Patents by Inventor Joshua ZAZZERA

Joshua ZAZZERA 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: 11908311
    Abstract: Innovative techniques to design and generate haptics waveforms are proposed. The proposed techniques reduce or eliminate audible noises being generated by a haptic actuator during operation. A haptic controller may compose a voltage waveform at a resonant frequency of the haptic actuator and generate a corresponding control signal. Instead of suddenly entering a high impedance state from a driving state, the voltage waveform may include a ramp down portion in which the voltage ramps down continuously but quickly so that the current flowing within the actuator is brought down before entering the high impedance state. In this way, audible noises may be reduced or even eliminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Joseph Dale Rutkowski, Liangguo Shen, Shivaprakash Halagur, Joshua Zazzera, Nathaniel Jay T. Salazar
  • Publication number: 20230292042
    Abstract: Innovative techniques to design and generate haptics waveforms are proposed. The proposed techniques reduce or eliminate audible noises being generated by a haptic actuator during operation. A haptic controller may compose a voltage waveform at a resonant frequency of the haptic actuator and generate a corresponding control signal. Instead of suddenly entering a high impedance state from a driving state, the voltage waveform may include a ramp down portion in which the voltage ramps down continuously but quickly so that the current flowing within the actuator is brought down before entering the high impedance state. In this way, audible noises may be reduced or even eliminated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2022
    Publication date: September 14, 2023
    Inventors: Joseph Dale RUTKOWSKI, Liangguo SHEN, Shivaprakash HALAGUR, Joshua ZAZZERA, Nathaniel Jay T. SALAZAR
  • Publication number: 20230251715
    Abstract: Abstract: In some aspects, a controller may obtain a back electromotive force (BEMF) signal associated with a haptic feedback component, wherein the BEMF signal is generated by movement of the haptic feedback component. The controller may determine a time length for the BEMF signal to cross an amplitude-based window. The controller may determine, based on the time length, a braking amplitude for a control signal to reduce an energy level of the haptic feedback component. The controller may control the control signal according to the braking amplitude. Numerous other aspects are provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2021
    Publication date: August 10, 2023
    Inventors: Joseph Dale RUTKOWSKI, Joshua ZAZZERA, Milind SAWANT, Shivaprakash HALAGUR
  • Patent number: 11722085
    Abstract: In some implementations, a measurement circuit may drive, using a first transistor, a first node of a haptic load. The measurement circuit may trigger a first comparator when a voltage driving the haptic load satisfies a first condition. The first comparator may have a first node connected, in parallel, to a drain of a second transistor and may have a second node connected to the first node of the haptic load. Additionally, the second transistor may have a gate connected to a gate of the first transistor and may have the drain connected to a first reference current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Liangguo Shen, Joseph Dale Rutkowski, Joshua Zazzera, Nathaniel Salazar
  • Patent number: 11392204
    Abstract: Disclosed are various techniques operating a linear resonant actuator (LRA). In some aspects, a method for operating an LRA includes generating an LRA control signal having a period, the period having an active portion and a high-Z portion according to a duty cycle; detecting, during the high-Z portion of the period, a back electromotive force (BEMF) threshold voltage crossing time and zero voltage crossing time; calculating a period; calculating a BEMF measurement window; calculating a target duty cycle based on the period, the BEMF measurement window, and a margin time; and adjusting the duty cycle of the LRA control signal towards the target duty cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Joshua Zazzera, Joseph Dale Rutkowski, Milind Sawant, Shivaprakash Halagur
  • Publication number: 20220224269
    Abstract: In some implementations, a measurement circuit may drive, using a first transistor, a first node of a haptic load. The measurement circuit may trigger a first comparator when a voltage driving the haptic load satisfies a first condition. The first comparator may have a first node connected, in parallel, to a drain of a second transistor and may have a second node connected to the first node of the haptic load. Additionally, the second transistor may have a gate connected to a gate of the first transistor and may have the drain connected to a first reference current.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2021
    Publication date: July 14, 2022
    Inventors: Liangguo SHEN, Joseph Dale RUTKOWSKI, Joshua ZAZZERA, Nathaniel SALAZAR
  • Publication number: 20220091675
    Abstract: Disclosed are various techniques operating a linear resonant actuator (LRA). In some aspects, a method for operating an LRA includes generating an LRA control signal having a period, the period having an active portion and a high-Z portion according to a duty cycle; detecting, during the high-Z portion of the period, a back electromotive force (BEMF) threshold voltage crossing time and zero voltage crossing time; calculating a period; calculating a BEMF measurement window; calculating a target duty cycle based on the period, the BEMF measurement window, and a margin time; and adjusting the duty cycle of the LRA control signal towards the target duty cycle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2020
    Publication date: March 24, 2022
    Inventors: Joshua ZAZZERA, Joseph Dale RUTKOWSKI, Milind SAWANT, Shivaprakash HALAGUR
  • Patent number: 10122168
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for to incrementally reduce (e.g., de-rate) a power supply voltage output (VOUT) of a regulator to multiple subsystems in response to detecting high power conditions in a client device is described. In one instance, multiple low power client devices and a high power consumption client device are coupled to a power grid of the power management system with a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) supplying power to the power grid. The PMIC includes a buck-or-boost switching regulator including a load current adjustment device to de-rate the high power consumption device when a sum of the current consumed by the high power consumption device and the low power client devices is above a predetermined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Ricardo Goncalves, Joshua Zazzera, Edgar Marti-Arbona, Juha Oikarinen, Joseph Rutkowski
  • Publication number: 20170279271
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for to incrementally reduce (e.g., de-rate) a power supply voltage output (VOUT) of a regulator to multiple subsystems in response to detecting high power conditions in a client device is described. In one instance, multiple low power client devices and a high power consumption client device are coupled to a power grid of the power management system with a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) supplying power to the power grid. The PMIC includes a buck-or-boost switching regulator including a load current adjustment device to de-rate the high power consumption device when a sum of the current consumed by the high power consumption device and the low power client devices is above a predetermined threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2016
    Publication date: September 28, 2017
    Inventors: Ricardo GONCALVES, Joshua ZAZZERA, Edgar MARTI-ARBONA, Juha OIKARINEN, Joseph RUTKOWSKI
  • Publication number: 20170279359
    Abstract: An apparatus improves efficiency of a non-inverting buck-or-boost regulator by reducing an amount of switching of the buck-or-boost regulator. A high side buck transistor and a high side boost transistor of the buck-or-boost regulator are turned on. A low side buck transistor and a low side boost transistor are turned off. The turning on and turning off short an input voltage node to an output voltage node of the buck-or-boost regulator to prevent switching of the high side buck transistor and the high side boost transistor. The turning on and turning off are based on a voltage difference between the input voltage node and the output voltage node.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2016
    Publication date: September 28, 2017
    Inventors: Ricardo GONCALVES, Joshua ZAZZERA, Edgar MARTI-ARBONA, Juha OIKARINEN, Joseph RUTKOWSKI
  • Patent number: 9344022
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes circuits and methods for driving resonant actuators. In one embodiment, a drive signal is applied to an actuator during a portion of a plurality of half cycles of a period of the drive signal. The actuator has a resonant frequency and may vibrate in response to the drive signal. An induced voltage is generated on terminals of the actuator in response to the vibration. A detection circuit may detect when the induced voltage on the actuator crosses a threshold after the drive signal is turned off. The drive signal may be triggered based on when the induced voltage crosses the threshold to align a frequency and phase of the drive signal with the resonant frequency and a phase of the actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Qadeer A Khan, Sandeep Chaman Dhar, Joshua A Zazzera, Todd R Sutton
  • Publication number: 20150069939
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes circuits and methods for driving resonant actuators. In one embodiment, a drive signal is applied to an actuator during a portion of a plurality of half cycles of a period of the drive signal. The actuator has a resonant frequency and may vibrate in response to the drive signal. An induced voltage is generated on terminals of the actuator in response to the vibration. A detection circuit may detect when the induced voltage on the actuator crosses a threshold after the drive signal is turned off. The drive signal may be triggered based on when the induced voltage crosses the threshold to align a frequency and phase of the drive signal with the resonant frequency and a phase of the actuator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2013
    Publication date: March 12, 2015
    Applicant: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Qadeer A. Khan, Sandeep Chaman Dhar, Joshua A. Zazzera, Todd R. Sutton