Patents by Inventor Alessandro Piovaccari

Alessandro Piovaccari 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: 20100130155
    Abstract: A receiver (400) includes a tracking bandpass filter (420), a tunable lowpass filter (434), a local oscillator (442), and a mixer (444). The tracking bandpass filter (420) has an input for receiving a radio frequency (RF) input signal, and an output. The tunable lowpass filter (434) has an input coupled to the output of the tracking bandpass filter (420), and an output. The local oscillator (422) has a first output for providing a local oscillator signal, which is characterized as being a square wave signal at the desired intermediate frequency (IF). The mixer (444) has a first input coupled to the output of the tunable lowpass filter (434), a second input coupled to the output of the local oscillator (442), and a first output for providing an IF signal at the desired IF. The tunable lowpass filter (434) is configured to substantially attenuate a third harmonic of the frequency of the local oscillator signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2008
    Publication date: May 27, 2010
    Applicant: SILICON LABORATORIES, INC.
    Inventors: Ramin Khoini-Poorfard, Alessandro Piovaccari, Aslamali A. Rafi
  • Publication number: 20100130158
    Abstract: A receiver (400) includes a tracking bandpass filter (420) and a signal processing circuit (430-480). The tracking bandpass filter (420) has a first input for receiving a radio frequency (RF) signal, and an output, and includes a first portion (731) on a semiconductor die (730), and at least one inductor (721). The at least one inductor (721) is operatively coupled to the first portion of the tracking bandpass filter (420). The signal processing circuit (430-480) has an input coupled to the output of the tracking bandpass filter (420), and an output for providing a processed signal. The semiconductor die (730) and the at least one inductor (721) are integrated into a single multi-chip module (MCM) (710).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2008
    Publication date: May 27, 2010
    Applicant: SILICON LABORATORIES, INC.
    Inventors: Ramin Khoini-Poorfard, Alessandro Piovaccari, Aslamali A. Rafi, Mustafa H. Koroglu, David S. Trager
  • Publication number: 20100130153
    Abstract: A receiver (100) includes a first element (110) with a signal input, a control input, a signal output, and gain steps of a first magnitude, a signal processing circuit (120-168) with a signal input coupled to the first element, and a signal output, a second element (180) that has a signal input coupled to signal processing circuit, a control input, a signal output, and gain steps of a second magnitude smaller than the first magnitude, and a controller (180) that has a control output coupled to the first element (110), a control output coupled to the second element (180), and that adjusts receiver (100) gain by changing the first element (110) gain by a first magnitude, changing the second element (180) gain by substantially an inverse first magnitude, and subsequently changing the gain of the second element (180) by steps of the second magnitude to achieve a desired gain.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2008
    Publication date: May 27, 2010
    Applicant: SILICON LABORATORIES, INC.
    Inventors: Ramin Khoini-Poorfard, Alessandro Piovaccari, David S. Trager
  • Publication number: 20090170463
    Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method for digitizing a phase noise value indicative of a level of phase noise present in a LO signal and downconverting an RF signal to a second frequency signal using the LO signal. This downconversion can cause the phase noise to be transferred to the second frequency signal. The method may thus further include removing the phase noise from the second frequency signal using the digitized phase noise value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2007
    Publication date: July 2, 2009
    Inventors: Mustafa H. Koroglu, G. Tyson Tuttle, Peter J. Vancorenland, Alessandro Piovaccari
  • Publication number: 20090004977
    Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention includes an accessory device for coupling to a portable system having an AM radio receiver. The accessory device includes a housing to house at least one accessory component and an AM antenna.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2007
    Publication date: January 1, 2009
    Inventors: Alessandro Piovaccari, Geoffrey B. Noakes, Daniel Mark Thompson
  • Publication number: 20090004993
    Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention includes a mixer circuit to receive and generate a mixed signal from a radio frequency (RF) signal and a master clock signal, a switch stage coupled to an output of the mixer circuit to rotatingly switch the mixed signal to multiple gain stages coupled to the switch stage, and a combiner to combine an output of the gain stages.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2007
    Publication date: January 1, 2009
    Inventors: Aslamali A. Rafi, Alessandro Piovaccari
  • Publication number: 20090004994
    Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method for receiving a radio frequency (RF) signal and mixing the RF signal with a master clock to obtain a mixed signal, cyclically rotating the mixed signal to each of N gain stages for at least one cycle of the master clock, and summing the outputs of the N gain stages to provide an output signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2007
    Publication date: January 1, 2009
    Inventors: Aslamali A. Rafi, Alessandro Piovaccari
  • Patent number: 7426376
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a semiconductor package, a radio receiver and a processor. The radio receiver is located in the semiconductor package and includes at least one gain stage. The processor is located in the semiconductor package to execute stored instructions to control the gain stage(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2008
    Assignee: Silicon Laboratories Inc.
    Inventors: Vishnu S. Srinivasan, G. Tyson Tuttle, Dan B. Kasha, Alessandro Piovaccari
  • Publication number: 20080049817
    Abstract: A transceiver includes a processor, which is adapted to in a transmit mode of the transceiver, form at least part of a transmitter and in a receive mode of the transceiver, form at least part of a receiver. The transceiver may include at least one analog-to-digital converter to provide digital signals to the processor in both the transmit and receive modes of operation; and the transceiver may include at least one digital-to-analog converter to receive digital signals from the processor in the transmit and receive modes of operation. The processor may be fabricated on an integrated circuit with at least one of the analog-to-digital converters and/or with at least one of the digital-to-analog converters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2007
    Publication date: February 28, 2008
    Applicant: Silicon Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Lawrence Der, George Tuttle, Alessandro Piovaccari, Chunyu Xin, Scott Haban, Javier Elenes, Dan Kasha, Peter Vancorenland
  • Patent number: 7321324
    Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention includes a delta-sigma modulator formed of a loop filter coupled to receive an incoming signal, and a quantizer coupled to the loop filter to receive an output of the loop filter and to generate a quantized output. The loop filter may have multiple integration stages and a transfer function constrained to maintain stability of the delta-sigma modulator regardless of an amplitude of the incoming signal. Methods directed to design of such a delta-sigma modulator are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2008
    Assignee: Silicon Laboratories Inc.
    Inventor: Alessandro Piovaccari
  • Publication number: 20070232239
    Abstract: A transceiver includes a processor and an analog-to-digital converter. The processor is adapted to in a transmit mode of the transceiver, generate a modulated signal in response to a first digital signal. In a receive mode of the transceiver, the processor is adapted to generate a demodulated signal in response to a second digital signal. The analog-to-digital converter provides the first digital signal in the transmit mode and provides the second digital signal in the receive mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2006
    Publication date: October 4, 2007
    Inventors: Lawrence Der, George Tuttle, Alessandro Piovaccari, Chunyu Xin, Scott Haban, Javier Elenes, Dan Kasha, Peter Vancorenland
  • Publication number: 20070004361
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a semiconductor package, a radio receiver and a processor. The radio receiver is located in the semiconductor package and includes at least one gain stage. The processor is located in the semiconductor package to execute stored instructions to control the gain stage(s).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2005
    Publication date: January 4, 2007
    Inventors: Vishnu Srinivasan, G. Tyson Tuttle, Dan Kasha, Alessandro Piovaccari
  • Publication number: 20070001881
    Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention includes a delta-sigma modulator formed of a loop filter coupled to receive an incoming signal, and a quantizer coupled to the loop filter to receive an output of the loop filter and to generate a quantized output. The loop filter may have multiple integration stages and a transfer function constrained to maintain stability of the delta-sigma modulator regardless of an amplitude of the incoming signal. Methods directed to design of such a delta-sigma modulator are also described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2005
    Publication date: January 4, 2007
    Inventor: Alessandro Piovaccari
  • Patent number: 6229289
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for transitioning a power converter between a switched mode of operation and a linear regulator mode of operation. The power converter operates according to one or more intermediate modes of operation in which the switched mode and linear regulator modes cooperate to produce a shared power converter output. The power converter transitions between the various modes of operation in response to changes in circuit parametric conditions as defined by a series of state transition diagrams. Power converter output voltage is maintained in regulation during all modes of operation and transitions therebetween. The method and apparatus includes an integrated device that may be operated as a switch or a variable resistance device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2001
    Assignee: Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Alessandro Piovaccari, Carl A. Ramsey, Eric H. Naviasky