Nxp B.v.

Infineon Technologies Ag

Intel Mobile Communications Gmbh

Stefan Mendel

Ulrich Andreas Muehlmann

Steve Charpentier

Michael Pieber

Erich Merlin

Radha Srinivasan

Jingfeng Ding

Helmut Kranabenter

Franz Michael Darrer

Gernot Hueber

Boris Kirillov

Christoph Steiner

Martin Graefling

Dominik Kurzmann

Francesco Secli

Jos Verlinden

Remco Van De Beek

Michael Stark

Thomas Gigl

Michiel Helsloot

Frederic Benoist

Thomas Noisternig

Ulrich Muehlmann

Josef Zipper

Andrzej Gajdardziew

A receiver for a light detection and ranging system includes detecting elements, each configured to convert light into an analog detection signal. The receiver includes a first converting element configured to provide a first digital detection signal in response to a first analog detection signal. The first converting element is configured to use a first number of bits to represent the first analog detection signal. The receiver includes a second converting element configured to provide a second digital detection signal. The second converting element is configured to use a second number of bits to represent the second analog detection signal. The second number of bits is greater than the first number of bits. The receiver comprises a processing module configured to determine a first parameter of an object using the first digital detection signal and a second parameter of the object using the second digital detection signal.

LIDAR system, a method for a LIDAR system and a receiver for LIDAR system having first and second converting elements

A method for determining malfunction is provided. The method includes receiving a 1D or 2D luminance image of a scene from a time-of-flight based 3D-camera. The luminance image includes one or more pixels representing intensities of background light received by an image sensor of the 3D-camera. The method further includes receiving a 2D optical image of the scene from an optical 2D-camera and comparing the luminance image to the optical image. If the luminance image does not match the optical image, the method additionally includes determining malfunction of one of the 3D-camera and the 2D-camera.

Method and apparatus for determining malfunction, and sensor system

A time-of-flight light detection system includes: a plurality of circuits arranged sequentially along a signal path that comprises a plurality of signal channels, the plurality of circuits including a first circuit and a second circuit arranged downstream from the first circuit; a reference signal source configured to generate a plurality of reference signals, where each of the plurality of signal channels at the first circuit receives at least one of the plurality of reference signals; and an evaluation circuit coupled to the plurality of signal channels to receive a processed reference signal from the signal path, the evaluation circuit further configured to compare the processed reference signal to a first expected result to generate a first comparison result.

Random hardware fault and degradation protection apparatus for time-of-flight receiver

Embodiments of communications devices and methods for operating a communications device are described. In an embodiment, a communications device includes a complex multiplier configured to multiply a first input complex signal with a second input complex signal to generate an output complex signal, an amplifier configured to amplify an imaginary part of the output complex signal to generate an amplification result, a delay element configured to delay a rotation angle signal that is related to the second input complex signal, and a subtractor configured to subtract the amplification result from the delayed rotation angle signal to generate the rotation angle signal. Other embodiments are also described.

Communications device and method for operating a communications device

Embodiments of methods and systems for operating a communications device that communicates via inductive coupling are described. In an embodiment, a method for operating a communications device that communicates via inductive coupling involves detecting a falling signal edge corresponding to a received signal at the communications device based on a falling signal edge threshold, detecting a rising signal edge corresponding to the received signal based on a rising signal edge threshold, where the rising signal edge threshold is independent from the falling signal edge threshold, and decoding the received signal based on the detected falling signal edge and the detected rising signal edge. Other embodiments are also described.

Method and system for operating a communications device that communicates via inductive coupling

Embodiments of methods and systems for gain control in a communications device are described. In an embodiment, a method for gain control in a communications device involves detecting a change in an amplification gain that is applied to an analog signal in the communications device and compensating for the change in the amplification gain by manipulating an amplitude of a digital signal that is converted from the analog signal. Other embodiments are also described.

Method and system for gain control in a communications device

A contactless communication device includes a near field communication (NFC) module for generating an electromagnetic carrier signal and modulating the carrier signal according to data to be transmitted, and an antenna coupled to and driven by said NFC module with the modulated carrier signal. The device includes an RF front end coupled between said NFC module and said antenna and further includes a detection module coupled to said NFC module for detecting an end of a PauseA of an incoming RF signal by monitoring an amplitude of a digital output signal derived from the incoming RF signal. The detection module detects the PauseA in said digital output signal by comparing the amplitude of said output digital signal to a first level. The detection module further detects the end of the PauseA in said digital output signal by comparing the amplitude of said digital output signal to a second level.

Accurate end of pause-A detection for near field communications

A contactless communication device includes a near field communication (NFC) module for generating an electromagnetic carrier signal and modulating the carrier signal according to data to be transmitted, and an antenna circuit coupled to and driven by said NFC module with the modulated carrier signal. The device includes an RF front end coupled between said NFC module and said antenna circuit and further includes a protocol detection circuit for detecting a protocol mode in response to an incoming signal received by the device. The protocol detection circuit includes a plurality of filters being adapted to generate an envelope of the incoming signal; a plurality of decoders being adapted to generate an output in response to a respective envelope generated by a corresponding one of the plurality of filters; and a decision unit being adapted to detect a protocol mode based on the output from each of the plurality of decoders.

Robust protocol detection for near field communication devices operating in card-emulation mode

Embodiments are provided for a method of operating a receiver system, the receiver system comprising one or more channels, the method comprising: monitoring a residual DC (direct current) offset in a present channel by sampling an output of an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) of the present channel; adjusting a DCO (direct current offset) correction signal that corresponds to the residual DC offset in response to an absolute value of the residual DC offset exceeding a programmable DCO threshold; and subtracting the DCO correction signal from an analog signal provided to the ADC to reduce the residual DC offset below the programmable DCO threshold.

Adaptive NFC receiver

Methods and system for On/Off Key (OOK) communication are described. In one embodiment, a method for OOK communication involves detecting an average symbol energy of an OOK modulated sequence and performing bit synchronization for the OOK modulated sequence in response to the detected average symbol energy. Other embodiments are also described.

Bit synchronization for on/off key (OOK) communication

A device includes a near field communication (NFC) module for generating an electromagnetic carrier signal and modulating the carrier signal according to data to be transmitted, and an antenna coupled to and driven by the NFC module with the modulated carrier signal. The device includes an analog front end coupled between the NFC module and the antenna. The device further includes a digital gain control (DGC) block for controlling gains in a first and second baseband amplifiers (BBAs). The DGC block includes a first clipping detector for correlating in-phase input signals with a subcarrier pattern and a second clipping detector for correlating quadrature input signals with the subcarrier pattern, and further includes a signal energy correction block adapted to output a number of correction ticks for a numerically controlled oscillator (NCO) based on a number of gain updates performed for the first or the second BBAs.

Baseband automatic gain control for on-off keying protocols without a preamble

Various embodiments relate to a method and circuit for combining channels, the method including receiving, by a matching and smoothing filter, a signal from an analog to digital converter and extracting a root mean square signal level, receiving, by a noise power detector ('NPD'), the signal from the ADC and assessing noise contribution on the signal and receiving, by a maximum ratio combiner, the signal from the matching and smoothing filter wherein a combiner selects between using a geometric sum and an arithmetic sum to combine the channels.

Method and apparatus for optimum channel combination for NFC transceivers

A contactless communication device includes a receiver unit having differential input terminals for connecting to an antenna. The receiver unit is coupled to a transmitting device and receives an RF signal transmitted by the transmitting device. A first comparator is adapted to generate a first comparator output signal indicative of a relationship between a voltage at a positive input terminal of the receiver unit and a first reference voltage. A second comparator is adapted to generate a second comparator output signal indicative of a relationship between a voltage at a negative input terminal of the receiver unit and a second reference voltage. A first voltage regulation circuit is adapted to regulate the voltage at the positive input terminal in response to the first comparator output signal. A second voltage regulation circuit is adapted to regulate the voltage at the negative input terminal in response to the second comparator output signal.

Contactless communication device with differential receiver input voltage stabilization

Embodiments of a method and a system controlling an amplifier of a communications device are disclosed. In an embodiment, a method for controlling an amplifier of a communications device involves checking for a data reception at the communications device and freezing a gain of the amplifier if the data reception is detected.

Method and system for controlling an amplifier of a communications device

Various embodiments relate to a method and apparatus for over sampling a RF carrier signal, the method including receiving, by an ADC, the RF carrier signal, sampling, by the ADC, the RF carrier signal using the selected clock signal which is at least quadruple the RF carrier signal, down sampling, by a RF-DSP, the RF carrier signal by a factor of two to generate I channel data and Q channel data, mixing down, by the RF-DSP, the I channel data and the Q channel data, and outputting, by the RF-DSP, the I channel data and Q channel data to a baseband DSP.

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Graz, Austria

Stefan Mendel