Patents Assigned to Monolithic Power Systems
  • Digital controlled battery charging system
    Patent number: 10381854
    Abstract: A battery charging system has a switching circuit and a control circuit. The switching circuit has a first switch, and the control circuit has a plurality of analog control loops and a digital control unit. Each of the analog control loops provides a loop control signal based on a corresponding feedback signal, a corresponding reference signal and a slope compensation signal. The digital control unit provides a switching control signal to control the first switch based on the plurality of analog control loops and a time period control signal, and the digital control unit turns ON or turns OFF the first switch automatically in response to one of the plurality of analog control loops.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: Chengdu Monolithic Power Systems co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Min Xu, Qiming Zhao, Xiaoqing Li
  • Symmetrical power stages for high power integrated circuits
    Patent number: 10361631
    Abstract: A circuit assembly for a power converter includes power stage blocks. A power stage block includes a power stage IC die, an output inductor that is connected to a switch node of the power stage IC die, and capacitors that form an output capacitor of the power stage block. The output capacitors of the power stage blocks are symmetrically arranged. The output inductors can be placed on the same side of the substrate as the power stage IC dies, or on a side of the substrate that is opposite to the side where the power stage IC dies are disposed. A power stage block may generate two output phases of the power converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignee: MONOLITHIC POWER SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: Jinghai Zhou, Chia-Hsin Chang
  • Oscillator with inherent comparator delay influence eliminated
    Patent number: 10348277
    Abstract: There is provided an oscillator which includes a current source, a capacitor coupled between the current source and a reference ground, a first switch coupled to the capacitor in parallel, an error amplifier, a comparator and a one-shot circuit. The error amplifier is coupled to the capacitor and configured to generate a regulation voltage based on a reference voltage and the voltage across the capacitor. The comparator is configured to compare the voltage across the capacitor with the regulation voltage and generate a comparison signal. The one-shot circuit is coupled to the comparator, wherein based on the comparison signal, the one-shot circuit generates a trigger signal to control the first switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: Chengdu Monolithic Power Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Li Xu
  • Supply voltage generating circuit and associated integrated circuit
    Patent number: 10348215
    Abstract: A supply voltage generating circuit for generating a supply voltage signal to supply the active elements of an AC-DC voltage converter. The supply voltage generating circuit has a charging switch, a charging diode and a charging capacitor. When a main switch of the AC-DC voltage converter is turned on, the charging switch is turned on. Primary current flows through the charging switch and the main switch to the logic ground. When the main switch is turned off and the voltage across the charging capacitor is smaller than a charging threshold, the charging switch is kept on for a period of time and the primary current flows through the charging switch and the charging diode to the charging capacitor. When the period of time is expired or the supply voltage signal is larger than the charging threshold signal, the charging switch is turned off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: Chengdu Monolithic Power Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Lin Feng
  • DC-DC converter with transient control and the method thereof
    Patent number: 10348197
    Abstract: A DC-DC converter with transient control. The DC-DC converter includes a power switching circuit, a current to voltage converter, a PI circuit 403, a voltage to current converter 404 and a logic and control circuit 405. The DC-DC converter obtains the transient information of a current flowing through the power switching circuit, to slow down the variation of the output voltage, so as to eliminate the overshot issue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: Monolithic Power Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Chao Liu, Lijie Jiang, Qian Ouyang, Xiaokang Wu
  • Charging circuit and the method thereof
    Patent number: 10348111
    Abstract: A charging circuit adopts a plurality of feedback control circuits, a constant time signal generator and a logic circuit to control the operation of a power switch. The charge circuit needs no oscillator with high frequency, error amplifier with high speed and high accuracy, or compensation circuit with complicated structure, so the system portability is highly improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: Monolithic Power Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Min Xu, Xiaoqing Li, Qiming Zhao
  • Switching converter with quasi-resonant control and the method thereof
    Patent number: 10348182
    Abstract: A switching converter with quasi-resonant control having a switch and an energy storage component, comprising a peak current regulating circuit configured to provide a peak current regulating signal to regulate a peak current signal or a current sense signal, wherein the peak current regulating signal is adjusted when non-CCM (Current Continuous Mode) and non-valley-switching are detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: Chengdu Monolithic Power Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Siran Wang
  • Power supply circuit for computing platform
    Patent number: 10348115
    Abstract: A system has a processor, a battery charging circuit, a voltage regulating circuit and a control circuit. The control circuit provides digitalized feedback signals representative of circuit parameters of the battery charging circuit and circuit parameters of the voltage regulating circuit to the processor and receives a first information and a second information from the processor. The processor is able to adjust its operating states in response to the digitalized feedback signals. The control circuit controls the battery charging circuit in response to the circuit parameters of the battery charging circuit and the first information received from the processor, and the control circuit controls the voltage regulating circuit in response to the circuit parameters of the voltage regulating circuit and the second information received from the processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: Chengdu Monolithic Power Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Qian Ouyang
  • Current driving control for high brightness LED matrix
    Patent number: 10342083
    Abstract: A LED driving system for a LED matrix having a plurality of LEDs connected in parallel. The LED driving system includes a plurality of driving modules. Each one of the plurality of driving modules drives a corresponding one of the plurality of LEDs. Each one of the plurality of driving modules can include a local current driver receiving a reference current and providing a driving current to the corresponding one LED, and a local current tuning module receiving a U-bit current tuning command to tune the driving current for the corresponding one LED to reach a desired driving current using the U-bit current tuning command which provides a predetermined number of tuning steps ranging from 0 to 2U.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: Monolithic Power Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Zheng Luo, Junjian Zhao, Tong Chen, Yu-Huei Lee
  • Boost converter and the method thereof
    Patent number: 10284086
    Abstract: A boost converter having an inductor having a first terminal coupled to an input port to receive the input voltage; a high side switch coupled between the inductor and an output port; a low side switch coupled between the inductor and a ground reference; and a control circuit configured to receive a feedback signal indicative of the output voltage and a reference signal, and to provide a high side control signal and a low side control signal based on the feedback signal and the reference signal; wherein the low side switch on time period is controlled to be constant by the low side control signal when the input voltage and the output voltage are fixed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: Monolithic Power Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Yike Li
  • Multiphase power supply with constant on-time DC-DC converters
    Patent number: 10270343
    Abstract: A multiphase power supply includes several constant ON-time (COT) DC-DC converter integrated circuits (ICs), with each COT DC-DC converter IC providing an output voltage of a phase of the multiphase power supply. The COT DC-DC converter ICs are sequentially turned ON one after another in interleaved fashion. A COT DC-DC converter IC receives a control signal at a take pin and, in response, turns ON its output switch. The COT DC-DC converter IC generates another control signal at a pass pin. The next COT DC-DC converter IC turns ON its output switch in response to receiving the other control signal from the previous COT DC-DC converter IC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: Monolithic Power Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: James Nguyen, Yan Dong, Jinghai Zhou, Rohan Samsi
  • Resonant converter with adaptive switching frequency and the method thereof
    Patent number: 10263528
    Abstract: A resonant converter with adaptive switching frequency operates continuously at best efficiency point. A power switch at primary side is turned off when a current flowing through a corresponding output power stage at secondary side falls to zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: Chengdu Monolithic Power Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Qian Ouyang
  • Power converter with average current detection and the detecting circuit and method thereof
    Patent number: 10261113
    Abstract: A power converter with average current detection and the corresponding detecting method and detecting circuit are disclosed. The average current detecting circuit has an average voltage detecting circuit and a voltage-current converting circuit. The average voltage detecting circuit generates a voltage across a detecting resistor by letting an inductor current flowing through an output inductor of the power converter flowing through the detecting resistor. Further, the average voltage detecting circuit samples the voltage across the detecting resistor when a switch of the power converter transits from an on state into an off state and the opposite and then calculates the average value of the two sampled voltages. The voltage-current converting circuit converts the average value into an average current by multiplying the average value by a scaling factor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: Chengdu Monolithic Power Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yike Li
  • Bi-directional snapback ESD protection circuit
    Patent number: 10263420
    Abstract: An ESD protection circuit having a discharging transistor and a body snatching circuit. The discharging transistor is electrically coupled between a first node and a second node. The gate and the body of the discharging transistor are electrically coupled together. The body snatching circuit receives the voltages at the first and second nodes and outputs either the voltage at the first node or the voltage at the second node based on which of these two voltages have a lower value. The output voltage of the body snatching circuit is provided to the body of the discharging transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: Monolithic Power Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Eric Braun
  • SYMMETRICAL POWER STAGES FOR HIGH POWER INTEGRATED CIRCUITS
    Publication number: 20190109538
    Abstract: A circuit assembly for a power converter includes power stage blocks. A power stage block includes a power stage IC die, an output inductor that is connected to a switch node of the power stage IC die, and capacitors that form an output capacitor of the power stage block. The output capacitors of the power stage blocks are symmetrically arranged. The output inductors can be placed on the same side of the substrate as the power stage IC dies, or on a side of the substrate that is opposite to the side where the power stage IC dies are disposed. A power stage block may generate two output phases of the power converter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2017
    Publication date: April 11, 2019
    Applicant: Monolithic Power Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Jinghai ZHOU, Chia-Hsin CHANG
  • Current sensing circuit and integrated circuit for four-switch buck-boost convertor
    Patent number: 10254314
    Abstract: A current sensing circuit used in a buck-boost converter having a pair of buck switches and a pair of boost switches, including: a first sensing circuit providing a detection current though a first normally-ON transistor and a second normally-ON transistor, and a second sensing circuit detecting an average of the detection current and providing a current sensing signal in accordance with the average. During a turn ON time of a first low side switch of the pair of buck switches, the detection current represents a current flowing through the first low side switch, the current sensing signal represents an output current. During a turn ON time of the second low side switch of the pair of boost switches, the detection current represents a current flowing through the second low side switch, and the current sensing signal represents an input current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: Chengdu Monolithic Power Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Lei Li
  • Multi-phase power supply with DC-DC converter integrated circuits having current sharing function
    Patent number: 10256727
    Abstract: An interleaved multi-phase power supply with a plurality of DC-DC converter ICs. Each DC-DC converter IC has a current sharing pin, and the current sharing pins of the plurality of DC-DC converter ICs are connected together. Each DC-DC converter IC receives a feedback voltage signal to compare with a reference voltage signal to generate an error voltage signal as a reference of an output current of the corresponding DC-DC converter IC. And each DC-DC converter IC has a mismatch voltage regulation module regulating the error voltage signal to be equal to an average of error voltage signals of the plurality of DC-DC converter ICs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: Chengdu Monolithic Power Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Wanke Tao, Tianzhu Zhang
  • Control circuit for buck-boost power converter with seamless mode transition control
    Patent number: 10250141
    Abstract: A buck-boost power converter and a control circuit for the buck-boost converter. The control circuit includes a buck cycle pulse width modulation module and a boost cycle pulse width modulation module respectively having a first controllable hysteresis and a second controllable hysteresis. The buck cycle pulse width modulation module can regulate the first controllable hysteresis during the buck-boost power converter transits between a buck mode and a buck-boost mode so as to eliminate or at least reduce sparks in an output voltage. The boost cycle pulse width modulation module can regulate the second controllable hysteresis during the buck-boost power converter transits between the buck-boost mode and a boost mode so as to eliminate or at least reduce sparks in the output voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: Chengdu Monolithic Power Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jian Zhang
  • AC-DC converting apparatus and method thereof
    Patent number: 10250143
    Abstract: An AC/DC converting apparatus having first and second input nodes for receiving an AC input voltage Vin, a first pair of switches for coupling a first terminal of a first inductor to the first input node and ground, a second pair of switches for coupling a second terminal of the first inductor to an output node for providing a DC output voltage Vout and ground, a third pair of switches for coupling a first terminal of a second inductor to the second input node and ground, and a fourth pair of switches for coupling a second terminal of the second inductor to the output node and ground. The first pair of switches is turned ON when Vin is in a first portion having a first polarity, the third pair of switches is turned ON when Vin is in a second portion having a second polarity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: Monolithic Power Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Jian Jiang, Eric Yang, Di Han
  • Integrated circuit for switching converter and method for providing power supply voltage to the same
    Patent number: 10224823
    Abstract: An integrated circuit used for a switching converter has a power supply circuit for providing a power supply voltage, and a control circuit. The switching converter has a switching circuit converting a DC input voltage into an output signal. The power supply circuit has a protection circuit, an UVLO unit and a current source coupled to a power supply capacitor. The protection circuit detects whether the DC input voltage is at a brown-in state. The UVLO unit generates a lock out signal by comparing the power supply voltage with a upper threshold voltage and a lower threshold voltage. The lower threshold voltage is selectively limited to one of a first value or a second value based on the detection. The second value is less than the first value. The current source provides the power supply voltage under the control of the lock out signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: Chengdu Monolithic Power Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yuedong Chen