Patents Assigned to Allegro Microsystems, LLC
  • Circuits and Methods for Self-Calibrating or Self-Testing a Magnetic Field Sensor Using Phase Discrimination
    Publication number: 20150301149
    Abstract: A magnetic field sensor has a reference magnetic field channel and an external magnetic field channel. The magnetic field sensor uses phase discrimination to isolate a reference-magnetic-field signal component from an external magnetic field signal component in the two channels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2014
    Publication date: October 22, 2015
    Applicant: ALLEGRO MICROSYSTEMS, LLC
    Inventors: Juan Manuel Cesaretti, Octavio Alpago, Alejandro G. Milesi, Franco Noel Martin Pirchio, Hernan D. Romero, Bruno Luis Uberti
  • Method and apparatus to recover from an erroneous logic state in an electronic system
    Patent number: 9164826
    Abstract: An electronic system includes circuitry to detect errors in logic state in the system and to initiate corrective action when one or more errors are detected. In some embodiments, redundant information is stored within a system that is associated with an operational state of the system. If the operational state of the system is subsequently corrupted as a result of an electrical or mechanical overstress condition, resulting errors may be detected by comparing or otherwise processing the stored operational state information and the redundant information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: Allegro Microsystems, LLC
    Inventor: Devon Fernandez
  • Electric Motor Drive Isolation Circuit
    Publication number: 20150288304
    Abstract: An isolation circuit is coupled between motor driver half bridge circuits and an electric motor. A motor controller circuit supplies motor drive signals to the motor driver half bridge circuits. The isolation circuit includes transistors coupled in series with the motor windings. Low to medium power diodes are coupled between a reference voltage source and control terminals of the transistors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2015
    Publication date: October 8, 2015
    Applicant: ALLEGRO MICROSYSTEMS, LLC
    Inventors: Edward Chappell, Robert D. Christie, James McIntosh, Peter Morris
  • Methods and Apparatus for Passive Attachment of Components for Integrated Circuits
    Publication number: 20150285874
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for a sensor having a die supporting a magnetic field sensor element, a leadframe having opposed first and second surfaces and leadfingers, a passive component coupled to the first and second ones of the leadfingers such that the component is an integrated part of an IC package, and a magnet adjacent to the second surface of leadframe to back bias the magnetic field sensor element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2015
    Publication date: October 8, 2015
    Applicant: ALLEGRO MICROSYSTEMS, LLC
    Inventors: William P. Taylor, Virgil Ararao, Leonardo Magpantay, Raymond W. Engel, Nirmal Sharma, Kirsten Doogue, Jay Gagnon
  • Apparatus and method for providing an output signal indicative of a speed of rotation and a direction of rotation of a ferromagnetic object
    Patent number: 9151771
    Abstract: An apparatus and a method provide an output signal indicative of a speed of rotation and a direction of rotation of a ferromagnetic object capable of rotating. A variety of signal formats of the output signal are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: Allegro Microsystems, LLC
    Inventors: Ravi Vig, P. Karl Scheller, Paul A. David
  • Electronic circuits and techniques for improving a short duty cycle behavior of a DC-DC converter driving a load
    Patent number: 9155156
    Abstract: An electronic circuit, referred to as an on-time extension circuit herein, provides an ability to adjust a power delivered to a load by pulsing a predetermined current to the load. The on time of the a DC-DC converter used to provide the power is extended to be longer than the on time of the current pulse when the on time of the current pulses becomes very short.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: Allegro Microsystems, LLC
    Inventor: Gregory Szczeszynski
  • Circuits and methods for generating a self-test of a magnetic field sensor
    Patent number: 9151807
    Abstract: A magnetic field sensor includes built in self-test circuits that allow a self-test of most of, or all of, the circuitry of the magnetic field sensor, including self-test of a magnetic field sensing element used within the magnetic field sensor, while the magnetic field sensor is functioning in normal operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: Allegro Microsystems, LLC
    Inventors: Andreas P. Friedrich, Andrea Foletto, Michael C. Doogue, William P. Taylor, Ravi Vig, P. Karl Scheller
  • Systems and Methods for a Magnetic Target with Magnetic Bias Field
    Publication number: 20150276434
    Abstract: Systems and techniques for a detecting a magnetic target that reduce output signal jitter are disclosed. A system includes a magnetic target. The magnetic target has a plurality of regions having juxtaposed edges and opposing ends. Adjacent ones of the plurality of regions have different magnetic polarities. The magnetic target includes a first magnetic strip, having a first magnetic polarity disposed at one end of the regions, and a second magnetic strip having a second magnetic polarity opposite to the first magnetic polarity disposed at a second end of the regions to generate a magnetic bias across at least a portion of the regions. The system includes at least one magnetic field sensing element placed in proximity to the magnetic target and configured to produce an output signal responsive to the magnetic target.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2014
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Applicant: Allegro Microsystems, LLC
    Inventors: Andreas P. Friedrich, Yannick Vuillermet
  • Electronic Comparison Circuit To Identify At Least Three Conditions of an Input Signal
    Publication number: 20150268312
    Abstract: An electronic comparison circuit can identify at least three conditions of an input signal received by the electronic comparison circuit. A first one of the at least three conditions occurs when a value of the input signal is less than a first threshold value, a second one of the at least three conditions occurs when a value of the input signal is greater than the first threshold value and less than a second threshold value, and a third one of the at least three conditions occurs when a value of the input signal is greater than the second threshold value. A magnetic field sensor can use the electronic comparison circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2015
    Publication date: September 24, 2015
    Applicant: ALLEGRO MICROSYSTEMS, LLC
    Inventors: Manuel Rivas, Juan Manuel Cesaretti, Pablo Javier Bolsinger
  • LED driver having priority queue to track dominant LED channel
    Patent number: 9144126
    Abstract: An electronic circuit for driving a plurality of light emitting diode (LED) channels coupled to a common voltage node includes a priority queue for tracking a dominant LED channel. A queue manager may be provided to keep the priority queue updated during LED drive operations based on operating conditions associated with the LED channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: Allegro Microsystems, LLC
    Inventors: Pranav Raval, Gregory Szczeszynski, David Toebes
  • Circuits and methods using a first cycle of a signal to generate a threshold signal used for comparing to a second later cycle of the signal
    Patent number: 9140536
    Abstract: A circuit to detect a movement of an object provides a threshold selection module that uses one or more threshold signals identified during a first cycle of a proximity signal prior to a second different cycle of the magnetic field signal in order to establish a threshold signal used to compare with the second cycle of the magnetic field signal. A method associated with the circuit is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: Allegro Microsystems, LLC
    Inventors: Andrea Foletto, Andreas P. Friedrich
  • Circuits and Methods for Limiting a Smallest Separation of Thresholds in a Magnetic Field Sensor
    Publication number: 20150260803
    Abstract: A magnetic field sensor uses upper and lower thresholds. The upper and lower thresholds are limited such that they have a minimum separation distance between equivalent voltage levels of the upper and lower thresholds.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2015
    Publication date: September 17, 2015
    Applicant: Allegro Microsystems, LLC
    Inventors: Michael Chen, Eric Burdette, Devon Fernandez, Steven E. Snyder, Jacob Harer
  • CIRCULAR VERTICAL HALL MAGNETIC FIELD SENSING ELEMENT AND METHOD WITH A PLURALITY OF CONTINUOUS OUTPUT SIGNALS
    Publication number: 20150253156
    Abstract: A circular vertical Hall (CVH) sensing element and an associated method provide a plurality of output signals from a respective plurality of vertical Hall elements in the CVH sensing element at the same time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2015
    Publication date: September 10, 2015
    Applicant: ALLEGRO MICROSYSTEMS, LLC
    Inventor: Craig S. Petrie
  • DUTY CYCLE CONTROLLER
    Publication number: 20150244353
    Abstract: In one aspect, a duty cycle controller includes a first port configured to receive a voltage bias signal, a second port configured to receive an input voltage signal, a third port configured to provide an output signal of the duty cycle controller having a duty cycle and a n-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC) configured to receive the voltage bias signal and to provide a DAC output signal to a comparator. The DAC output signal has a peak value. The duty cycle controller also includes the comparator configured to compare the DAC output signal from the n-bit DAC with the input voltage signal to provide a comparator output signal. The comparator output signal is used to provide the output signal of the duty cycle controller and the duty cycle changes with changes to the input voltage signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2014
    Publication date: August 27, 2015
    Applicant: ALLEGRO MICROSYSTEMS, LLC
    Inventors: George P. Humphrey, William E. Martin
  • Arrangements For An Integrated Sensor
    Publication number: 20150243882
    Abstract: An integrated circuit can have a first substrate supporting a magnetic field sensing element and a second substrate supporting another magnetic field sensing element. The first and second substrates can be arranged in a variety of configurations. Another integrated circuit can have a first magnetic field sensing element and second different magnetic field sensing element disposed on surfaces thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2015
    Publication date: August 27, 2015
    Applicant: Allegro MicroSystems, LLC
    Inventors: Michael C. Doogue, William P. Taylor, Vijay Mangtani
  • SIGNALING BETWEEN MASTER AND SLAVE COMPONENTS USING A SHARED COMMUNICATION NODE OF THE MASTER COMPONENT
    Publication number: 20150236876
    Abstract: In one aspect, a system includes a master component having a communication node; and a plurality of slave components. Each slave component has a bidirectional node. The slave components are configured to each store data in response to a trigger signal received at the bidirectional node from the communication node.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2014
    Publication date: August 20, 2015
    Applicant: Allegro Microsystems, LLC
    Inventors: Bryan Cadugan, Michael C. Doogue, Mark J. Donovan
  • Signaling Between Master and Slave Components Using a Shared Communication Node of the Master Component
    Publication number: 20150236869
    Abstract: A network slave device includes a transceiver for communicating over a communication bus in accordance with a point-to-point network protocol. The network slave device may include an address to identify the network slave device on the network. It may also include a communication circuit configured to process a command received by the transceiver and generate a reply for transmission over the communication bus if an address included in the command matches the address of the slave device. A master device communicating on the network may send commands including the address of the slave device in accordance with the point-to-point network protocol. In an embodiment, the point-to-point protocol is the SENT protocol.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2015
    Publication date: August 20, 2015
    Applicant: Allegro MicroSystems, LLC
    Inventors: Richard Vreeland, Nevenka Kozomora, Michael C. Doogue, Ricardo Scheinkerman
  • DIRECT CONNECTED SILICON CONTROLLED RECTIFIER (SCR) HAVING INTERNAL TRIGGER
    Publication number: 20150236011
    Abstract: In one aspect, a direct connected silicon control rectifier (DCSCR) includes a substrate having a semiconductor surface, a parasitic PNP bipolar transistor and a parasitic NPN bipolar transistor formed in the semiconductor surface. The parasitic PNP bipolar transistor includes a p+ emitter, an nbase and a pcollector and the parasitic NPN bipolar includes an n+ emitter, a pbase and an ncollector. The DCSCR also includes an electrically conductive line connecting an n+ contact to the nbase to a p+ contact to the pbase so that the nbase and the pbase are shorted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2015
    Publication date: August 20, 2015
    Applicant: Allegro Microsystems, LLC
    Inventors: Zhixin Wang, Juin Jei Liou, Ruei-Cheng Sun
  • Signaling Between Master and Slave Components Using a Shared Communication Node of the Master Component
    Publication number: 20150236746
    Abstract: A network slave device includes a transceiver for communicating over a communication bus in accordance with a point-to-point network protocol. The network slave device may have an address to identify the network slave device on the network. It may also have a communication circuit configured to process a series of commands received by the transceiver and respond to a command if a position of the command in the series of commands corresponds to the address of the network slave device. A master device communicating on the network may send the series of command in accordance with the point-to-point network protocol. In an embodiment, the point-to-point protocol is the SENT protocol.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2015
    Publication date: August 20, 2015
    Applicant: ALLEGRO MICROSYSTEMS, LLC
    Inventors: Ricardo Scheinkerman, Nevenka Kozomora, Michael C. Doogue, Richard Vreeland
  • Vertical hall effect element with structures to improve sensitivity
    Patent number: 9099638
    Abstract: A vertical Hall Effect element includes one or more of: a low voltage P-well region disposed at a position between pickups of the vertical Hall Effect element, Light-N regions disposed under the pickups, a pre-epi implant region, or two epi regions to result in an improved sensitivity of the vertical Hall Effect element. A method results in the vertical Hall Effect element having the improved sensitivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: Allegro Microsystems, LLC
    Inventors: Yigong Wang, Richard B. Cooper