Patents Examined by Kenneth B. Wells
  • Patent number: 11658655
    Abstract: A circuit may include or may be coupled to a precharge structure to reduce or minimize a net perturbation, caused by switching, in the input source. Apparatus and techniques shown herein may enable low input current operation in a signal chain of an analog circuit by such reduction or minimization of such perturbation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: Analog Devices International Unlimited Company
    Inventors: Jesús Bonache Martínez, Italo Carlos Medina Sánchez Castro
  • Patent number: 11646732
    Abstract: A power module includes: a GaN transistor, an NMOS transistor, a first capacitor, a first diode and a second diode. The NMOS transistor is electrically connected to the GaN transistor. A negative electrode of the first capacitor is electrically connected to an anode of the first diode and a gate of the GaN transistor. A cathode of the second diode is electrically connected to a gate of the NMOS transistor. The power module further includes a power module control terminal electrically connected to an anode of the first capacitor and an anode of the second diode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: NATIONAL YANG MING CHIAO TUNG UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Ching-Yao Liu, Yueh-Tsung Hsieh, Kuo-Bin Wang, Chih-Chiang Wu, Li-Chuan Tang, Wei-Hua Chieng, Edward Yi Chang, Stone Cheng
  • Patent number: 11646737
    Abstract: A level-shifting output buffer has cascode transistors with varying rather than fixed gate bias voltages. An adaptive regulator bypasses the I/O pad voltage to a regulator output when the I/O begins switching, but later clamps the regulator output to a middle bias voltage. The regulator output can be applied to a supply terminal of a buffer that drives the gate of the cascode transistor. Since the adaptive regulator follows the I/O pad voltage as switching begins, a voltage boost is provided to the gates of the cascode transistors, allowing for higher currents or smaller cascode transistors and preventing over-voltage stress. The adaptive regulator has an n-channel bypass transistor between the I/O pad and the regulator output, and an n-channel clamp transistor between the regulator output and the middle bias, with a gate driven from the I/O pad by either a p-channel gate-biasing transistor or an n-channel gate-biasing transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited
    Inventors: Chit Sang Chan, Chun-Kit Yam
  • Patent number: 11646729
    Abstract: In a first series circuit of a power supply control device, a first switch and a first resistor are connected in series. In a second series circuit, a second switch and a second resistor are connected in series. The second series circuit is connected in parallel to the first series circuit. An electric current detection circuit detects an electric current value of an electric current flowing through the first resistor. In a case where specific data is stored in a storage unit, a control unit (open failure detection unit) detects an open failure of the first switch or the second switch on the basis of the electric current value detected by the electric current detection circuit. In a case where the storage unit does not store the specific data, the control unit does not detect the open failure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignees: Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd., TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shinji Aoyama, Hiroshi Kimoto, Nobutoshi Hagiwara, Takumi Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 11641198
    Abstract: A gate driver circuit includes first through third transistors, a first voltage clamp, and control logic. The first transistor has a first control input and first and second current terminals. The first current terminal couples to a first voltage terminal. The first voltage clamp couples between the first voltage terminal and the first control input. The second transistor couples between the first control input and the second voltage terminal. The third transistor couples between the first control input and the second voltage terminal. The third transistor is smaller than the second transistor. The control logic is configured to turn on both the second and third transistors to thereby turn on the first transistor, and the first control logic configured to turn off the second transistor after the first transistor turns on while maintaining in an on-state the third transistor to maintain the first transistor in the on-state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Ahmed Essam Hashim, Karthikeyan Kandaswamy, Abhishek Badarinath
  • Patent number: 11631995
    Abstract: One embodiment provides a non-contact power transmitter device including a sealed housing provided at least partially within a surface, and a transmitter coil within the sealed housing configured to inductively transfer power to a power receiver device. The power transmitter device also includes a transmitter control unit coupled to the transmitter coil, a transceiver configured to communicate with the power receiver device, and an electronic processor coupled to the transmitter control unit and the transceiver. The electronic processor is configured to establish, using the transceiver, communication with the power receiver device, and negotiate power transfer requirements between the power transmitter device and the power receiver device. The electronic processor is also configured to control the transmitter control unit to transfer power to the power receiver device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: Hubbell Incorporated
    Inventors: John Brower, Matthew Samojeden, Shadi AbuGhazaleh, Robert Simon
  • Patent number: 11631516
    Abstract: Provided is an inductor stack structure. The inductor stack structure include a substrate; at least two metal layers sequentially stacked on one side of the substrate, each metal layer at least comprises a first plane inductor; a through hole, which is located between any two neighboring metal layers, first plane inductors in different metal layers are electrically connected through the through hole; and a thickness of the through hole is greater than that of the metal layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: ANHUI YUNTA ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Wei Cheng, Chengjie Zuo, Jun He
  • Patent number: 11632101
    Abstract: Some embodiments provide a voltage-level shifter circuit comprising a cross-coupled transistor pull-up network that includes a plurality of diode-connected transistors configured to cause the state of the cross-coupled transistor network to switch at a low current through a pull-down network coupled thereto, such as a current corresponding to near-threshold voltage or sub-threshold voltage operation of the pull-down network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: Bitmain Development Inc.
    Inventor: Stephen M. Beccue
  • Patent number: 11632107
    Abstract: A FET switch stack has a stacked arrangement of FET switches, a gate resistor network with ladder resistors and common gate resistors, and a gate resistor bypass arrangement. The bypass arrangement has a first set of bypass switches connected across the gate resistors and a second set of bypass switches connected across the ladder resistors. Bypass occurs during at least a portion of the transition state of the stacked arrangement of FET switches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: PSEMI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ravindranath D. Shrivastava, Alper Genc
  • Patent number: 11626872
    Abstract: A circuit includes first to third transistors. The first transistor includes a first terminal coupled to a first voltage, and a second terminal coupled to a connection. The second transistor includes a gate terminal coupled to the gate terminal of the first transistor, a first terminal coupled to a second voltage, and a second terminal coupled to the connection. The third transistor includes a first terminal coupled to the connection, a second terminal coupled to a node between the second terminals of the first and second transistors. The third transistor is controlled to be turned ON at a beginning of a first edge of a driving signal on the connection to pull a voltage of the driving signal on the first edge toward a threshold voltage, and be turned OFF in response to and after the voltage of the driving signal on the first edge reaching the threshold voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignees: TSMC CHINA COMPANY, LIMITED, TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Zhen Tang, Lei Pan, Miranda Ma
  • Patent number: 11626864
    Abstract: A level shifter circuit to convert a first signal having an input voltage range V1 to a level shifted output having an output voltage range V2 includes an NMOS depletion mode transistor having a drain terminal connected to an output range upper-level supply node, a source connected to an intermediate node and a gate connected to an output node, a PMOS enhancement mode transistor having a drain terminal connected to the output node, a source connected to the intermediate node and a gate connected to an input node, and an NMOS enhancement mode transistor having a drain terminal connected to the output node, a source connected to an output range lower-level supply node and a gate connected to the input node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: MACRONIX INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Chung-Kuang Chen
  • Patent number: 11626862
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a circuit of cyclic activation of an electronic function comprising a hysteresis comparator controlling the charge of a capacitive element powering the function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Alexandre Tramoni, Jimmy Fort
  • Patent number: 11621712
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a latch circuit including a first inverter configured to output a first signal based on an input signal, a second inverter configured to output a first clock signal based on a first strobe signal, a third inverter configured to output a second clock signal based on a second strobe signal, a first clock generation circuit configured to generate a third clock signal having transitions that are delayed with respect to the first clock signal, a second clock generation circuit configured to generate a fourth clock signal having transitions that are delayed with respect to the second clock signal, a fourth inverter configured to output an inversion signal of the first signal in accordance with the third and fourth clock signals, and a data latch circuit configured to latch an output signal of the fourth inverter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: Kioxia Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Hirashima, Masaru Koyanagi, Yutaka Takayama
  • Patent number: 11611343
    Abstract: A solid-state relay circuit includes an isolator circuit, a first output terminal, a second output terminal, and an output switch. The output switch is coupled to the isolator circuit, and includes a first transistor, a second transistor, and a diode. The first transistor is coupled to the first output terminal. The second transistor is coupled to the first transistor and the second output terminal. The diode is coupled to the first transistor, the second transistor, and ground, and is configured to block current flow from ground to the first transistor and the second transistor. The isolator circuit is coupled to the output switch and is configured to activate the first transistor and the second transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Navaneeth Kumar Narayanasamy, Manu Balakrishnan, Miroslav Oljaca
  • Patent number: 11611342
    Abstract: A clamping circuit comprises a first field-effect transistor (FET) having a gate, a source, and a drain, a diode, a first voltage source, and coupling circuitry configured to couple the first voltage source to the drain of the first FET and the diode to the source of the first FET.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: Skyworks Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Adrian John Bergsma
  • Patent number: 11611332
    Abstract: A gate driver includes: an input pin for receiving switching control information from a controller; an output pin for driving a control terminal of a power transistor; a power supply pin for receiving power from an external supply; an input side electrically connected to the input pin; an output side electrically connected to the output pin and the power supply pin; and an isolation structure galvanically isolating the input side and the output side from one another. The output side is configured to transfer a fraction of the power received at the power supply pin to the input side over the isolation structure for powering the input side. The input side is configured to convey the switching control information received at the input pin to the output side over the isolation structure. A power electronic system that includes the gate driver is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventor: Heiko Rettinger
  • Patent number: 11611339
    Abstract: The invention relates to the field of power semiconductor devices. This invention discloses a drive circuit and device of a power switch. The input terminal of the drive circuit receives a pulse signal; the output terminal of the drive circuit is connected to a capacitor circuit. The capacitor circuit is used to provide a negative voltage for a first electrode of the power switch to turn off the power switch when the pulse signal is a turn-off signal; the drive circuit includes a capacitance adjustment unit. The capacitance adjustment unit includes a negative voltage adjustment element that can charge a capacitor whose voltage is lower than a predetermined voltage when the pulse signal is the turn-off signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: InventChip Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Zhong Ye, Danyang Zhu
  • Patent number: 11606093
    Abstract: A level converting enable latch includes a level shifter circuit and a latch circuit. The level shifter circuit receives a first data input signal, and generates a first data output signal, wherein the first data input signal and the first data output signal have different voltage swings. The latch circuit sets a second data output signal in response to the first data output signal when a latch enable signal is set to a first logic value, and latches the second data output signal when the latch enable signal is set to a second logic value. The latch circuit includes a first control circuit. The first control circuit enables a latch feedback loop of the latch circuit when the latch enable signal is set to the second logic value, and disables the latch feedback loop of the latch circuit when the latch enable signal is set to the first logic value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: MEDIATEK INC.
    Inventors: Wei-Min Hsu, Jen-Hang Yang
  • Patent number: 11606019
    Abstract: A control circuit includes a detection module configured to detect an operating condition of a semiconductor switching device; a determining module configured to determine a gate allowable voltage of the semiconductor switching device based on the operating condition; and an output module configured to output a control signal to a driving power supply circuit of the semiconductor switching device based on the gate allowable voltage, to control the driving power supply circuit to provide a gate on voltage that is not higher than the gate allowable voltage and that is positively correlated with the gate allowable voltage for the semiconductor switching device. When the operating condition of the semiconductor switching device becomes better, the gate allowable voltage of the semiconductor switching device is increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: Huawei Digital Power Technologies Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Dong Chen, Lei Shi, Zhaohui Wang
  • Patent number: 11601122
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a power integrated circuit (IC) for a switching power supply device that generates an output voltage based on an input voltage. The circuit includes: a high-side transistor, disposed between an input terminal applied with the input voltage and a switch terminal; and a low-side transistor, disposed between the switch terminal and a ground terminal. A feedback control for turning on or off the transistor is performed based on a feedback voltage corresponding to the output voltage. A protection circuit is capable of performing a protection operation for turning on the high-side transistor or the low-side transistor regardless of the feedback control based on a switch voltage at the switch terminal and the input voltage, based on a backflow current from the ground terminal to the switch terminal, or based on the input voltage and a predetermined determination voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: Rohm Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shidong Guan