Patents by Inventor Ernst Georg Muellner

Ernst Georg Muellner 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: 11567026
    Abstract: For sensing pH of a fluid, a heating apparatus of a semiconductor die controls a temperature of the fluid to a first temperature. A first voltage of a gate of a floating gate transistor of the semiconductor die is measured while the temperature of the fluid is at the first temperature. Also, the heating apparatus controls the temperature of the fluid to a second temperature that is different than the first temperature. A second voltage of the gate is measured while the temperature of the fluid is at the second temperature. The pH of the fluid is determined based on the first and second voltages, the first temperature and the second temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Scott Robert Summerfelt, Ernst Georg Muellner, Sebastian Meier, Markus Hefele
  • Publication number: 20220270960
    Abstract: In described examples, a device includes an interconnect substrate that has an aperture through the interconnect substrate. An integrated circuit (IC) die that has an on-chip element is mounted on the interconnect substrate with the on-chip element aligned with and facing the aperture. The IC die is over-molded with mold compound only on one side of the interconnect substrate so that the aperture remains free of mold compound to allow the on-chip element to have access to the environment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2021
    Publication date: August 25, 2022
    Inventors: Ernst Georg Muellner, Michael Lueders
  • Patent number: 11316374
    Abstract: In described examples, an apparatus includes: at least one resonant circuit for receiving a radio frequency signal; a rectifier coupled to the resonant circuit to output a first rectified signal with a constant level portion and a portion matching a first portion of the radio frequency signal, and to output a second rectified signal having a constant level portion and a portion that matches a second portion of the radio frequency signal; a first limiter circuit to limit a voltage of the first rectified signal to a predetermined maximum voltage level; a second limiter circuit to limit the voltage of the second rectified signal to the predetermined maximum voltage level; a third limiter circuit to limit a voltage of the first rectified signal to a predetermined minimum voltage level; and a fourth limiter circuit to limit the voltage of the second rectified signal to the predetermined minimum voltage level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Ernst Georg Muellner
  • Publication number: 20210372960
    Abstract: For sensing pH of a fluid, a heating apparatus of a semiconductor die controls a temperature of the fluid to a first temperature. A first voltage of a gate of a floating gate transistor of the semiconductor die is measured while the temperature of the fluid is at the first temperature. Also, the heating apparatus controls the temperature of the fluid to a second temperature that is different than the first temperature. A second voltage of the gate is measured while the temperature of the fluid is at the second temperature. The pH of the fluid is determined based on the first and second voltages, the first temperature and the second temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2020
    Publication date: December 2, 2021
    Applicant: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Scott Robert Summerfelt, Ernst Georg Muellner, Sebastian Meier, Markus Hefele
  • Publication number: 20200303963
    Abstract: In described examples, an apparatus includes: at least one resonant circuit for receiving a radio frequency signal; a rectifier coupled to the resonant circuit to output a first rectified signal with a constant level portion and a portion matching a first portion of the radio frequency signal, and to output a second rectified signal having a constant level portion and a portion that matches a second portion of the radio frequency signal; a first limiter circuit to limit a voltage of the first rectified signal to a predetermined maximum voltage level; a second limiter circuit to limit the voltage of the second rectified signal to the predetermined maximum voltage level; a third limiter circuit to limit a voltage of the first rectified signal to a predetermined minimum voltage level; and a fourth limiter circuit to limit the voltage of the second rectified signal to the predetermined minimum voltage level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2020
    Publication date: September 24, 2020
    Inventor: Ernst Georg Muellner
  • Patent number: 10720796
    Abstract: In described examples, an apparatus includes: at least one resonant circuit for receiving a radio frequency signal; a rectifier coupled to the resonant circuit to output a first rectified signal with a constant level portion and a portion matching a first portion of the radio frequency signal, and to output a second rectified signal having a constant level portion and a portion that matches a second portion of the radio frequency signal; a first limiter circuit to limit a voltage of the first rectified signal to a predetermined maximum voltage level; a second limiter circuit to limit the voltage of the second rectified signal to the predetermined maximum voltage level; a third limiter circuit to limit a voltage of the first rectified signal to a predetermined minimum voltage level; and a fourth limiter circuit to limit the voltage of the second rectified signal to the predetermined minimum voltage level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Ernst Georg Muellner
  • Patent number: 10652058
    Abstract: Disclosed examples include multichannel RF transponder circuits with multiple transponder channel circuits individually connected to a corresponding antenna circuit, a configurable shared modulation capacitor, a channel switching circuit to selectively connect the modulation capacitor to a selected transponder channel circuit, and a modulation circuit to selectively change the capacitance value of the modulation capacitor between two or more values according to a modulation control signal to transmit uplink data using the selected transponder channel circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Ernst Georg Muellner
  • Publication number: 20190207786
    Abstract: Described examples include an integrated circuit including a receive portion to receive an encoded transmission on a line. The receive portion has: a wake mode in which the receiver is capable of receiving the encoded transmission; and a sleep mode in which the receiver is not capable of receiving the encoded transmission. A wakeup controller monitors the line for a wakeup signal and provides a signal to the receive portion to cause the receive portion to enter the wake mode when the wakeup controller receives the wakeup signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2017
    Publication date: July 4, 2019
    Inventors: Swaminathan Sankaran, Bradley Allen Kramer, Baher Haroun, Tobias Bernhard Fritz, Ernst Georg Muellner, Ralf Peter Brederlow
  • Patent number: 10320589
    Abstract: Described examples include an integrated circuit including a receive portion to receive an encoded transmission on a line. The receive portion has: a wake mode in which the receiver is capable of receiving the encoded transmission; and a sleep mode in which the receiver is not capable of receiving the encoded transmission. A wakeup controller monitors the line for a wakeup signal and provides a signal to the receive portion to cause the receive portion to enter the wake mode when the wakeup controller receives the wakeup signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Swaminathan Sankaran, Bradley Allen Kramer, Baher Haroun, Tobias Bernhard Fritz, Ernst Georg Muellner, Ralf Peter Brederlow
  • Publication number: 20190148982
    Abstract: In described examples, an apparatus includes: at least one resonant circuit for receiving a radio frequency signal; a rectifier coupled to the resonant circuit to output a first rectified signal with a constant level portion and a portion matching a first portion of the radio frequency signal, and to output a second rectified signal having a constant level portion and a portion that matches a second portion of the radio frequency signal; a first limiter circuit to limit a voltage of the first rectified signal to a predetermined maximum voltage level; a second limiter circuit to limit the voltage of the second rectified signal to the predetermined maximum voltage level; a third limiter circuit to limit a voltage of the first rectified signal to a predetermined minimum voltage level; and a fourth limiter circuit to limit the voltage of the second rectified signal to the predetermined minimum voltage level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2019
    Publication date: May 16, 2019
    Inventor: Ernst Georg Muellner
  • Patent number: 10224757
    Abstract: In described examples, an apparatus includes: at least one resonant circuit for receiving a radio frequency signal; a rectifier coupled to the resonant circuit to output a first rectified signal with a constant level portion and a portion matching a first portion of the radio frequency signal, and to output a second rectified signal having a constant level portion and a portion that matches a second portion of the radio frequency signal; a first limiter circuit to limit a voltage of the first rectified signal to a predetermined maximum voltage level; a second limiter circuit to limit the voltage of the second rectified signal to the predetermined maximum voltage level; a third limiter circuit to limit a voltage of the first rectified signal to a predetermined minimum voltage level; and a fourth limiter circuit to limit the voltage of the second rectified signal to the predetermined minimum voltage level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Ernst Georg Muellner
  • Publication number: 20180316528
    Abstract: Disclosed examples include multichannel RF transponder circuits with multiple transponder channel circuits individually connected to a corresponding antenna circuit, a configurable shared modulation capacitor, a channel switching circuit to selectively connect the modulation capacitor to a selected transponder channel circuit, and a modulation circuit to selectively change the capacitance value of the modulation capacitor between two or more values according to a modulation control signal to transmit uplink data using the selected transponder channel circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2018
    Publication date: November 1, 2018
    Inventor: Ernst Georg MUELLNER
  • Patent number: 10038579
    Abstract: Disclosed examples include multichannel RF transponder circuits with multiple transponder channel circuits individually connected to a corresponding antenna circuit, a configurable shared modulation capacitor, a channel switching circuit to selectively connect the modulation capacitor to a selected transponder channel circuit, and a modulation circuit to selectively change the capacitance value of the modulation capacitor between two or more values according to a modulation control signal to transmit uplink data using the selected transponder channel circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Ernst Georg Muellner
  • Publication number: 20180183266
    Abstract: In described examples, an apparatus includes: at least one resonant circuit for receiving a radio frequency signal; a rectifier coupled to the resonant circuit to output a first rectified signal with a constant level portion and a portion matching a first portion of the radio frequency signal, and to output a second rectified signal having a constant level portion and a portion that matches a second portion of the radio frequency signal; a first limiter circuit to limit a voltage of the first rectified signal to a predetermined maximum voltage level; a second limiter circuit to limit the voltage of the second rectified signal to the predetermined maximum voltage level; a third limiter circuit to limit a voltage of the first rectified signal to a predetermined minimum voltage level; and a fourth limiter circuit to limit the voltage of the second rectified signal to the predetermined minimum voltage level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2016
    Publication date: June 28, 2018
    Inventor: Ernst Georg Muellner
  • Patent number: 9762282
    Abstract: Disclosed examples include an RF transponder circuit with signal input nodes, a rectifier circuit with a power transistor and a current mirror circuit to generate a rectifier mirror current signal, a limiter circuit with a limiter transistor and a current mirror circuit to generate a limiter mirror current signal, and a demodulator circuit to demodulate an amplitude shift keying (ASK) RF signal received at the signal input nodes according to the rectifier and limiter mirror current signal to generate a binary demodulator data signal representing the presence or absence of a threshold amount of energy in the RF signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS DEUTSCHLAND GMBH
    Inventor: Ernst Georg Muellner
  • Patent number: 9729359
    Abstract: Circuitry includes: a resonant circuit for receiving a radio frequency signal; a rectifier outputting a first rectified signal matching a portion of the radio frequency signal and a second rectified signal having portion that matches the radio frequency signal and is out of phase with the first rectified signal; a clock regenerator circuit outputting a clock waveform corresponding to the first and second rectified signals; an oscillator timing circuit forming a first sloped waveform having a linear slope and a second sloped waveform having a linear slope, and comparators to compare the first sloped waveform and the second sloped waveform. The oscillator timing circuit outputs a master clock signal having transitions when the first and the second sloped waveform have equal magnitudes. A pluck pulse generator forms a pulse of a predetermined length when the master clock signal transitions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS DEUTSCHLAND GMBH
    Inventor: Ernst Georg Muellner