Abstract: A driving circuit and a method for a backlight using light-emitting diodes, LED, the backlight having a first and second segment is presented. A driving circuit for an LED backlight with a first and second segment has a first terminal, a second terminal for sensing a first signal, a third terminal for connecting to a first current generating unit for providing a first driving current, a first current regulation circuit, a fourth terminal for sensing a second signal, a fifth terminal for connecting to a second current generating unit, a second current regulation circuit for controlling the second current generating unit, and a control unit which is prepared to adjust the supply voltage and to adjust the first and/or second driving current in dependence on the first and the second signal by means of the first and/or the second current regulation circuits.

Abstract: A method of producing an apparatus comprising an electrical circuit that has one or more characteristics that meet a design specification is presented. The method includes designing the electrical circuit with a trim circuit having a trim value that is variable, The electrical circuit is adjustable based on the trim value of the trim circuit. There is encoding of the functional circuit information and/or trim circuit information in a tag, The method has a reading of the functional circuit information and/or the trim circuit information stored in the tag and the determining of the trim value for the trim circuit that results in the characteristic of the electrical circuit meeting the design specification using the functional circuit information and/or the trim circuit information.

Abstract: A current regulator and a method for regulating a current flowing through a device such as a semiconductor light source is presented. The current regulator has a voltage controller coupled to a current steering circuit. The voltage controller is adapted to operate the current steering circuit in a linear mode.

Abstract: Circuits and methods to enable wireless power transmission and reception are presented. A two-stage power converter has a boost regulator to boost an input voltage to an intermediate voltage. Moreover, the two-stage power converter may also comprise a charge pump coupled to the boost regulator to generate an output voltage based on the intermediated voltage. More particularly, the charge pump may comprise a plurality of transistor devices and a flying capacitor and the charge pump may be bypassed during a bypass mode of operation. Finally, the two-stage power converter may have control circuitry coupled to the charge pump. In particular, the control circuitry may generate a control voltage of a first transistor device of the plurality of transistor devices in order to regulate a discharge rate of the flying capacitor, during a transition phase from the bypass mode of operation to a normal mode of operation.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for operating a semiconductor light source is presented. In particular there is a current regulator for regulating a current flowing through a light emitting diode device. The current regulator includes a first switch for receiving a first current flowing through the semiconductor light source and a control circuit coupled to the first switch and adapted to provide a second current proportional to the first current. The current regulator is adapted to regulate the first current using the second current.

Abstract: A regulation loop circuit and a method for a buck converter for receiving an input voltage and providing an output voltage are presented. The buck converter has a capacitive divider coupled to the input terminal and comprising a first capacitor, a second capacitor, and a plurality of switches. An inductor is coupled to the capacitive divider at a switching node and is coupled to the output terminal. The regulation loop circuit is coupled to the output terminal and a reference voltage. The loop regulates the output voltage based on the reference voltage by i) regulating a switching node voltage by switching the buck converter through a plurality of phases. and ii) maintaining an approximately equal duration for each phase.

Abstract: A DC/DC power converter and a method to convert an input voltage into an output voltage are presented. The power converter may have a first flying capacitor, a second flying capacitor, an inductor, and switching elements. It may control the switching elements such that the switching elements establish a first magnetizing current path from the input node, via the first flying capacitor, via the second flying capacitor, via the inductor, to the output node. The converter may control the switching elements to interrupt said first magnetizing current path after a pre-determined time interval. The converter may control the switching elements such that the switching elements establish a demagnetizing current path from a reference potential via the inductor to the output node. The converter may control the switching elements such that said demagnetizing current path is interrupted when a current through the inductor reaches a pre-determined threshold current value.

Abstract: A boost DC-DC switching converter architecture is provided, with a spread spectrum technique working in pulse skip mode, and a fixed frequency clock reference, comprising a high side switch and a low side switch, controlled by a voltage or current mode control loop operating in a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) mode, and having a pulse skip mode. The switching converter comprises an inductor, connected between an input voltage terminal and the high side switch, and also connected to the low-side switch, and a random delay generator, where the random delay generator randomly varies a time for entering, or exiting, or both entering and exiting pulse skip mode, and varies a time where the high side switch is turned off in pulse skip mode.

Abstract: A multi-phase switching power converter is disclosed in which the duty cycle of active phases following a phase shedding transition is temporarily adjusted to increase the operating speed of the multi-phase switching power converter.

Abstract: A power converter and method to provide a small conversion ratio between an input and an output voltage. The power converter has an inductor coupled to the input port of the power converter. The power converter has a first stage with an input node; a first switch; a second switch; a third switch coupled to the second switch of the first stage and to a reference potential; and a flying capacitor coupled to the input node. The power converter also has a second stage with an input node; a first switch coupled to the input node of the second stage and to the output port of the power converter; a second switch coupled to the input node of the first stage; a third switch coupled to the second switch of the second stage and to the reference potential; and a flying capacitor coupled to the inductor.

Abstract: A multi-level buck converter is provided with seamless transitions back and forth from synchronous to asynchronous low dropout modes of operation.

Abstract: A serial communication protocol for daisy-chained slave devices does away with the requirement for an entire byte of dummy clocks to be cycled between a slave's input and output, instead requiring a shorter set of dummy clock cycles which improves efficiency of a serial communication system. According to a specification of a serial communications protocol, data is exchanged between master and slave devices in communication frames. Each communication frame has a command portion and a data portion, and each respective portion may comprise packages of one or more bytes.

Abstract: A voltage regulator and a method are presented. The regulator has a pass device coupled to an input node at an input voltage. Furthermore, the voltage regulator has a regulator circuit to control the pass device to provide a regulated output voltage at an output node based on the input voltage. Components of the regulator circuit are arranged and operated between the input node and the output node. The voltage regulator allows a load of the voltage regulator to be arranged between the output node and a reference node at a reference voltage, wherein the reference voltage differs from the output voltage.

Abstract: An electronic circuit provided with a III/V semiconductor domain, and a method of operating such a circuit is presented. In particular, the present application relates to electronic circuit based on a Gallium Nitride (GaN) semiconductor. GaN components must be controlled in a way that ensures proper operation over a wide variation of GaN parameters. There is a circuit comprising a first domain coupled to a second domain, the first domain being based on a III/V semiconductor; wherein the first domain comprises a first component and a second component. The second component being representative of an electrical characteristic of the first component. The second domain contains a sensor adapted to sense an electrical quantity of the second component and an input generator coupled to the sensor. The input generator is adapted to provide at least one input, based on the electrical quantity, to the first domain.

Abstract: A power supply and a method to provide power to a load via a power delivery network are presented. The power delivery network adds a pole and/or zero to a transfer function of the power supply. The power supply has a feedback unit to sense a load voltage at the load and to provide a feedback voltage which is indicative of the load voltage. The power supply has an input amplifier provides an error voltage based on the feedback voltage. The power supply has a power converter to provide power to the power delivery network depending on the error voltage. The power supply has an equalization unit to add a zero and/or a pole to the transfer function of the power supply, such that the pole and/or zero of the power delivery network is partially compensated. The equalization unit is located between an input amplifier and a power converter.

Abstract: DC-DC voltage regulators for converting an input voltage into one or more output voltages and methods for operating such voltage regulators are described. The voltage regulator may have a high side switching device coupled between the input port and a first intermediate node. The voltage regulator may have an inductive element having one port coupled to the first intermediate node and may have a capacitive element having two ports, coupled between the first intermediate node and a second intermediate node, with its one port coupled to the first intermediate node. The voltage regulator may have a charging switching device coupled between the other port of the capacitive element and a predetermined voltage level, for charging the capacitive element when the high side switching device and the charging switching device are both in an ON state.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for charge recycling. The method is comprised of the steps of receiving a charge at an energy storage element from a parasitic component, storing the charge at the energy storage element, and providing the charge stored at the energy storage element to a power supply's input or output. The step of receiving the charge at the energy storage element includes operating a discharging switch to selectively couple the parasitic component with the energy storage element and receiving the charge at the energy storage element via the discharging switch when the energy storage element and the parasitic component are coupled.

Abstract: A power converter and a method for receiving an input voltage and providing an output voltage is presented. The power converter has a switching circuit to generate the output voltage. The switching circuit has a first switch, a switch control circuit arranged to selectively operate the first switch in a first state or a second state. There is a ripple reduction circuit to set a first state duration based on a property of a load current. The load current is a current that the power converter provides to a load that is coupled to the output voltage.

Abstract: A power system and related methods provide sense resistor fault detection and safe operation of switching power converters and connected devices such as portable electronic devices powered by the switching power converter. The power system detects an open circuit or short circuit condition of the sense resistor and controls output current of the switching power converter to ensure safe operating conditions of the power system and connected equipment. The power system can also detect initial inrush current of the connected equipment and detect a duty cycle of the switching power converter to positively detect a short circuit condition of the sense resistor.

Abstract: A power converter for converting an input voltage at an input port into an output voltage at an output port of the power converter is described. The power converter comprises an inductor having a first inductor port and a second inductor port, wherein the second inductor port is coupled to the output port. Furthermore, the power converter comprises a flying capacitor having a first capacitor port and a second capacitor port, and a switching cell. In addition, the power converter comprises a control unit to operate the switching cell in a first sequence of operation phases to perform step-up conversion; and in a second sequence of operation phases to perform step-down conversion.