RECONFIGURABLE SENSOR UNIT FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICE

    公开(公告)号:US20190186916A1

    公开(公告)日:2019-06-20

    申请号:US16284448

    申请日:2019-02-25

    Abstract: A sensor chip is mounted on a PCB and electrically connected to a SOC mounted on the PCB via at least one conductive trace. The sensor chip includes configuration registers storing and outputting configuration data, and a PLD receiving digital data. The PLD performs an extraction of features of the digital data in accordance with the configuration data, and the configuration data includes changeable parameters of the extraction. A classification unit processes the extracted features of the digital data so as to generate a context of an electronic device into which the sensor chip is incorporated relative to its surroundings, the processing being performed in using a processing technique operating in accordance with the configuration data. The configuration data also includes changeable parameters of the processing technique. The classification unit outputs the context to data registers for storage.

    SMART MOTOR DRIVER ARCHITECTURE WITH BUILT-IN MEMS SENSOR BASED EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF FAULTS

    公开(公告)号:US20190149081A1

    公开(公告)日:2019-05-16

    申请号:US16250055

    申请日:2019-01-17

    Abstract: A system in package encloses a sensor and motor driver circuit. In an implementation, the sensor is an integrated circuit micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) sensor and the driver circuit is a motor driver circuit. Non-motor winding data information is sensed by the MEMS sensor and processed for the purpose of characterizing known fault patterns for motors; characterizing normal operation of the motor; and evaluating continued operation of the motor to detect abnormal motor behavior and instances of motor fault. The motor is driven using PWM control and the information output by the MEMS sensor is sampled at sampling times having a fixed timing relationship relative to the PWM control signals.

    Test circuit capable of measuring PLL clock signal in ATPG mode

    公开(公告)号:US10261128B2

    公开(公告)日:2019-04-16

    申请号:US15466001

    申请日:2017-03-22

    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a test circuit for a device under test. The test circuit includes a scan chain configured to receive test pattern data and to shift the test pattern data to the device under test, and being clocked by a reference clock, and a clock circuit configured to operate in either a clock generation mode or a frequency determination mode. The clock circuit, when in the clock generation mode and when the test circuit is in a normal mode of operation, is configured to pass a first clock signal to the device under test. The clock circuit, when in the clock generation mode and when the test circuit is in a test mode of operation, is configured to pass the reference clock to the device under test. The clock circuit, when in the frequency determination mode, counts a frequency of the first clock signal.

    Asymmetrical driver
    68.
    发明授权

    公开(公告)号:US10256751B2

    公开(公告)日:2019-04-09

    申请号:US15065617

    申请日:2016-03-09

    Inventor: Frederic Bonvin

    Abstract: A drive circuit having asymmetrical drivers. In an embodiment, a brushless DC motor may be driven by a drive circuit having three high-side MOSFETs and three low-side MOSFETs. A driver controller turns the MOSFETs on and off according to a drive algorithm such that phase currents are injected into motor coils to be driven. The high-side MOSFETs may be sized differently than the low-side MOSFETs. As such, when a MacDonald waveform (or similar drive algorithm) is used to drive the phases of the motor, less power may be required during disk spin-up because the MOSFETs that are on more (e.g., the low-side MOSFETs with a MacDonald waveform) may be sized larger than the MOSFETs that are on less (e.g., the high-side MOSFETs). In this manner, less power is dissipated in the larger size MOSFETs that are on more than the others.

    Semi-floating gate FET
    69.
    发明授权

    公开(公告)号:US10256351B2

    公开(公告)日:2019-04-09

    申请号:US15723149

    申请日:2017-10-02

    Abstract: A semi-floating gate transistor is implemented as a vertical FET built on a silicon substrate, wherein the source, drain, and channel are vertically aligned, on top of one another. Current flow between the source and the drain is influenced by a control gate and a semi-floating gate. Front side contacts can be made to each one of the source, drain, and control gate terminals of the vertical semi-floating gate transistor. The vertical semi-floating gate FET further includes a vertical tunneling FET and a vertical diode. Fabrication of the vertical semi-floating gate FET is compatible with conventional CMOS manufacturing processes, including a replacement metal gate process. Low-power operation allows the vertical semi-floating gate FET to provide a high current density compared with conventional planar devices.

    Method for making semiconductor device with stacked analog components in back end of line (BEOL) regions

    公开(公告)号:US10249568B2

    公开(公告)日:2019-04-02

    申请号:US15967336

    申请日:2018-04-30

    Inventor: John H. Zhang

    Abstract: A method for making a semiconductor device may include forming a first dielectric layer above a semiconductor substrate, forming a first trench in the first dielectric layer, filling the first trench with electrically conductive material, removing upper portions of the electrically conductive material to define a lower conductive member with a recess thereabove, forming a filler dielectric material in the recess to define a second trench. The method may further include filling the second trench with electrically conductive material to define an upper conductive member, forming a second dielectric layer over the first dielectric layer and upper conductive member, forming a first via through the second dielectric layer and underlying filler dielectric material to the lower conductive member, and forming a second via through the second dielectric layer to the upper conductive member.

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