Patents by Inventor Walter L. Terçariol
Walter L. Terçariol 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).
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Patent number: 9299397Abstract: Systems and methods for reducing the power consumption of memory devices. A method of operating a memory device may include monitoring a plurality of sense amplifiers, each sense amplifier configured to evaluate a logic value stored in a memory cell, determining whether each of the plurality of sense amplifiers has completed its evaluation, and stopping a reference current from being provided to the sense amplifiers in response to all of the sense amplifiers having completed their evaluations. An electronic circuit may include memory cells, sense amplifiers coupled to the memory cells, transition detection circuits coupled to the sense amplifiers, and control circuitry coupled to the transition detection circuits, the transition detection circuits configured to stop a reference current from being provided to the sense amplifiers if each transition detection circuit determines that its respective sense amplifier has identified a logic value stored in a respective memory cell.Type: GrantFiled: September 14, 2014Date of Patent: March 29, 2016Assignee: FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR, INC.Inventors: Walter L. Terçariol, Richard Titov Lara Saez, Afrânio Magno da Silva, Jr.
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Patent number: 9141119Abstract: Reducing output voltage ripple of power supplies. In some embodiments, an electronic circuit may include a first node configured to receive an input signal proportional to an output voltage produced by a power supply, a second node configured to receive a reference voltage configured to alternate between two voltage values during operation of the power supply, and a third node configured to output an enabling signal configured to control the operation of the power supply in response to a comparison between the input signal and the reference voltage. In other embodiments, a method may include turning on a power supply in response to a falling ripple being smaller than a first reference voltage value, and turning off the power supply in response to a rising ripple being greater than a second reference voltage value, where the second reference voltage value is smaller than the first reference voltage value.Type: GrantFiled: January 16, 2013Date of Patent: September 22, 2015Assignee: FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR, INC.Inventors: Walter L. Terçariol, Richard Titov Lara Saez, Alfredo Salvarani, Remerson Stein Kickhofel
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Publication number: 20140376317Abstract: Systems and methods for reducing the power consumption of memory devices. A method of operating a memory device may include monitoring a plurality of sense amplifiers, each sense amplifier configured to evaluate a logic value stored in a memory cell, determining whether each of the plurality of sense amplifiers has completed its evaluation, and stopping a reference current from being provided to the sense amplifiers in response to all of the sense amplifiers having completed their evaluations. An electronic circuit may include memory cells, sense amplifiers coupled to the memory cells, transition detection circuits coupled to the sense amplifiers, and control circuitry coupled to the transition detection circuits, the transition detection circuits configured to stop a reference current from being provided to the sense amplifiers if each transition detection circuit determines that its respective sense amplifier has identified a logic value stored in a respective memory cell.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 14, 2014Publication date: December 25, 2014Applicant: FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR, INC.Inventors: Walter L. Terçariol, Richard Titov Lara Saez, Afrânio Magno da Silva, JR.
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Patent number: 8902677Abstract: Systems and methods for reducing the power consumption of memory devices. A method of operating a memory device may include monitoring a plurality of sense amplifiers, each sense amplifier configured to evaluate a logic value stored in a memory cell, determining whether each of the plurality of sense amplifiers has completed its evaluation, and stopping a reference current from being provided to the sense amplifiers in response to all of the sense amplifiers having completed their evaluations. An electronic circuit may include memory cells, sense amplifiers coupled to the memory cells, transition detection circuits coupled to the sense amplifiers, and control circuitry coupled to the transition detection circuits, the transition detection circuits configured to stop a reference current from being provided to the sense amplifiers if each transition detection circuit determines that its respective sense amplifier has identified a logic value stored in a respective memory cell.Type: GrantFiled: December 10, 2012Date of Patent: December 2, 2014Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.Inventors: Walter L. Terçariol, Richard Titov Lara Saez, Afrânio Magno da Silva, Jr.
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Publication number: 20140197807Abstract: Reducing output voltage ripple of power supplies. In some embodiments, an electronic circuit may include a first node configured to receive an input signal proportional to an output voltage produced by a power supply, a second node configured to receive a reference voltage configured to alternate between two voltage values during operation of the power supply, and a third node configured to output an enabling signal configured to control the operation of the power supply in response to a comparison between the input signal and the reference voltage. In other embodiments, a method may include turning on a power supply in response to a falling ripple being smaller than a first reference voltage value, and turning off the power supply in response to a rising ripple being greater than a second reference voltage value, where the second reference voltage value is smaller than the first reference voltage value.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 16, 2013Publication date: July 17, 2014Applicant: FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR, INC.Inventors: Walter L. Terçariol, Richard Titov Lara Saez, Alfredo Salvarani, Remerson Stein Kickhofel
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Publication number: 20140160862Abstract: Systems and methods for reducing the power consumption of memory devices. A method of operating a memory device may include monitoring a plurality of sense amplifiers, each sense amplifier configured to evaluate a logic value stored in a memory cell, determining whether each of the plurality of sense amplifiers has completed its evaluation, and stopping a reference current from being provided to the sense amplifiers in response to all of the sense amplifiers having completed their evaluations. An electronic circuit may include memory cells, sense amplifiers coupled to the memory cells, transition detection circuits coupled to the sense amplifiers, and control circuitry coupled to the transition detection circuits, the transition detection circuits configured to stop a reference current from being provided to the sense amplifiers if each transition detection circuit determines that its respective sense amplifier has identified a logic value stored in a respective memory cell.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 10, 2012Publication date: June 12, 2014Applicant: FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR, INC.Inventors: Walter L. Terçariol, Richard Titov Lara Saez, Afrânio Magno da Silva, JR.
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Patent number: 8736333Abstract: Schmitt trigger with rail-to-rail or near rail-to-rail hysteresis. In some embodiments, a method includes switching an output of a Schmitt trigger from a first logic state to a second state in response to an input meeting a threshold, where the threshold is applied to a first transistor of a first doping type and the input is applied to a second transistor of the first doping type, the first and second transistors operably coupled to each other through a current mirror of a second doping type. The first doping type may be an n-type, the second doping type may be a p-type, and the threshold may be a rising threshold having a value within 10% of a supply voltage. Alternatively, the first doping type may be a p-type, the second doping type may be an n-type, and the threshold may be a falling threshold having a value within 10% of ground.Type: GrantFiled: January 8, 2013Date of Patent: May 27, 2014Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.Inventors: Walter L. Terçariol, Richard Titov Lara Saez