Patents by Inventor Hoang Minh Pinai

Hoang Minh Pinai 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: 8356759
    Abstract: A F/2F waveform generator has a comparator and an analog multiplexer. In a low-cost magnetic card reader application, a magnetic track signal is amplified, filtered, and compared with a threshold signal to create a digital signal output. The analog multiplexer detects changes in state of the digital signal. When a change of state is detected, the analog multiplexer switches among dynamically tunable threshold signals. The selected threshold signal is used for comparison with the magnetic track signal. Switching level detection enables accurate F/2F waveform generation from relatively noisy magnetic track signals, thus improving the robustness of magnetic card readers. The analog implementation eliminates the need for expensive A/D conversion and processing and the design can be readily implemented in a very compact and low-cost package.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2013
    Assignee: IXYS CH GmbH
    Inventor: Hoang Minh Pinai
  • Publication number: 20120235740
    Abstract: A F/2F waveform generator has a comparator and an analog multiplexer. In a low-cost magnetic card reader application, a magnetic track signal is amplified, filtered, and compared with a threshold signal to create a digital signal output. The analog multiplexer detects changes in state of the digital signal. When a change of state is detected, the analog multiplexer switches among dynamically tunable threshold signals. The selected threshold signal is used for comparison with the magnetic track signal. Switching level detection enables accurate F/2F waveform generation from relatively noisy magnetic track signals, thus improving the robustness of magnetic card readers. The analog implementation eliminates the need for expensive A/D conversion and processing and the design can be readily implemented in a very compact and low-cost package.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2012
    Publication date: September 20, 2012
    Applicant: IXYS CH GmbH
    Inventor: Hoang Minh Pinai
  • Patent number: 8210440
    Abstract: A F/2F waveform generator has a comparator and an analog multiplexer. In a low-cost magnetic card reader application, a magnetic track signal is amplified, filtered, and compared with a threshold signal to create a digital signal output. The analog multiplexer detects changes in state of the digital signal. When a change of state is detected, the analog multiplexer switches among dynamically tunable threshold signals. The selected threshold signal is used for comparison with the magnetic track signal. Switching level detection enables accurate F/2F waveform generation from relatively noisy magnetic track signals, thus improving the robustness of magnetic card readers. The analog implementation eliminates the need for expensive A/D conversion and processing and the design can be readily implemented in a very compact and low-cost package.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: IXYS CH GmbH
    Inventor: Hoang Minh Pinai
  • Patent number: 7212042
    Abstract: A below-ground sensor interface amplifier is powered by no negative supply voltage, but the amplifier nevertheless senses an input voltage signal below ground potential. The amplifier outputs an output voltage signal that varies proportionately to the input voltage. For an input voltage beginning below ground potential and increasing past ground potential, the amplifier outputs an output voltage that remains between ground potential and a supply voltage. The output voltage increases proportionately to the increase of the input voltage. As the input voltage increases, a gate voltage on a first transistor begins to increase starting at the input voltage at which a second transistor is forced to turn on. The amplifier senses input voltages more than one threshold voltage below ground potential without using a below-ground supply voltage. The gain of the amplifier, as well as the lower limit and the size of the amplifier's voltage operating range are programmable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2007
    Assignee: ZiLOG, Inc.
    Inventor: Hoang Minh Pinai
  • Patent number: 6445233
    Abstract: A rectifier circuit produces an output which is a function of the magnitude of an input signal and has a controllable transient response. The circuit requires no rectification diodes. The voltage on a capacitor is sensed and compared with that of an input voltage. The operation of charging and discharging switches is adjusted by a control circuit to charge the capacitor if the magnitude of the input signal is greater than the capacitor voltage and to discharge the capacitor if the magnitude of the input signal is less than the capacitor voltage. The attack and release function of the rectifier is selectable by limiting the rate at which current charges/discharges the capacitor, preferably with constant current sources comprised of current mirrors. Multiple time constants are achieved by replicating the storage capacitor and charge/discharge elements configured with different time constants and then summing the resultant capacitor voltages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2002
    Assignee: The Engineering Consortium, Inc.
    Inventors: Hoang Minh Pinai, Clyde “Kip” M. Brown, Anthony J. Becker
  • Patent number: 6424208
    Abstract: An integrated transient voltage pulse multiplier is used to increase the voltage to the gates of control switches in a low voltage circuit. The increased conductance of the control switches permits a reduction in gate width, reducing parasitic charge injection and capacitive feedthrough. A low distortion switched capacitor filter utilizes two transient voltage pulse multipliers to increase the voltage of non-overlapping clock signals. The switched capacitor filter is operative at a power supply voltage of less than 1.5 volts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2002
    Assignee: The Engineering Consortium, Inc.
    Inventor: Hoang Minh Pinai
  • Patent number: 6405164
    Abstract: An audio compressor utilizes a switched charging state rectifier which produces an output proportional to the magnitude of an input signal but with controlled attack/release times. The rectified voltage is input to a logical selector, which provides logical control signals which are a function of the rectified voltage. In a preferred embodiment, the control signals of the logical selector are used to select the switch positions of a switched resistor ladder. The switched resistor ladder is used to provide a resistance path in an op-amp feedback amplifier, thereby enabling the gain of the op-amp amplifier to be adjusted in steps by the selector as the rectified signal level varies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2002
    Assignee: Engineering Consortium, Inc.
    Inventor: Hoang Minh Pinai