Patents Examined by Henry K Choe
  • Patent number: 7755423
    Abstract: A sigma delta class D power amplifier includes a loop filter, a quantizer, and an output stage. The quantizer is coupled to the loop filter and quantifies an error signal according to levels of two reference signals to output a pair of mean signals, wherein different logic combinations of the mean signals belong to one of three quantum states. The output stage is coupled to the quantizer and outputs a corresponding output signal according to the different quantum states to drive a load, wherein a driving current of the output signal belongs to one of the three driving states which include at least a steady state with no current of a power amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
    Inventors: Chung-Wei Lin, Hsin-Hong Hou
  • Patent number: 7750731
    Abstract: One embodiment of an apparatus for filtering an electrical signal includes a loop filter with an input and an output that applies a transfer function to a signal at the input. The transfer function has substantially no real part. The loop filter has a dominant pole placed substantially at or above an upper frequency in the frequency range of interest for the loop filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Soeren Poulsen, Lars Risbo
  • Patent number: 7746169
    Abstract: A differential low noise amplifier (LNA) is operable in a selectable one of two modes. The LNA includes a first transistor, a second transistor, a third transistor and a fourth transistor. In the first mode (PDC mode), the four transistors are configured to operate as a post-distortion cancellation (PDC) LNA. The third and fourth transistors operate as cancel transistors that improve linearity, but reduce LNA gain somewhat. In the second mode (high gain mode), the third and fourth transistors are configured so that amplified versions of the LNA input signal that they output are added to amplified versions of the LNA input signal that are output by the first and second main transistors, resulting in increased gain. Multiplexing circuits are provided within the LNA so that the LNA is configurable into a selectable one of the two modes by controlling a digital mode control signal supplied to the LNA.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2010
    Assignee: QUALCOMM, Incorporated
    Inventors: Junxiong Deng, Christian Holenstein, Namsoo Kim
  • Patent number: 7741914
    Abstract: An amplifier system may include an output stage configured to provide an amplified output signal at an output thereof based on an input signal, the output stage being connected between first and second supply voltages. A dynamic power supply control system provides the first and second supply voltages, the dynamic power supply being configured to adjust the first and second supply voltages as a function of the input signal such that a difference between the first and second supply voltages remains substantially constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Joseph T. Nabicht
  • Patent number: 7737787
    Abstract: An amplifier circuit has a transistor element that has an input terminal, an output terminal) and a third terminal. An input signal to be amplified is supplied to the input terminal. The amplified input signal is emitted as an output signal at the output terminal. The input terminal is connected with the output terminal via a first reactance. The third terminal is connected via a second reactance with a zero potential. One of the reactances is fashioned as an inductor and the other of the reactances is fashioned as a capacitor. An inductance value of the inductor and a capacitance value of the capacitor are dimensioned such that the quotient of the inductance value of the inductor and the capacitance value of the capacitor is equal to the product of a desired input impedance that is effective at the input terminal and an output impedance associated with the output impedance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Ralph Oppelt, Markus Vester
  • Patent number: 7737783
    Abstract: A differential amplifier comprises a left amplifier having transistors, a right amplifier having transistors, a negative feedback network having a resistor, and a negative feedback network having a transformer with a center tap. Phase compensation networks comprising a capacitor and a resistor, a capacitor and a resistor, and a capacitor and a resistor are further added to the amplifier. Both ends of a secondary winding of the transformer are connected to the output terminals of the right and left amplifiers, and the center tap of the secondary winding is grounded, so that a differential amplified output signal can be fed back to a single-phase input using one transformer, thereby reducing a cost and an area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Icom Incorporated
    Inventor: Kouichiro Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 7737788
    Abstract: A communication device includes a first polarity driver circuit including a first current source, a first amplifier that receives an input signal, that controls the first current source, and that receives a signal from the first current source, a first cascode device arranged in a cascode configuration with the first current source, and a second amplifier that receives a bias signal, that controls the first cascode device, and that receives a signal from the first cascode device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Marvell International Ltd.
    Inventors: Pierte Roo, Sehat Sutardja
  • Patent number: 7737789
    Abstract: A broadband active balun configuration is provided. According to embodiments, the subject active balun can include a cascade and cascade transistor pair using a shared input transistor. In a further implementation, a low-pass bias-feedback mechanism for maintaining stable bias conditions can be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: University of Florida Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: William Richard Eisenstadt, Kooho Jung, Robert M. Fox
  • Patent number: 7733172
    Abstract: A single stage differential amplifier is disclosed as comprising a pair of vacuum tube triodes for amplifying two input signals and generating two output signals. The differential amplifier has DC self-biasing ability and grid-to-cathode over-voltage protection for directly coupling from the outputs of another differential amplifier. By possessing these unique features, this differential amplifier becomes an important building block in forming a balanced amplifier by cascading multi differential amplifiers in a directly coupled fashion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Inventor: Chi Ming John Lam
  • Patent number: 7733173
    Abstract: A unilateral feedback power amplifier utilizes new feedback techniques and devices to make the amplified high-frequency signal unilateral, let the output power, power gain and impedance matching simultaneously accomplish the optimal values, and enhance the stability of the system. In this feedback amplifier, a generalized multi-port feedback circuit is in shunt with the input terminal and the output terminal of the power transistor. This generalized multi-port feedback circuit receives an amplified high-frequency signal and eliminates the reverse admittance of the amplified high-frequency signal to let the admittance value of the output amplified high-frequency signal approach zero so as to be unilateral. Moreover, the generalized multi-port feedback power amplifier differs from the conventional power amplifier of cascaded architecture in that the ground terminal of the power transistor is directly connected to the system ground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: National Taiwan University
    Inventors: Zuo-Min Tsai, George D. Vendelin, Huei Wang
  • Patent number: 7733184
    Abstract: A circuit arrangement and method for power regulation and an amplifier arrangement for power regulation are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Alexander Belitzer, Michael Feltgen, Giuseppe Li Puma, Christian Vieth
  • Patent number: 7733168
    Abstract: A first to a fourth sampling switch (1a to 1d), a first to a fourth sampling capacitance (4 to 7), and a first and a second charge redistribution switch (2a, 2b) are provided on the input side of a differential amplifier (8). A first and a second reset switch (3a, 3b) are provided between inputs and outputs of the differential amplifier (8). A positive-polarity input signal voltage (Vinp), a negative-polarity comparison reference voltage (Vrefn), a positive-polarity comparison reference voltage (Vrefp), and a negative-polarity input signal voltage (Vinn) are applied via the first to fourth sampling switches (1a to 1d) to one ends of the first to fourth sampling capacitances (4 to 7), respectively. During a reset period, the reset of the differential amplifier (8) is released after sampling of the voltages. During a comparison period, the first and second charge redistribution switches (2a, 2b) are caused to be in a conduction state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Masahiro Higuchi
  • Patent number: 7733177
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided to determine pre-distortion for a nonlinear system. The apparatus comprises a datapath and a power amplifier. The datapath employs predistortion data to generally linearized the power amplifier. To generate this predistortion data, an indirect learning circuit and a direct learning circuit can be employed. The indirect learning circuit is generally coupled to the amplifier circuit so that it can iteratively adjust predistortion data during an indirect learning mode until convergence is reached. The direct learning circuit is generally coupled to the amplifier circuit and the indirect learning circuit and that receives the input signal so that the predistortion data can be copied to the direct learning circuit from the indirect learning after convergence is reached and so that the direct learning circuit can adjust the predistortion data during a direct learning mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Milind Anil Borkar, Fernando Alberto Mujica, Gregory Copeland
  • Patent number: 7733178
    Abstract: According to the invention, an audio amplifier system for use with a single-ended portable power supply that is referenced to ground, such as a small battery, has a single-channel class G amplifier section, a multiple voltage output charge pump subsystem for supplying complementary pairs of power supply voltages at selected ratiometric levels to an amplifier section, a set of switches on the power supply rails and a power-measuring comparator for selecting which complementary pair of power supply voltages is provided to the amplifier section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Cary L. Delano, Brian B. North
  • Patent number: 7733186
    Abstract: A bias circuit including: a first current source which generates a first current; a second current source which generates a second current having a temperature-to-output current characteristic that an output current characteristic increases or decreases with a change in temperature to intersect with that of the first current; a first current-voltage conversion circuit which converts the first current to a first voltage; a second current-voltage conversion circuit which has an input terminal and converts a current inputted into the input terminal to a second voltage; a comparison circuit which compares the first voltage and the second voltage and generates a third current according to a result of the comparison; an addition unit which adds the third current to the second current and inputs a resulting current to the input terminal; and a voltage-current conversion circuit which converts the second voltage to a fourth current for bias.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Masahiro Hosoya, Rui Ito
  • Patent number: 7733174
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes an amplifier, differential amplifiers, and FETs. The amplifier has an intermediate node and an output node, and the amplifier is adapted to receive an audio signal. Each differential amplifier amplifies the difference between an output voltage from the output node with a reference voltages. The FETs are coupled in series with one another between a first and a second voltage, and each FET receives an output from at least one of the differential amplifiers. Additionally, the intermediate node is coupled to a node between at least two FETs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Arun Kumar Sharma, Ryan Erik Lind, Ronnie A. Bean
  • Patent number: 7728664
    Abstract: Satellite set-top boxes (STB) are increasingly being designed with multiple tuners, making them capable of receiving more than one program at a time. In addition, satellite STBs are increasingly being designed with multiple inputs, to permit reception of additional channels that will not fit within the conventional satellite intermediate frequency (IF) band (950-2150 MHz). Often, the STB must route these multiple inputs to the multiple tuners with some form of switching function, to allow each tuner to receive all channel bands. Accordingly, the invention includes an RFIC with two RF inputs and three RF outputs, and a crossbar switch that can route any input to any output. The two inputs are amplified by low-noise amplifier stages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Sung-Hsien Chang, Juo-Jung Hung, Stephen Edward Krafft, Ertan Zencir, Stefano Bozzola, Ramon Alejandro Gomez
  • Patent number: 7728665
    Abstract: The distortion compensation apparatus includes: a branching unit to branch a part of the output signal of an amplifier to a signal path to a distortion compensating unit; a switch to pass the output signal of the amplifier to the interference or branching unit; and a controlling unit to control an amount of the compensation of the distortion under a pass-permitted state in which the switch passes the output signal in response to a result of measurement of a signal transmitted through the signal path under a state where the switch is in an interruption state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Shin Watanabe
  • Patent number: 7724080
    Abstract: A chopper stabilized amplifier has differential inputs, an output, and a low frequency path and a high frequency path from the differential inputs to the output. Chopping occurs, at a chopping frequency, of a differential signal at differential inputs and outputs of an amplifier stage of the low frequency path to thereby produce a chopped differential signal that has a DC offset of the amplifier stage frequency shifted up to the chopping frequency. A continuous time filter embedded between a pair of further amplifier stages of the low frequency path is used to attenuate chopper frequency ripple resulting from the chopping at the chopping frequency. Additionally, a buffer is used to allow feedback through a compensation capacitor for the low frequency path, yet prevent chopper frequency ripple from feeding forward through the compensation capacitor to the output of the amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: Intersil Americas Inc.
    Inventor: Gwilym Francis Luff
  • Patent number: 7724091
    Abstract: An active input matrix balun and a method for the same. The matrix balun has one input transmission line with an RF-in terminal for receiving a single ended RF-in signal and a first output transmission line with a first RF-out terminal and an adjacent second output transmission line with a second RF-out terminal. Two balanced RF-out signals at the first and at the second RF-out terminal, where each RF-out signal has an amplitude level equal to or exceeding the amplitude level of the RF-in signal and where the RF-out signals have a mutual phase difference of 180° and are of equal amplitude levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: SAAB AB
    Inventors: Hans-Olof Vickes, Mattias Ferndahl