Abstract: A driving circuit and a driving method are provided. The driving circuit includes an energy-storage capacitor, a first power converter and a bidirectional converter. An output port of the first power converter is coupled to a load and the energy-storage capacitor. The energy-storage capacitor is connected in parallel with the load. The bidirectional converter is coupled between the load and the energy-storage capacitor. The first power converter supplies power to the load during a light load interval. During at least a part of the light load interval, the first power converter charges the energy-storage capacitor via the bidirectional converter. During a heavy load interval, the first power converter supplies power to the load and the energy-storage capacitor supplies power to the load via the bidirectional converter. The driving circuit is applicable to drive a load requiring low average power and high peak power.

Abstract: A method of inductor current reconstruction for a power converter can include: acquiring at least one of a current that represents a current flowing through a main power transistor, and a current that represents a current flowing through a rectifier transistor, in order to generate a switching current sampling signal in the power converter; and generating an inductor current reconstruction signal representing an inductor current in one complete switching cycle according to the switching current sampling signal and an inductor voltage signal representing a voltage across an inductor in the power converter.

Abstract: A control circuit for a flyback converter is configured to adjust a conduction time of an auxiliary switch of the flyback converter in accordance with a drain-source voltage of a main switch of the flyback converter when the main switch is turned on, in order to achieve zero-voltage switching of the main switch. The flyback converter can include: a main power stage having the main switch to control energy storage and transmission of a transformer; and a clamp circuit having an auxiliary switch to provide a release path for releasing energy of leakage inductance of the transformer.

Abstract: A semiconductor device structure can include: (i) a first semiconductor layer having dopants of a first type; (ii) a second semiconductor layer having the dopants of the first type on the first semiconductor layer, where the second semiconductor layer is lightly-doped relative to the first semiconductor layer; (iii) first and second column regions spaced from each other in the second semiconductor layer, where the second column region is arranged between two of the first column regions; and (iv) first and second first sub-column regions laterally arranged in the second column region, where a doping concentration of the first sub-column region decreases in a direction from the first column region to the second sub-column region, and where a doping concentration of the second sub-column region decreases in a direction from the first column region to the first sub-column region.

Abstract: A dimming mode detection circuit for an LED lighting system that receives an alternating current input voltage and generates a bus voltage to drive an LED load, the dimming mode detection circuit including: a leading edge detection circuit configured to generate a leading edge detection signal by detecting a leading edge of a first voltage representative of the bus voltage in one sine half-wave cycle, in order to determine whether the LED lighting system operates in a leading edge dimming mode; and a trailing edge detection circuit configured to generate a trailing edge detection signal in accordance with a time length of a first interval from a first value of the first voltage in a previous sine half-wave cycle to a second value of the first voltage in a next sine half-wave cycle, in order to determine whether the LED lighting system operates in a trailing edge dimming mode.

Abstract: A control chip applied in a switching power supply, where the switching power supply includes a rectifier circuit for receiving an AC input voltage and generating a rectified voltage, the control chip including: a high-voltage pin; a detection circuit coupled to the high-voltage pin to determine whether the high-voltage pin is coupled to the AC input voltage or the rectified voltage according to a sampling voltage representing a voltage received by the high-voltage pin; and a discharge circuit, where when the high-voltage pin is determined to be coupled to the AC input voltage, the control chip can enable the discharge circuit to discharge a safety capacitor coupled to an input port of the switching power supply after the switching power supply is powered off, and when the high-voltage pin is determined to be coupled to the rectified voltage, the control chip can disable the discharge circuit.

Abstract: A zero-voltage-switching control circuit for a switching power supply having a main power switch and a synchronous rectifier switch, is configured to: control the synchronous rectifier switch to be turned on for a first time period before the main power switch is turned on and after a current flowing through the synchronous rectifier switch is decreased to zero according to a switching operation of the main power switch in a previous switching period of the main power switch; and where a drain-source voltage of the main power switch is decreased when the main power switch is turned on, in order to reduce conduction loss.

Abstract: A driving circuit for driving a piezoelectric load, can include: a rechargeable power supply; a power stage circuit coupled between the rechargeable power supply and the piezoelectric load; where during a first operation interval of an operation period, the rechargeable power supply charges the piezoelectric load through the power stage circuit, such that a power supply voltage signal provided to the piezoelectric load in the first operation interval corresponds to a reference voltage in a first interval; and where during a second operation interval of the operation period, the piezoelectric load charges the rechargeable power supply through the power stage circuit, such that the power supply voltage signal in the second operation interval corresponds to the reference voltage in a second interval.

Abstract: A power converter can include: a plurality of circuit modules coupled in parallel between a first port and a second port, where each of the plurality of circuit modules includes a switching power stage circuit having a first magnetic element coupled between a switch node of the switching power stage circuit and a first terminal of the second port, at least one switch group having first and second transistors and being coupled between a first terminal of the first port and a first terminal of the switching power stage circuit, and at least one first energy storage capacitor for providing energy to a load of the power converter; and a plurality of second energy storage capacitors configured to periodically store energy and release energy to corresponding first energy storage capacitors.

Abstract: A concentration control circuit can include: a voltage feedback circuit configured to generate a current reference signal representing an error between a voltage reference signal and an output voltage feedback signal shared by each of a plurality of power stage circuits of a multi-phase power converter to adjust a respective phase current; and a clock signal generation circuit configured to generate a clock signal to adjust at least one of switching frequency and phase of each of the power stage circuits, where the clock signal is adjusted in accordance with a change of the current reference signal.

Abstract: A method of sensing wheel rotation can include: sensing magnetic force information in an environment of a wheel by a magnetometer to obtain measured magnetic force information; generating relative magnetic force information by performing mathematical operation processing in accordance with the measured magnetic force information, where the relative magnetic force information does not change with geomagnetic field and does change with a rotation angle of a wheel; and obtaining angle information related to the rotation angle of the wheel in accordance with the relative magnetic force information.

Abstract: A state monitoring circuit is disclosed for monitoring health states of N energy storage capacitors in an energy-storage capacitor device, the energy-storage capacitor device including N channels, and each channel comprising one energy storage capacitor, where the state monitoring circuit is configured to: disconnect first terminals of the N energy storage capacitors from the energy-storage capacitor device one by one; and determine whether each of the N energy storage capacitors is abnormal in accordance with a voltage at the first terminal of a corresponding one of the energy storage capacitors, where N is a positive integer.

Abstract: A control circuit for controlling a power converter can include: a constant voltage output module, a constant current output module, and a power stage circuit; and where the control circuit is configured to select one of a first feedback signal representative of output information of the constant current output module, and a second feedback signal representative of output information of the constant voltage output module as a feedback input signal based on operation states of the constant current output module and the constant voltage output module, in order to control a switching state of a power switch of the power stage circuit.

Abstract: An integrator and an analog-to-digital converter are provided. The analog-to-digital converter includes the integrator, a comparison circuit and a control logic circuit. The integrator includes an operational amplifier, offset capacitors, input capacitors, integral capacitors and controllable switches. The input capacitors and the integral capacitors are connected to the operational amplifier via controllable switches, so that the integrator operates in various operation modes. Operation states of the offset capacitors in a first phase and a second phase of an operation cycle are controlled by switching on or off the controllable switches. Therefore, an offset voltage of the integrator is eliminated, and conversion efficiency and conversion accuracy of the analog-to-digital converter is improved.

Abstract: A switching power circuit for charging a battery can include: four switches extending between two ports of a low-frequency AC input voltage and an energy storage circuit, where the energy storage circuit and a primary winding of a transformer are coupled between first and second nodes, the first node is a common node of the first and second switches, and the second node is a common node of the third and fourth switches; a rectification circuit having an input terminal coupled to a secondary winding of the transformer; a DC-DC converter having an input terminal coupled to an output terminal of the rectification circuit, and generates a charging current; and a control circuit that adjusts the charging current by controlling an operation of the DC-DC converter according to a charging requirement, in order to make an average value of the charging current meet the charging requirement.

Abstract: A detection circuit for a switching converter, whereby: the detection circuit is coupled in parallel with an output capacitor of the switching converter, and is configured to provide a detection branch coupled in parallel with the output capacitor during a first period of a switching cycle, in order to detect an output voltage of the switching converter; and an output voltage detection signal is generated according to the detected output voltage during a second period of the switching cycle. A switching converter can include the detection circuit and an integrated circuit.

Abstract: A chip package assembly and a method for manufacturing the same are provided. A die is attached to one of pins located around a chip carrier, so that an electronic component such as a diode is packaged in the chip package assembly and is electrically connected in series with other dies inside the package, thereby improving the degree of integration of the chip package assembly, and reducing a volume of the external circuit.

Abstract: A method of controlling a synchronous rectifier circuit can include: adjusting a falling amplitude of a drive voltage of a synchronous rectifier switch in the synchronous rectifier circuit in a pull-down mode; adjusting a shielding time during which the synchronous rectifier switch is in a turn-off shielding mode and is not to be turned off; turning off the synchronous rectifier switch after a drain-source voltage of the synchronous rectifier switch reaches a turn-off threshold; and where the falling amplitude of the drive voltage in the pull-down mode and the shielding time for a current period are adjusted according to an operation state of the synchronous rectifier switch in a previous period.

Abstract: A control circuit for controlling an AC-DC power supply, can include: a pulse-width modulation (PWM) signal generating circuit configured to generate a PWM signal in accordance with a reference voltage and a current sampling signal representing an inductor current flowing through an inductor of the AC-DC power supply, and to control a power stage circuit of the AC-DC power supply in accordance with the PWM signal; and a reference voltage generating circuit configured to generate the reference voltage based on an input voltage of the AC-DC power supply.

Abstract: A dimming signal generation circuit configured for an LED driver can include: a voltage-type dimmer configured to generate a dimming voltage; a dimming control circuit comprising a transformer and a power switch coupled in series between a first voltage and ground; where a secondary side of the transformer is coupled to the voltage-type dimmer is configured to receive the dimming voltage; where a primary side of the transformer is configured to receive the first voltage; and where a dimming reference signal is generated at the primary side of the transformer in accordance with the dimming voltage.