International Business Machines Corporation

Kyle Schoneck

Layne A Berge

Matthew Stephen Doyle

John Richard Dangler

Thomas W Liang

Jason J Bjorgaard

Matthew A Walther

Paul Eric Dahlen

Matthew Stephen Kelly

Trevor Joseph Timpane

Jeffrey N Judd

Timothy Joseph Schmerbeck

Pat Rosno

Henry Michael Newshutz

One or more devices and/or methods provided herein relate to a method for fabricating a filtering electronic device having a co-integrated impedance modification element and signal transmission line. An electronic structure can comprise a signal transmission line, and an impedance modification element adjacent to and external to the signal transmission line, wherein the impedance modification element comprises a structure having differentiated sections, along the signal transmission line, that provide corresponding differentiated impedances. In an embodiment, the impedance modification element can comprise a plurality of impedance sub-elements spaced apart from one another along and adjacent to the signal transmission line to facilitate the different impedances.

Field-adjustable flex circuit transmission line filters

A system and method for slowing a vehicle. Road conditions around the vehicle are monitored, and determined if those road conditions are hazardous. An engine control unit is informed of the hazardous road conditions and alters the operation of the engine control unit in response to the hazardous road conditions. When an operator of the vehicle desires to slow the vehicle down, an indication is received indicating the intent to slow the vehicle down. The vehicle is then slowed based upon the altered operation of the engine control unit by applying a vacuum to increase a manifold vacuum of the engine.

Intelligent advanced engine braking system

Electrical current flow in a ball grid array (BGA) package can be measured by an apparatus including an integrated circuit (IC) electrically connected to the BGA package. Solder balls connect the BGA package to a printed circuit board (PCB) and are arranged to provide a contiguous channel for a current sense wire. A subset of solder balls is electrically connected to supply current from the PCB through the BGA package to the IC. The current sense wire is attached to the upper surface of the PCB, within the contiguous channel, and surrounds the subset of solder balls. An amplifier is electrically connected to the current sense wire ends to amplify a voltage induced on the current sense wire by current flow into the BGA package. A sensing analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is electrically connected to convert a voltage at the output of the amplifier into digital output signals.

Ball grid array current meter with a current sense wire

A system, apparatus, and method for determining ultrasonic vital product data of coaxial cables and side-band communications through a water medium of a water-cooling system and/or apparatus. The system may include a first electronic device. The system may also include a second electronic device. The system may also include one or more cables running between the first electronic device and the second electronic device. The system may also include a water jacket filled with water encasing the one or more cables. The system may also include one or more transducers connected to the water jacket, the one or more transducers configured to send signals through the water to gather information about each cable. The system may also include a computer system connected to the one or more transducers, where the computer system is configured to control the one or more transducers.

Sonar scanning water cooled coaxial cables

An approach for connecting electrical wiring between two chambers of varying temperatures is disclosed. One approach includes a first end of a wiring bundle comprising a first plurality of metal conductors; a second end of the wiring bundle comprising of equal number of metal conductors as the first end of the wiring bundle; the first end of the wiring bundle is separated by an air gap from the second end of the wiring bundle at a first temperature; and an insulator surrounding the wire bundle. Another approach includes the use of one or more SMA (shape-memory alloy) pins connecting the first end of the wiring bundle to the second end of the wiring bundle and that is separated by an air gap and a boundary plate.

Cryogenic chamber connector

A ball-grid-array component of a ball-grid array assembly is analyzed prior to reflow. A predicted warping pattern of the ball-grid-array component that is likely to occur during reflow is predicted based on the analyzing. A solder ball ball-grid-array defect that could be caused by the predicted warping pattern is predicted. An initial via suction pattern to mitigate the ball-grid-array defect is assigned. A vacuum head is applied to a via in the ball-grid-array assembly. The solder ball is located at the opposite end of the via from the vacuum head. Suction is applied to the via based on the via suction pattern. The suction draws a portion of the solder ball into the via during reflow.

Vacuum-assisted BGA joint formation

A set of features for a product is identified. It is determined that preventing an electrical connection at a ball-grid-array location on a ball-grid-array assembly of the product would result in the set of features. The ball-grid-array location is established as a target BGA location based on that determination. Suction is applied to a via at the target BGA location during reflow of the ball-grid-array assembly. With that application of suction, a solder ball at the target BGA location is drawn into the via.

Feature selection through solder-ball population

A temperature-dependent capacitor comprises a first conductive plate, a second conductive plate located in a parallel-planar orientation to the first conductive plate, and a dielectric material located between the first conductive plate and the second conductive plate, the dielectric material having a temperature-dependent dielectric constant (ε) value, wherein the temperature-dependent capacitor has a positive correlation of an operating temperature of the temperature-dependent capacitor to a capacitance value of the temperature-dependent capacitor.

Temperature-dependent capacitor

A grid array capacitor can be used to physically and electrically couple an integrated circuit (IC) package to a printed circuit board (PCB). The grid array capacitor includes an inner conductor and an inner dielectric coaxially surrounding the inner conductor. A secondary conductor can be located to surround, in a coaxial orientation, the inner dielectric. Both the inner conductor and the secondary conductor can be electrically connected to the IC package and to the PCB. In certain applications, the structure of the inner conductor, inner dielectric, and secondary conductor can provide capacitance used to decouple electronic circuits.

Co-axial grid array capacitor assembly

A system and method to prevent eavesdropping by a device. An anti-eavesdrop component is installed on the device. The anti-eavesdrop component is configured to actively prevent the device from capturing audio from the environment. In response to installing the anti-eavesdrop component, the device recognizes the anti-eavesdrop component as a primary audio input for the device. The anti-eavesdrop component then proceeds to block the device from capturing outside audio by injecting noise or otherwise interfering with the primary audio input.

Anti-eavesdrop security device

Surface mount device (SMD) placement to control a signal path in a printed circuit board (PCB), including: adding, to a PCB, a plurality of signal path segments, each signal path segment of the plurality of signal path segments ending at corresponding pad of a plurality of pads, wherein a first pad of the plurality of pads is couplable to a second pad of the plurality of pads to create a first signal path and is couplable to a third pad of the plurality of pads to create a second signal path; and coupling, via a discrete SMD, the first pad and the second pad to create the first signal path comprising a first signal path segment of the plurality of signal path segments and a second signal path segment of the plurality of signal path segments.

Surface mount device placement to control a signal path in a printed circuit board

A system can control, with a positive temperature-voltage correlation, an output of a voltage regulator with a Peltier device. The Peltier device can receive heat from a heat-producing electronic device, and can have a positive terminal and a negative terminal. A voltage regulator circuit can include a driver device electrically coupled to an input voltage and an output terminal electrically coupled to one of the Peltier device terminals. The voltage regulator circuit can also include a differential amplifier electrically coupled to a reference voltage, an input electrically coupled to another Peltier device terminal and an output electrically coupled to the driver device. The differential amplifier can, in response to a voltage produced by the Peltier device, modulate, with a positive temperature-voltage correlation, an output voltage on the output terminal of the driver device.

Modifying regulator output voltage with a peltier device

Electrical current flow in a ball grid array (BGA) package can be measured by an apparatus including an integrated circuit (IC) electrically connected to the BGA package. Solder balls connect the BGA package to a printed circuit board (PCB). A current sense loop can be fabricated on a wiring plane of the PCB to encircle a current supply via that supplies current to an IC mounted on the BGA package. A MUX/Sequencer can sequentially connect wires of the current sense loop to an amplifier. The amplifier can amplify a voltage induced on the current sense mesh by current flow into the BGA package. A sensing analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is electrically connected to convert a voltage at the output of the amplifier into digital output signals.

Ball grid array current meter with a current sense loop

A solder ball assembly can include a first spring element having a first shape and formed from a first elastic electrically conductive material. The solder ball assembly can also include a second spring element having a second shape and formed from a second elastic electrically conductive material. The second spring element is mechanically attached to the first spring element to form a spring assembly. The solder ball can be configured to enclose the spring assembly.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, MN, United States of America

Kyle Schoneck