Patents Examined by Terry L. Englund
  • Patent number: 8253475
    Abstract: A fuse detecting apparatus includes a detector, a calibrator and a logical operating unit. The detector includes a detecting switch module and a detecting latch. The detecting switch module generates an initial detecting result according to first and second control signals and a status of the fuse. The detecting latch stores a voltage level of the initial detecting result or maintains its originally stored voltage level according to the initial detecting result for generating a pre-calibrating detecting signal. The calibrator includes a calibrating switch module and a calibrating latch. The calibrating switch module generates a calibrating result according to the first and second control signals. The calibrating latch stores the calibrating result and generates a calibrating signal accordingly. The logical operating unit generates a calibrated detecting signal according to the pre-calibrating detecting signal and the calibrating signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Winbond Electronics Corp.
    Inventor: Che-Min Lin
  • Patent number: 8233854
    Abstract: A polar modulator for generating a polar-modulated signal based on amplitude information and phase information includes a phase-locked loop which is implemented to enable a setting of a frequency depending on a control value to obtain a phase-locked loop output signal. The polar modulator further includes a modulation means which is implemented to combine an amplitude modulation signal derived from the amplitude information with the phase-locked loop output signal to generate the polar-modulated signal. The polar modulator further includes a control value generator which is implemented to high-pass filter an amplitude signal derived from the amplitude information, to obtain a high-pass filtered amplitude signal, wherein the control value generator is implemented to combine the high-pass filtered amplitude signal with a phase signal based on the phase information to generate the control value signal representing the control value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Intel Mobile Communications GmbH
    Inventors: Giuseppe Li Puma, Michael Feltgen
  • Patent number: 8232833
    Abstract: Digital multilevel memory systems and methods include a charge pump for generating regulated high voltages for various memory operations. The charge pump may include a plurality of pump stages. Aspects of exemplary systems may include charge pumps that performs orderly charging and discharging at low voltage operation conditions. Additional aspects may include features that enable state by state pumping, for example, circuitry that avoids cascaded short circuits among pump stages. Each pump stage may also include circuitry that discharges its nodes, such as via self-discharge through associated pump interconnection(s). Further aspects may also include features that: assist power-up in the various pump stages, double voltage, shift high voltage levels, provide anti-parallel circuit configurations, and/or enable buffering or precharging features, such as self-buffering and self-precharging circuitry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Silicon Storage Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Hieu Van Tran, Sang Thanh Nguyen, Nasrin Jaffari, Hung Quoc Nguyen, Anh Ly
  • Patent number: 8228114
    Abstract: A direct drive cascode using a gate signal driven D-mode JFET connected in series with a power-enable-signal driven E-Mode JFET to provide a quick-operation high-temperature normally-off cascode configuration with low noise characteristics. The E-mode JFET may have the E-mode gate connected to ground with a pull down power element or resistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Arkansas Power Electronics International, Inc.
    Inventor: Edgar Cilio
  • Patent number: 8228108
    Abstract: A level formatter is provided that has differentially coupled closed loop current sources, each configured to precisely establish a current proportional to a reference voltage. A bridge circuit is differentially coupled to two supplementary current sources and controlled to rapidly switch the current from the supplementary current sources to produce output voltages at respective outputs that are approximately equal to respective one of two reference voltages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Hector Torres, Charles Parkhurst
  • Patent number: 8217707
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a system and method for operating an Integrated Circuit (IC) includes inputting power to the IC in bursts, sensing an IC temperature using a temperature sensor, operating the IC by controlling the power to be outputted by the IC during the burst in dependence on the sensed IC temperature compared to a reference IC temperature using a controller, wherein the IC temperature is obtained at a predetermined moment prior to a start of the burst, and the IC is operated by setting an allowable power to be outputted by the IC prior to the start of the burst.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: ST-Ericsson SA
    Inventor: Leonardus C. H. Ruijs
  • Patent number: 8217708
    Abstract: A temperature sensor performs more precise temperature measurement, even when manufacturing fluctuations are present in semiconductor elements forming a circuit for generating a temperature-dependent current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventor: Kiyoshi Yoshikawa
  • Patent number: 8217714
    Abstract: A power consumption of a light-receiving device is reduced while a power consumption of a microcomputer that controls the light-receiving device is reduced as well. The microcomputer is structured to include a drive circuit, a sampling/detection circuit, a timer, a system clock generation circuit, a CPU, a ROM and a RAM. The CPU stops providing the light-receiving device with a power supply by turning off a P channel type MOS transistor with the drive circuit and sets the microcomputer in a standby state for a predetermined period of time. When the microcomputer is released from the standby state, the CPU starts providing the light receiving device with the power supply by turning the P channel type MOS transistor on with the drive circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignees: SANYO Semiconductor Co., Ltd., Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC
    Inventor: Hideo Kondo
  • Patent number: 8212605
    Abstract: A temperature compensation circuit includes a bias circuit configured to output a bias current having a current value increasing in proportion to an absolute temperature in a low-temperature region in which a temperature is lower than a predetermined temperature, and having a greater current value than the current value proportional to the absolute temperature in a high-temperature region in which the temperature is equal to or greater than the predetermined temperature, and a transistor having a control terminal supplied with the bias current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Koji Horie, Minoru Nagata
  • Patent number: 8212606
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided that includes a drift trimming stage that includes a first current source providing a current with a first temperature dependency and a second current source providing a current with a second temperature dependency. The first and the second current source are coupled at a first node and configured to have equal currents at a first temperature. There is further a third current source providing a current with a third temperature dependency and a fourth current source providing a current with a fourth temperature dependency. The third current source and the fourth current source are coupled at a second node and configured to have equal currents at the first temperature. There is a first resistor coupled between the first node and a third node, a second resistor coupled between the second node and the third node. The first node and the second node are coupled to provide a combined voltage drop across the first resistor and the second resistor for reducing the offset drift.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Martijn F. Snoeij, Mikhail V. Invanov
  • Patent number: 8207787
    Abstract: According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a low-voltage operation constant-voltage circuit includes a band-gap reference voltage circuit including a resistor-diode series circuit as a main component. A resistor and a diode-connected bipolar transistor are connected in series to create a constant current. It also includes an output circuit connected in parallel to the resistor-diode series circuit and formed so that the same constant current as the current flowing through the resistor-diode series circuit flows. The output circuit includes a diode-connected MOS transistor, and is configured to cancel the positive temperature coefficient of the current flowing through the output circuit by the MOS transistor. With this, a stable output low-voltage of, e.g., about 0.6 V, excellent in temperature characteristics can be obtained regardless of the ambient temperature changes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC
    Inventors: Kazuo Hasegawa, Hirohisa Suzuki
  • Patent number: 8188786
    Abstract: A modularized capacitor array includes a plurality of capacitor modules. Each capacitor module includes a capacitor and a switching device that is configured to electrically disconnect the capacitor. The switching device includes a sensing unit configured to detect the level of leakage of the capacitor so that the switching device disconnects the capacitor electrically if the leakage current exceeds a predetermined level. Each capacitor module can include a single capacitor plate, two capacitor plates, or more than two capacitor plates. The leakage sensors and switching devices are employed to electrically disconnect any capacitor module of the capacitor array that becomes leaky, thereby protecting the capacitor array from excessive electrical leakage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Louis L. Hsu, Xu Ouyang, Chih-Chao Yang
  • Patent number: 8183914
    Abstract: Structures and methods for providing a temperature independent constant current reference are provided. A constant Gm circuit is disclosed with embodiments including a voltage controlled resistor providing a current into a current mirror, the current mirror sinking a reference current at its output. By providing a feedback loop that controls the voltage controlled resistor, a temperature compensated circuit may be obtained. The temperature dependence of the voltage controlled resistor is positive and the feedback circuitry maintains this resistor at a value that compensates for the negative temperature dependence of the current mirror circuit. The reference current is thus obtained at a predetermined level independent of temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsung-Hsien Tsai, Chien-Hung Chen, Min-Shueh Yuan
  • Patent number: 8175542
    Abstract: A wireless transceiver includes a phased array of antennas, that transmit an outbound RF signal containing outbound data to remote transceivers and that receives an inbound RF signal containing inbound data from the remote RF transceivers, wherein the phased array of antennas is configurable based on a control signal. An antenna configuration controller generates the control signal to configure the phased array of antennas to hop among a plurality of radiation patterns based on a hopping sequence. An RF transceiver section generates the outbound RF signal based on the outbound data and that generates the inbound data based on the inbound RF signal. In one configuration, a switching section selectively couples a selected antenna of the phased array of antennas to the RF transceiver section, based on the control signal. In another configuration, the RF transceiver section includes an RF section for each antenna of the phased array of antennas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Saishankar Nandagopalan, Jeyhan Karaoguz, Jason A. Trachewsky, Vinko Erceg, Christopher J. Hansen, Matthew J. Fischer, Murat Mese
  • Patent number: 8174304
    Abstract: A key module includes a key, a light emitting component, and a drive circuit. The key is operable between on and off states. The light emitting component is disposed adjacent to the key, and is capable of providing indicating light for the key. The drive circuit is electrically connected to the key and the light emitting component. The drive circuit is triggered upon switching of the key from the off state to the on state to provide a drive signal for driving the light emitting component to provide the indicating light. The drive signal has an intensity that gradually decreases over time once the key switches from the on state to the off state such that the indicating light provided by the light emitting component has a luminance that gradually decreases over time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Coretronic Corporation
    Inventors: Lien-Fu Cheng, Wei-Chih Su, Jyh-Yu Chuang
  • Patent number: 8169350
    Abstract: A wireless receiving circuit having an analog-digital converter of digital calibration type constituted by plural analog-digital converter units, shares portions about digital calibration, and applies the result of calibration of one analog-digital converter unit to other analog-digital converter units to appropriately perform each digital calibration of the plural analog-digital converter units. For example, in a wireless receiving circuit having an analog-digital converter of digital calibration type constituted of an analog-digital converter unit of I side and an analog-digital converter unit of Q side, portions about digital calibration are shared, and a calibration result of I side is applied to Q side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Oshima, Taizo Yamawaki
  • Patent number: 8169259
    Abstract: An active filter includes a first filter and a second filter. The first filter receives an input signal, and generates a first output signal by filtering the input signal. The second filter receives the first output signal during a time period adjusted based on a variation of a time constant of the first filter, and generates a second output signal by filtering the first output signal received during the time period. Therefore, a variation of a time constant is compensated by using post integration time control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Moo-Yeol Choi
  • Patent number: 8170495
    Abstract: A wireless transceiver includes at least one phased array antenna, that transmits an outbound RF signal containing outbound data to a remote transceiver and that receives an inbound RF signal containing inbound data from the at least one remote RF transceiver, wherein the at least one phased array antenna is configurable based on a control signal. An antenna configuration controller generates the control signal to configure the phased array antenna to hop among a plurality of selected radiation patterns that are collaboratively selected by the wireless transceiver and the remote transceiver via a pairing procedure. At least one RF transceiver section generates the outbound RF signal based on the outbound data and that generates the inbound data based on the inbound RF signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Jason A. Trachewsky, Jeyhan Karaoguz, Christopher J. Hansen, Saishankar Nandagopalan, Vinko Erceg, Matthew J. Fischer, Murat Mese
  • Patent number: 8170496
    Abstract: A wireless transceiver includes at least one phased array antenna, that transmits an outbound RF signal containing outbound data to at least one remote transceiver and that receives an inbound RF signal containing inbound data from the at least one remote RF transceiver, wherein the at least one phased array antenna is configurable based on a control signal. An antenna configuration controller generates the control signal to configure the phased array antenna to hop among a plurality of radiation patterns based on a hopping sequence. At least one RF transceiver section generates the outbound RF signal based on the outbound data and that generates the inbound data based on the inbound RF signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Saishankar Nandagopalan, Jeyhan Karaoguz, Jason A. Trachewsky, Vinko Erceg, Christopher J. Hansen, Matthew J. Fischer, Murat Mese
  • Patent number: 8150353
    Abstract: An amplifier unit to be placed in an antenna mast and belonging to a two-way radio system. The amplifier unit comprises two front stages for implementing diversity, each front stage comprising a receiving branch with an amplifier and a transmitting branch including a transmit bandpass filter. In both front stages the output of the receiving branch and the input of the transmitting branch are coupled together and further to a base station (BT1, BT2) by an intermediate cable. There is at least one pair of antenna radiators. One radiator of the pair is coupled to the input of the receiving branch of the first front stage and the output of the transmitting branch of the second front stage, and the other radiator to the input of the receiving branch of the second front stage and the output of the transmitting branch of the first front stage. Then, the feedback path of the signal amplified in the receiving branch circulates for the part of both front stages via both radiators and the airspace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Powerwave Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Harri Närhi