Freescale Semiconductor,inc.

Nxp USA, Inc.

Gerhard Trauth

Ludovic Oddoart

Hugues Beaulaton

Keith L Kraver

Thierry Cassagnes

Sung Jin Jo

Yean Ling Teo

Laurent Cornibert

Aaron A Geisberger

Margaret Leslie Kniffin

Jacques Trichet

Marianne Maleyran

Emil Cozac

Raghavendra N Sridhar

Arnaud Lachaise

Jean-Luc Charlet

Vincent Vanhuffel

Keith Kraver

Sung Jo

Raghavendra Sridhar

An oscillator drive circuit and a trim circuit are implemented inside an integrated circuit of a sensor. The drive circuit provides an oscillating drive signal at a resonant frequency to drive a movable mass of the sensor. The drive circuit includes a phase shift circuit having an input for receiving a first signal indicative of an oscillation of the movable mass and having an output. The phase shift circuit adds a phase shift component to the first signal and produces a second signal shifted in phase by the phase shift component. The trim circuit includes a first comparator for receiving the first signal, a second comparator for receiving the second signal, and a processing element. The processing element determines a phase lag between the first and second signals and produces trim code for use by the phase shift circuit, the trim code being configured to adjust the phase shift component.

Trim circuit and method of oscillator drive circuit phase calibration

Systems and methods for converting a capacitance signal into a band-limited voltage signal for improved signal processing are disclosed herein. Such systems can include a capacitance-to-voltage converter configured to convert a capacitive signal from a capacitive device that operates at a mechanical frequency into a raw voltage signal, a clock generator configured to convert the mechanical frequency into one or more clock signals, and a filter component configured to apply a band-pass filter response to the raw voltage signal to convert the raw voltage signal into a band-limited voltage signal. The clock generator can be configured to apply the one or more clock signals to the filter component to drive a first pole and a second pole of the band-pass filter response to track the mechanical frequency of the capacitive device such that the geometric mean of the first pole and the second pole is substantially equal to the mechanical frequency.

Capacitance-to-voltage interface circuit

An integrated device includes a MEMS device, such as a gyroscope, having a movable mass spaced apart from a substrate, the movable mass being configured to oscillate in a drive direction relative to the substrate. The integrated device further comprises an integrated circuit (IC) die having a surface coupled with the MEMS device such that the movable mass is interposed between the substrate and the surface of the IC die. An electrode structure is formed on the surface of the IC die, the electrode structure including a plurality of electrode segments vertically spaced apart from the movable mass. Openings extend through the movable mass and the electrode segments overlie the openings. Suitably selected electrode segments can be activated to electrostatically attract the movable mass toward sense electrodes vertically spaced apart from the MEMS to reduce quadrature motion of the movable mass.

Segmented electrode structure for quadrature reduction in an integrated device

The present invention provides a current source comprising a first bias current control element, the first bias current control element being configured to generate a first current if the control value is lower than a reference value and configured to generate a second current if the control value equal to or higher than the reference value. In addition or alternatively the bias current source comprises a second bias current control element, the second bias current control element being configured to generate a third current if the control value is lower than or equal to the reference value and configured to generate a fourth current if the control value is higher than the reference value. Furthermore, the present invention provides an integrated circuit and a method.

Current source, an integrated circuit and a method

A drive-mode oscillator module for use within a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) device is described. The drive-mode oscillator module is arranged to receive a proof-mass measurement signal from a proof-mass of the MEMS device and to output a proof-mass actuation signal to the proof-mass of the MEMS device. The drive-mode oscillator module comprises a first, higher gain accuracy drive-mode component for generating an actuation signal to be output by the drive-mode oscillator module during an active mode of the MEMS device, and a second, lower power consumption drive-mode component for generating an actuation signal to be output by the drive-mode oscillator module during a standby mode of the MEMS device.

Micro-electro-mechanical system drive-mode oscillator module and method therefor

A drive-mode oscillator module generates at least one proof-mass drive signal for use within a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) device. The drive-mode oscillator module comprises at least one gain control component arranged to receive at least one proof-mass motion measurement signal, and to generate a digital modulation control signal based at least partly on the at least one proof-mass motion measurement signal, and at least one modulation component arranged to receive the digital amplitude modulation control signal, and to output at least one proof-mass drive signal. The at least one modulation component is arranged to digitally modulate the at least one proof-mass drive signal based at least partly on the received digital amplitude modulation control signal.

Method and apparatus for generating a proof-mass drive signal

A ring oscillator circuit comprising a plurality of stages operably coupled output-to-input in a ring configuration. A frequency tuning stage comprises an inverting logic gate and a delay component. The delay component comprises a first capacitive component comprising a first terminal operably coupled to an output of the inverting logic gate and a second terminal operably coupled to a first reference voltage at least when the ring oscillator is disabled. The delay component further comprises a further capacitive component comprising a first terminal operably coupled to the output of the inverting logic gate and a second terminal selectively couplable to the first reference voltage and a second reference voltage. The second terminal of the further capacitive component is arranged to be operably coupled to the first reference voltage when the ring oscillator is enabled, and operably coupled to the second reference voltage when the ring oscillator is disabled.

Ring oscillator circuit and method of regulating aggregate charge stored within capacitive loading therefor

An electronic circuit comprises one or more upstream stages and two or more downstream stages positioned, in a processing direction of the signals, downstream of the upstream stage. A plurality of configurable connections is present between the upstream stage and the downstream stages. The connections are configurable to provide a predetermined communication path between a respective upstream stage and one or more selected downstream stage selected from the two or more downstream stages and to communicatively disconnect the upstream stage from not selected downstream stages. The electronic circuit may for example be an amplifier circuit.

Amplifier circuit, electronic device, method for configuring an amplifier circuit

An amplifier circuit which, includes a first input for receiving a first input signal and a second input for receiving a second input signal. A first amplifier section is connected to the first input and the second input is present. The first amplifier section can combine the first signal and the second signal into a first combined signal, the first amplifier being connected to a first output, for outputting the first combined signal. A second amplifier section is connected to the first input and the second input, for combining the first signal and the second signal into a second combined signal, the second amplifier being connected to a second output, for outputting the second combined signal. A common mode section is connected to the first input and the second input, for generating a common mode signal based on a combination of the first signal and the second signal and outputting the common mode signal at a common output connected to the common mode amplifier. The first combined signal, the second combined signal and the common mode signal satisfy the condition that combining the first combined signal and the common mode signal results in a signal with an amplitude proportional to the amplitude of the first input signal and combining the second combined signal and the common mode signal results in a signal with an amplitude proportional to the amplitude of the second input signal.

Amplifier circuit audio circuit and electronic device

An amplifier circuit on a single die comprises a low voltage amplifier with a first common mode voltage and having an input and an output. A power amplifier has a second common mode voltage whose input is operably coupled to an output of the low voltage amplifier. The first common mode voltage and second common mode voltage are unequal. A compensation circuit is operably coupled to an input of the power amplifier and arranged to inject a DC-current or apply a common mode voltage into the power amplifier that is representative of a difference between the first common mode voltage and the second common mode voltage.

Amplifier circuit and integrated circuit therefor

An audio communication unit comprises a receiver for receiving an audio signal, a sigma-delta modulator operably coupled to the receiver and arranged to modulate the received audio signal, and a class-D amplifier stage operably coupled to the sigma-delta modulator and arranged to amplify the modulated received audio signal. One or more feedback path(s) is/are arranged from an output of the class-D amplifier stage to the sigma-delta modulator. The provision of one or more feedback path(s) from the output of the class-D audio amplifier to the sigma-delta modulator facilitates smaller die size; higher power efficiency and power supply rejection ratio/intermodulation cancellation performance.

Audio communication unit and integrated circuit

A voltage regulator for providing a voltage regulated output to a load comprises a first loop and a second loop. The first loop comprises a first active device coupled to a first pass device and configured to provide a first, relatively high current output to the load. The second loop comprises a second active device coupled to a second pass device and configured to provide a second, relatively low current output to the load. This provision of two independent loops reduces the quiescent current provided by the voltage regulator under low load conditions.

Voltage regulator with pass transistors carrying different ratios of the total load current and method of operation therefor

A power amplifier module comprises a power amplifier circuit having an output power level controlled by a power supply voltage. A power supply transistor controls the power supply to the power amplifier circuit from a drive signal which is received from a drive circuit. The drive circuit generates the drive signal in response to a power level input signal, which specifically may correspond to a power ramping for a GSM cellular communication system. The power amplifier module furthermore comprises a detection circuit which determines an operating characteristic of the power supply transistor. The operating characteristic is preferably a saturation characteristic. A control circuit controls the drive signal in response to the operating characteristic. The control circuit preferably controls the drive signal such that the power supply transistor does not enter the linear region for a Field Effect Transistor and the saturated region for a bipolar transistor.

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Muret, France

Gerhard Trauth