Abstract:
A piezoelectric transducer for energy-harvesting systems includes a substrate, a piezoelectric cantilever element, a first magnetic element, and a second magnetic element, mobile with respect to the first magnetic element. The first magnetic element is coupled to the piezoelectric cantilever element. The first magnetic element and the second magnetic element are set in such a way that, in response to relative movements between the first magnetic element and the second magnetic element through an interval of relative positions, the first magnetic element and the second magnetic element approach one another without coming into direct contact, and the interaction between the first magnetic element and the second magnetic element determines application of a force pulse on the piezoelectric cantilever element.
Abstract:
A method for forming a trench MOSFET includes doping a body region of the trench MOSFET in multiple ion implantation steps each having different ion implantation energy. The method further comprises etching the trench to a depth of about 1.7 μm.
Abstract:
A microfluidic-based sensor, comprising: a semiconductor body, having a first and a second side opposite to one another in a direction; a buried channel, extending within the semiconductor body; a structural layer, of dielectric or insulating material, formed over the first side of the semiconductor body at least partially suspended above the buried channel; and a first thermocouple element, including a first strip, of a first electrical conductive material, and a second strip, of a second electrical conductive material different from the first electrical conductive material, electrically coupled to the first strip. The first thermocouple element is buried in the structural layer and partially extends over the buried channel at a first location. A corresponding manufacturing method is disclosed.
Abstract:
A packaged MEMS transducer device comprising: a die, including: a semiconductor body having a front side and a back side, opposite to one another in a first direction, at least one cavity extending through the semiconductor body between the front side and the back side, and at least one membrane extending on the front side at least partially suspended over the cavity; and a package designed to house the die on an inner surface thereof. The transducer device moreover includes a sealing layer extending on the back side of the semiconductor body for sealing the cavity, and includes a paste layer extending between the sealing layer and the inner surface of the package for firmly coupling the die to the package.
Abstract:
An embodiment for encoding digital images includes: partitioning the images into image blocks, subjecting the image blocks to transform into the frequency domain, and, possibly after thresholding resulting in lossy encoding, subjecting the image blocks transformed into the frequency domain to variable length coding to produce compressed encoded image blocks. Transform into the frequency domain may be, e.g., via wavelet transform, such as Haar wavelet transform, and variable length coding may be via Exponential-Golomb codes. An embodiment may also be adapted for transferring picture data over a bus in a system such as, e.g., a System-on-Chip (SoC) by generating compressed encoded image blocks for transfer over the bus and decoding compressed encoded image blocks transferred over the bus.
Abstract:
An embodiment of a motor controller includes first and second supply nodes, a motor-coil node, an isolator, a motor driver, and a motor position signal generator. The isolator is coupled between the first and second supply nodes, and the motor driver is coupled to the second supply node and to the motor-coil node. The motor position signal generator is coupled to the isolator and is operable to generate, in response to the isolator, a motor-position signal that is related to a position of a motor having at least one coil coupled to the motor-coil node. By generating the motor-position signal in response to the isolator, the motor controller or another circuit may determine the at-rest or low-speed position of a motor without using an external coil-current-sense circuit.
Abstract:
An integrated magnetic sensor formed by a semiconductor chip having a surface and accommodating a magnetic via and a sensing coil. The magnetic via is formed by a cylindrical layer of ferromagnetic material that extends perpendicular to the surface of the first chip and has in cross-section an annular shape of a circular or elliptical or curvilinear type. The sensing coil surrounds the magnetic via at a distance and is connected to an electronic circuit.
Abstract:
A low voltage isolation switch is suitable for receiving from a connection node a high voltage signal and transmitting said high voltage signal to a load via a connection terminal. The isolation switch includes a driving block connected between first and second voltage reference terminals and including a first driving transistor coupled between the first voltage reference (Vss) and a first driving circuit node and a second driving transistor coupled between the driving circuit node and the second supply voltage reference. The switch comprises an isolation block connected to the connection terminal (pzt), the connection node, and the driving central circuit node and including a voltage limiter block, a diode block and a control transistor. The control transistor is connected across the diode block between the connection node and the connection terminal and has a control terminal connected to the driving central circuit node.
Abstract:
An embodiment of a method for computing pyramids of input images (I) in a transformed domain, e.g., for search and retrieval purposes, includes:—arranging input images in blocks to produce input image blocks,—subjecting the input image blocks to block processing including: transform into a transformed domain, subjecting the image blocks transformed into a transformed domain to filtering, subjecting the image blocks transformed into a transformed domain and filtered to inverse transform implementing an inverse transform with respect to the previous transform into a transformed domain, thus producing a set of processed blocks. The set of processed blocks, which is recomposeable to an image pyramid, may be used, e.g., in detecting extrema points in images in the pyramid, extracting a patch of given size around the extrema points detected, and processing the patch to obtain local descriptors such as SIFT descriptors of a feature.
Abstract:
A proximity sensor may include an array of Geiger mode avalanche photodiodes, each including an anode contact and a cathode contact. A common cathode contact may be coupled to the cathode contacts of the array to define a first connection lead at a back side of the array. A common anode collecting grid contact may be coupled to the anode contacts of the array to define a second connection lead of the array. Circuitry may be coupled with the first and second connection leads and configured to sense at least one of a dark current and a rate of current spikes generated in dark conditions, and generate an output signal representing, an estimated distance of an object from the array upon the sensing.