Abstract: A mobile device with orientation aware audio mapping capability is disclosed. The mobile device has an aux speaker, a loud speaker, a sensor for device orientation detection, and a processor (or processors) coupled to the sensor and the speakers. Depending on the device orientation, the processor sends a mapped audio output to the speakers. The mapped audio output may be a mono audio signal or a stereo audio signal. The stereo audio output signal may be a stereo audio output signal with a balanced or biased audio power distribution between the aux speaker and the loud speaker.

Abstract: The invention relates to wearable devices for sensing gestures. A watch, which is a wearable device, includes an ultrasonic system that has an ultrasonic transducer and one or more sensors and measures the location of a finger on the back of the user's hand. Using the ultrasonic system, it is possible to use the back of the hand as an extension to the screen display of the watch. The watch can be used as a motion detector and interface with various types of mobile devices, such as computerized eyeglass. The watch can also function as a generic input mechanism for various types of devices, such as tablet, TV, or laptop computer, where these devices are coupled to the watch via a suitable communication system, such as Bluetooth® interconnection system.

Abstract: The invention relates to an electronic device that includes a wake-up system that operates at a substantially low power level and is applied to wake up the electronic device from a sleep mode. The wake-up system comprises a sound transducer that converts a received sound signal to an electrical signal and a keyword detection logic that preliminarily identifies a speech energy profile that corresponds to at least one of a plurality of keywords in a part of the electrical signal. In some embodiments, a keyword finder is further activated to identify with an enhanced accuracy whether the at least one keyword exists in the part of the electrical signal, and generates a wake-up control to activate a host of the electronic device from its sleep mode.

Abstract: A control panel apparatus includes a control panel that is vibrated to generate sound and/or haptic feedback. The control panel apparatus is configured to receive tactile input, such as a touchscreen, and to provide tactile feedback so as to function like a haptic panel, in response to a haptic signal component of a driving signal. The control panel is also configured to function as an audio speaker in response to an audio signal component of the driving signal. The haptic signal has a wider bandwidth, in the range of approximately 100-400 Hz, and the audio signal has a narrower bandwidth, in the range of approximately 20 Hz-20 kHz. The driving signal is configured to include either or both of the haptic signal and the audio signal. One or more drive elements are coupled to a control panel, each drive element driven by a driving signal. Each drive element converts the electrical driving signal to mechanical movement, thereby vibrating the control panel.

Abstract: Method and apparatus to enable the use of class D amplifiers without the need for an output filter, while maintaining both a high efficiency and a high audio fidelity. Using the classic differential Pulse Width Modulation scheme, the high frequency carrier is first suppressed to achieve a ternary modulation, and then re-introduced as a common mode pulse whose width is modulated to provide the necessary output voltage, but whose width never decreases below a well-defined threshold. The frequency of the modulator waveform (ramp or triangle) may itself be modulated on a sample-by-sample basis, so that the EMI spectrum of the output waveforms can be made white at high frequencies. The combination of the modulation scheme and spread spectrum high frequency behavior allows the user to eliminate the external filter. Various embodiments are disclosed.

Abstract: Method and apparatus to enable the use of class D amplifiers without the need for an output filter, while maintaining both a high efficiency and a high audio fidelity. Using the classic differential Pulse Width Modulation scheme, the high frequency carrier is first suppressed to achieve a ternary modulation, and then re-introduced as a common mode pulse whose width is modulated to provide the necessary output voltage, but whose width never decreases below a well-defined threshold. The frequency of the modulator waveform (ramp or triangle) may itself be modulated on a sample-by-sample basis, so that the EMI spectrum of the output waveforms can be made white at high frequencies. The combination of the modulation scheme and spread spectrum high frequency behavior allows the user to eliminate the external filter. Various embodiments are disclosed.

Abstract: Filterless class D amplifier using spread spectrum pulse width modulation with feedback to suppress low frequency noise in the amplifier output. The amplifiers may use any of a wide variety of pulse width modulators with a dynamically variable frequency ramp or triangular waveform to whiten the output noise of the amplifier. Typically the ramp or triangular waveform input to the modulators is randomly or pseudo randomly varied over some percentage about a nominal frequency. Various feedback techniques for suppressing the low frequency noise are disclosed. Using this invention, Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) emissions from the circuit can be kept substantially below regulatory requirements without the need for expensive external filtering and/or shielding external to the integrated circuit.