is related to the information in the graphics element.

Abstract: A multiphase voltage regulator provides a voltage to an output terminal. The voltage regulator includes N parallel switches providing respective current phases that are added together to generate a total current for a general load coupled to the output terminal. The voltage regulator also includes N inductive circuits. Each inductive circuit is between an output node of a respective switch and the output terminal. A sense circuit adds the voltages in each of the output nodes of the N switches. An amplifier circuit has an input receiving the added voltage, and outputs a current proportional to the total current. A controller with two pins reads the total current. The two pins are connected to the inputs of the amplifier.

Abstract: An image sensor captures an image of a scene. This captured image has a pincushion distortion relative to an undistorted image of the scene. The distortion is corrected based on an approximation of the distortion D which satisfies the following equation for a given pixel in the captured image: D=(R?R?)/R=Da*(y2?x2+yoffset)+Db*R4, where R is the distance between a pixel, which corresponds in the undistorted image to the given pixel in the captured image, and the center of the undistorted image, R? is the distance between the given pixel and the center of the captured image, Da and Db are respective distortion parameters of the image sensor, x and y are coordinates of the given pixel in the captured image, R satisfies the following equation: R2=x2+y2 and yoffset corresponds to a constant value.

Abstract: An integrated test device reduces external wiring congestion to a memory. The integrated test device provides for separate decoder testing and debugging to find specific errors in the memory. The device also helps in reducing the complexity of the test of external BIST. Furthermore, the number of clock cycles required for the decoder testing for an N-address memory is reduced from 4N cycles to N clock cycles. Additionally, the access time for the memory is reduced as the test device is used as a pipelining device in normal operation mode.

Abstract: A driving mass of an integrated microelectromechanical structure is moved with a rotary motion about an axis of rotation, and a sensing mass is connected to the driving mass via elastic supporting elements so as to perform a detection movement in the presence of an external stress. The driving mass is anchored to a first anchorage arranged along the axis of rotation by first elastic anchorage elements. The driving mass is also coupled to a pair of further anchorages positioned externally thereof and coupled to opposite sides with respect to the first anchorage by further elastic anchorage elements; the elastic supporting elements and the first and further elastic anchorage elements render the driving mass fixed to the first sensing mass in the rotary motion, and substantially decoupled from the sensing mass in the detection movement, the detection movement being a rotation about an axis lying in a plane.

Abstract: An integrated circuit for a smart card in accordance with an exemplary embodiment includes at least one data terminal for providing communications with a host device and a processor for providing an attachment signal on the at least one data terminal for recognition by the host device. Further, the processor also cooperates with the host device to perform an enumeration based upon at least one default descriptor. In addition, based upon a system event, the processor selectively removes the attachment signal from the at least one data terminal and thereafter again provides the attachment signal on the at least one data terminal and cooperates with the host device to perform a new enumeration based upon at least one alternate descriptor.