Patents by Inventor Achraf Dhayni

Achraf Dhayni 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).

  • Patent number: 11764731
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an electronic device comprising a first capacitor and a quartz crystal coupled in series between a first node and a second node; an inverter coupled between the first and second nodes; a first variable capacitor coupled between the first node and a third node; and a second variable capacitor coupled between the second node and the third node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignees: STMicroelectronics (Alps) SAS, STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS, STMicroelectronics S.r.l., STMicroelectronics (Grenoble 2) SAS
    Inventors: Benoit Marchand, Hamilton Emmanuel Querino De Carvalho, Achraf Dhayni, Daniele Mangano
  • Publication number: 20230087239
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an electronic device comprising a first capacitor and a quartz crystal coupled in series between a first node and a second node; an inverter coupled between the first and second nodes; a first variable capacitor coupled between the first node and a third node; and a second variable capacitor coupled between the second node and the third node.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2022
    Publication date: March 23, 2023
    Inventors: Benoit Marchand, Hamilton Emmanuel Querino De Carvalho, Achraf Dhayni, Daniele Mangano
  • Patent number: 11533019
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an electronic device comprising a first capacitor and a quartz crystal coupled in series between a first node and a second node; an inverter coupled between the first and second nodes; a first variable capacitor coupled between the first node and a third node; and a second variable capacitor coupled between the second node and the third node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignees: STMicroelectronics (Alps) SAS, STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS, STMicroelectronics S.r.l., STMicroelectronics (Grenoble 2) SAS
    Inventors: Benoit Marchand, Hamilton Emmanuel Querino De Carvalho, Achraf Dhayni, Daniele Mangano
  • Patent number: 11403502
    Abstract: A device for managing operation of an object capable of contactless communication with a reader magnetically coupled to the object includes a modulator configured to modulate an impedance of a load connected across terminals of an antenna of the object during a transmission phase during which information is transmitted from the object to the reader. The device further includes a monitor configured to carry out a monitoring phase, prior to the transmission phase. The monitoring phase includes a test modulation of the impedance of the load, a monitoring of a level of amplitude modulation of a modulated test signal present at the antenna of the object and resulting from the test modulation, and a capacitive modification of the impedance of the load if this level is lower than a threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: STMICROELECTRONICS INTERNATIONAL N.V.
    Inventor: Achraf Dhayni
  • Publication number: 20210265950
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an electronic device comprising a first capacitor and a quartz crystal coupled in series between a first node and a second node; an inverter coupled between the first and second nodes; a first variable capacitor coupled between the first node and a third node; and a second variable capacitor coupled between the second node and the third node.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2021
    Publication date: August 26, 2021
    Inventors: Benoit Marchand, Hamilton Emmanuel Querino De Carvalho, Achraf Dhayni, Daniele Mangano
  • Publication number: 20190325283
    Abstract: A device for managing operation of an object capable of contactless communication with a reader magnetically coupled to the object includes a modulator configured to modulate an impedance of a load connected across terminals of an antenna of the object during a transmission phase during which information is transmitted from the object to the reader. The device further includes a monitor configured to carry out a monitoring phase, prior to the transmission phase. The monitoring phase includes a test modulation of the impedance of the load, a monitoring of a level of amplitude modulation of a modulated test signal present at the antenna of the object and resulting from the test modulation, and a capacitive modification of the impedance of the load if this level is lower than a threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2019
    Publication date: October 24, 2019
    Inventor: Achraf Dhayni
  • Patent number: 10380474
    Abstract: A method for managing the operation of an object capable of contactless communication with a reader magnetically coupled to the object includes a phase for transmission of information from the object to the reader and includes a modulation of the impedance of a load connected across the terminals of the antenna of the object. Prior to the transmission phase, a monitoring phase includes a monitoring of the level of amplitude modulation of a modulated test signal present at the antenna of the object and resulting from a test modulation of the impedance of the load and a capacitive modification of the impedance of the load if this level is lower than a threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: STMICROELECTRONICS INTERNATIONAL N.V.
    Inventor: Achraf Dhayni
  • Patent number: 9847901
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus determine a time of start of series of OFDM symbols forming an OFDM packet, wherein one or more symbols of the OFDM signal includes a plurality of copies of a short training sequence made of a plurality of time-domain samples. The method includes determining a coarse time index, determining a fine time index, and determining the time of start of each OFDM symbols based on the fine time index. The coarse time-domain sample of the coarse time index is within a coarse estimation error interval, and the time-domain samples of the coarse estimation error interval are converted into frequency domain samples. A metric value is determined for each frequency domain samples, and the fine time index is the time index corresponding to one of the coarse estimation error interval having its associated frequency domain sample having the lowest metric value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: OPTIS CIRCUIT TECHNOLOGY, LLC
    Inventor: Achraf Dhayni
  • Patent number: 9729209
    Abstract: A Near Field Communication method performed by a tag reader detects whether a tag is present. The method includes stimulating the tag reader's transmitter to generate an impulse response, evaluating the impulse response generated by the transmitter to obtain an evaluated impulse response, and assessing whether a tag is present based on the evaluated impulse response.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: Optis Circuit Technology, LLC
    Inventor: Achraf Dhayni
  • Patent number: 9729377
    Abstract: A method for determining a symbol boundary in a data packet belonging to a received OFDM signal is provided. The data packet includes a first training filed and a second training field, which begins with a guard interval. The method includes detecting the beginning of the data packet, and starting an automatic gain control process. The method further includes, after the automatic gain control process is locked, determining autocorrelation peaks and estimating the symbol boundary from times of the autocorrelation peaks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: Optis Circuit Technology, LLC
    Inventor: Achraf Dhayni
  • Patent number: 9654252
    Abstract: A receiver estimates a vector of emitted symbols over a MIMO transmission channel which is emitted by emitting antennas. The receiver receives a vector of received symbols on receiving antennas. Estimation of the vector of emitted symbols is made by calculating a metric associated with a criterion for each vector of a subset of all possible vectors of emitted symbols and selecting an estimation for said vector of emitted symbols as the vector of emitted symbols among said subset which minimizes said metric.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Achraf Dhayni, Hussein Hijazi
  • Patent number: 9632896
    Abstract: A built-in self-testing method of a near field communication device including several functions tests a first internal communication link between a first function and a second function. The testing is performed by sending, on said first internal communication link, a first command from said first function used as a transmitter to said second function used as a receiver, and by checking said first command has been correctly executed by said second function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: Optis Circuit Technology, LLC
    Inventor: Achraf Dhayni
  • Patent number: 9577769
    Abstract: An OFDM communication transceiver, which is configured to test its connection with an antenna circuit unit, has a receiver chain and an emitting chain. The receiver chain includes a time-to-frequency transform unit and the emitting chain includes a frequency-to-time transform unit. The transceiver further includes means for disconnecting the receiver chain to the antenna circuit unit, means for providing a stimulus as input to the emitting chain, means for reintroducing the signal at the output of the emitting chain as an input of the receiving chain, means for determining a circuit resonance frequency, Fr, and a quality factor, Q, of a transfer function computed from the output of the time-to-frequency transform unit, and means for deciding about the connection of said antenna circuit unit according to the resonance frequency and the quality factor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: OPTIS CIRCUIT TECHNOLOGY, LLC
    Inventor: Achraf Dhayni
  • Patent number: 9509373
    Abstract: A system can be used for contactless communication of information between a first device and a second device, each having an antenna intended to be coupled via a near magnetic field. The first device includes a transmit chain having first circuitry configured to generate a digital data stream corresponding to the information to be transmitted, and second circuitry configured to generate a first amplitude-modulated and dithered signal in the antenna of the first device from this stream and from an application of a first dithering. The second device includes a receive chain having third circuitry configured to carry out a frequency transposition of a second amplitude-modulated and dithered signal originating from the first signal, with application of a second dithering synchronous with the first dithering.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: STMICROELECTRONICS INTERNATIONAL N.V.
    Inventor: Achraf Dhayni
  • Patent number: 9467238
    Abstract: A method of determining a calibration of a near field communication, NFC, device, the NFC device comprising a receiver circuit, a transmitter circuit and a load modulator circuit, the method comprising: generating a carrier signal in the transmitter circuit, generating a modulation signal in the load modulator circuit, generating a modulated carrier signal, comprising first and second frequencies, by applying the modulation signal to the carrier signal, applying the modulated carrier signal at an input of the receiver circuit, and determining a response parameter of the receiver circuit on the basis of the response of the receiver circuit to the first and second frequencies in the modulated carrier signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: ST-ERICSSON SA
    Inventor: Achraf Dhayni
  • Patent number: 9455859
    Abstract: An emitter for modulating and emitting an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing signal through a transmission channel (TC), comprising a frequency-to-time converter for converting symbols to be transmitted into time symbols, and means for serializing and amplifying said time symbol so as to emit it as an OFDM signal through said transmission channel, said emitter further comprising: means (12) for clipping said time symbols; time-to-frequency convertor (13) for converting said time symbols; and means for applying a set of data subcarriers of the outputs of said time-to-frequency converter as inputs of said frequency-to-time converter wherein out-of-band subcarriers are set to zero and the clipping level is set to a minimum level allowing the amplifier to operate in an efficient region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2016
    Assignee: ST-ERICSSON SA
    Inventor: Achraf Dhayni
  • Patent number: 9425907
    Abstract: A method of self-test for a near-field communication (NFC) radio frequency (RF) front-end unit comprising one antenna driver and at least one unit from a group comprising one reader and one card emulator, the RF front-end unit being connected to a digital front-end unit, wherein the antenna driver and the unit are interconnected through a first connection line via their respective first input-output interface and are also interconnected through a second connection line via their respective second input-output interface, the digital front-end unit being connected to the second connection line, the method comprising: activating the antenna driver and the unit based on control signals; —generating a first signal onto the first connection line by modulating a respective first bitstream; —retrieving a second bitstream from the second connection line, by demodulating the first signal; and, —determining an outcome of the self-test by monitoring the demodulated signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: ST-ERICSSON SA
    Inventors: Achraf Dhayni, Christophe Arnal
  • Patent number: 9413580
    Abstract: Receiver (RCV) adapted for compensating for Symbol Timing Offset when receiving OFDM symbols, over a communication channel (TC), comprising: means (REG, DFT, CMP) for detecting a first phase with no Inter-Symbol Interference, means (REG, DFT, CMP) for detecting a second phase with presence of Inter-Symbol Interference, means (REG, DFT, CMP) for compensating for said Symbol Timing Offset by estimating starting points of said received OFDM symbols as being one sample before the start of said second phase. The timing synchronization is achieved in frequency domain by monitoring amplitude variation of the demodulated subcarriers symbols, said variation being due to the presence of Inter Symbol Interference when the FFT window overlaps with the subsequent OFDM symbol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2016
    Assignee: ST-ERICSSON SA
    Inventor: Achraf Dhayni
  • Patent number: 9379784
    Abstract: A method for performing electromagnetic induction communication enables transmitting modulation data between communication devices. The method includes coupling a first antenna of a first communication device and a second antenna of a second communication device, generating a magnetic field by supplying a first current through the first antenna, and modulating the magnetic field according to the modulation data. The first current is regulated so as to be substantially constant, by introducing a regulating current, which is function of the magnetic field. The first communication device determines the modulation data from the regulating current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: ST-ERICSSON SA
    Inventor: Achraf Dhayni
  • Patent number: 9344302
    Abstract: A transceiver for orthogonal frequency division multiplex communication has a transmitter module (1) and a receiver module (2). The transmitter (1) has an l-path (3) and a Q-path (4) to receive signals on a number of subcarriers provided by a signal generator (9). The receiver module (2) has a receiver l-path (7) and a receiver Q-path (8) to deliver signals to a processor (15). IQ imbalance is calculated for each of the transmitter and receiver by the signal generator sending a sample signal (Xl(k), XQ(k)) over a one of the transmitter paths. The signal is then applied to one or each of the inputs to the receiver paths (7,8) to generate receiver output signals Yl(k), YQ(k), RQ(k). The processor (15) is responsive to the output signals to calculate the transmitter and receiver IQ imbalance for that subcarrier. A calibrator (19) and compensator (20) are responsive to the calculated IQ imbalance to correct or compensate each subcarrier of the transceiver band.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: ST-ERICSSON SA
    Inventor: Achraf Dhayni