Patents by Inventor Scott Robert Humphreys

Scott Robert Humphreys 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: 6448831
    Abstract: Undersired glitches in output signals from TSPC-1 flip-flop circuits having an output stage comprising an node and a second node are removed by precharging the second node (prior to a clock transition) to a value desired at the output node during a period following the clock transition, and connecting the output node to the second node upon such clock transition. Corrective circuitry illustratively comprising two NMOS transistors added to the output stage and receiving an input reflecting the desired future output is active during a portion of the operating cycle when the output stage exhibits a high impedance tristate condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Assignee: RF Micro Devices, Inc.
    Inventors: Barry Travis Hunt, Jr., Scott Robert Humphreys
  • Patent number: 6385276
    Abstract: A dual-modulus digital prescaler circuit having an extended period in which responses to a divider control indicating a possible modulus change must be made, such extended period permitting higher speed operation while suffering no penalty in manufacturing cost or increased power use. In embodiments comprising a dual modulus divider, a fixed-modulus divider and interconnected control logic, dual modulus divider state transitions giving rise to incrementing of fixed-modulus divider states are selected to be independent of short-term instabilities in divider control inputs. Identified critical state transitions associated with output signals from the dual modulus divider are constrained to occur at times prior to periods of insensitivity to stability of the dual-modulus control signal. Thus, timing of such output signals is determined so that there will be following time interval sufficient to provide desired stability of the modulus control signal for the next divide cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2002
    Assignee: RF Micro Devices, Inc.
    Inventors: Barry Travis Hunt, Jr., Scott Robert Humphreys
  • Patent number: 6370365
    Abstract: A selective call radio (300) includes receiver (200). The receiver in turn includes an antenna (202) for receiving a radio signal having a first operating frequency, an amplifier(204) coupled thereto for generating an amplified signal; and a frequency translation circuit (208). The frequency translation circuit includes a selectivity filter (212) and an integrated frequency conversion circuit (216). The selectivity is coupled to the amplified signal for generating a filtered signal. The integrated frequency conversion circuit is coupled to the filtered signal and is incorporated into at least one IC (integrated circuit). The integrated frequency conversion circuit includes an oscillator (220), a divider (224), and a mixer (218). A first input of the mixer is coupled to the filtered signal generated by the selectivity filter. The divider is coupled to the oscillator and its output is coupled to a second input of the mixer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2002
    Inventors: Edgar Herbert Callaway, Jr., Scott Robert Humphreys, Keith Edward Jackoski
  • Patent number: 6252434
    Abstract: A voltage comparator (10) includes a differential amplifier (12), a switched latch (32), and a switch (26). The voltage comparator (10) receives a first input signal (18) and a second input signal (20), and produces a first output (38) and a second output (40) by comparing the first and second input signals. A reset input (30) disables and enables the voltage comparator (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2001
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Manbir Nag, Scott Robert Humphreys
  • Patent number: 6211583
    Abstract: A high-speed current switch (36) comprises a differential switch (14), a current source (12), an op-amp (32), a feedback switch (38), a hold capacitor (40), a biasing transistor (42), and a second current switch (44). The high-speed current switch (36) receives a complementary control signal (46) and a control signal (48), and generates an output current (26).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2001
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventor: Scott Robert Humphreys
  • Patent number: 6100730
    Abstract: A prescaler system (100) has a prescaler circuit (102) coupled to a divider (104), wherein the divider includes an improved dynamic flip flop divider (118). The divider (118) includes a TSPC nine-transistor D-flip-flop (10). The divider further includes a tenth transistor such as N channel device (41) having a source coupled to ground (43), a drain coupled to a junction between a drain of a P channel device (34) and a drain of another N channel device (37). The divider also includes an eleventh transistor such as N channel device (42) having a source coupled to ground and a drain coupled to a junction between the drain of a P channel device (35) and the drain of a N channel device (39), the junction providing a feedback signal to a N channel device (36), wherein the eleventh transistor further has a gate coupled to the output signal (/Q.sub.A).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2000
    Assignee: Motorola
    Inventors: Darrell Eugene Davis, Scott Robert Humphreys
  • Patent number: 6064869
    Abstract: A synthesizer (100) is used for generating a plurality of synthesized clock signals (128, 156). The synthesizer includes a clock source (102) for generating a common frequency reference signal (103), and a clock generator (104) coupled to the common frequency reference signal for generating a plurality of generated clock signals (106, 108), wherein each of the plurality of generated clock signals is offset from each other by a predetermined phase offset (189, 192). In addition, the synthesizer includes a plurality of PLLs (Phase Locked Loops) (166-168) for generating a selected one of the plurality of synthesized clock signals, wherein each of the plurality of PLLs is coupled to, and operates from, a corresponding one of the plurality of generated clock signals, and wherein the predetermined phase offset between each of the plurality of generated clock signals is known to suppress noise between the plurality of PLLs operating therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2000
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Darrell Eugene Davis, Scott Robert Humphreys
  • Patent number: 6002273
    Abstract: A phase-frequency detector (110) includes an output stage (300) and a control stage (200). The output stage includes a pump up switched current source (350), a pump down switched current sink (360), and a constant current source (325) that are coupled to a charge pump output node (111). The control stage generates, in response to a divided variable frequency signal (FV) (136) and a reference frequency signal (FR) (106), a pump up control signal (246) and a pump down control signal (216).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 14, 1999
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventor: Scott Robert Humphreys
  • Patent number: 5939911
    Abstract: A low input prescaler (800) that is responsive to input signals having low amplitude alternating current (AC) components includes a switched tunable prescaler (280) that generates a prescaler output signal (221) having a prescaler output frequency during an operational state of the prescaler and having a free-running frequency that is responsive to a tuning control signal (216) during a tuning state of the prescaler. A frequency comparator (235) generates a comparator output in response to a difference between a reference frequency and the prescaler output frequency. A prescaler tuner (290, 390) adjusts the tuning control signal in response to the comparator output during the tuning state to minimize the difference between the reference frequency and the prescaler output frequency, and holds the tuning control signal during the operational state. The prescaler is used in phase lock loops (200, 400, 600) and other circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1999
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott Robert Humphreys, Darrell Eugene Davis, Barry W. Herold
  • Patent number: 5805095
    Abstract: A two's complement digital to analog converter (300) is for converting a two's complement binary value to an analog output current, and includes a control circuit (310) which generates controlled value bits, a digital to analog current converter (DACC) (320), and an augmenter (330). The DACC (320) generates a DACC analog current which is a portion of the analog output current and which has an absolute value which is related to the binary value of the controlled value bits. The augmenter (330), which is coupled to a most significant bit of the two's complement binary value, generates a portion of the analog output current by modifying the absolute value of the DACC analog current by a least significant bit current increment when the most significant bit indicates a negative value of the two's complement binary value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1998
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott Robert Humphreys, Raymond Louis Barrett, Jr., Lawrence Loren Case
  • Patent number: 5793825
    Abstract: A method is used by a detector (102) for extending the operating frequency range of a phase lock loop (100). The detector (102) detects a phase-frequency difference between a reference signal (109) and a generated signal (108) of the phase lock loop (100). The detector (102) includes a divider (202) for counting transitions of the generated signal (108) and a logic element (204) and counter (212) for detecting when the frequency of the generated signal (108) is such that the divider (202) operates outside its linear frequency range in relation to a predetermined transition of the reference signal (109). The detector (102) further includes a register (206) for recording a phase value of the divider (202) coincident with the predetermined transition, or a constant phase value (304, 306) when the frequency of the generated signal (108) is operating outside of the linear range of the divider (202).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 11, 1998
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott Robert Humphreys, Raymond Louis Barrett, Jr., Barry W. Herold