Semiconductor Technology Academic Research Center

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Toshihiro Konishi

Hiroshi Kawaguchi

Masahiko Yoshimoto

Shintaro Izumi

Masaki Sawada

Hidenori Katsumura

Takefumi Inoue

Masahisa Niwa

Hideki Takahashi

Keisuke Okuno

Hidenori Okumura

An input device includes a housing, an operation unit, a vibrating body, a piezoelectric element, a picker, and a signal processing unit. The operation unit is movable relative to the housing. The vibrating body has elasticity. The vibrating body includes a first end partially fixed to the housing, and a second end provided so as to be vibratable. The piezoelectric element is provided to the vibrating body. The piezoelectric element is configured to convert vibration energy of the vibrating body into electrical energy as the vibrating body vibrates. The picker flicks the vibrating body to allow the vibrating body to vibrate in conjunction with the operation unit. The signal processing unit is configured to receive power generated by the piezoelectric element to operate and transmit, through wireless communications, detection information to be generated as the operation unit moves.

Input device

A TD converter is provided for digitally converting a delay time value into a digital value. In the TD converter, an oscillator circuit part inputs time domain data. A first-state counter circuit part measures a number of waves of an output oscillation waveform from the oscillator circuit part when time domain data is in a first state, and a second-state counter circuit part measures a number of waves of the output oscillation waveform from the oscillator circuit part when the time domain data is in a second state. An output signal generator part generates an output signal based on output count values of the first-state counter circuit part and the second-state counter circuit part, and a frequency control circuit controls the oscillator circuit part to always oscillate and to control an oscillation frequency of the oscillator circuit part.

TD converter and AD converter with no operational amplifier and no switched capacitor

An AD converter includes a VT converter circuit part which inputs an analog input voltage and a sampling clock, converts the analog input voltage to a corresponding delay time, and outputs time domain data. A ring oscillator circuit part of N stages inputs the time domain data, and an error propagation circuit part takes out delay information containing a quantization error from phase information of the ring oscillator circuit part of the previous stage, and propagate the delay information to the ring oscillator circuit part of a subsequent stage. A counter circuit part measures a number of waves of an output oscillation waveform of the ring oscillator circuit part of each stage, and an output signal generator part generates an output signal from an output counted value of each counter circuit part. A reset part resets each error propagation circuit part and each counter circuit part with a sampling clock.

Ad converter and TD converter configured without operational amplifier and capacitor

Growing community of inventors

Hyogo, Japan

Toshihiro Konishi