Patents Assigned to VIA Technologies, Inc.
  • Publication number: 20170324943
    Abstract: A driver-assistance method and a driver-assistance apparatus are provided. In the method, a movement trajectory of wheels in surroundings of a vehicle when the vehicle moves are calculated. Multiple cameras disposed on the vehicle are used to capture images of multiple perspective views surrounding the vehicle, and the images of the perspective views are transformed into images of a top view. A synthetic image surrounding the vehicle is generated according to the images of the perspective views and the top view. Finally, the synthetic image and the movement trajectories are mapped and combined to a 3D model surrounding the vehicle and a movement image including the movement trajectories having a viewing angle from an upper rear side to a lower front side of the vehicle is provided by using the 3D model when backing up the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2017
    Publication date: November 9, 2017
    Applicant: VIA Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Min-Chang Wu, Kuan-Ting Lin
  • Patent number: 9811344
    Abstract: A microprocessor includes an indicator and a plurality of processing cores. Each of the plurality of processing cores is configured to generate a default core ID and to sample the indicator. When the indicator indicates a first predetermined value, the default core ID generated by a default one of the plurality of processing cores designates the default processing core to be a bootstrap processor. When the indicator indicates a second predetermined value distinct from the first predetermined value, the plurality of processing cores are configured to generate alternate core IDs that are different from the default core IDs. One of the alternate core IDs designates an alternate processing core, other than the default processing core, to be the bootstrap processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: VIA TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: G. Glenn Henry, Stephan Gaskins
  • Patent number: 9805198
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided for protecting a basic input/output system (BIOS) in a computing system. The apparatus includes a BIOS read only memory (ROM), an event detector, and a tamper detector. The BIOS ROM has BIOS contents that are stored as plaintext, and an encrypted message digest, where the encrypted message digest comprises an encrypted version of a first message digest that corresponds to the BIOS contents, and where and the encrypted version is generated via a symmetric key algorithm and a key. The event detector is configured to generate a BIOS check interrupt that interrupts normal operation of the computing system upon the occurrence of an event, where the event includes one or more occurrences of a PCI Express access.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: VIA TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventor: G. Glenn Henry
  • Patent number: 9798898
    Abstract: A microprocessor conditionally grants a request to switch from a normal execution mode in which encrypted instructions cannot be executed, into a secure execution mode (SEM). Thereafter, the microprocessor executes a plurality of instructions, including a store-key instruction to write a set of one or more cryptographic key values into a secure memory of the microprocessor. After fetching an encrypted program from an instruction cache, the microprocessor decrypts the encrypted program into plaintext instructions using decryption logic within the microprocessor's instruction-processing pipeline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: VIA TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: G. Glenn Henry, Terry Parks, Brent Bean, Thomas A. Crispin
  • Patent number: 9798880
    Abstract: An apparatus for protecting BIOS, including a BIOS ROM, a detector, a generator, JTAG control, a machine specific register, and a controller. The BIOS ROM stores plaintext and an encrypted digest that is an encrypted version of a first digest corresponding to BIOS contents. The detector generates an interrupt at a combination of prescribed intervals and event occurrences, accesses the BIOS contents and the encrypted digest upon the interrupt, and directs a microprocessor to generate a second digest of the BIOS contents and a decrypted digest corresponding to the encrypted digest, compares the second digest with the decrypted digest, and precludes operation of the microprocessor when the second digest and decrypted digest are unequal. A random number is generated at completion of a current BIOS check, and sets a following prescribed interval. JTAG control programs the combination of prescribed intervals and event occurrences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: VIA TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventor: G. Glenn Henry
  • Patent number: 9792112
    Abstract: A microprocessor includes a plurality of processing cores, wherein each of the plurality of processing cores executes microcode and comprises hardware to patch the microcode. A first core of the plurality of processing cores is configured to encounter an instruction that instructs the first core to apply a microcode patch. The first core of the plurality of processing cores is further configured to, in response to encountering the instruction, inform each core of the other of the plurality of processing cores of the microcode patch and apply the microcode patch to the hardware of the first core. Each core of the plurality of processing cores other than the first core is configured to apply the microcode patch to the hardware of the core, in response to being informed by the first core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: VIA TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: G. Glenn Henry, Stephan Gaskins
  • Patent number: 9792121
    Abstract: A microprocessor includes an instruction translation unit that extracts condition information from the IT instruction and fuses the IT instruction with the first IT block instruction. For each instruction of the IT block, the instruction translation unit: determines a respective condition for the IT block instruction using the condition information extracted from the IT instruction and translates the IT block instruction into a microinstruction. The microinstruction includes the respective condition. Execution units conditionally execute the microinstruction based on the respective condition. For each IT block instruction, the instruction translation unit determines a respective state value using the extracted condition information. The state value comprises the lower eight bits of the IT instruction having the lower five bits left-shifted by N-1 bits, where N indicates a position of the IT block instruction in the IT block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: VIA TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Terry Parks, G. Glenn Henry
  • Patent number: 9779243
    Abstract: An apparatus for protecting BIOS, including a BIOS ROM, a detector, a generator, JTAG control, a fuse, and a controller. The BIOS ROM stores plaintext and an encrypted digest that is an encrypted version of a first digest corresponding to BIOS contents. The detector generates an interrupt at a combination of prescribed intervals and event occurrences, accesses the BIOS contents and the encrypted digest upon the interrupt, and directs a microprocessor to generate a second digest of the BIOS contents and a decrypted digest corresponding to the encrypted digest, compares the second digest with the decrypted digest, and precludes operation of the microprocessor when the second digest and decrypted digest are unequal. A random number is generated completion of a current BIOS check, and sets a following prescribed interval. JTAG control programs the combination of prescribed intervals and event occurrences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: VIA TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventor: G. Glenn Henry
  • Patent number: 9779242
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided for protecting a basic input/output system (BIOS) in a computing system. The apparatus includes a BIOS read only memory (ROM), a tamper detector, a random number generator, and a JTAG control chain. The BIOS ROM includes BIOS contents stored as plaintext, and an encrypted message digest, where the encrypted message digest has an encrypted version of a first message digest that corresponds to the BIOS contents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: VIA TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventor: G. Glenn Henry
  • Publication number: 20170277589
    Abstract: A non-volatile memory (NVM) apparatus and an empty page detection method thereof are provided. The NVM apparatus includes a NVM and a controller. The controller reads the content of a memory page of the NVM. The controller performs Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) decoding for at least one codeword of the memory page to obtain a decoded codeword and a check-result vector. The controller determines that the memory page is not an empty page when the LDPC decoding for the codeword is successful. The controller counts an amount of the bits being 1 (or 0) in the check-result vector when the LDPC decoding for the codeword is fail. Based on the amount of the bits being 1 (or 0) in the check-result vector, the controller determines whether the memory page is an empty page.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2016
    Publication date: September 28, 2017
    Applicant: VIA Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Ying Yu Tai, Jiangli Zhu
  • Patent number: 9772653
    Abstract: A Universal Serial Bus (USB) dock is provided. The USB dock includes: a plurality of downstream ports; and a upstream port, connecting the USB dock to a portable device, wherein the upstream port includes an On-the-go (OTG) ID pin and a differential pair; and a microcontroller, configured to detect operating states of the portable device, wherein when it is detected that the portable device is in a USB OTG host mode and has entered a suspend state, the microcontroller controls the portable device to switch from the USB OTG host mode to a USB device mode by toggling a state of the USB OTG ID pin, thereby charging the portable device via the upstream port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: VIA TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Chin-Sung Hsu, Terrance Shiyang Shih, Li-Feng Pan
  • Patent number: 9767288
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided for protecting a basic input/output system (BIOS) in a computing system. The apparatus includes a BIOS read only memory (ROM), a tamper detector, a random number generator, and a JTAG control chain. The BIOS ROM includes BIOS contents stored as plaintext, and an encrypted message digest, where the encrypted message digest has an encrypted version of a first message digest that corresponds to the BIOS contents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: VIA TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventor: G. Glenn Henry
  • Patent number: 9767796
    Abstract: A natural language dialog method and a natural language dialog system are provided. In the method, a first speech input is received and parsed to generate at least one keyword included in the first speech input, so that a candidate list including at least one report answer is obtained. According to a properties database, one report answer is selected from the candidate list, and a first speech response is output according to the report answer. Other speech inputs are received, and a user's preference data is captured from the speech inputs. The user's preference data is stored in the properties database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: VIA Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Guo-Feng Zhang
  • Patent number: 9747974
    Abstract: A non-volatile memory apparatus includes a non-volatile storage circuit and a controller. The non-volatile storage circuit reads a corresponding data voltage set, and converts the corresponding data voltage set to the corresponding data in accordance with the read-voltage parameter of the controller. The controller decides whether to perform the on-the-fly self-adaptive read-voltage adjustment in accordance with the number of error bits of the corresponding data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: VIA Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Ying Yu Tai, Jiangli Zhu
  • Publication number: 20170212801
    Abstract: A controller device and an operation method for a non-volatile memory with 3-dimensional architecture are provided. The controller device includes an error checking and correcting (ECC) circuit and a controller. The controller is coupled to the non-volatile memory and the ECC circuit. The controller may access a target wordline of the non-volatile memory in accordance with a physical address. The controller groups a plurality of wordlines of the non-volatile memory into a plurality of wordline groups, wherein different wordline groups have different codeword structures. The controller controls the ECC circuit according to the codeword structure of the wordline group of the target wordline, and the ECC circuit generates a codeword to be stored in the target wordline or check a codeword from the target wordline under control of the controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2016
    Publication date: July 27, 2017
    Applicant: VIA Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Ying Yu Tai, Jiin Lai, Jiangli Zhu
  • Patent number: 9715524
    Abstract: A search method, a search system, and a natural language comprehension system are provided. The search system includes a structured database and a search engine. The structured database stores a plurality of records, each of which has a title field and a content field. The title field includes at least one sub-field, and each sub-field includes an indication field and a value field. The indication field stores indication data, the value field stores value data, and the content field stores detailed content data. The search engine conducts a full-text search to the records in the structured database according to a keyword derived from a user's request formation, and a search result is transmitted to a knowledge comprehension assistance module, so as to recognize the user's intention. After the user's intention is recognized, information associated with the recognized user's intention is transmitted back to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: VIA Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Guo-Feng Zhang, Yi-Fei Zhu
  • Patent number: 9711139
    Abstract: A method for building a language model, a speech recognition method and an electronic apparatus are provided. The speech recognition method includes the following steps. Phonetic transcriptions of a speech signal are obtained from an acoustic model. Phonetic spellings matching the phonetic transcriptions are obtained according to the phonetic transcriptions and a syllable acoustic lexicon. According to the phonetic spellings, a plurality of text sequences and a plurality of text sequence probabilities are obtained from a language model. Each phonetic spelling is matched to a candidate sentence table; a word probability of each phonetic spelling matching a word in a sentence of the sentence table are obtained; and the word probabilities of the phonetic spellings are calculated so as to obtain the text sequence probabilities. The text sequence corresponding to a largest one of the sequence probabilities is selected as a recognition result of the speech signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: VIA Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Guo-Feng Zhang
  • Patent number: 9711138
    Abstract: A method for building a language model, a speech recognition method and an electronic apparatus are provided. The speech recognition method includes the following steps. Phonetic transcriptions of a speech signal are obtained from an acoustic model. Phonetic spellings matching the phonetic transcriptions are obtained according to the phonetic transcriptions and a syllable acoustic lexicon. According to the phonetic spellings, a plurality of text sequences and a plurality of text sequence probabilities are obtained from a language model. Each phonetic spelling is matched to a candidate sentence table; a word probability of each phonetic spelling matching a word in a sentence of the sentence table are obtained; and the word probabilities of the phonetic spellings are calculated so as to obtain the text sequence probabilities. The text sequence corresponding to a largest one of the sequence probabilities is selected as a recognition result of the speech signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: VIA Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Guo-Feng Zhang
  • Patent number: 9710875
    Abstract: An image transmission apparatus for providing a low voltage differential signaling (LVDS) data stream to a display panel is provided. The image transmission apparatus includes a transmitter and a graphic processing unit (GPU). The transmitter obtains an extended display identification data (EDID) according to an inter integrated circuit signal from the display panel. The GPU provides configuration data according to the EDID, and provides a display port (DP) data stream according to an image data. The transmitter obtains a transfer parameter according to the configuration data, and converts the DP data stream into the LVDS data stream according to the transfer parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: VIA TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Chien-Cheng Sung, Ping-Huei Hsieh
  • Patent number: D800592
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: VIA TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Jui-Cheng Jean, Ya-Ling Chen