FINE RESISTANCE ADJUSTMENT FOR POLYSILICON
Granted: May 5, 2011
Application Number:
20110102227
A resistor string digital to analog converter formed of polysilicon resistor segments to each of which is applied an electric field. The approach improves the overall accuracy.
BACKGROUND CALIBRATION OF OFFSETS IN INTERLEAVED ANALOG TO DIGITAL CONVERTERS
Granted: May 5, 2011
Application Number:
20110102228
A multi-channel time interleaved ADC (TIADC) provides for offset estimation and correction. The correction is accomplished through analog adjustment of offset rather than by digital correction of their outputs. In certain aspects, polarity reversal circuits may be used to further improve performance.
POWER SUPPLY WITH LOW POWER CONSUMPTION HICCUP STANDBY OPERATION
Granted: May 5, 2011
Application Number:
20110103103
A power supply including a converter, a capacitance, and a hiccup control module. The converter converts an input voltage to both an output voltage and a preliminary standby voltage when in its active state. The capacitance stores the preliminary standby voltage which is charged to an upper voltage level when the converter is in its active state and which is discharged to a lower voltage level when the converter is in its inactive state. During the standby mode, the hiccup control module…
LED DRIVER WITH OPEN LOOP DIMMING CONTROL
Granted: May 5, 2011
Application Number:
20110101877
An LED driver with open loop dimming including a full wave rectifier circuit, a DC/DC converter, and an oscillator circuit. The rectifier is configured to receive an input voltage in the form of an AC conductive angle modulated voltage and to provide a rectified voltage. The DC/DC converter converts the rectified voltage to an output voltage and an output current, where the output current has a magnitude which varies proportionately with a square of a quadratic mean of the input voltage.…
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ACCURATELY MEASURING CURRENTS USING ON CHIP SENSE RESISTORS
Granted: April 28, 2011
Application Number:
20110095818
Systems and methods for managing process and temperature variations for on-chip sense resistors are disclosed. The system includes a circuit that can leverage a linear gm circuit in order to provide linear gains (positive gains and/or negative gains). The linearity of the circuit enables compensation for temperature and process variations across an entire range of current (positive to negative). A control signal is generated by using a linear gm amplifier and a replica resistor, which is…
ELECTROSTATIC DISCHARGE CLAMP WITH CONTROLLED HYSTERESIS INCLUDING SELECTABLE TURN ON AND TURN OFF THRESHOLD VOLTAGES
Granted: April 28, 2011
Application Number:
20110096446
A electrostatic discharge (ESD) clamp for coupling between first and second nodes for providing ESD protection including a clamp circuit and first and second voltage threshold circuits. The clamp circuit limits operating voltage between the first and second nodes to a maximum level when activated. The first and second voltage threshold circuits each have a selectable threshold voltage, such as by coupling one or more voltage threshold devices in series. The first voltage threshold…
HYSTERETIC CONTROLLED BUCK-BOOST CONVERTER
Granted: April 21, 2011
Application Number:
20110089915
An apparatus includes a buck boost converter for generating a regulated output voltage responsive to an input voltage. The buck boost converter includes an inductor, a first pair of switching transistors responsive to a first PWM signal and a second pair of switching transistors responsive to a second PWM signal. An error amplifier generates an error voltage responsive to the regulated output voltage and a reference voltage. A control circuit generates the first PWM signal and the second…
ADAPTIVE PWM CONTROLLER FOR MULTI-PHASE LED DRIVER
Granted: April 14, 2011
Application Number:
20110084620
A multi channel LED driver comprises a plurality of LED strings. Each of the plurality of LED strings are associated with a separate channel. A voltage regulator generates an output voltage to the plurality of LED strings responsive to an input voltage and a PWM control signal. First control logic generates the PWM control signal responsive to a voltage at a bottom of each of the plurality of LED strings. A plurality of dimming circuitries, each connected to one of the bottoms of the…
CIRCUITS AND METHODS TO PRODUCE A VPTAT AND/OR A BANDGAP VOLTAGE WITH LOW-GLITCH PRECONDITIONING
Granted: April 14, 2011
Application Number:
20110084681
Provided herein are circuits and methods to generate a voltage proportional to absolute temperature (VPTAT) and/or a bandgap voltage output (VGO) with low 1/f noise. A first base-emitter voltage branch is used to produce a first base-emitter voltage (VBE1). A second base-emitter voltage branch is used to produce a second base-emitter voltage (VBE2). The circuit also includes a first current preconditioning branch and/or a second current preconditioning branch. The VPTAT is produced based…
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING A FULL FAIL-SAFE CAPABILITY IN SIGNAL TRANSMISSION NETWORKS
Granted: April 14, 2011
Application Number:
20110085617
Systems and methods for providing a full fail-safe capability in signal transmission networks are disclosed. For example, a system for providing a full fail-safe capability in signal transmission networks includes at least a first electronic circuit to transmit and receive signals or data, at least one driver unit coupled to the at least a first electronic circuit, and at least one receiver unit coupled to the at least a first electronic circuit and the at least one driver unit. The at…
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR NEGATIVE VOLTAGE PROTECTION
Granted: April 7, 2011
Application Number:
20110080206
An electronic system is disclosed, which includes a connector unit to communicate data with a host system, an electronic circuit to store the data, and a switch to convey the data to and from the electronic circuit via the connector unit. The switch includes a negative voltage protection unit coupled to the connector unit, and a transistor switch coupled to the negative voltage protection unit, the connector unit, and the electronic circuit. The negative voltage protection unit forces…
PHOTODETECTORS USEFUL AS AMBIENT LIGHT SENSORS
Granted: March 24, 2011
Application Number:
20110068255
A photodetector includes one or more first photodiode regions that are covered by an optical filter configured to reject infrared (IR) light and that produce a first current (I1). The photodetector also includes one or more second photodiode regions that are covered by a light blocking material configured to reject visible and infrared light and that produce a second current (I2). The photodetector also includes one or more third photodiode regions that are not covered by the optical…
PHOTODIODES AND METHODS FOR FABRICATING PHOTODIODES
Granted: March 24, 2011
Application Number:
20110068426
A photodiode includes an opening over an active photodiode region so that a top passivation layer and interlayer dielectric layers (ILDs) do not affect the spectral response of the photodiode. A dielectric reflective optical coating filter, which includes a plurality of dielectric layers, fills at least a portion of the opening and thereby covers the active photodiode region, to shape a spectral response of the photodiode. Alternatively, the dielectric reflective optical coating filter…
SUB-VOLT BANDGAP VOLTAGE REFERENCE WITH BUFFERED CTAT BIAS
Granted: March 24, 2011
Application Number:
20110068767
Circuits, methods, and apparatus that provide voltage references having a temperature independent output voltage that is less then the bandgap of silicon. The temperature coefficient and absolute voltage can be independently adjusted. One example generates two voltages, the first of which is proportional-to-absolute temperature and the second of which is complementary-to-absolute temperature. These voltages are placed across a first resistor. The first resistor is further connected to a…
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A VOLTAGE SUPPLY
Granted: March 17, 2011
Application Number:
20110062926
A system, voltage supply circuit, control unit for a voltage supply circuit, and method of controlling a voltage supply circuit are disclosed. For example, a system is disclosed that comprises at least one electronic circuit and a voltage supply unit coupled to an input of the at least one electronic circuit. The voltage supply unit includes a power unit to supply a voltage to the at least one electronic circuit and a control unit to control an operating mode of the power unit, an output…
VARYING OPERATION OF A VOLTAGE REGULATOR, AND COMPONENTS THEREOF, BASED UPON LOAD CONDITIONS
Granted: March 17, 2011
Application Number:
20110062930
A method for operating a voltage regulator controller, for use in a voltage regulator including coupled inductors, is provided as follows. A first signal is generated for driving a first switch of the voltage regulator. A second signal is generated driving a first switch of the voltage regulator. The voltage regulator determines whether a light-load condition exists. Upon determining the existence of a light-load condition, adjusting the phase difference between said first and second…
CALIBRATION OF OFFSET, GAIN AND PHASE ERRORS IN M-CHANNEL TIME-INTERLEAVED ANALOG-TO-DIGITAL CONVERTERS
Granted: March 17, 2011
Application Number:
20110063149
Techniques for correcting component mismatches in an M-channel time-interleaved Analog to Digital Converter (ADC). In order to obtain an error measure for offset, gain or phase, errors, outputs from each ADC are either summed or averaged over No samples. Calling each of the sums or averages as Xk where k=1, 2, . . . , M, there are M such values as a result. A single value representing the mean of these M values, Xmean, is chosen as a reference value. The offset, gain and phase errors for…
POWER-SUPPLY CONTROLLER
Granted: March 17, 2011
Application Number:
20110063878
An embodiment of a controller for a power supply includes circuitry that is operable to allow the power supply to operate as follows. During a first portion of a supply period, a first current flows through a first winding of the power supply, through a second winding of the power supply, and to an output node of the power supply. And during a second portion of the supply period, a second current flows through the first winding, through a third winding of the power supply, and to the…
LOW NOISE, LOW POWER INSTRUMENTATION AMPLIFIER
Granted: February 24, 2011
Application Number:
20110043280
An instrumentation amplifier includes a pair of buffered operational amplifiers that accept a pair of input signals, and a differential operational amplifier that outputs an output signal indicative of a difference between the input signals. A low pass filter provides passive band limiting of the output signal. Each operational amplifier is implemented as a multi-path amplifier that includes a low frequency path and a high frequency path between an input and an output of the operational…
SAMPLER LINEARITY BY SIMULTANEOUS DERIVATIVE SAMPLING
Granted: February 24, 2011
Application Number:
20110043392
A circuit for improved sampler linearity, in an analog to digital converter, by taking simultaneous analog samples of an input signal V(t) and its derivative, dV/dt. The correction can be implemented as a memoryless non-linear model in the analog, digital, or mixed signal domains. Delay elements placed in the clock signal path or main input signal path can provide more precise control over the correction.
