National Semiconductor Corporation

Motorola Corporation

Exphand, Inc.

Authentec, Inc.

Other

David L Weigand

Charles J Malek

Gerard G Socci

Anthony P Russo

Dennis M Rose

Charles John Malek

Glenn C Goergen

Ericson Cheng

Matthew Whiting Taylor

Ralph Douglas Smallwood

Ralph D Smallwood

S Dilip

Fatih Unal

Ricky Latella

Ricardo Dario Pradenas

Matthew W Taylor

The present invention discloses an apparatus for determining the presence of a patterned object on the surface of a sensor. The apparatus comprises a sensor system coupled to a means for generating a control signal. The sensor system is configured to sense an image corresponding to the patterned object and to translate the image into image data. The means for generating a control signal generates a control signal if statistics of the image data exceed a pre-determined number of threshold levels. In a preferred embodiment, the patterned object is finger with a fingerprint on its surface and the sensor is fingerprint swipe sensor. Preferably, the threshold levels are software programmable.

Dynamic finger detection mechanism for a fingerprint sensor

Methods for encoding transitions between low-intensity regions and high-intensity regions such that the transitions are more readily detectable in a digital image captured by a digital image capture device. The encoding applied to the transitions act to retard and minimize blooming effects and ISI that can occur in the digital image, especially when the transitions are captured from a television, computer display screen or other transmissive media.

Dithered encoding and decoding information transference system and method

Methods, apparatuses and systems directed to a portal-based, dynamically distributed application topology for cellular systems. The portal-based application topology, in one implementation, is an application architecture featuring strategic dynamic distribution of the man-machine interface (such as data acquisition and information presentation) and the backend processing aspects, of a particular application. In one implementation, all terminal interfacing aspects (such as data acquisition, data presentation) are formatted and handled by systems associated with a cellular system operator, as described below, while background processing is performed by a processing facility remote to the cellular system operator. In one implementation, the distributed application topology allows a mobile station, such as a cellular telephone, to simply act as a thin-client accessing an application server via a cellular systems operator's web portal for page-based interface screens.

Dynamically distributed, portal-based application services network topology for cellular systems

A system for and method of obtaining rotation information is disclosed. The method comprises capturing a plurality of patterned images from a plurality of locations, correlating the plurality of patterned images to generate sets of linear differences, and using the sets of linear differences to generate the rotation information. Preferably, the plurality of locations comprise a first part of a fingerprint swipe sensor and a second part of the fingerprint swipe sensor, each part configured to capture a part of a fingerprint image. Each part captures a part of the fingerprint image at two positions and correlates the parts at the two positions to determine one set of linear differences. Together, the sets of linear differences are used to calculate the rotation information, which can be used to emulate a rotational device such as a steering wheel, a joystick, or a navigation bar.

System for and method of generating rotational inputs

A Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) mobile station architecture consuming less power and random access memory (RAM) is presented herein. The mobile station includes a system timer coprocessor which includes a microsequencer and a microwire for controlling radio components. Responsive execution of a single instruction by the microsequencer, the microwire transmits multiple bytes to the radio components. While the microwire transmits multiple bytes, execution of additional instructions for the microwire to transmit bytes is prevented by dynamically stalling the microsequencer pipeline.

Microwire dynamic sequencer pipeline stall

A Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) mobile station architecture consuming less power and random access memory (RAM) is presented herein. The mobile station includes a system timer coprocessor with a microsequencer for executing frame programs stored in microcode random access memory. The microsequencer operates in a mode, wherein the microcode random access memory is divided into two regions. The frame programs are stored in a particular one of the two regions in an alternating manner.

Microsequencer microcode bank switched architecture

A telephone receiver circuit with sidetone signal generation controlled by voice activity detection in accordance with the present invention uses the voice activity detector (VAD) to detect the presence of voice activity within the microphone signal and dynamically adjust the sidetone signal generation to compensate for noisy environments by eliminating or reducing the sidetone signal in the absence of voice activity. Hence, a sidetone signal is generated in the presence of voice activity, when feedback is required, while the sidetone signal is not generated in the absence of voice activity, since audio feedback for the user is not required then.

Telephone receiver circuit with dynamic sidetone signal generator controlled by voice activity detection

A Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) mobile station architecture consuming less power and random access memory (RAM) is presented herein. The mobile station includes a coprocessor which executes frame programs. The frame programs include instructions which address memory. The memory includes page addresses and byte addresses. The instructions of the frame program address the page addresses and byte addresses. A particular page address is reserved as a null page address, wherein any instruction addressing the null page address causes the memory locations of the most recently accessed memory page to be accessed.

Microwave paging architecture

A system includes a modem which receives a burst of a time division multiple access (TDMA) signal. A burst mode controller, connected to the modem, is operable to detect a unique word in the burst. If the unique word is not detected, the burst mode controller loads a predetermined bit pattern into a channel identifier field of the burst. The predetermined bit pattern indicates that a payload field of the burst contains voice data.

Dynamic recovery of a TDMA signal during an undetected marker sequence

A system includes a unique word correlator module which correlates a unique word field in a burst of a time division multiple access (TDMA) signal against a predefined marker sequence. Automatic timing control circuitry is coupled to the unique word correlator module. The automatic timing control circuitry derives a number of errors that are allowable during correlation of the unique word field.

Method and architecture for TDMA receiver incorporating a unique word correlation control loop

A multi-tasking, dynamically controlled micro-sequencer for use in a TDMA communication system is described. Rather than the output of the sequencer being solely a linear sequence of instructions in a microcode RAM, the output of the sequencer is augmented by an output of finite state machines (FSMs) providing a sequence of control codes. The FSMs provide control signals for building a slot in accordance with a specific protocol. The sequencer core provides enabling signals to the FSMs to enable the proper FSM depending upon the mode of the transceiver. A conditional logic block is included in the sequencer core which detects special operation codes (opcodes) for each slot to cause the microcode sequence to jump to a certain routine if a condition is met or not met.

Multi-tasking sequencer for a TDMA burst mode controller

A technique is disclosed for allowing a seamless handover between base stations in a TDMA controller as a telephone handset is transported from one base station's area to another. The disclosed circuitry enables the TDMA controller to assess the quality of the handover before switching to the new base station. When it is determined that a handover operation is to commence, transmissions are made in the original slot time and a handover slot time within the same frame. Also during the same frame, data is received at two separate slot times. Only when it is determined that the data received in the handover slot time contains no transmission errors is the handover completed by then only transmitting on the handover slot transmit time and receiving on the handover slot receive time. In the preferred embodiment, it is determined whether the received data contains no transmission errors by detecting the CRC codes, the signal strength, and the existence of any invalid words.

Seamless handover in a cordless TDMA system

An audio error mitigation technique for a TDMA communication system is disclosed. An audio error is assumed if any one of the following criteria is met: a detection of a CRC error in the control data or audio data within a slot; the received signal strength is below a certain threshold; or, the detection of an invalid code word, such as an all zero nibble. If either of the criteria is met, and the slot contains audio data, an error mitigation routine is performed. In one embodiment, the error mitigation routine replaces the faulty burst with the previous non-faulty burst. In another mitigation routine, any dv/dt spikes in the faulty burst are detected and smoothed by averaging nearby samples. In one embodiment, both mitigation routines are selectable in the TDMA system.

Audio error mitigation technique for a TDMA communication system

An apparatus and method provides synchronous communication in a communication environment (102) wherein multiple base stations are adapted to operate on the same frequencies. In particular, the base stations which operate within range of one another must be coordinated to minimize interference with other base stations which may otherwise operate independently. Each base station operating in a system will determine whether another base station operating on the same frequencies is within range (310). One of the base stations will assume a role as a master and the remaining base station will then synchronize to the master base station (312). The preferred methods for synchronizing the base stations includes signaling protocols (702, 902) and collision avoidance techniques for digital multiple access communication systems.

Growing community of inventors

Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

David L Weigand