Abstract: A first circuit is coupled to a second circuit via a communication link. The first circuit generates a first validation signal, a second validation signal, and control signals, and transmits the first and second validation signals to the second circuit via the communication link. The second circuit validates the control signals based on the first and second binary validation signals. The validating includes: verifying that when the first validation signal has a first value, the second validation signal has a second value different from the first value; verifying that when the second validation signal has the first value, the first validation signal has the second value; verifying detection of a transition edge of the first validation signal within a threshold number of clock cycles; and verifying detection of a transition edge of the second validation signal within the threshold number of clock cycles.

Abstract: A battery management system includes: a controller; a master battery management integrated circuit (BMIC) device coupled to the controller and configured to communicate with the controller through a standard Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) protocol; and a first slave BMIC device and a second slave BMIC device that are connected in a daisy chain configuration and communicating through Isolated SPI interfaces, where the first slave BMIC device is coupled to the master BMIC through an Isolated SPI interface, where the Isolated SPI interface uses a differential signal comprising a positive signal and a complementary negative signal, where a bit frame of the positive signal includes a bit period followed by an idle period having a same duration as the bit period, where the first slave BMIC device and the second slave BMIC device are configured to be coupled to a first battery pack and a second battery pack, respectively.

Abstract: An embodiment circuit comprises high-side and low-side switches arranged between supply and reference nodes, and having an intermediate node. A switching control signal is applied with opposite polarities to the high-side and low-side switches. An inductive load is coupled between the intermediate node and one of the supply and reference nodes. Current sensing circuitry is configured to sample a first value of the load current flowing in one of the high-side and low-side switches before a commutation of the switching control signal, sample a second value of the load current flowing in the other of the high-side and low-side switches after the commutation of the switching control signal, sample a third value of the load current flowing in the other of the high-side and low-side switches after the second sampling, and generate a failure signal as a function of the first, second and third sampled values of the load current.

Abstract: In an embodiment a method includes receiving, at an input of a low-voltage section of a gate driver, a PWM control signal with a switching frequency, providing, at an output of a high-voltage section of the gat driver, a gate-driving signal as a function of the PWM control signal to a power stage, wherein the high-voltage section is galvanically isolated from the low-voltage section, receiving, at a feedback input of the high-voltage section, at least one feedback signal indicative of an operation of the power stage, converting, at an ADC module of the high-voltage section, the feedback signal into a digital data stream, providing, to the ADC module, a conversion-trigger signal designed to determine a start of a conversion for acquiring a new sample of the feedback signal and sending, via an isolation communication channel between the low-voltage section and the high-voltage section, the digital data stream to the low-voltage section.

Abstract: An integrated circuit includes a plurality of power transistor driver channels for driving external loads. The driver channels can be selectively configured as high side or low side driver channels. The integrated circuit includes, for each driver channel, a respective analog test circuit and a respective controller. The integrated circuit includes a single counter connected to each of the controllers for simultaneously controlling off-state diagnosis timing windows for the driver channels.

Abstract: In an embodiment an isolated gate driver device includes a low-voltage section having a control input configured to receive a PWM control signal with a switching frequency from a control stage, a high-voltage section, galvanically isolated from the low-voltage section the high-voltage section including a driving output configured to provide a gate-driving signal as a function of the PWM control signal to a power stage having at least one switch, a feedback input configured to receive at least one feedback signal indicative of an operation of the power stag, and an ADC module configured to convert the feedback signal into a digital data stream and a conversion-control module coupled to the ADC module and configured to provide a conversion-trigger signal designed to determine a start of a conversion for acquiring a new sample of the feedback signal.

Abstract: A communication system has a galvanic isolation link coupling a first circuit to a second circuit. The first circuit transmits first data signals to the second circuit and receives second data signals from the second circuit in response to the first data signals. The data signals are transmitted in consecutive time slots of a determined time duration via the galvanic isolation link. The first data signals include polling signals transmitted from the first circuit to the second circuit during consecutive time slots, and on-demand access requests transmitted from the first circuit to the second circuit. The second data signals include status response signals transmitted from the second circuit to the first circuit in response to polling signals received from the first circuit, and access response signals transmitted from the second circuit to the first circuit in response to access requests received from the first circuit.

Abstract: In an embodiment an isolated gate driver device includes a low-voltage section having a control input configured to receive a PWM control signal with a switching frequency from a control stage, a high-voltage section, galvanically isolated from the low-voltage section the high-voltage section including a driving output configured to provide a gate-driving signal as a function of the PWM control signal to a power stage having at least one switch, a feedback input configured to receive at least one feedback signal indicative of an operation of the power stag, and an ADC module configured to convert the feedback signal into a digital data stream and a conversion-control module coupled to the ADC module and configured to provide a conversion-trigger signal designed to determine a start of a conversion for acquiring a new sample of the feedback signal.

Abstract: A communication system has a galvanic isolation link coupling a first circuit to a second circuit. The first circuit transmits first data signals to the second circuit and receives second data signals from the second circuit in response to the first data signals. The data signals are transmitted in consecutive time slots of a determined time duration via the galvanic isolation link. The first data signals include polling signals transmitted from the first circuit to the second circuit during consecutive time slots, and on-demand access requests transmitted from the first circuit to the second circuit. The second data signals include status response signals transmitted from the second circuit to the first circuit in response to polling signals received from the first circuit, and access response signals transmitted from the second circuit to the first circuit in response to access requests received from the first circuit.

Abstract: An embodiment circuit comprises high-side and low-side switches arranged between supply and reference nodes, and having an intermediate node. A switching control signal is applied with opposite polarities to the high-side and low-side switches. An inductive load is coupled between the intermediate node and one of the supply and reference nodes. Current sensing circuitry is configured to sample a first value of the load current flowing in one of the high-side and low-side switches before a commutation of the switching control signal, sample a second value of the load current flowing in the other of the high-side and low-side switches after the commutation of the switching control signal, sample a third value of the load current flowing in the other of the high-side and low-side switches after the second sampling, and generate a failure signal as a function of the first, second and third sampled values of the load current.

Abstract: A PWM signal generator to provide a supply current to an electrical load generates PWM signals at a first frequency, the PWM signals having a duty cycle. Operating the generator involves receiving a set point signal indicative of a target average value for the supply current, sensing a sensing signal indicative of a current actual value of the supply current, performing a closed-loop control of the supply current targeting the target value for the supply current via a controller such as a PID Controller which controls the duty cycle of the PWM signals generated by the PWM signal generator as a function of the offset of the sensing signal with respect to the set point signal.

Abstract: A PWM signal generator to provide a supply current to an electrical load generates PWM signals at a first frequency, the PWM signals having a duty cycle. Operating the generator involves receiving a set point signal indicative of a target average value for the supply current, sensing a sensing signal indicative of a current actual value of the supply current, performing a closed-loop control of the supply current targeting the target value for the supply current via a controller such as a PID Controller which controls the duty cycle of the PWM signals generated by the PWM signal generator as a function of the offset of the sensing signal with respect to the set point signal.