Stmicroelectronics S.r.l.

Pierluigi Rolandi

Loris Giuseppe Navoni

Roberto Antonio Canegallo

Giovanni Gozzini

Alan H Kramer

Mauro Chinosi

Marco Pasotti

Giovanni Guaitini

Michele Borgatti

Guido De Sandre

Marco Poles

David Iezzi

Ernestina Chioffi

Frank Lhermet

Lorenzo Cali′

Monica Besana

An electronic system supporting modular expansion of its functions is of a type including a portable host electronic device associated with an expansion module adapted for quick-connect engagement and disengagement in/from the portable device. The expansion module includes a series of peripheral devices adapted to serve different classes of functions; a non-volatile memory storing information that pertains to configuring the different functions in the module; a re-configurable device adapted to establish connections, implement functional portions, and control all the system components; a control device adapted to cooperate with the host device in guiding the steps for re-configuring the whole system; and a software algorithm adapted to instruct the system to re-configure itself on which function and with which characteristics.

Electronic system having modular expansion function facilities

The invention relates to a method of expanding the functional capabilities of portable electronic devices with user friendly modes, wherein a host device is associated a quick-connect function-expanding module. In this method, at each installation of a given module, the functional expansion module and the host device recognize each other; on first installation of a given module in the host device, a series of checking operations are carried out automatically; the user can select to activate the available expansion; and once a given application is selected, the configuration and functions required for each application are stored.

Method for expanding in friendly manner the functionality of a portable electronic device and corresponding portable electronic device

The voice message managing method for a voice data recording/playing/editing electronic device, said electronic device including a memory device having a first memory area and a second memory area, includes the steps of memorizing, in the first memory area, a plurality of voice messages, and of memorizing, in the second memory area, information regarding the plurality of voice messages. The method also includes the steps of organizing the first memory area as a sequence of blocks, and of memorizing in each block a portion of voice message. The method moreover comprises the steps of defining a list (FBL) containing information on the status of the blocks and memorizing the list in a first memory sub-area of the second memory area, and of defining a table containing a plurality of first vectors associated to respective voice messages and memorizing this table in a second memory sub-area of the second memory area.

Voice message managing method, in particular for a voice data recording/playing/editing electronic device

A memory device having an associative memory for the storage of data belonging to a plurality of classes. The associative memory has a plurality of memory locations aligned along rows and columns for the storage of data along the rows. Each memory row has a plurality of groups of memory locations, each storing a respective datum, wherein groups of memory locations adjacent along one and the same row store data belonging to different classes. Groups of memory locations adjacent in the direction of the columns and disposed on different rows store data belonging to one and the same class. Each class has data having a different maximum lengths. The device is particularly suitable for the storage of words belonging to a dictionary for automatic recognition of words in a written text.

Associative memory device with optimized occupation, particularly for the recognition of words

A method of programming a plurality of memory cells are connected in parallel between first and second supply references and having their gate terminals connected together and, through row decoding means, also connected to an output terminal of an operational amplifier that is adapted to generate a word voltage signal, the first voltage reference being provided by a charge pump circuit. The programming method uses a program loop that includes the cells to be programmed and the operational amplifier, the charge pump circuit thus outputting a voltage ramp whose slope is a function of the cell demand. A programming circuit adapted to implement the method is also provided.

Method of programming a plurality of memory cells connected in parallel, and a programming circuit therefor

Described herein is a method for storing a datum in a first and a second memory cells of a nonvolatile memory. The storage method envisages programming the first and second memory cells in a differential way, by setting a first threshold voltage in the first memory cell and a second threshold voltage different from the first threshold voltage in the second memory cell, the difference between the threshold voltages of the two memory cells representing a datum stored in the memory cells themselves.

Method for storing data in a nonvolatile memory

A word recognition device uses an associative memory to store a plurality of coded words in such a way that a weight is associated with each character of the alphabet of the stored words, wherein equal weights correspond to equal characters. To perform the recognition, a dictionary of words is first chosen; this is stored in the associative memory according to a pre-determined code; a string of characters which correspond to a word to be recognized is received; a sequence of weights corresponding to the string of characters received is supplied to the associative memory; the distance between the word to be recognized and at least some of the stored words is calculated in parallel as the sum of the difference between the weights of each character of the word to be recognized and the weights of each character of the stored words; the minimum distance is identified; and the word stored in the associative memory having the minimum distance is stored.

Word recognition device and method

Memory device including an associative memory for the storage of data belonging to a plurality of classes

The controlled erase method includes supplying at least one erase pulse to cells of a memory array; comparing the threshold voltage of the erased cells with a low threshold value; selectively soft-programming the erased cells which have a threshold voltage lower than the low threshold value; and verifying whether the erased cells have a threshold voltage lower than a high threshold value, which is higher than the low threshold value. If at least one predetermined number of erased cells has a threshold voltage which is higher than the high threshold value, an erase pulse is applied to all the cells and the steps of comparing, selectively soft-programming and verifying are repeated.

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Monleale, Italy

Pierluigi Rolandi