Micrel, Incorporated

Ray Zinn

Peter Chambers

Scott Brown

A circuit and method for programming and control of an integrated circuit includes a control pin receiving an applied input voltage selected from a set of predetermined programming voltages and an on-chip control voltage decode circuit to select one of multiple programming states for the integrated circuit based on the applied input voltage. In one embodiment, an off-chip voltage divider is used to establish the set of predetermined programming voltages. The on-chip control voltage decode circuit includes a voltage divider to generate comparison voltage levels for detecting the voltage level of the input voltage for selecting the desired programming state. The comparison voltage levels include voltages having voltage values that are midway between pairs of adjacent programming voltages. The voltage decode circuit includes a control circuit receiving comparison results from comparators and generating an output control signal for selecting the desired digital state based on the comparison results.

Analog control of a digital decision process

Device and method in a frequency hopping spread spectrum wireless communication system allow reception without the need to lock in synchronous steps with the frequency hopping channels. The transmitter will operate in the frequency hopping mode while the receiver operate in a frequency sweeping mode. The receiver has an IF pass band that effectively sweeps rapidly across the frequency hopping channels to intercept the active channel in the transmission spectrum. A less expensive radio could be manufactured while eliminating the complex receiver synchronization in the conventional frequency hopping scheme.

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Atherton, CA, United States of America

Ray Zinn