Generating Staircase Output Patents (Class 327/126)
  • Patent number: 11329606
    Abstract: An oscillator circuit includes an integrator, a comparator, an edge triggered flip-flop, and first and second capacitors. The edge triggered flip-flop has an input terminal coupled to an output terminal of the comparator and is configured to output first and second signals which are mutually exclusive, and to flip the signals when detecting a rising or falling edge output by the comparator such that: when the first signal is at a designated level, the first capacitor is charged and the second capacitor is discharged, and a terminal of the first capacitor is coupled to an input terminal of the integrator; and when the second signal is at a designated level, the second capacitor is charged and the first capacitor is discharged and a terminal of the second capacitor is coupled to the input terminal of the integrator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: INNOGRIT TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Chi Cao, Kangmin Hu
  • Patent number: 11185304
    Abstract: The present disclosure is generally directed to an ultrasonic transducer interface system for use within portable 2-D ultrasonic imagers and includes an on-chip adaptive beamformer and Charge-Redistribution TX (CR-TX) to provide a drive strength of up to 500 pF/channel at 5 MHz (or 10 nF at 250 kHz) while reducing the TX drive power by at least 30% compared to other ultrasonic transducer TX drivers. The ultrasonic transducer interface system can be implemented in a single chip via, for example, a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: KHALIFA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Jerald Yoo, Judyta B. Tillak
  • Patent number: 11152928
    Abstract: An electronic circuit according to an embodiment includes a clock generator, a delay element, a first electromagnetic coupler, a first frequency converter, a second electromagnetic coupler, a second frequency converter, a controller and an output device. The clock generator is configured to generate a first clock signal. The delay element is configured to output a second clock signal which has a phase delayed with respect to the first clock signal. The first electromagnetic coupler is configured to transmit one of the first and second clock signals by electromagnetic coupling. The first frequency converter is driven by the one of the first and second clock signals transmitted from the first electromagnetic coupler and is configured to convert a first input signal to a first signal with a first frequency corresponding to the one of the first and second clock signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Satoshi Takaya, Hiroaki Ishihara
  • Patent number: 10645555
    Abstract: A method for receiving a broadcast signal by an access network to a plurality of terminals of a two-way wireless communication system. An information signal is formed from the broadcast information destined for the terminals. A pilot signal is formed and a broadcast signal including the information signal SI1 and the pilot signal is transmitted. The information signal and the pilot signal are transmitted on different respective central frequencies having a predefined frequency gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: SIGFOX
    Inventors: Christophe Fourtet, Lionel Zirphile
  • Patent number: 10560827
    Abstract: A method for transmitting and receiving a broadcast signal by an access network to a plurality of terminals of a two-way wireless communication system. An information signal is formed from the broadcast information destined for the terminals. A pilot signal is formed and a broadcast signal including the information signal SI1 and the pilot signal is transmitted. The information signal and the pilot signal are transmitted on different respective central frequencies having a predefined frequency gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: SIGFOX
    Inventors: Christophe Fourtet, Lionel Zirphile
  • Patent number: 10187022
    Abstract: Systems and methods for amplifying signals. In some embodiments, the signals may be amplified using a diode steering network with an amplifier operated in class AB mode. In some embodiments, distortion in the amplified signal may be corrected using a feed forward cancellation circuit operated in class A mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC
    Inventor: Marcel F. Schemmann
  • Patent number: 9894307
    Abstract: A system is provided for generating a ramping signal. The system includes a plurality of storage circuits each including an input and an output. The output of a previous storage circuit is connected to the input of a next storage circuit. The storage circuits are configured to propagate a first enable signal based on a first control signal. The system also includes a plurality of first current generating circuits. Each first current generating circuit is coupled to the output of a corresponding storage circuit to receive the propagated first enable signal. The first current generating circuits are configured to generate a first current signal based on the propagated first enable signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: CISTA SYSTEM CORP.
    Inventors: Dennis Tunglin Lee, Guangbin Zhang
  • Patent number: 9559578
    Abstract: Described herein is an apparatus and system for generating a signal with phase angle configuration. The apparatus comprises an array of switch-resistors, each switch resistor to receive a control signal, wherein the array of switch-resistors to generate an output signal; and a circuit to configure phase angle of the output signal. The apparatus can be used for different package and inductor configurations. The apparatus provides flexibility to mitigate switching noise by adjusting phase angles, and provides the ability to enable and disable switch-resistors on the fly without ripples. The apparatus also saves power consumption by selectively turning off switch-resistors when phases are disabled. The output signal of the apparatus has smooth triangular waveforms for improving the quality of power supply generated using the output signal. Overall, the apparatus exhibits reduced sensitivity to process variations compared to traditional signal generators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Gerhard Schrom, Naravanan Raghuraman, Fabrice Paillet
  • Patent number: 9274152
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method comprises generating a first current at a current source having a magnitude based on the magnitude of a second current flowing from a capacitive node of a touch sensor in the absence of a touch with respect to the capacitive node. The method further includes generating a third current from the capacitive node of the touch sensor in the presence of a touch with respect to the capacitive node. The first current and the third current are summed to cancel out at least a portion of the third current. The method further includes integrating, by an integrator, the sum of the first current and the third current to generate an output voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignee: Atmel Corporation
    Inventor: Carl Olof Fredrik Jonsson
  • Patent number: 9065340
    Abstract: A circuit includes a control circuit coupled to detect whether an electrical energy source is coupled to an input of a power converter. A switch is coupled to the control circuit to transfer energy from the input of the power converter to an output of the power converter during a first operating mode. The control circuit is coupled to drive the switch in the first operating mode when the electrical energy source is coupled to the input of the power converter. The control circuit is coupled to drive the switch in a second operating mode when the electrical energy source is uncoupled from the input of the power converter. The control circuit is coupled to discharge a capacitance coupled between input terminals of the power converter through the switch to a threshold voltage in less than a maximum period of time in the second operating mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: Power Integrations, Inc.
    Inventors: Balu Balakrishnan, David Kung, Raymond Kenneth Orr, David Michael Hugh Matthews
  • Patent number: 9036041
    Abstract: A stepped ramp signal generator includes a ramp signal generation unit configured to provide final values of previous stepped ramp signals as initial values of the next stepped ramp signals. The ramp signal generation unit includes a plurality of matching resistors, and a plurality of holders installed between the matching resistors, each holder storing a final value across a previous matching resistor and providing the final value to a next matching resistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: Dongbu HiTek Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jeongkwon Nam, Haksoo Oh
  • Publication number: 20140375858
    Abstract: A ramp signal generator includes a rising-edge current unit, a falling-edge current unit and a current-voltage converter. The rising-edge current unit provides a rising-edge output current that sequentially increases or decreases in synchronization with rising edges of a clock signal. The falling-edge current unit provides a falling-edge output current that sequentially increases or decreases in synchronization with falling edges of the clock signal. The current-voltage converter outputs a ramp voltage by converting a summed current of the rising-edge output current and the falling-edge output current.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2014
    Publication date: December 25, 2014
    Applicant: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hyeok-Jong Lee
  • Patent number: 8907705
    Abstract: A fully integrated ramp generator circuit includes a first current generator that sources current to first capacitor through a first transistor that is gate controlled by the complement of a periodic signal. The ramping voltage stored on the first capacitor is buffered to an output node as a ramp output signal. A second transistor couples the output node to the first current generator and is gate controlled by the periodic signal. The periodic signal is generated at the output of a flip-flop that receives an input clock signal and reset signal. The reset signal is generated by a comparator circuit operable to compare the voltage on a second capacitor to a reference. The second capacitor is charged by a second current source and discharged by a third transistor that is gate controlled by the periodic signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Shenzhen) R&D Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Tao Tao Huang, Meng Wang
  • Patent number: 8823427
    Abstract: A method for generating a ramp comprises providing a voltage reference source, providing a summing amplifier, providing n switched capacitor elements coupled in parallel between the voltage reference source and the summing amplifier, and selectively activating a predetermined number of the switched capacitor elements to first store charge on each activated switched capacitor element and then to measure the sum of the charges on the activated capacitor switch elements in each of a fixed-integer number of time slots in a cyclical manner, the predetermined number being between 0 and n.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Foveon, Inc.
    Inventor: Brian Jeffrey Galloway
  • Publication number: 20140014815
    Abstract: A ramp signal generator includes: a row decoder which receives a row control signal from a timing controller and generates one or more row select signals, a first column decoder which receives a first column control signal from the timing controller and generates one or more first column select signals, a second column decoder which receives a second column control signal from the timing controller and generates one or more second column select signals, and a current cell array which is activated by the one or more first column select signals, the one or more second column select signals, and the one or more row select signals, and includes at least one current cell which generates at least one unit current, and generates an output current by summing the generated at least one unit current.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: January 16, 2014
    Applicant: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hyeok-jong LEE, Yun-jung KIM, Jin-uk JEON, Ji-min CHEON, Jin-ho SEO, Seog-heon HAM
  • Publication number: 20130258157
    Abstract: A stepped ramp signal generator includes a ramp signal generation unit configured to provide final values of previous stepped ramp signals as initial values of the next stepped ramp signals. The ramp signal generation unit includes a plurality of matching resistors, and a plurality of holders installed between the matching resistors, each holder storing a final value across a previous matching resistor and providing the final value to a next matching resistor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2013
    Publication date: October 3, 2013
    Applicant: Dongbu HiTek Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jeongkwon NAM, Haksoo Oh
  • Publication number: 20130169324
    Abstract: A fully integrated ramp generator circuit includes a first current generator that sources current to first capacitor through a first transistor that is gate controlled by the complement of a periodic signal. The ramping voltage stored on the first capacitor is buffered to an output node as a ramp output signal. A second transistor couples the output node to the first current generator and is gate controlled by the periodic signal. The periodic signal is generated at the output of a flip-flop that receives an input clock signal and reset signal. The reset signal is generated by a comparator circuit operable to compare the voltage on a second capacitor to a reference. The second capacitor is charged by a second current source and discharged by a third transistor that is gate controlled by the periodic signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2012
    Publication date: July 4, 2013
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics R&D (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.
    Inventor: STMicroelectronics R&D (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.
  • Patent number: 8207793
    Abstract: A local oscillator circuit for a signal transmitter or receiver, the circuit comprising: an input for receiving a master oscillating signal from a master oscillator; and signal processing circuitry configured to be clocked by the master oscillating signal to generate a local oscillator signal, the signal processing circuitry being such that the local oscillator signal has substantially no harmonic content at any integer multiple of the frequency of the master oscillator signal, which oscillates at (2n+1)/2 times the frequency of the generated local oscillator signal, with n being a positive integer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Cambridge Silicon Radio Limited
    Inventor: Timothy John Newton
  • Publication number: 20110279723
    Abstract: A signal processing circuit includes: a reference signal generating circuit that generates a reference signal of a ramp waveform of which a voltage value varies with the lapse of time by changing a current; and a signal processing unit including a plurality of processing sections that process the reference signal as a ramp wave and a potential of a supplied analog signal, wherein the reference signal processing circuit has a function of adjusting an offset of the reference signal by adjusting the current from the time of starting the generation of the reference signal or adjusting the level of the reference signal at least at the time of starting the generation of the reference signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2011
    Publication date: November 17, 2011
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kenichi Takamiya, Yuji Gendai, Yasuaki Hisamatsu, Tadafumi Nagata
  • Publication number: 20110187421
    Abstract: According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a signal generation system for generating a predetermined analog signal. The system comprises a clock generator (1) adapted for generating on the basis of an external clock signal a predetermined clock signal, a signal generator including a first gain stage (21) and a second gain stage (22) adapted for providing an overall gain of the signal generator and outputting a stepped analog signal, an analog filter (23) adapted for filtering the stepped analog signal output by the second gain stage and for outputting the predetermined analog signal, and a first and a second clock mapping units (3,4) adapted for receiving the predetermined clock signal, and respectively supplying to the first and second gain stages non-overlapped clock signal, wherein the amount of gain provided by the first and second gain stages is controlled by the non-overlapped clock signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2009
    Publication date: August 4, 2011
    Applicant: NXP B.V.
    Inventor: Amir Zjalo
  • Publication number: 20100327920
    Abstract: A local oscillator circuit for a signal transmitter or receiver, the circuit comprising: an input for receiving a master oscillating signal from a master oscillator; and signal processing circuitry configured to be clocked by the master oscillating signal to generate a local oscillator signal, the signal processing circuitry being such that the local oscillator signal has substantially no harmonic content at any integer multiple of the frequency of the master oscillator signal, which oscillates at (2n+1)/2 times the frequency of the generated local oscillator signal, with n being a positive integer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 2, 2009
    Publication date: December 30, 2010
    Applicant: CAMBRIDGE SILICON RADIO LIMITED
    Inventor: Timothy John Newton
  • Patent number: 7791426
    Abstract: A clock frequency modulator for an oscillator having a digital circuit for the generation of a signal modulating the clock frequency, the digital circuit adapted to obtain, from the signal generated by the oscillator, a first pulse signal having a lower frequency than the clock frequency of the oscillator, a digital counter adapted to count the pulses of the first signal and to produce a digital signal and a digital-to-analog converter adapted to convert the digital signal in the signal for modulating the clock frequency of the oscillator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Andrea Rapisarda, Filippo Marino, Angelo Maria D'Arrigo
  • Publication number: 20100001707
    Abstract: A stepwise voltage ramp generator includes a tank capacitor, a terminal of which is coupled to a reference potential to be charged with a voltage ramp. A transistor couples the tank capacitor to a supply line. A diode-connected transistor, biased with a bias current is coupled to the transistor to form a current mirror. A by-pass switch is electrically coupled in parallel to the diode-connected transistor, and is controlled by a PWM timing signal, the duty-cycle of which determines a mean slope of the generated voltage ramp.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2009
    Publication date: January 7, 2010
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Diego Armaroli, Davide Betta, Marco Ferrari, Roberto Trabattoni
  • Patent number: 7564277
    Abstract: A control circuit for controlling a motor. The control circuit includes a control module, a current transformation module and a comparison module. The control module generates a control current and a comparison voltage according to a first current, a first voltage and an input voltage. The current transformation module, coupled to the control module, generates a first output voltage from a first output terminal and a second output voltage from a second output terminal. The comparison module, coupled to the control module and the current transformation module, compares a threshold voltage, the first output voltage, the second output voltage, and the comparison voltage and generates a plurality of control signals to control the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2009
    Assignee: Princeton Technology Corporation
    Inventor: Peng-Feng Kao
  • Patent number: 7199611
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for providing a temporarily modified output. A waveform control provides a control output that temporarily adjusts to an intermediate level between normal high and low levels during a first operating mode. The waveform control provides the control output to transition periodically between the high and low levels during a second operating mode. A delay network controls the waveform control to provide the output at the intermediate level for a duration during the first operating mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2007
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Samuel D. Naffziger, Eric S. Fetzer
  • Patent number: 6998911
    Abstract: A control terminal driver circuit for a switching amplifier including a driver for each of a pair of output power transistors responsive to a PWM information signal. The circuit operates in response to an operating state signal indicating a start up condition for the amplifier to vary the amplitude of the drive pulses for the output transistors between a zero value and a maximum value for normal operation of the amplifier over a start up interval, and to reverse the process during a shut down interval. A DC offset detector is provided to detect a DC offset at amplifier output, and an error circuit responsive to an output of the DC offset detector controls the relative amplitude of the driver outputs during at least a portion of the start up interval to substantially eliminate the DC offset. Also disclosed is a switching amplifier including a control terminal driver circuit as described above.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2006
    Assignee: International Rectifier Corporation
    Inventors: Jun Honda, Xiao-chang Cheng
  • Patent number: 6850097
    Abstract: AC to DC inverters that are formed from electronic switches, such as MOSFETs, that are controlled by gating pulses obtained from comparators. The comparators compare a varying signal against two closely spaced reference voltages so as to provide gating pulses with delays needed to prevent shoot-through in the electronic switches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2005
    Assignee: Coolit Systems Inc.
    Inventor: Robert John Charles Scott
  • Patent number: 6591149
    Abstract: In a method for prescribing an essentially linear ramp with a prescribable slope by a quantity, and which is clock-pulse-controlled and which describes the ramp by an increment per clock interval, the ramp is described by a number of regular increments and by at least one first and one second irregular increment. The regular increments exhibit a value corresponding to the prescribable slope. The irregular increments exhibit a value deviating from the prescribable slope. The first irregular increment is a first increment describing the ramp and the second irregular increment is a last increment describing the ramp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2003
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Oliver Heid
  • Patent number: 6340912
    Abstract: Switching apparatus for switching on and off one or more microwave tubes. A preferred embodiment of the switching apparatus comprises a solid state magnetron switcher that switches a plurality of magnetrons on and off using a plurality of high voltage (IGBT) switches. The microwave tubes or magnetrons are driven from a single power supply. The technical approach employed in the present invention places all microwave tubes or magnetrons into low level oscillation prior to switching them into full conduction. This maintains minimal voltage across the high voltage switches while allowing only a small percentage (1-2%) of full load current to be drawn.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2002
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: John W. Gerstenberg, Hung P. Van
  • Patent number: 6181748
    Abstract: A pulse shaper for integrated service digital network (ISDN) U-interface. The pulse shaper of the present invention includes a couple of control clock generators, a clock-controlled fully differential switched-capacitor integrator, a fully differential sample and hold circuit, and a fully differential line driver/Rauch lowpass filter. The pulse shaper converts four-level 2B1Q digital input code (D0 and D1) to five staircase-type analog waveform by using fully differential switched-capacitor integrator. The sample and hold circuit then eliminates the spikes in the five-stair waveform and improve the signal linearity. The lowpass filter and telephone line driver is utilized to perform the output signal to comply with the waveform specification of ANSI T1 5.3.2.1 and 5.3.2.2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: Macronix International Co.
    Inventors: Hsan-Fong Lin, Wen-Fu Yang, Jhy-Rong Chen
  • Patent number: 6072534
    Abstract: The period of an input signal is subdivided into N parts by carrying out a count, during this period, of the pulses delivered by a clock. This number is divided by N and then the remainder of this division is distributed among all the N parts of the period of the input signal. This technique may be applied to the generation of scanning signals in television.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2000
    Assignee: SGS-Thomson Microelectronics S.A.
    Inventors: Francis Dell'ova, Thierry Gailliard, Benoit Marchand
  • Patent number: 5861767
    Abstract: A step generator 800 including at least one gate 805 and a voltage divider 806 coupled to an output of gate 805. The selected node of voltage divider 806 provides an output V.sub.OUT of generator 800. Circuitry 801 presents a signal to an input of gate 805 to initiate current flow through voltage divider 806.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 19, 1999
    Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.
    Inventors: Kirit B. Patel, G. R. Mohan Rao
  • Patent number: 5804999
    Abstract: An apparatus for controlling an electrical appliance coupled with an output terminus and configured to operate in response to an alternating input signal, such as input AC power. The apparatus comprises a reference signal generator for receiving the input signal and generating a reference signal (either V.sub.RAMP or V.sub.CONTROL) in response to the input signal, and a control circuit for controlling connection of the input signal to the output terminus in response to the reference signal and to a user-defined set-point signal. The control circuit is coupled with the reference signal generator and with a set-point terminal. The set-point terminal receives the set-point signal and the control circuit controls connection of the input signal with the output terminus in response to a predetermined relationship between the reference signal and the set-point signal; the apparatus is capable of generating a modified periodically interrupted AC power output based on an AC power input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1998
    Assignee: Johnson Controls, Inc.
    Inventors: David P. DeBoer, August A. Divjak
  • Patent number: 5739707
    Abstract: An integrated circuit driver for providing data to a communications channel comprises first and second output buffers coupled to first and second output conductors (e.g. bondpads) respectively. Each output buffer comprises a multiplicity of pull-up transistors and a multiplicity of pull-down transistors coupled to the associated output conductor through pull-up resistors and pull-down resistors, respectively. A multiplicity of delay circuits coupled to a data input node supply delayed data signals to the control terminals of the pull-up and pull-down transistors. Control circuitry is included for selectively activating the delay circuits. In a typical case, the control circuitry comprises multiplexers each having an output that is coupled to the input of a corresponding delay circuit. Advantages of the technique include a constant output impedance and waveshaping of the data output for reduction of harmonics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1998
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventor: Stephen Robert Barraclough
  • Patent number: 5670908
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a circuit for controlling output voltage from a charge pump, and more particularly to a charge pump which can reduce the chip area in a way that allows the output from the charge pump to be outputted at multi levels making use of a P-N junction breakdown voltage in the NMOS transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 23, 1997
    Assignee: Hyundai Electronics Industries Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Dae Hyun Kim, Yun Seob Shin
  • Patent number: 5638013
    Abstract: In a signal transmission circuit having a plurality of signal lines for supplying potentials to load capacitances, in which each load capacitance is driven by each signal line, each signal line can be connected to another signal line via a switch. By connecting two signal lines at different potentials to each other by means of said switch, the potentials of the signal lines are changed through the process of charge redistribution, thereby eliminating charging and discharging through a power-source line and a ground line. Therefore, if n load capacitances are equal to each other, the switches are controlled so that the potential variation of each of the signal lines is phase shifted from those of its adjacent signal lines by 1/n. Thus, the load capacitances can be driven with 1/n of the total amount of charge consumed in the case of driving the n load capacitances independently, thereby reducing the consumed current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 10, 1997
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toru Iwata, Hiroyuki Yamauchi
  • Patent number: 5583460
    Abstract: An improved output driver circuit for a semiconductor integrated circuit device, wherein a stepped control voltage generation circuit is connected to the gate of a driving transistor for driving an output terminal DQ. The stepped control voltage generation circuit responds to an applied input data signal to provide a stepped control voltage changing in a stepped form including a plurality of steps to the gate of the driving transistor. The driving transistor therefore changes its state on a step by step basis from a cut off state to a conduction state. Thus, sharp change in output current flowing through the output terminal can be prevented, and noise caused by a parasitic inductance can be avoided, thus preventing an erroneous operation in the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 10, 1996
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshitsugu Dohi, Toru Shiomi, Yoshito Nakaoka
  • Patent number: 5467376
    Abstract: A counter circuit converts a full count to a zero count and a zero count to a full count. An incrementing counter circuit according to the present invention has a plurality of threshold circuits with stepwise thresholds. An output of the highest threshold circuit is used as a cut off signal for other threshold circuits. A decrementing counter circuit according to the present invention has a plurality of threshold circuits from the lowest threshold to the highest thresholds. An output of the lowest threshold circuit is used as a closing signal for other threshold circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 14, 1995
    Assignees: Yozan Inc., Sharp Corporation
    Inventors: Guoliang Shou, Sunao Takatori, Makoto Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 5408497
    Abstract: A transceiver for transmitting and receiving digital data represented as stair-stepped sinusoidal waveforms over twisted pair lines interconnecting nodes of a network. The transmitter of the transceiver converts square waves into the stair stepped sinusoidal waveforms by utilizing a number of current sources for supplying differing amounts of current to a resistor coupled across the twisted pair lines. Shift registers control a set of switches which control the direction and the amount of current flowing through the resistor. Thereby, the output voltage across the resistor can be controlled to produce the stair-stepped sinusoidal waveform by clocking the digital signal to the shift registers. The receiver of the transceiver re-converts received stair-stepped sinusoidal waveforms back to their respective digital signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 18, 1995
    Assignee: Echelon Corporation
    Inventors: Donald D. Baumann, Stephen F. Dreyer, Kurt A. Stoll
  • Patent number: RE40971
    Abstract: A current source is provided according to the present invention. The current source includes N current sources configured in a parallel arrangement, wherein N is at least two. Each of the N current sources includes a respective control input. The current source also includes M delay elements. An mth one of the M delay elements includes an input in communication with an m?1th one of the M delay elements. M is equal to N?1, and an output of the mth one of the M delay elements is arranged in communication with the control input of an m+1th one of the N current sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2009
    Assignee: Marvell International Ltd.
    Inventor: Sehat Sutardja