Abstract: A force sensing system for determining if a user input has occurred, the system comprising: an input channel, to receive an input from at least one force sensor; an activity detection stage, to monitor an activity level of the input from the at least one force sensor and, responsive to an activity level which may be indicative of a user input being reached, to generate an indication that an activity has occurred at the force sensor; and an event detection stage to receive said indication, and to determine if a user input has occurred based on the received input from the at least one force sensor.

Abstract: A system may include an electromagnetic actuator, a first coil configured to drive mechanical displacement of the electromagnetic actuator, a second coil configured to drive mechanical displacement of the electromagnetic actuator, and an inductance sensing subsystem having an inductance sensing path coupled to the first coil and the second coil.

Abstract: A correction unit for use in a sensor system, the sensor system comprising a force sensor configured to output a sensor signal indicative of a temporary mechanical distortion of a material under an applied force, the correction unit configured, based on the sensor signal, to: estimate an effect of the applied force on how the material will return towards an undistorted form upon a substantial reduction or removal of the applied force; and generate a corrected signal based on the estimation.

Abstract: A system may include a resonant sensor configured to sense a physical quantity, a measurement circuit communicatively coupled to the resonant sensor and configured to measure one or more resonance parameters associated with the resonant sensor and indicative of the physical quantity using an incident/quadrature detector having an incident channel and a quadrature channel and perform a calibration of a non-ideality between the incident channel and the quadrature channel of the system, the calibration comprising determining the non-ideality by controlling the sensor signal, an oscillation signal for the incident channel, and an oscillation signal for the quadrature channel; and correcting for the non-ideality.

Abstract: A method for determining sensor parameters of an actively-driven sensor system may include performing an initialization operation to establish a baseline estimate of the sensor parameters, obtaining as few as three samples of a measured physical quantity versus frequency for the actively-driven sensor system, performing a refinement operation to provide a refined version of the sensor parameters based on the as few as three samples, iteratively repeating the refinement operation until the difference between successive refined versions of the sensor parameters is below a defined threshold, and outputting the refined sensor parameters as updated sensor parameters for the actively-driven sensor system.

Abstract: A system may include a resistive-inductive-capacitive sensor configured to sense a physical quantity, and a measurement circuit communicatively coupled to the resistive-inductive-capacitive sensor and configured to measure one or more resonance parameters associated with the resistive-inductive-capacitive sensor and indicative of the physical quantity and, in order to maximize dynamic range in determining the physical quantity from the one or more resonance parameters, dynamically modify, across the dynamic range, either of reliance on the one or more resonance parameters in determining the physical quantity or one or more resonance properties of the resistive-inductive-capacitive sensor.

Abstract: A system may include a resonant sensor configured to sense a physical quantity, a measurement circuit communicatively coupled to the resonant sensor and configured to measure one or more resonance parameters associated with the resonant sensor and indicative of the physical quantity using an incident/quadrature detector having an incident channel and a quadrature channel and perform a calibration of a non-ideality between the incident channel and the quadrature channel of the system, the calibration comprising determining the non-ideality by controlling the sensor signal, an oscillation signal for the incident channel, and an oscillation signal for the quadrature channel; and correcting for the non-ideality.

Abstract: A system may include driving circuitry configured to drive a driving signal to an output transducer, sensing circuitry configured to sense a physical quantity associated with the output transducer in response to the driving signal, and interference detection circuitry configured to detect the presence of interference of the system and mitigate the effect of the interference in the system.

Abstract: A system may include a resistive-inductive-capacitive sensor, a driver configured to drive the resistive-inductive-capacitive sensor at a driving frequency, and a measurement circuit communicatively coupled to the resistive-inductive-capacitive sensor and configured to determine a measured change in a resonant frequency of the resistive-inductive-capacitive sensor and based on the measured change, modify the driving frequency.

Abstract: An amplifier system may include a first feedback loop coupled between an output of an amplifier to an input of a modulator for regulating an output voltage driven at the output of the amplifier to a first terminal of a load of the amplifier system, a sense resistor for sensing a physical quantity associated with the amplifier, a second control loop coupled to the sense resistor such that the sense resistor is outside of the second control loop, the second control loop configured to regulate a common-mode voltage at a second terminal of the load, and a common-mode feedforward circuit coupled to the sense resistor and configured to minimize effects of a signal-dependent common-mode feedback of the sense resistor.

Abstract: Circuitry for driving a load, the circuitry comprising: driver circuitry; and load sensing circuitry, wherein the circuitry is operable in: a driving mode of operation in which the driver circuitry supplies a drive signal to a load coupled to the circuitry; and a load sensing mode of operation, for estimating a characteristic of a load coupled to the circuitry based on a signal output by the load sensing circuitry in response to a stimulus signal, wherein the circuitry is configured to, in response to a request for operation of the circuitry in the load sensing mode: compare an indication of a current through the load to a predefined threshold; and if the indication of the current through the load meets the predefined threshold, prevent or delay operation in the load sensing mode.

Abstract: Circuitry comprising: a voltage monitoring path; a current monitoring path; a reference element of a predefined impedance; and processing circuitry, wherein in operation of the circuitry in a calibration mode of operation: the voltage monitoring path is operative to output a signal indicative of a voltage across the reference element in response to a reference signal applied to the reference element; the current monitoring path is operative to output a signal indicative of a current through the reference element in response to the reference signal; and the processing circuitry is operative to: receive the signal indicative of the voltage across the reference element and the signal indicative of the current through the reference element; generate an estimate of an impedance of the reference element; and determine a compensation parameter for an element of the circuitry for compensating for a difference between the estimate of the impedance and the predefined impedance of the reference element.

Abstract: A system may include amplifier circuitry configured to drive an electromagnetic load with a driving signal and a processing system communicatively coupled to the electromagnetic load and configured to compensate for current-sensing error of the processing system caused by feedback circuitry of the amplifier circuitry.

Abstract: Circuitry for driving a load, the circuitry comprising: driver circuitry; load sensing circuitry; and a parameter estimation engine, wherein the circuitry is operable in: a driving mode of operation in which the driver circuitry supplies a drive signal to a load coupled to the circuitry; and a load sensing mode of operation, for estimating a characteristic of a load coupled to the circuitry based on a signal output by the load sensing circuitry in response to a stimulus signal supplied to the driver circuitry, and wherein the circuitry is operable to perform a calibration operation in which the parameter estimation engine generates a circuit parameter for use in the load sensing mode based, at least in part, on a signal generated by the circuitry in response to a calibration stimulus signal supplied to the driver circuitry.

Abstract: Circuitry for driving a load, the circuitry comprising: driver circuitry; load sensing circuitry; and a parameter estimation engine, wherein the circuitry is operable in: a driving mode of operation in which the driver circuitry supplies a drive signal to a load coupled to the circuitry; and a load sensing mode of operation, for estimating a characteristic of a load coupled to the circuitry based on a signal output by the load sensing circuitry in response to a stimulus signal supplied to the driver circuitry, and wherein the circuitry is operable to perform a calibration operation in which the parameter estimation engine generates a circuit parameter for use in the load sensing mode based, at least in part, on a signal generated by the circuitry in response to a calibration stimulus signal supplied to the driver circuitry.

Abstract: Circuitry comprising: a voltage monitoring path; a current monitoring path; a reference element of a predefined impedance; and processing circuitry, wherein in operation of the circuitry in a calibration mode of operation: the voltage monitoring path is operative to output a signal indicative of a voltage across the reference element in response to a reference signal applied to the reference element; the current monitoring path is operative to output a signal indicative of a current through the reference element in response to the reference signal; and the processing circuitry is operative to: receive the signal indicative of the voltage across the reference element and the signal indicative of the current through the reference element; generate an estimate of an impedance of the reference element; and determine a compensation parameter for an element of the circuitry for compensating for a difference between the estimate of the impedance and the predefined impedance of the reference element.

Abstract: A system may include a plurality of sensors, a measurement circuit communicatively coupled to the plurality of sensors and configured to measure one or more physical quantities associated with the plurality of sensors, and a predictive optimization subsystem configured to detect an event associated with a first sensor of the plurality of sensors and responsive to the event, execute a predictive action with respect to one or more of the other sensors of the plurality of sensors.

Abstract: A system may include an array of sensor elements, the array of sensor elements each comprising a first type of passive reactive element, a second type of passive reactive element electrically coupled to the array of sensor elements, a driver configured to drive the array of sensor elements and the second type of passive reactive element, and control circuitry configured to control enabling and disabling of individual sensor elements of the array of sensor elements to ensure no more than one of the array of sensor elements is enabled at a time such that when one of the array of sensor elements is enabled, the one of the array of sensor elements and the second type of passive reactive element together operate as a resonant sensor.

Abstract: A system may include a sensor configured to output a sensor signal indicative of a distance between the sensor and a mechanical member associated with the sensor, a measurement circuit communicatively coupled to the sensor and configured to determine a physical force interaction with the mechanical member based on the sensor signal, and a compensator configured to monitor the sensor signal and to apply a compensation factor to the sensor signal to compensate for changes to properties of the sensor based on at least one of changes in a distance between the sensor and the mechanical member and changes in a temperature associated with the sensor.

Abstract: A force sensing system for determining if a user input has occurred, the system comprising: an input channel, to receive an input from at least one force sensor; an activity detection stage, to monitor an activity level of the input from the at least one force sensor and, responsive to an activity level which may be indicative of a user input being reached, to generate an indication that an activity has occurred at the force sensor; and an event detection stage to receive said indication, and to determine if a user input has occurred based on the received input from the at least one force sensor.