Patents by Inventor Benno Muehlbacher
Benno Muehlbacher 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: 20240154583Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, a circuit includes: a first super source follower; a compensation circuit having a compensating node configured to provide a voltage of opposite phase of a voltage of an internal node of the first super source follower; and a first compensation capacitor coupled between an input of the first super source follower and the compensating node of the compensation circuit.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 19, 2024Publication date: May 9, 2024Inventors: Jose Luis Ceballos, Fulvio Ciciotti, Benno Muehlbacher, Andreas Wiesbauer
-
Patent number: 11929719Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, a circuit includes: a first super source follower; a compensation circuit having a compensating node configured to provide a voltage of opposite phase of a voltage of an internal node of the first super source follower; and a first compensation capacitor coupled between an input of the first super source follower and the compensating node of the compensation circuit.Type: GrantFiled: April 6, 2022Date of Patent: March 12, 2024Assignee: Infineon Technologies AGInventors: Jose Luis Ceballos, Fulvio CiCiotti, Benno Muehlbacher, Andreas Wiesbauer
-
Publication number: 20230327614Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, a circuit includes: a first super source follower; a compensation circuit having a compensating node configured to provide a voltage of opposite phase of a voltage of an internal node of the first super source follower; and a first compensation capacitor coupled between an input of the first super source follower and the compensating node of the compensation circuit.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 6, 2022Publication date: October 12, 2023Inventors: Jose Luis Ceballos, Fulvio CiCiotti, Benno Muehlbacher, Andreas Wiesbauer
-
Publication number: 20220417655Abstract: A differential MEMS-readout circuit comprises a first input bonding pad, including a first contact pin and a second contact pin. The differential MEMS-readout circuit comprises a second input bonding pad, including a first contact pin and a second contact pin; and a differential-readout amplifier section comprising a first input connected to the first contact pin of the first input bonding pad and a second input connected to the first contact pin of the second bonding pad, wherein the differential-readout amplifier section comprises a first and a second transistor circuit and each of the second contact pins of the first and second input bonding pads is coupled to one of the first and the second transistor circuits or is coupled to one of the first and the second transistor circuits and/or to ground.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 6, 2022Publication date: December 29, 2022Inventors: Benno Muehlbacher, Pedro Augusto Borrego Lambin Torres Amaral, Mohammed Hassan
-
Patent number: 10455330Abstract: In various embodiments, a method for operating a sensor is provided. The method includes intermittently generating an operating current in the sensor, generating a reactive current in the sensor when the operating current is not generated, and not generating the reactive current when the operating current is generated. A value of the reactive current is the same or approximately the same as a value of the operating current.Type: GrantFiled: November 23, 2017Date of Patent: October 22, 2019Assignee: INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AGInventors: Benno Muehlbacher, Andreas Wiesbauer
-
Patent number: 10317252Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, a method of performing a measurement with a capacitive sensor includes generating a periodic excitation signal that includes a series of pulses and smoothing edge transitions of the series of pulses to form a shaped periodic excitation signal that includes a flat region between the smoothed edge transitions. The method further includes providing the shaped periodic excitation signal to a first port of the capacitive sensor and measuring a signal provided by a second port of the capacitive sensor.Type: GrantFiled: March 18, 2016Date of Patent: June 11, 2019Assignee: INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AGInventors: Andreas Wiesbauer, Christian Ebner, Ernesto Romani, Stephan Mechnig, Georgi Panov, Christian Jenkner, Benno Muehlbacher
-
Patent number: 10250999Abstract: A circuit for biasing a MEMS microphone includes a first group of serially-coupled transistors coupled between a first node and a second node, a second group of serially-coupled transistors coupled between the first node and the second node, and a voltage divider circuit coupled to the second node having a number of outputs, a first group of outputs being coupled to corresponding control nodes associated with the first group of serially-coupled transistors, and a second group of outputs different from the first group of outputs coupled to corresponding control nodes associated with the second group of serially-coupled transistors, the control nodes being either bulk nodes or gate nodes.Type: GrantFiled: September 18, 2017Date of Patent: April 2, 2019Assignee: INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AGInventors: Francesco Polo, Richard Gaggl, Benno Muehlbacher, Luca Valli
-
Publication number: 20190090066Abstract: A circuit for biasing a MEMS microphone includes a first group of serially-coupled transistors coupled between a first node and a second node, a second group of serially-coupled transistors coupled between the first node and the second node, and a voltage divider circuit coupled to the second node having a number of outputs, a first group of outputs being coupled to corresponding control nodes associated with the first group of serially-coupled transistors, and a second group of outputs different from the first group of outputs coupled to corresponding control nodes associated with the second group of serially-coupled transistors, the control nodes being either bulk nodes or gate nodes.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 18, 2017Publication date: March 21, 2019Inventors: Francesco Polo, Richard Gaggl, Benno Muehlbacher, Luca Valli
-
Patent number: 10177569Abstract: According to an embodiment, a power compensation circuit is configured to be coupled to a power supply. The power compensation circuit includes a measurement circuit and a compensation circuit. The measurement circuit is configured to receive a power supply signal from the power supply, and determine a variation of the power supply signal. The compensation circuit is coupled to the measurement circuit and configured to generate a compensation power consumption based on the variation of the power supply signal, where the compensation power consumption is controlled inversely with the variation of the power supply signal.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 2016Date of Patent: January 8, 2019Assignee: INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AGInventors: Elmar Bach, Benno Mühlbacher, Andreas Wiesbauer
-
Patent number: 10171916Abstract: According to an embodiment, a circuit includes a high-? resistor including a plurality of semiconductor junction devices coupled in series and a plurality of additional capacitances formed in parallel with the plurality of semiconductor junction devices. Each semiconductor junction device of the plurality of semiconductor junction devices includes a parasitic doped well capacitance configured to insert a parasitic zero in a noise transfer function of the high-? resistor. Each additional capacitance of the plurality of additional capacitances is configured to adjust a parasitic pole in the noise transfer function of the high-? resistor in order to compensate for the parasitic zero.Type: GrantFiled: April 29, 2016Date of Patent: January 1, 2019Assignee: INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AGInventors: Luca Valli, Benno Muehlbacher, Richard Gaggl
-
Publication number: 20180146297Abstract: In various embodiments, a method for operating a sensor is provided. The method includes intermittently generating an operating current in the sensor, generating a reactive current in the sensor when the operating current is not generated, and not generating the reactive current when the operating current is generated. A value of the reactive current is the same or approximately the same as a value of the operating current.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 23, 2017Publication date: May 24, 2018Inventors: Benno Muehlbacher, Andreas Wiesbauer
-
Publication number: 20180090928Abstract: According to an embodiment, a power compensation circuit is configured to be coupled to a power supply. The power compensation circuit includes a measurement circuit and a compensation circuit. The measurement circuit is configured to receive a power supply signal from the power supply, and determine a variation of the power supply signal. The compensation circuit is coupled to the measurement circuit and configured to generate a compensation power consumption based on the variation of the power supply signal, where the compensation power consumption is controlled inversely with the variation of the power supply signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 28, 2016Publication date: March 29, 2018Inventors: Elmar Bach, Benno Mühlbacher, Andreas Wiesbauer
-
Publication number: 20170318393Abstract: According to an embodiment, a circuit includes a high-? resistor including a plurality of semiconductor junction devices coupled in series and a plurality of additional capacitances formed in parallel with the plurality of semiconductor junction devices. Each semiconductor junction device of the plurality of semiconductor junction devices includes a parasitic doped well capacitance configured to insert a parasitic zero in a noise transfer function of the high-? resistor. Each additional capacitance of the plurality of additional capacitances is configured to adjust a parasitic pole in the noise transfer function of the high-? resistor in order to compensate for the parasitic zero.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 29, 2016Publication date: November 2, 2017Inventors: Luca Valli, Benno Muehlbacher, Richard Gaggl
-
Patent number: 9806687Abstract: A signal amplification method includes receiving, from a capacitive sensor, a first input signal by a first control terminal of a first transistor, and a second input signal by a first control terminal of a second transistor. The method also includes producing a first output signal, including amplifying a first signal at a first load path terminal of the first transistor using a first inverting amplifier having an output coupled to a resistance network, and producing a second output signal, including amplifying a second signal at a first load path terminal of the second transistor using a second inverting amplifier having an output coupled to the resistance network. The method also includes feeding back the first and second output signal to a second load path terminal of the first transistor and to a second load path terminal of the second transistor via the resistance network according to a pre-determined fraction.Type: GrantFiled: March 23, 2016Date of Patent: October 31, 2017Assignee: Infineon Technologies AGInventors: Luca Valli, Benno Muehlbacher, Richard Gaggl
-
Publication number: 20170279425Abstract: A signal amplification method includes receiving, from a capacitive sensor, a first input signal by a first control terminal of a first transistor, and a second input signal by a first control terminal of a second transistor. The method also includes producing a first output signal, including amplifying a first signal at a first load path terminal of the first transistor using a first inverting amplifier having an output coupled to a resistance network, and producing a second output signal, including amplifying a second signal at a first load path terminal of the second transistor using a second inverting amplifier having an output coupled to the resistance network. The method also includes feeding back the first and second output signal to a second load path terminal of the first transistor and to a second load path terminal of the second transistor via the resistance network according to a pre-determined fraction.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 23, 2016Publication date: September 28, 2017Inventors: Luca Valli, Benno Muehlbacher, Richard Gaggl
-
Publication number: 20160305997Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, a method of performing a measurement with a capacitive sensor includes generating a periodic excitation signal that includes a series of pulses and smoothing edge transitions of the series of pulses to form a shaped periodic excitation signal that includes a flat region between the smoothed edge transitions. The method further includes providing the shaped periodic excitation signal to a first port of the capacitive sensor and measuring a signal provided by a second port of the capacitive sensor.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 18, 2016Publication date: October 20, 2016Inventors: Andreas Wiesbauer, Christian Ebner, Ernesto Romani, Stephan Mechnig, Georgi Panov, Christian Jenkner, Benno Muehlbacher
-
Patent number: 9319779Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, an interface circuit includes an amplifier configured to be coupled to a transducer, a first bypass circuit coupled to a first voltage reference and the amplifier, a second bypass circuit coupled to the first voltage reference and the amplifier, and a control circuit coupled to the second bypass circuit. The first bypass circuit conducts a current when an input signal amplitude greater than a first threshold is applied to the transducer and the control circuit causes the second bypass circuit to conduct a current for a first time period after the first bypass circuit conducts a current.Type: GrantFiled: October 22, 2013Date of Patent: April 19, 2016Assignee: Infineon Technologies AGInventors: Christian Jenkner, Richard Gaggl, Benno Muehlbacher
-
Publication number: 20150110296Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, an interface circuit includes an amplifier configured to be coupled to a transducer, a first bypass circuit coupled to a first voltage reference and the amplifier, a second bypass circuit coupled to the first voltage reference and the amplifier, and a control circuit coupled to the second bypass circuit. The first bypass circuit conducts a current when an input signal amplitude greater than a first threshold is applied to the transducer and the control circuit causes the second bypass circuit to conduct a current for a first time period after the first bypass circuit conducts a current.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 22, 2013Publication date: April 23, 2015Applicant: INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AGInventors: Christian Jenkner, Richard Gaggl, Benno Muehlbacher
-
Patent number: 7750687Abstract: A circuit arrangement includes a first level shifter, an output stage, and a feedback circuit. The first level shifter is coupled to receive an input signal having a first voltage level from an input terminal, and is configured to provide a level-shifted signal having a second voltage level higher than the first voltage level. The output stage includes a first transistor that has a control terminal operably coupled to an output of the first level shifter. The output stage is configured to provide at an output terminal of the output stage an output signal based on the level-shifted signal. The feedback circuit is configured to feed back the output signal to the output of the first level shifter.Type: GrantFiled: October 11, 2006Date of Patent: July 6, 2010Assignee: Infineon Technologies AGInventors: Benno Mühlbacher, Andreas Wiesbauer, Martin Clara, Dieter Draxelmayr