Switched averaging error amplifier
Granted: October 20, 2015
Patent Number:
9164133
A signal averaging circuit includes a plurality of switched weighted current sources to generate a total amount of charge. The total amount of charge is representative of a weighted sum of a plurality of input signal samples during an active period of a read enable signal. A timing control signal generator is coupled to receive an input signal and the read enable signal and sequentially switch the plurality of switched weighted current sources to adjust the total amount of charge in…
LED dimming circuit for switched dimming
Granted: October 6, 2015
Patent Number:
9155151
A light emitting diode (LED) dimming module includes an energy storage circuit, a load interface circuit, and a switch circuit. The energy storage circuit provides a substantially continuous current in response to a converter current. The load interface circuit provides a modulated load current in response to the continuous current. The switch circuit, which is operatively coupled to the load interface circuit, switches in accordance with a duty cycle. The modulated load current is based…
Latching comparator
Granted: October 6, 2015
Patent Number:
9154119
A latching comparator includes a switching logic circuit coupled to receive a latching signal, a first signal and a second signal. An output circuit having an input terminal is coupled to the switching logic circuit. The input terminal of the output circuit is coupled to receive both the first and second signals through the switching logic circuit in response to the latching signal being in a first state. The input terminal of the output circuit is coupled to receive only one of the…
Method and apparatus for implementing an unregulated dormant mode in a power converter
Granted: October 6, 2015
Patent Number:
9154041
A power converter controller includes a drive signal generator coupled to generate a drive signal to control switching of a power switch to regulate a flow of energy to a power converter output in response to an energy requirement of a load. A voltage supply rail is coupled to supply a voltage to the drive signal generator. The supplied voltage is used by the drive signal generator to generate the drive signal. A control circuit is coupled to generate a power down signal that stops the…
Method of supplying power on a circuit board assembly
Granted: September 29, 2015
Patent Number:
9148959
Power is supplied on a circuit board assembly by attaching a drum core inductor to a circuit board. The drum core inductor has a first winding wound around the drum core inductor. The first winding has first and second ends coupled to the drum core inductor. A bobbin is attached to the circuit board. The bobbin has a second winding wound around the bobbin. The second winding has first and second ends coupled to the bobbin. The drum core inductor and the bobbin are attached to the circuit…
Reset voltage circuit for a forward power converter
Granted: September 29, 2015
Patent Number:
9148063
An example method includes controlling a duty ratio of a switch to regulate an output of a forward power converter and storing a first voltage. The first voltage is equal to an input voltage of the forward power converter when the input voltage is at a steady-state value. The method also includes resetting a transformer of the forward power converter when the switch is in an OFF state by setting a voltage across a primary winding of the transformer to the stored first voltage in response…
High quality GaN high-voltage HFETs on silicon
Granted: September 29, 2015
Patent Number:
9147734
Substrates of GaN over silicon suitable for forming electronics devices such as heterostructure field effect transistors (HFETs), and methods of making the substrates, are disclosed. Voids in a crystalline Al2O3 film on a top surface of a silicon wafer are formed. The top surface of the silicon wafer is along the <111> silicon crystal orientation. A plurality of laminate layers is deposited over the voids and the Al2O3 film. Each laminate layer includes an AlN film and a GaN film.…
Techniques for controlling a power converter using multiple controllers
Granted: September 15, 2015
Patent Number:
9136765
A power converter controller includes a primary controller that is galvanically isolated from a secondary controller. The primary controller controls a state of a power switch during a first mode of operation according to a switching pattern defined by the primary controller. During a second mode of operation, the primary controller controls the state of the power switch in response to control signals received via a communication link. The secondary controller operates in a powered down…
Field effect transistor with access region recharge
Granted: September 15, 2015
Patent Number:
9136364
The current invention provides the design of the field effect transistor with lateral channel suitable for high voltage switching. In such a transistor, the electrical charge stored in the high electric field region has to vary as the transistor switches from ON to OFF state and back. The invention provides the method of calculating the necessary recharging path parameters based on the material parameters of the FET and desired blocking voltage, ON state resistance and switching speed.…
Varying switching frequency and period of a power supply controller
Granted: September 1, 2015
Patent Number:
9124186
A controller includes a PWM circuit and a timing circuit. The PWM circuit controls a switch in response to a clock signal. A switching period of the clock signal is based on a charging and discharging time of a capacitor included in the timing circuit. Both first and second current sinks discharge the capacitor while the timing circuit is in a normal discharging mode that is when an on time of the switch is less than a threshold time. The second current sink is prevented from discharging…
Delta-sigma modulator with high input impedance
Granted: August 25, 2015
Patent Number:
9118343
Measurement circuits having a delta-sigma modulator are disclosed. One example measurement circuit includes a low pass filter coupled to receive an input voltage, a switched-capacitor integrator circuit, and a switched comparator circuit. The measurement circuit may generate a digital output made up of a sequence of logic high and logic low levels that are representative of a scaled value of the input voltage output by the low pass filter circuit. Also, by virtue of its…
Method and apparatus to increase efficiency in a power factor correction circuit
Granted: August 25, 2015
Patent Number:
9116538
A power factor correction (PFC) controller includes a capacitor, an error amplifier, a switching frequency adjuster, a comparator, and a drive signal generator. The current source generates a current that is representative of an instantaneous input voltage of a PFC converter to charge the capacitor when a power switch of the PFC converter is off. The switching frequency adjuster generates an adjusted error signal in response to an error signal generated by the error amplifier. The…
Application of normally-on switching elements/devices in a stacked switching circuit
Granted: August 18, 2015
Patent Number:
9112428
A stacked switching circuit with normally-on devices includes a first normally-on switch coupled between a first input rail and an output port, and is coupled to be switched in response to a first control signal. A second normally-on switch is coupled to the output port and is coupled to a normally-off switch in a cascode coupled configuration. A second terminal of the normally-off switch is coupled to a second input rail. The normally-off switch is coupled to be switched in response to…
Switch mode power converter having burst mode with current offset
Granted: August 18, 2015
Patent Number:
9112425
A controller for use in a power converter includes a load sensing circuit coupled to output an error signal in response to a feedback signal representative of an output of the power converter. The error signal is representative of a load coupled to an output of the power converter. A burst mode control circuit is coupled to output a burst mode control signal in response to the error signal. An offset current generator circuit is coupled to output an offset current in response to the…
Integrated transistor and anti-fuse as programming element for a high-voltage integrated circuit
Granted: August 18, 2015
Patent Number:
9112017
A semiconductor device includes an N type well region in a P type substrate. A source region of a MOSFET is laterally separated from a boundary of the well region, which includes the drain of the MOSFET. An insulated gate of the MOSFET extends laterally from the source region to at least just past the boundary of the well region. A polysilicon layer, which forms a first plate of a capacitive anti-fuse, is insulated from an area of the well region, which forms the second plate of the…
Detecting output diode conduction time for cable drop compensation of a power converter
Granted: July 28, 2015
Patent Number:
9093916
An example controller for a power converter to provide power to a load through a distribution network includes a control circuit and a cable drop compensator. The control circuit outputs a drive signal to control switching of a switch to regulate an output of the power converter in response to a feedback signal. The cable drop compensator is coupled to adjust the feedback signal in response to a conduction time of an output diode of the power converter to compensate for a distribution…
Protection for inadvertent missing feedback voltage signal
Granted: July 28, 2015
Patent Number:
9093906
Methods and apparatuses are disclosed for providing improved feedback sampling in a primary-side regulated power converter. A test sample may be taken prior to the default feedback sample. The voltage of the test sample may be compared to the voltage of the default feedback sample to determine if the voltage difference between the two samples exceeds a threshold. If the default sample is lower than the test sample by more than the threshold, the default sample may be flagged as being a…
Semiconductor device with shared region
Granted: July 21, 2015
Patent Number:
9087713
A semiconductor device having a JFET and diode, includes a substrate, a second well region, and a second doped region that are of a first conductivity type. The JFET also includes a first well region, a first doped region, and a shared region that are of the second conductivity type. The second well region is disposed in the substrate adjacent to the first well region. A source of the JFET includes the first doped region disposed in the first well region. An anode of the diode includes…
Power controller with pulse skipping
Granted: July 14, 2015
Patent Number:
9083251
A controller for a power converter includes a drive circuit coupled to generate a drive signal in response to an error signal representative of a load of the power converter. The drive circuit includes a pulse skipping circuit coupled to generate a blanking signal in response to the error signal. The pulse skipping circuit includes an enable circuit and a blanking circuit. The enable circuit is coupled to output an enable signal in response to the error signal. The blanking circuit is…
AC voltage sensor with low power consumption
Granted: June 30, 2015
Patent Number:
9071146
A power converter controller includes an input sense circuit to receive an input sense signal representative of an input of a power converter. A zero-crossing detector is coupled to the input sense circuit to be responsive to the input sense signal falling below a first zero-crossing threshold and rising above a second zero-crossing threshold to determine zero-crossing intervals. A timer circuit is coupled to the zero-crossing detector to determine peak intervals and to synchronize an…
