Abstract: A micromachined ultrasonic transducer (MUT) circuit, which has a MUT with a MUT membrane that can vibrate back and forth to transmit an ultrasonic wave, electrically controls the movement of the MUT membrane by controllably transferring energy to the MUT membrane, thereby allowing the MUT membrane to transmit substantially any desired ultrasonic wave.

Abstract: Apparatus, systems including an electrical touch screen sensor and methods for implementing an electrical touch screen sensor are disclosed. For example, an apparatus is disclosed including a display having an array of display pixels and a plurality of sensors distributed amongst the display pixels and embedded within the display, where the sensors act to detect changes in capacitance associated with objects placed in proximity to the display pixels. Other implementations are also disclosed.

Abstract: A system includes an actuator configured to generate vibrations for creating tactile feedback to a user. The system also includes a sensor configured to measure the vibrations generated by the actuator. The system further includes a tactile feedback system configured to drive the actuator in order to generate the vibrations. The tactile feedback system is configured to adjust the driving of the actuator in response to measurements from the sensor. The actuator could include a motor configured to drive an eccentric mass, and the sensor could include an accelerometer and/or a gyroscope. Among other things, the tactile feedback system could be configured to over-drive a motor of the actuator until the measurements from the sensor indicate that vibrations are detected by the sensor and to back-drive the motor of the actuator until the measurements from the sensor indicate that no vibrations are detected by the sensor.

Abstract: A method includes identifying a position of a user's touch on a touch screen, a velocity of the user's touch across the touch screen, and a pressure of the user's touch on the touch screen. The method also includes generating at least one drive signal for driving one or more actuators associated with the touch screen and outputting the at least one drive signal. The at least one drive signal is configured to cause the one or more actuators to generate a desired haptic texture on the touch screen. The at least one drive signal is based on the position, the velocity, and the pressure. For example, a waveform of the at least one drive signal could be based on the position. Also, groups of pulses in the at least one drive signal could have a frequency and waveform based on the velocity or an amplitude based on the pressure.

Abstract: A system includes a touch screen having multiple electrodes. The system also includes a processing unit configured to use the electrodes to (i) detect an object contacting the touch screen or within a first distance from the touch screen in a first mode and (ii) detect the object within a second distance from the touch screen in a second mode. The second distance is larger than the first distance. The processing unit can be configured to use the multiple electrodes in the first mode to perform capacitive touch screen sensing. The processing unit can also be configured to use the multiple electrodes in the second mode to perform electric field sensing.

Abstract: A micromachined ultrasonic transducer (MUT) circuit, which has a MUT with a MUT membrane that can vibrate back and forth to transmit an ultrasonic wave, electrically controls the movement of the MUT membrane by controllably transferring energy to the MUT membrane, thereby allowing the MUT membrane to transmit substantially any desired ultrasonic wave.

Abstract: A method includes identifying a position of a static reflector near an ultrasonic transmitter. The method also includes transmitting ultrasonic signals from the ultrasonic transmitter. The method further includes receiving reflected ultrasonic signals at an ultrasonic receiver, where the received ultrasonic signals include a direct reflection directly from a target and a multipath reflection indirectly from the target via the reflector. In addition, the method includes identifying a location of the target using the reflections and the identified position of the reflector. The identified position of the reflector can be used to determine which pulses in the received ultrasonic signals are from the direct reflection and which pulses in the received ultrasonic signals are from the multipath reflection. The pulses in the received ultrasonic signals from the multipath reflection could be discarded or combined with the pulses in the received ultrasonic signals from the direct reflection.

Abstract: An electronic device includes one or more of a time-domain reflectometry and security block within a processor. The time-domain reflectometry and security block may determine a digitized reflected waveform biometrics characterization of a biometric target. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the invention combine a passive RFID tag with a manually switchable battery for additional transmit range when needed. In some embodiments, connecting the battery may also modify the contents of the data transmitted from the RFID tag. This feature may be particularly useful in applications in which a device generally only needs to identify itself as being in a small area, but may occasionally need to send out an alert with greater range.

Abstract: A system includes an actuator configured to generate vibrations for creating tactile feedback to a user. The system also includes a sensor configured to measure the vibrations generated by the actuator. The system further includes a tactile feedback system configured to drive the actuator in order to generate the vibrations. The tactile feedback system is configured to adjust the driving of the actuator in response to measurements from the sensor. The actuator could include a motor configured to drive an eccentric mass, and the sensor could include an accelerometer and/or a gyroscope. Among other things, the tactile feedback system could be configured to over-drive a motor of the actuator until the measurements from the sensor indicate that vibrations are detected by the sensor and to back-drive the motor of the actuator until the measurements from the sensor indicate that no vibrations are detected by the sensor.

Abstract: A system for detecting high speed noise in active pixel sensors includes a photodiode for receiving low levels of light, a reset transistor, an amplifier transistor, a row select transistor, and a high-speed analog-to-digital converter. The reset transistor gate receives a reset signal, and the reset transistor drain receives a reset voltage. The amplifier transistor gate is connected to the photodiode and the reset transistor's source. The amplifier transistor receives a supply voltage at the drain terminal. The row select transistor gate terminal receives a row select signal. The row select drain terminal is connected to the amplifier transistor source terminal. The high-speed analog-to-digital converter includes an analog input port connected to the row select transistor source and a digital output port capable of resolving high-speed excitation events received by the photodiode.

Abstract: A system includes a touch screen having multiple electrodes. The system also includes a processing unit configured to use the electrodes to (i) detect an object contacting the touch screen or within a first distance from the touch screen in a first mode and (ii) detect the object within a second distance from the touch screen in a second mode. The second distance is larger than the fist distance. The processing unit can be configured to use the multiple electrodes in the first mode to perform capacitive touch screen sensing. The processing unit can also be configured to use the multiple electrodes in the second mode to perform electric field sensing.

Abstract: A method includes identifying a position of a user's touch on a touch screen, a velocity of the user's touch across the touch screen, and a pressure of the user's touch on the touch screen. The method also includes generating at least one drive signal for driving one or more actuators associated with the touch screen and outputting the at least one drive signal. The at least one drive signal is configured to cause the one or more actuators to generate a desired haptic texture on the touch screen. The at least one drive signal is based on the position, the velocity, and the pressure. For example, a waveform of the at least one drive signal could be based on the position. Also, groups of pulses in the at least one drive signal could have a frequency and waveform based on the velocity or an amplitude based on the pressure.

Abstract: A system includes a power source having multiple energy storage power cells. The system also includes multiple cell active balancing circuits. Each active balancing circuit is coupled across and associated with at least one of the power cells. Each active balancing circuit is also configured to provide energy to and draw energy from the at least one associated power cell. The system further includes an energy transfer bus configured to transfer energy between the active balancing circuits. In addition, the system includes a controller configured to control the transfer of energy between the active balancing circuits in order to control balancing of charges on the power cells. Each active balancing circuit could include a bi-directional direct current-to-direct current converter configured to convert and transfer DC energy between the associated power cell(s) and the energy transfer bus. The power source could include a battery, and the power cells could include battery cells within the battery.

Abstract: Described herein are one or more implementations of a security system for one or more protected devices. The security system implements an authentication system that enables protected devices. Protected devices are enabled for a particular network, and are disabled when the protected devices leave the network.

Abstract: An electronic device includes one or more Time-Domain Reflectometor (TDR) channels and a security block embedded at a silicon or software level to measure human electrical impedance and characteristics for biometric identification and provide biometric authentication.

Abstract: An electronic device includes one or more Time-Domain Reflectometor (TDR) channels and a security block embedded at a silicon or software level to measure human electrical impedance and characteristics for biometric identification and provide biometric authentication.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the invention may use code division multiple access (CDMA) technology in communications from radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to RFID readers, so that multiple RFID tags may respond to the same RFID reader at the same time on the same frequency and still be reliably decoded by the RFID reader. In some embodiments, orthogonal CDMA PN sequences for the RFID tags to use in creating their responses may first be transmitted to those RFID tags, possibly using a non-CDMA technique.

Abstract: A receive-only supplemental radio frequency identification (RFID) reader may receive response signals from RFID tags, digitize and interpret those signals, and transfer the resulting data to a primary RFID reader. By relieving the primary RFID reader of some or all of the tasks of receiving, demodulating, and decoding concurrent responses from multiple RFID tags, the primary RFID reader may be made less expensive and/or may devote its resources to other tasks.

Abstract: Disclosed are a system and a method for identifying components in an assembly. The system comprises an assembly including one or more components and a power harvesting device, and a reader. The power harvesting device provides power to the one or more components and queries component identification information from the one or more components. The one or more components provide the power harvesting device with the component identification information which is relayed to the reader by the power harvesting device. The system allows determination of the components of the assembly while precluding the need for dismantling the assembly or powering on the assembly to run diagnostic software.