Power supply with DC breaker switch and reduced regulated DC link voltage
Granted: August 9, 2016
Patent Number:
9413266
Generally, this disclosure provides circuits and methods to reduce and regulate DC link voltage in a power supply through the use of a DC breaker circuit. The breaker circuit may include a breaker switch configured to couple an input stage circuit of a power supply to an output stage circuit of the power supply and to provide a regulated DC link voltage to the output stage circuit, the level of the DC link voltage based on switching states of the breaker switch. The breaker circuit may…
Charge pump circuit for providing voltages to multiple switch circuits
Granted: August 9, 2016
Patent Number:
9413231
A charge pump circuit generates a charge pump voltage that powers a bias circuit. The bias circuit generates a reference current and generates switch currents from the reference current. Gate-source voltages are generated from the switch currents and applied to switching components of switch circuits to connect two nodes. The gate-source voltages can be generated in the bias circuit and provided to the switch circuits. The gate-source voltages can also be generated in the switch…
Side channel power attack defense with pseudo random clock operation
Granted: July 26, 2016
Patent Number:
9401802
Apparatus and methods are provided for defending an electronic circuit secret algorithm and secret parameter values against a side-attack. In an example, a method can include receiving first one or more parameters for altering a clock signal of the electronic device at a non-volatile memory register, and altering a frequency of the clock signal of the electronic device during execution of an authentication routine according to the first one or more parameters.
Trench-based power semiconductor devices with increased breakdown voltage characteristics
Granted: July 12, 2016
Patent Number:
9391193
Exemplary power semiconductor devices with features providing increased breakdown voltage and other benefits are disclosed.
Under voltage tolerant clamp
Granted: July 12, 2016
Patent Number:
9391063
An apparatus comprises an integrated circuit (IC) comprising an external IC connection, an IC substrate connection, a voltage clamp circuit and an under voltage circuit. The voltage of the IC substrate connection is set to a first voltage when a voltage of the external connection of the IC is within a normal operating voltage range. The voltage clamp circuit is configured to clamp the voltage supply of one or more circuits internal to the IC to within a normal operating voltage range…
Common drain power clip for battery pack protection mosfet
Granted: June 28, 2016
Patent Number:
9379045
A first embodiment is a common drain+clip 20. It has a conventional drain contact on its bottom surface and is flip chip mounted on a half-etched leadframe 40 which has external source, gate and drain contacts connected to the sources, gate and common drain of the die 20. Common drain clip 50 connects the drain 30 to external contacts between opposite gate contacts. A second embodiment is a direct drain embodiment+heatslug. The device 80 has a top drain contact 36 that extends to the…
Resistance multiplier
Granted: June 21, 2016
Patent Number:
9374066
This document discusses, among other things, a resistance multiplier configured to provide a more specific and controllable resistance value, the resistance multiplier including an amplifier configured to control a resistance across a first transistor using a received reference resistance value and to control a resistance across a second transistor using the resistance across the first transistor and a relationship between the first and second transistors.
Accumulation-mode field effect transistor with improved current capability
Granted: June 14, 2016
Patent Number:
9368587
An accumulation-mode field effect transistor including a plurality of gates. The accumulation-mode field effect transistor including a semiconductor region including a channel region adjacent to but insulated from each of the plurality of gates.
Differential measurements with a large common mode input voltage
Granted: June 7, 2016
Patent Number:
9362874
An apparatus comprises a differential amplifier circuit and a current source. The differential amplifier circuit is configured to receive a voltage at an input, wherein the differential amplifier circuit generates an output voltage having a magnitude proportional to the received voltage over a voltage range to be measured at a specified output common mode voltage. The current source is electrically connected to an input of the differential amplifier circuit and is configured to subtract…
Uniform distribution dithering in sigma-delta A/D converters
Granted: May 31, 2016
Patent Number:
9356617
Apparatus and methods for analog-to-digital converters are provided. In an example, a sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter (ADC) can include a modulator configured to receive an analog signal and a decimation filter configured to provide a digital representation of the analog signal using an output of the modulator. In certain examples, the modulator can includes an integrator and a comparator od quantizer coupled to an output of the integrator. The comparator, in certain examples,…
Resonance driver for determining a resonant frequency of a haptic device
Granted: May 31, 2016
Patent Number:
9355536
This document discusses, among other things, apparatus and methods for controlling a haptic transducer. In an example, a haptic controller can include an active termination driver having a configurable output impedance. The active termination driver can be configured to drive a haptic transducer and to process back electro-magnetic force (EMF) of the haptic transducer to provide motion feedback of the haptic transducer. In an example, the haptic controller can include a processor to…
Flexure bearing to reduce quadrature for resonating micromachined devices
Granted: May 31, 2016
Patent Number:
9352961
An example include microelectromechanical die for sensing motion that includes a fixed portion, an anchor coupled to the fixed portion, a first nonlinear suspension member coupled to anchor on a side of the anchor, a second nonlinear suspension member coupled to the anchor on the same side of the anchor, the second nonlinear suspension member having a shape and location mirroring the first nonlinear suspension member about an anchor bisecting plane and a proof-mass that is planar, the…
Clamp circuit and method for clamping voltage
Granted: May 24, 2016
Patent Number:
9350337
The disclosure provides a clamp circuit and a method for clamping voltage. The clamp circuit includes: a first switch control unit, connected with the high-potential terminal of the first stage output of a comparator and configured to clamp the voltage of the high-potential terminal to VGate1 when the voltage of the high-potential terminal is lower than a first pre-set value V1, and a second switch control unit, connected to the low-potential terminal of the first stage output of the…
Quiescent current equalization method, output stage circuit, class AB amplifier and electronic device
Granted: May 24, 2016
Patent Number:
9350304
An output stage circuit is provided, which includes a power supply, a quiescent current control circuit, an output circuit, and a quiescent current equalization circuit. The quiescent current equalization circuit is configured to decrease or increase a quiescent current flowing through a quiescent current biasing circuit in the quiescent current control circuit when a change of a voltage of the power supply is detected, such that a quiescent current flowing through the output circuit…
Power supply protection system
Granted: May 10, 2016
Patent Number:
9337728
Devices and methods provide a protection device for maintaining a steady output on a gate driver terminal despite fluctuations in a power supply, the protection device including low voltage detection circuitry configured to monitor the power supply and detect fluctuations in the power supply; and gate isolation circuitry configured to isolate the gate driver terminal from the power supply if the low voltage detection circuitry detects a fluctuation in the power supply, wherein a voltage…
Switching techniques to reduce current overshoot in a DC to DC converter
Granted: April 12, 2016
Patent Number:
9312746
A DC/DC converter system includes gate control circuitry, a transformer, a second stage, and soft start control circuitry. The gate control circuitry is configured to generate a first and a second gate control signal configured to open and close first and second switches of an inverter circuitry, respectively, to generate an AC signal from a DC input signal. The transformer transforms the AC signal and the second stage rectifies the AC signal to a DC output signal. The soft start control…
Method and apparatus for electrostatic discharge protection
Granted: April 12, 2016
Patent Number:
9312255
This application discusses, among other things, apparatus and methods for electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection. In an example, an ESD protection circuit can include an ESD control circuit, and a driver-off circuit, wherein the ESD control circuit is configured to send an enable signal to the driver-off circuit and to perform electrostatic discharge to a ground node when detecting occurrence of electrostatic charges, and wherein the driver-off circuit is configured to disable a…
Trench-based power semiconductor devices with increased breakdown voltage characteristics
Granted: March 22, 2016
Patent Number:
9293526
Exemplary power semiconductor devices with features providing increased breakdown voltage and other benefits are disclosed.
Detection and GSM noise filtering
Granted: March 22, 2016
Patent Number:
9294857
This document discusses, among other things, a GSM noise detection system configured to detect GSM noise at a pole of a four-pole audio jack using first and second comparators. The GSM noise detection system can include first and second comparators configured to compare a value of the pole to respective first and second thresholds and to provide an output indicative of the comparisons and a detection circuit configured to count changes in the output over a first period of time and to…
Reverse current blocking comparator
Granted: March 22, 2016
Patent Number:
9294080
An apparatus comprises at least one transistor configured as analog switch, a well biasing circuit configured to provide a dynamic electrical bias to a bulk region of the at least one transistor, and a comparator circuit in electrical communication with the well biasing circuit and the transistor. The comparator circuit is configured to detect a first operating condition of the transistor and a second operating condition of the transistor. The well biasing circuit is configured to apply…
