Silego Technology Inc.

Samsung Semiconductor Inc.

Jozef Froniewski

Cheng-Hao Chen

Jay Li

Yinn-Jang Wu

David E Jefferson

A contactless encoder is disclosed. The encoder comprises a selector configured to select one of a plurality of states associated with the encoder. The encoder furthermore comprises an integrated circuit comprising a finite state machine configured to detect a currently selected state by the selector and generate an output signal corresponding to the detected currently selected state, wherein the currently selected state is detected based on a capacitive coupling between the selector and a portion of the encoder associated with the currently selected state.

Contactless encoder

A capacitive coupling based sensor is disclosed. In some embodiments, a sensor comprises a transmitter and a receiver that are configured to be capacitively coupled when a coupling condition is satisfied as well as a circuit configured to determine whether a received signal that is received by the receiver matches a transmitted signal that is transmitted by the transmitter.

Capacitive coupling based sensor

Stored data elements are read from a first-in-first-out (FIFO) buffer memory in a pipelined fashion. A look-ahead fetching technique is utilized during a memory read cycle operation to advance (select) a subsequent data element in preparation for a next read command. Data read in advance is not output, however, until a subsequent read cycle corresponding to a next request for data in the buffer memory. A first data element written into the buffer memory is stored in an initial data register. Upon a first read request, the first data element is output from the initial data register. A first and a second memory array are provided for alternately storing successive ones of data elements written into the buffer memory. While a presently requested data element from the first array is being output, a memory cell in the second array, which contains the next data element to be requested, is selected and sensed, and the sensed value placed on an output line. Upon receipt of a next request, the value maintained on the output line is output, and a memory cell in the first array, containing the next data element to be requested, is selected and sensed, and that sensed value is placed on a different output line. Such a sequence continues for successive read requests, thus forming a pipelined FIFO buffer memory with look-ahead sensing of memory cells.

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Palo Alto, CA, United States of America

Jozef Froniewski