Patents by Inventor Neil Webb

Neil Webb 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: 11948659
    Abstract: A mixed-signal in-memory computing sub-cell only requires 9 transistors for 1-bit multiplication. A computing cell is constructed from a plurality of such sub-cells that share a common computing capacitor and a common transistor. A MAC array for performing MAC operations, includes a plurality of the computing cells each activating the sub-cells therein in a time-multiplexed manner. A differential version of the MAC array provides improved computation error tolerance and an in-memory mixed-signal computing module for digitalizing parallel analog outputs of the MAC array and for performing other tasks in the digital domain. An ADC block in the computing module makes full use of capacitors in the MAC array, allowing the computing module to have a reduced area and suffer from fewer computational errors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Reexen Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Minhao Yang, Hongjie Liu, Alonso Morgado, Neil Webb
  • Publication number: 20220351761
    Abstract: A mixed-signal in-memory computing sub-cell only requires 9 transistors for 1-bit multiplication. A computing cell is constructed from a plurality of such sub-cells that share a common computing capacitor and a common transistor. Also proposed is a MAC array for performing MAC operations, which includes a plurality of the computing cells each activating the sub-cells therein in a time-multiplexed manner. Also proposed is a differential version of the MAC array with improved computation error tolerance and an in-memory mixed-signal computing module for digitalizing parallel analog outputs of the MAC array and for performing other tasks in the digital domain. An ADC block in the computing module makes full use of capacitors in the MAC array, thus allowing the computing module to have a reduced area and suffer from less computation errors. Also proposed is a method of fully taking advantage of data sparsity to lower the ADC block's power consumption.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2021
    Publication date: November 3, 2022
    Inventors: Minhao Yang, Hongjie Liu, Alonso Morgado, Neil Webb
  • Publication number: 20220276835
    Abstract: A mixed-signal in-memory computing sub-cell requires only 9 transistors for 1-bit multiplication. In one aspect, there is a computing cell is constructed from a plurality of such sub-cells that share a common computing capacitor and common transistors. As a result, the average number of transistors in each sub-cell is close to 6. Also proposed is a MAC array for performing MAC operations, which includes a plurality of the computing cells each activating the sub-cells therein in a time-multiplexed manner. Also proposed is a differential version of the MAC array with improved computation error tolerance. Also proposed is an in-memory mixed-signal computing module for digitalizing parallel analog outputs of the MAC array and for performing other tasks in the digital domain. An ADC block in the computing module makes full use of capacitors in the MAC array, thus allowing the computing module to have a reduced area and suffer from less computation errors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2021
    Publication date: September 1, 2022
    Inventors: Minhao Yang, Hongjie Liu, Alonso Morgado, Neil Webb
  • Patent number: 7917669
    Abstract: A method of performing a burst read access at a memory device using a multiplexed data/address bus and a control signal including transferring a first portion of address information in a first phase via the multiplexed data/address bus to the memory device; transferring second portion of address information in a second phase via a multiplexed data/address bus to the memory device; transferring a series of data words from the memory via the multiplexed data/address bus; toggling the state of the control signal at the memory device as each data word is transferred; and suspending the transfer of the series of data words from the memory via the multiplexed data/address bus and the toggling of the state of the control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: Nokia Corporation
    Inventors: Neil Webb, Ashley Crawford, Mike Jager
  • Publication number: 20080195775
    Abstract: A method of performing a burst read access at a memory device using a multiplexed data/address bus and a control signal including transferring a first portion of address information in a first phase via the multiplexed data/address bus to the memory device; transferring second portion of address information in a second phase via a multiplexed data/address bus to the memory device; transferring a series of data words from the memory via the multiplexed data/address bus; toggling the state of the control signal at the memory device as each data word is transferred; and suspending the transfer of the series of data words from the memory via the multiplexed data/address bus and the toggling of the state of the control signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2004
    Publication date: August 14, 2008
    Applicant: NOKIA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Neil Webb, Ashley Crawford, Mike Jager
  • Patent number: 7356627
    Abstract: A data handling device capable of operating in a system in which two or more devices are connected by a data bus for the transmission of communications therebetween, the data bus having two or more data lines and the device having: two or more data bus connectors, each for connection to a respective data line of the data bus; an identity acquisition unit capable of functioning in a first mode of operation of the device to receive data transmitted over the data bus and in response to the order in which the bits of one or more data words of a predetermined form are received on the data bus connectors during the first mode of operation determine an identity for the device and store the identity in an identity store of the device; and a data handling unit capable of functioning in a second mode of operation of the device to handle communications transmitted over the bus and that specify the identity stored in the data store as a destination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: Nokia Corporation
    Inventors: Anssi Haverinen, Pekka Karppinen, Antti Latva-aho, Neil Webb
  • Publication number: 20050010698
    Abstract: A data handling device capable of operating in a system in which two or more devices are connected by a data bus for the transmission of communications therebetween, the data bus having two or more data lines and the device having: two or more data bus connectors, each for connection to a respective data line of the data bus; an identity acquisition unit capable of functioning in a first mode of operation of the device to receive data transmitted over the data bus and in response to the order in which the bits of one or more data words of a predetermined form are received on the data bus connectors during the first mode of operation determine an identity for the device and store the identity in an identity store of the device; and a data handling unit capable of functioning in a second mode of operation of the device to handle communications transmitted over the bus and that specify the identity stored in the data store as a destination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2003
    Publication date: January 13, 2005
    Inventors: Anssi Haverinen, Pekka Karppinen, Antti Latva-aho, Neil Webb