Russell Frankie Cooper, 60Castle, OK

7324615, Jan 29, 2008

Dec 15, 2003

10/736372

Ruan Lourens - Chandler AZ, US
Layton W. Eagar - Chandler AZ, US
Russell Eugene Cooper - Mesa AZ, US

Microchip Technology Incorporated - Chandler AZ

H04B 1/00
H04B 1/18

375343, 4551811

A time signal receiver and decoder receives, detects and stores time information from time signals, e. g. , WWV, WWVH, WWVB (USA), JJY (Japan), MSF (UK) and the like. The time information may be used for a self setting clock, and the clock may be used as a reference in time sensitive applications, devices and systems. The time signal receiver may use a high-Q state variable bandpass filter or an anti-notch filter circuit for selectivity at the time signal frequency of interest. The decoder is coupled to the time signal receiver, decodes the time information in the received time signal and may store the decoded time information.

7375555, May 20, 2008

May 15, 2007

11/748771

Guoli Wang - Gilbert AZ, US
Joseph A. Thomsen - Gilbert AZ, US
Russell Cooper - Mesa AZ, US

Microchip Technology Incorporated - Chandler AZ

H03K 19/0175
H03K 19/00

326 81, 326 58

A five volt tolerant integrated circuit signal pad having an initial fast pull-up to three volts and then operating as an open drain output with an external resistor for pulling up the output from about three volts to about five volts. The initial fast (active) pull-up is accomplished with active devices that reduces the overall pull-up time of a newer technology (lower operating voltage) integrated circuit output when transitioning from a logic 0 to a logic 1. Circuits of the integrated circuit output driver protect the internal operating circuit nodes from excessive voltage and leakage currents that would otherwise result from a voltage on the signal pad that is more positive than the operating voltage of the integrated circuit.

5619430, Apr 8, 1997

Oct 10, 1995

8/541666

James B. Nolan - Chandler AZ
Russell E. Cooper - Chandler AZ
Brian Dellacroce - Sedona AZ

Microchip Technology Inc. - Chandler AZ

G06F 922

364557

A microcontroller for use in battery charging and monitoring applications is disclosed. The microcontroller includes a microprocessor and various front-end analog circuitry including a slope A/D converter and a multiplexer for allowing a plurality of analog input signals to be converted to corresponding digital counts indicative of signal level. The microcontroller further includes an on-chip temperature sensor, used in conjunction with the A/D converter, to monitor the temperature of the microcontroller. The temperature sensor generates and uses a differential voltage that is obtained across the base-emitter functions of two compatible bipolar transistors having dissimilar emitter areas. This differential voltage is proportional to temperature and may be sampled by the A/D converter to obtain a digital count indicative of the temperature of the microcontroller.

5552751, Sep 3, 1996

Jun 6, 1995

8/469176

Russell E. Cooper - Chandler AZ

Microchip Technology Inc. - Chandler AZ

H03B 536
H03B 506

331116FE

An oscillator circuit (30, 40) for starting-up and operating at low voltages has been provided. The oscillator circuit includes an inverter circuit(31, 41) coupled across first and second terminals of a resonant circuit (14). The inverter circuit includes a push-pull driver stage having a P-channel transistor (18) and an N-channel transistor (20). The common drain electrodes of each are coupled to the second terminal of the resonant circuit. The source electrodes of the P- and N-channel transistors are respectively coupled to first and second supply voltage terminals. The gate electrode of the first transistor is coupled to the first terminal of resonant circuit. The inverter circuit further includes a circuit (32, 42) for shifting the voltage level applied to the gate electrode of the second transistor, relative to the voltage applied to the gate electrode of the first transistor, by a predetermined voltage. This has the effect of reducing the required operating voltage range of the inverter circuit while still maintaining both transistors active.

5670915, Sep 23, 1997

May 24, 1996

8/644917

Russell E. Cooper - Chandler AZ
Scott Ellison - Chandler AZ

Microchip Technology Incorporated - Chandler AZ

H03K 30231

331111

An accurate RC oscillator circuit located within a microcontroller chip for generating a signal of a predetermined frequency that accurately oscillates between two precise voltage levels, i. e. , a low voltage (VL) and a high voltage (VH) is disclosed. The oscillator circuit uses first and second comparators having their outputs respectively coupled to set and reset inputs of a flip flop. The output of the flip flop is coupled to a series RC network for controlling the charging and discharging of the voltage across a capacitor of the RC network. The interconnection of the series RC network is coupled to an input of both the first and second comparators. The other input of the first comparator is coupled to a circuit for applying a modified high threshold version (VH') of the high voltage such that the signal generated by the oscillator circuit does not exceed the precise high voltage (VH). Similarly, the other input of the second comparator is coupled to a circuit for applying a modified low threshold version (VL') of the low voltage such that the signal generated by the oscillator circuit does not fall below that precise low voltage (VL). Additionally, means are provided to select different input voltages for the low voltage (VL) such that the desired output frequency of the oscillator may be adjusted to accurately oscillate between the high voltage (VH) and the selected low voltage (VL).

6002356, Dec 14, 1999

Oct 17, 1997

8/953374

Russell E. Cooper - Chandler AZ

Microchip Technology Incorporated - Chandler AZ

H03M 136

341160

Flash analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion is performed with an n-bit converter using a resistive-divider string in which tap points are taken between each pair of adjacent resistors of the string as one input to each of a respective plurality of 2. sup. n -1 comparators. Each of the comparators has a second input in common with all of the other comparators at which an analog input voltage to be converted to digital form is applied. A transition point occurs at one of the tap points at which immediately adjacent ones of the comparators exhibit outputs of different binary states for a given a sample of the analog input voltage, signifying the transition point is occurring at the highest-order digital output at which the sampled analog input voltage exceeds a reference voltage. The transition point is detected during each sample, at a location within a group of consecutive ones of the comparators of preselected number considerably less than the total number of comparators in the converter. All of the comparators in the converter except those in the group containing the transition point are deactivated to conserve power during the conversion process for the given sample.

5565819, Oct 15, 1996

Jul 11, 1995

8/499602

Russell E. Cooper - Chandler AZ

Microchip Technology Incorporated - Chandler AZ

H03K 30231

331111

An accurate RC oscillator circuit (10) for generating a signal of a predetermined frequency that accurately oscillates between two precise voltage levels, i. e. , a low threshold voltage (V. sub. L) and a high threshold voltage (V. sub. H). The oscillator circuit uses first and second comparators (16, 18) having their outputs respectively coupled to set and reset inputs of a flip flop (20). The output of the flip flop is coupled to a series RC network for controlling the charging and discharging of the voltage across a capacitor (14) of the RC network. The interconnection (12) of the series RC network is coupled to an input of both the first and second comparators. The other input of the first comparator is coupled to a circuit (24) for applying a modified version (V'. sub. H) of the high threshold voltage such that the signal generated by the oscillator circuit does not exceed the precise high threshold voltage (V. sub. H). Likewise, the other input of the second comparator is coupled to a circuit (25) for applying a modified version (V'. sub.

5861861, Jan 19, 1999

Jun 28, 1996

8/671575

James B. Nolan - Chandler AZ
Scott Ellison - Chandler AZ
Brian Boles - Mesa AZ
Rodney Drake - Phoenix AZ
Russell E. Cooper - Chandler AZ

Microchip Technology Incorporated - Chandler AZ

G09G 336

345 87

Apparatus for providing multiple of discrete voltage levels to drive a liquid crystal display (LCD) from an LCD module on board a microcontroller chip includes a charge pump with a switched-capacitor that develops the discrete voltages as multiples of the value of a base voltage that remains substantially without change irrespective of change in the supply voltage. A switched-capacitor charging circuit selectively charges a capacitor to produce successive additive charges individually retrievable from the capacitor. An LCD drive selectively transmits the discrete voltage levels to activate the LCD according to status of an external system under the control of the microcontroller. Voltage losses that may occur during the switched-capacitor charging are compensated to maintain the levels of the discrete voltages free of decay. Compensation is achieved by overcharging the capacitor by an amount substantially equivalent to the amount of voltage loss on the capacitor, using active feedback obtained from monitoring the charge on the capacitor.