Abstract: Circuits and methods for determining a majority vote from a plurality of inputs. An example circuit includes a voting input stage, a transfer stage, and an accumulating stage. The voting input stage includes at least three input switched capacitors. The transfer stage includes transfer switched capacitors corresponding to the input switched capacitors. The transfer switched capacitors charge a voting capacitor corresponding to each input switched capacitor during a state of a clock signal. The accumulating stage includes accumulating switched capacitors connecting the voting capacitors in series. The accumulating switched capacitors cause the charges of the voting capacitors to be accumulated during an alternate state of the clock signal. The accumulated charge of the voting capacitors represents a majority vote of the input switched capacitors.

Abstract: Circuits and methods for determining a majority vote from a plurality of inputs. An example circuit includes a voting input stage, a transfer stage, and an accumulating stage. The voting input stage includes at least three input switched capacitors. The transfer stage includes transfer switched capacitors corresponding to the input switched capacitors. The transfer switched capacitors charge a voting capacitor corresponding to each input switched capacitor during a state of a clock signal. The accumulating stage includes accumulating switched capacitors connecting the voting capacitors in series. The accumulating switched capacitors cause the charges of the voting capacitors to be accumulated during an alternate state of the clock signal. The accumulated charge of the voting capacitors represents a majority vote of the input switched capacitors.

Abstract: Systems and methods for trusted integration of untrusted components. An example system includes at least three electrical components and voting (consensus) circuitry. The components have varied hierarchical implementations for providing common output given common input. The voting circuitry is configured to receive, as input, outputs from the components and provide a consensus output that is a majority of the outputs received from the components. Such a diversity of multiple untrusted system components (hardware and/or software) engaged in redundant operation can be integrated to as a consensus-based trusted system with a high degree of fault tolerance to unforeseen environmental interference, cyber-attack, supply chain counterfeit, inserted Trojan logic, or component design flaws. The degree of fault tolerance can be increased by increasing the degree of diversity of redundant operational nodes or by increasing the number of diversely implemented operational nodes.

Abstract: A magnetostrictive pump is provided which makes use of a magnetostrictive element which, when an alternating magnetic field is applied to it, compresses a chamber containing a working fluid. A bellows located within the working fluid is repeatedly compressed by the compression of the chamber, and pumps a fluid to be pumped in and out of the bellows. Since the magnetostrictive element does not directly contact the bellows, the bellows life is greatly extended. Valves are provided to direct the fluid flow in a desired manner. The pump may be combined with other pumps in various series or parallel arrangements to create a pump system. The pump may be pre-biased to make its response more linear by either mechanical or magnetic biasing. A permanent magnet may be used to magnetically bias the pump and create an "at-rest" initial extension of the magnetostrictive element. Similarly, a spring may be used to mechanically load the magnetostrictive element.