Abstract: Automated speed ramp control of stepper motor acceleration and deceleration using direct memory access (DMA) and core independent peripherals (CIPs) comprises a numerically controlled oscillator (NCO) controlled through direct memory access (DMA) transfers of prescale values used in combination with a clock oscillator to generate clock pulses that are a function of the clock oscillator frequency and the prescale values. This automates changing the frequency of the NCO, thereby controlling steeper motor speed, without requiring computer processing unit (CPU) overhead. The DMA module is enabled during a first number of clock pulses for step speed acceleration, disabled during a second number of clock pulses for normal operation at full step speed, and then re-enabled during a third number of clock pulses for step speed deceleration. A table in memory may store and provide a plurality of acceleration and deceleration prescale values for DMA transfers to the NCO.

Abstract: A vehicle movement tracking system that employs floor mats having ridges for generating location information in the form of modulated vibrations, detectable with an accelerometer. Two sensors are in a wheel of a vehicle. One sensor senses wheel rotation, and the other sensor senses vertical acceleration. The vehicle passes over a floor mat comprising vertically elevated ridges thereon that code the mat and thereby indicate the location at which the mat is at. When the vehicle travels over this mat the vertical acceleration sensor in the wheel detects the vertically elevated ridges and the wheel rotation sensor detects the distance between the vertically elevated ridges. In combination these two sensors are used to create a location word that denotes the mat over which the vehicle passes over. The location word is stored in non-volatile memory and later uploaded to a location collection station.

Abstract: Automated speed ramp control of stepper motor acceleration and deceleration using direct memory access (DMA) and core independent peripherals (CIPs) comprises a numerically controlled oscillator (NCO) controlled through direct memory access (DMA) transfers of prescale values used in combination with a clock oscillator to generate clock pulses that are a function of the clock oscillator frequency and the prescale values. This automates changing the frequency of the NCO, thereby controlling steeper motor speed, without requiring computer processing unit (CPU) overhead. The DMA module is enabled during a first number of clock pulses for step speed acceleration, disabled during a second number of clock pulses for normal operation at full step speed, and then re-enabled during a third number of clock pulses for step speed deceleration. A table in memory may store and provide a plurality of acceleration and deceleration prescale values for DMA transfers to the NCO.

Abstract: A vehicle movement tracking system that employs floor mats for generating location information using magnetic stripes, detectable with a magnetic sensor in a wheel of the vehicle. Two sensors are in a wheel of a vehicle. One sensor senses wheel rotation, and the other sensor senses a magnetic. The vehicle passes over a floor mat comprising magnetic stripes thereon that code the mat and thereby indicate the location at which the mat is at. When the vehicle travels over this mat, the magnetic sensor in the wheel detects the magnetic stripes and the wheel rotation sensor detects the distance between the magnetic stripes. In combination, these two sensors are used to create a location word that denotes the mat over which the vehicle passes over. The location word is stored in non-volatile memory and later uploaded to a location collection station.

Abstract: A microcontroller has a central processing unit and a plurality of peripheral units and a plurality of port bit circuits provided through at least one input/output port. At least one port bit circuit of the plurality of port bit circuits is not connected to an external pin and the at least one port bit circuit is configurable to route a signal received at the port bit circuit to a selected peripheral of the microcontroller.

Abstract: An air treatment system includes a cyclone filter and an electrostatic filtration system. The cyclone filter may include a cyclone chamber, a cyclone chamber inlet configured to receive air including suspended particulates, and a cyclone chamber outlet configured to output treated air toward a respiratory interface, e.g., a mask or face shield. The cyclone filter produces a rotational airflow that removes at least some particulates from the air in the cyclone filter. The electrostatic filtration system is configured to charge the particulates in the cyclone chamber with a first polarity to produce an electrostatic attraction of the particulates to a particulate removal system charged with an opposite second polarity, to remove additional particulates from the cyclone filter. The air treatment system may also include an ultraviolet purification system to deliver ultraviolet radiation (e.g., UVC radiation) to kill, destroy or otherwise affect organic particulates in the air being treated.

Abstract: Automated speed ramp control of stepper motor acceleration and deceleration using direct memory access (DMA) and core independent peripherals (CIPs) comprises a numerically controlled oscillator (NCO) controlled through direct memory access (DMA) transfers of prescale values used in combination with a clock oscillator to generate clock pulses that are a function of the clock oscillator frequency and the prescale values. This automates changing the frequency of the NCO, thereby controlling steeper motor speed, without requiring computer processing unit (CPU) overhead. The DMA module is enabled during a first number of clock pulses for step speed acceleration, disabled during a second number of clock pulses for normal operation at full step speed, and then re-enabled during a third number of clock pulses for step speed deceleration. A table in memory may store and provide a plurality of acceleration and deceleration prescale values for DMA transfers to the NCO.

Abstract: An operational amplifier with totem pole connected output transistors having inputs coupled to multiplexers for selectable coupling of signals and voltage levels thereto. The high and low output transistors may be forced hard on or hard off in addition to normal coupling of signals thereto. The operation of the output transistors may be dynamically changed to pass only positive going signals, negative going signals, placed in a tristate high impedance state, hard connected to a supply voltage and/or hard connected to supply common return. A core independent peripheral (CIP) may also be coupled to the operational amplifier for dynamically changing the multiplexer inputs in real time, as can external control signals to a control circuit coupled to the multiplexers.

Abstract: A programmable arbitrary sequence direct memory access (DMA) controller accesses sequentially addressed memory locations (source or destination) using address pointer registers. Each sequentially addressed memory location containing an indirect memory address is stored in an address latch and used to access the actual non-sequential memory location to be accessed by the DMA transfer.

Abstract: A vehicle movement tracking system that employs floor mats for generating location information using magnetic stripes, detectable with a magnetic sensor in a wheel of the vehicle. Two sensors are in a wheel of a vehicle. One sensor senses wheel rotation, and the other sensor senses a magnetic. The vehicle passes over a floor mat comprising magnetic stripes thereon that code the mat and thereby indicate the location at which the mat is at. When the vehicle travels over this mat, the magnetic sensor in the wheel detects the magnetic stripes and the wheel rotation sensor detects the distance between the magnetic stripes. In combination, these two sensors are used to create a location word that denotes the mat over which the vehicle passes over. The location word is stored in non-volatile memory and later uploaded to a location collection station.

Abstract: A vehicle movement tracking system that employs floor mats having ridges for generating location information in the form of modulated vibrations, detectable with an accelerometer. Two sensors are in a wheel of a vehicle. One sensor senses wheel rotation, and the other sensor senses vertical acceleration. The vehicle passes over a floor mat comprising vertically elevated ridges thereon that code the mat and thereby indicate the location at which the mat is at. When the vehicle travels over this mat the vertical acceleration sensor in the wheel detects the vertically elevated ridges and the wheel rotation sensor detects the distance between the vertically elevated ridges. In combination these two sensors are used to create a location word that denotes the mat over which the vehicle passes over. The location word is stored in non-volatile memory and later uploaded to a location collection station.

Abstract: A microcontroller has a central processing unit and a plurality of peripheral units and a plurality of port bit circuits provided through at least one input/output port. At least one port bit circuit of the plurality of port bit circuits is not connected to an external pin and the at least one port bit circuit is configurable to route a signal received at the port bit circuit to a selected peripheral of the microcontroller.

Abstract: A programmable arbitrary sequence direct memory access (DMA) controller accesses sequentially addressed memory locations (source or destination) using address pointer registers. Each sequentially addressed memory location containing an indirect memory address is stored in an address latch and used to access the actual non-sequential memory location to be accessed by the DMA transfer.

Abstract: Automated speed ramp control of stepper motor acceleration and deceleration using direct memory access (DMA) and core independent peripherals (CIPs) comprises a numerically controlled oscillator (NCO) controlled through direct memory access (DMA) transfers of prescale values used in combination with a clock oscillator to generate clock pulses that are a function of the clock oscillator frequency and the prescale values. This automates changing the frequency of the NCO, thereby controlling steeper motor speed, without requiring computer processing unit (CPU) overhead. The DMA module is enabled during a first number of clock pulses for step speed acceleration, disabled during a second number of clock pulses for normal operation at full step speed, and then re-enabled during a third number of clock pulses for step speed deceleration. A table in memory may store and provide a plurality of acceleration and deceleration prescale values for DMA transfers to the NCO.

Abstract: An operational amplifier with totem pole connected output transistors having inputs coupled to multiplexers for selectable coupling of signals and voltage levels thereto. The high and low output transistors may be forced hard on or hard off in addition to normal coupling of signals thereto. The operation of the output transistors may be dynamically changed to pass only positive going signals, negative going signals, placed in a tristate high impedance state, hard connected to a supply voltage and/or hard connected to supply common return. A core independent peripheral (CIP) may also be coupled to the operational amplifier for dynamically changing the multiplexer inputs in real time, as can external control signals to a control circuit coupled to the multiplexers.

Abstract: A capacitive flex sensor comprises a first capacitor plate disposed on a first surface of a flexible insulated substrate and a second capacitor plate is provided on a second surface of the flexible substrate. The flexible substrate is adapted to be a compressible and stretchable dielectric between the first and second capacitor plates. A plurality of these capacitive flex sensors are positioned on the flexible substrate, e.g., a glove, that may be adapted to conform to a body part having flexure points. A preferred body part is a hand/fingers and the capacitive flex sensors may be located proximate to movable joints of the hand/fingers. Movement (flexing) of a joint may cause the physical structure of the capacitive flex sensor to be depressed or deformed. This causes the dielectric thickness and/or plate area to change, thus changing the capacitance value of the flex sensor located proximate to the joint being flexed.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display with integrated capacitive touch sensors has an LCD display with at least one alphanumerical or graphic symbol, and at least one capacitive touch sensor arranged above a display layer or within transparent layers of the LCD display forming the alphanumerical or graphical symbol.

Abstract: An integrated circuit device has a touch controller with at least one input, a liquid crystal display (LCD) controller with a plurality of outputs, an external interface comprising a plurality of external pins, and a multiplexer operable in a first mode to connect the plurality of external pins with the plurality of outputs of the LCD controller and in a second mode to connect at least one of the plurality of external pins with the touch controller.

Abstract: A knob or joystick apparatus detects gesture based actions of a user's fingers and/or hand. A user grasps the knob or joystick and moves the knob or joystick in either rotational direction, e.g., clockwise or counter clockwise, moves the knob or joystick horizontally/vertically or any combination thereof, and/or presses or pulls the knob or joystick in or out. Capacitive sensors are used in combination with a digital device, e.g., microcontroller, for detecting, decoding and interpreting therefrom various gesturing movements. A user may grasp a knob and either moves his/her fingers in a rotational, horizontal/vertical, and/or in/out movement(s) along an axis of the knob. During the motion(s) of the user's fingers, portions of an outer covering of the knob are deflected inwards toward capacitive sensors, wherein the movement(s) of the deflected portion(s) of the outer covering are detected, decoded and interpretations are made therefrom of various gesturing movements.

Abstract: A smoke detection sensor ion chamber has a leakage current that is dependent upon the permittivity of the ionized gas (air) in the chamber. Smoke from typical fires is mainly composed of unburned carbon that has diffused in the surrounding air and rises with the heat of the fire. The permittivity of the carbon particles is about 10 to 15 times the permittivity of clean air. The addition of the carbon particles into the air in the ion chamber changes the permittivity thereof that is large enough to detect by measuring a change in the leakage current of the ion chamber.