Patents by Inventor Aaron Brennan

Aaron Brennan has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20180316340
    Abstract: A circuit may include first circuitry within a lower voltage domain, second circuitry within a higher voltage domain, a pass gate switch coupled between the first circuitry and the second circuitry for selectively coupling the first circuitry to the second circuitry, and control circuitry configured to control and vary a control voltage of the pass gate switch based on a threshold voltage of the pass gate switch.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2018
    Publication date: November 1, 2018
    Applicant: Cirrus Logic International Semiconductor Ltd.
    Inventors: Anuradha PARSI, Michael A. KOST, Aaron BRENNAN
  • Patent number: 9941848
    Abstract: In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, a transconductance with capacitances feedback compensation amplifier may include a capacitor in parallel with an inner feedback loop of the amplifier for providing cascade compensation to the amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.
    Inventors: Ramin Zanbaghi, Aaron Brennan, Johann Gaboriau, Prashanth Drakshapalli, Vamsikrishna Parupalli
  • Patent number: 9799349
    Abstract: The dynamic range and power efficiency of a voice-activated system may be improved by dynamically adjusting the configuration of the voice-activated system's input path. In one embodiment, a first portion of audio may be received through an input path of the voice-activated system having a first configuration. A characteristic of the first portion of audio may be determined and the input path may be adjusted to a second configuration based on the determined characteristic. A second portion of audio may then be received through the input path having the second configuration, and speech analysis may be performed on the second portion of audio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.
    Inventors: Yousof Mortazavi, Ramin Zanbaghi, Aaron Brennan, John L. Melanson
  • Patent number: 9762257
    Abstract: An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) may include capability to sense and/or compensate for undesired effects when receiving input from a microphone. For example, a sense node may be provided between differential inputs, and that sense node separated from the differential inputs by two or more switches. The sense node may allow for a measurement of an average voltage of the differential inputs. The average voltage may be obtained activating the switches to sample the sampling capacitors coupled to the differential inputs. That average voltage may be used as common mode (CM) data. A controller may receive the CM data, along with differential mode (DM) data, and use the CM and DM data to determine undesired effects, such as DC or AC mismatch at the microphone interface. The controller may then generate a signal for applying compensation to the differential inputs to reduce or eliminate the undesired effects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.
    Inventors: Ramin Zanbaghi, Aaron Brennan, Daniel J. Allen, John L. Melanson
  • Patent number: 9729164
    Abstract: One method of processing microphone input in an ADC to determine microphone configuration is to process the microphone input signals in two processing paths, in which one processing path processes a difference between differential input signals and another processing path processes an average value of the differential input signals. The outputs of these processing paths may be combined to generate a digital signal representative of the analog signal from the microphone. The digital signal contains a digital version of the audio in the environment around the microphone, but may also be used to detect microphone topology and configure aspects of the processing paths to match the detected microphone topology. An apparatus for an ADC may implement the two processing paths as two delta-sigma modulator loops.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: CIRRUS LOGIC, INC.
    Inventors: Ramin Zanbaghi, Yousof Mortazavi, Aaron Brennan, John L. Melanson
  • Patent number: 9722620
    Abstract: The overall performance of a dual-path ADC system may be improved by using a VCO-based ADC for small-amplitude signals and employing non-linear cancelation to remove nonlinearities in signals output by the VCO-based ADC. In particular, VCO-based dual-path ADC systems of this disclosure may be configured to receive a first digital signal from a first ADC and a second digital signal from a second ADC, wherein the second digital signal is more non-linear than the first digital signal. The dual-path systems may also be configured to determine one or more non-linear coefficients of the second digital signal based, at least in part, on processing of the first and second digital signals. The dual-path systems may be further configured to modify the second digital signal based, at least in part, on the determined one or more non-linear coefficients to generate a more linear second digital signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.
    Inventors: Ramin Zanbaghi, Yousof Mortazavi, John L. Melanson, Aaron Brennan
  • Patent number: 9609416
    Abstract: An optical sensor may be integrated into headphones and feedback from the sensor used to adjust an audio output from the headphones. For example, an emergency vehicle traffic preemption signal may be detected by the optical sensor. Optical signals may be processed in a pattern discriminator, which may be integrated with an audio controller integrated circuit (IC). When the signal is detected, the playback of music through the headphones may be muted and/or a noise cancellation function turned off. The optical sensor may be integrated in a music player, a smart phone, a tablet, a cord-mounted module, or the earpieces of the headphones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: CIRRUS LOGIC, INC.
    Inventors: Roy Scott Kaller, Aaron Brennan
  • Patent number: 9595971
    Abstract: A circuit for a divider or counter may include a frequency divider having multiple rings for dividing an input frequency to obtain an output frequency. The first and second rings may include an odd-numbered plurality of elements, such as inverters, wherein each inverter of a ring is coupled to another inverter of the ring in a circular chain. An input frequency may be input to a power supply input of inverters of the first ring. The second ring inverters may be coupled at a power supply input to output nodes of the first ring inverters, which results in the second ring operating at a divisional rate of the first frequency given by (N?1), where N is the number of inverters in the ring. The circuits may be used in frequency dividers and counters, such as in phase-locked loops (PLLs) and analog-to-digital converters (ADCs).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: CIRRUS LOGIC, INC.
    Inventors: Yousof Mortazavi, John L. Melanson, Aaron Brennan
  • Publication number: 20170047939
    Abstract: An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) may include capability to sense and/or compensate for undesired effects when receiving input from a microphone. For example, a sense node may be provided between differential inputs, and that sense node separated from the differential inputs by two or more switches. The sense node may allow for a measurement of an average voltage of the differential inputs. The average voltage may be obtained activating the switches to sample the sampling capacitors coupled to the differential inputs. That average voltage may be used as common mode (CM) data. A controller may receive the CM data, along with differential mode (DM) data, and use the CM and DM data to determine undesired effects, such as DC or AC mismatch at the microphone interface. The controller may then generate a signal for applying compensation to the differential inputs to reduce or eliminate the undesired effects.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2016
    Publication date: February 16, 2017
    Applicant: Cirrus Logic International Semiconductor Ltd.
    Inventors: Ramin Zanbaghi, Aaron Brennan, Daniel J. Allen, John L. Melanson
  • Publication number: 20170047938
    Abstract: One method of processing microphone input in an ADC to determine microphone configuration is to process the microphone input signals in two processing paths, in which one processing path processes a difference between differential input signals and another processing path processes an average value of the differential input signals. The outputs of these processing paths may be combined to generate a digital signal representative of the analog signal from the microphone. The digital signal contains a digital version of the audio in the environment around the microphone, but may also be used to detect microphone topology and configure aspects of the processing paths to match the detected microphone topology. An apparatus for an ADC may implement the two processing paths as two delta-sigma modulator loops.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2015
    Publication date: February 16, 2017
    Inventors: Ramin Zanbaghi, Yousof Mortazavi, Aaron Brennan, John L. Melanson
  • Publication number: 20160344392
    Abstract: A circuit for a divider or counter may include a frequency divider having multiple rings for dividing an input frequency to obtain an output frequency. The first and second rings may include an odd-numbered plurality of elements, such as inverters, wherein each inverter of a ring is coupled to another inverter of the ring in a circular chain. An input frequency may be input to a power supply input of inverters of the first ring. The second ring inverters may be coupled at a power supply input to output nodes of the first ring inverters, which results in the second ring operating at a divisional rate of the first frequency given by (N?1), where N is the number of inverters in the ring. The circuits may be used in frequency dividers and counters, such as in phase-locked loops (PLLs) and analog-to-digital converters (ADCs).
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2016
    Publication date: November 24, 2016
    Applicant: Cirrus Logic International Semiconductor Ltd.
    Inventors: John L. Melanson, Yousof Mortazavi, Aaron Brennan
  • Patent number: 9503112
    Abstract: The overall performance of a dual-path ADC system may be improved by using a VCO-based ADC for small-amplitude signals and employing non-linear cancellation to remove nonlinearities in signals output by the VCO-based ADC. In particular, VCO-based dual-path ADC systems of this disclosure may be configured to receive a first digital signal from a first ADC and a second digital signal from a second ADC, wherein the second digital signal is more non-linear than the first digital signal. The dual-path systems may also be configured to determine one or more non-linear coefficients of the second digital signal based, at least in part, on processing of the first and second digital signals. The dual-path systems may be further configured to modify the second digital signal based, at least in part, on the determined one or more non-linear coefficients to generate a more linear second digital signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.
    Inventors: Ramin Zanbaghi, Yousof Mortazavi, Aaron Brennan, John L. Melanson
  • Publication number: 20160314805
    Abstract: The dynamic range and power efficiency of a voice-activated system may be improved by dynamically adjusting the configuration of the voice-activated system's input path. In one embodiment, a first portion of audio may be received through an input path of the voice-activated system having a first configuration. A characteristic of the first portion of audio may be determined and the input path may be adjusted to a second configuration based on the determined characteristic. A second portion of audio may then be received through the input path having the second configuration, and speech analysis may be performed on the second portion of audio.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2015
    Publication date: October 27, 2016
    Inventors: Yousof Mortazavi, Ramin Zanbaghi, Aaron Brennan, John L. Melanson
  • Patent number: 9397692
    Abstract: A delta-sigma modulation analog-to-digital converter (ADC) may be constructed by combining a VCO used for a first order filter with a digital loop filter used for a second or higher order of the ADC. One such ADC would include an analog input node configured to receive an analog signal; a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) comprising a first input configured to receive the analog signal, wherein the voltage-controlled oscillator is configured to implement a first order noise-shaping function; a digital loop filter comprising a second input configured to receive an output of the voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO); and a digital output node configured to output a digital signal based on an output of the digital loop filter. The digital loop filter may be configured to implement at least a first order noise-shaping function, but may also implement higher order noise-shaping functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: CIRRUS LOGIC INTERNATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR LTD.
    Inventors: Ramin Zanbaghi, Aaron Brennan, John L. Melanson
  • Patent number: 9293986
    Abstract: Kickback current from a charge pump to a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) may be reduced by dissipating charge from fly and hold capacitors during mode transitions. A switch may be placed in series between the charge pump and the PMIC to disconnect the charge pump and prevent kickback current from reaching the PMIC. Further, additional loads, as switches, may be coupled to the charge pump outputs to dissipate charge from the fly and hold capacitors. Additionally, a closed feedback loop may be used to monitor and discharge excess charge from the fly and hold capacitors during mode transitions. Furthermore, charge may be redistributed between the fly and hold capacitors during mode transitions to reduce the time period of the transition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: CIRRUS LOGIC, INC.
    Inventors: Bharath Kumar Thandri, Thuan L. Nguyen, Daniel John Allen, Lingli Zhang, Aniruddha Satoskar, Aaron Brennan, Dan Shen
  • Publication number: 20150358718
    Abstract: An optical sensor may be integrated into headphones and feedback from the sensor used to adjust an audio output from the headphones. For example, an emergency vehicle traffic preemption signal may be detected by the optical sensor. Optical signals may be processed in a pattern discriminator, which may be integrated with an audio controller integrated circuit (IC). When the signal is detected, the playback of music through the headphones may be muted and/or a noise cancellation function turned off. The optical sensor may be integrated in a music player, a smart phone, a tablet, a cord-mounted module, or the earpieces of the headphones.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2014
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Inventors: Roy Scott Kaller, Aaron Brennan
  • Publication number: 20140340158
    Abstract: Kickback current from a charge pump to a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) may be reduced by dissipating charge from fly and hold capacitors during mode transitions. A switch may be placed in series between the charge pump and the PMIC to disconnect the charge pump and prevent kickback current from reaching the PMIC. Further, additional loads, as switches, may be coupled to the charge pump outputs to dissipate charge from the fly and hold capacitors. Additionally, a closed feedback loop may be used to monitor and discharge excess charge from the fly and hold capacitors during mode transitions. Furthermore, charge may be redistributed between the fly and hold capacitors during mode transitions to reduce the time period of the transition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2013
    Publication date: November 20, 2014
    Applicant: CIRRUS LOGIC, INC.
    Inventors: Bharath Kumar Thandri, Thuan L. Nguyen, Daniel John Allen, Lingli Zhang, Aniruddha Satoskar, Aaron Brennan, Dan Shen
  • Patent number: 8085100
    Abstract: A frequency synthesis/multiplication circuit and method for multiplying the frequency of a reference signal. In one embodiment, multiple versions of the reference signal are generated having different phases relative to one another, and these multiple versions are combined to form an output signal having a frequency that is a multiple of the frequency of the reference signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventor: Aaron Brennan
  • Patent number: 7902933
    Abstract: Described is a circuit comprising an oscillator, an amplifier unit and a control unit. The amplifier unit is coupled to the oscillator and to the control unit; and the control unit is arranged to regulate a load capacitance to the oscillator at startup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventor: Aaron Brennan
  • Patent number: 7859355
    Abstract: An oscillator circuit and system are provided having a peak detector that can determine a peak voltage value from the oscillator. The peak voltage value can then be compared against a predetermined voltage value by a controller coupled to the peak detector. The comparison value is then used to change a bias signal if the peak voltage value is dissimilar from the predetermined voltage value. A variable capacitor or varactor can be formed from a transistor and is coupled to the oscillator for receiving the bias signal upon a varactor bias node. The bias signal is used to regulate the capacitance within the varactor as applied to the oscillator nodes. Another controller can also be coupled to the peak detector to produce a second bias signal if the peak voltage is dissimilar from a second predetermined voltage value. The second bias signal can then be forwarded into an amplifier having a variable gain to regulate the gain applied to the oscillator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Aaron Brennan, Mike McMenamy