Patents Examined by Long Nguyen
  • Patent number: 11979154
    Abstract: Methods and devices to decrease the power consumption of level shifters in the absence of input power supply are disclosed. The described devices include current mirrors that are inactive when the level shifter is in the HIGH or LOW steady state. The disclosed methods further include a delay element used to keep the power consumption low in the case of slow input power supply ramps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: PSEMI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Buddhika Abesingha, Keith J. Rampmeier
  • Patent number: 11979145
    Abstract: A disclosed structure includes a section (e.g., an always on (AON) section) with at least one N-channel transistor (NFET) and at least one P-channel transistor (PFET). The structure further includes a switch with first and second inputs connected to receive positive and negative bias voltages, respectively, and first and second outputs connected to bias back gates of the NFET(s) and PFET(s), respectively, of the section. The structure is also configured to generate select signals for controlling the input-to-output connections established by the switch. In a power saving mode, these signals cause the switch to establish input-to-output connections resulting only in reverse back biasing of the NFET(s) and PFET(s) of the section. In a functional mode, these signals can cause the switch to establish input-to-output connections resulting in either forward back biasing or reverse back biasing. Also disclosed is a method of operating the structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: GlobalFoundries U.S. Inc.
    Inventors: Navneet K. Jain, Mahbub Rashed
  • Patent number: 11979846
    Abstract: A system and method for accurately determining a distance between two network devices using a Channel Sounding application is disclosed. The network devices each guarantee a fixed phase relationship between the transmit circuit and the receive circuit. In one embodiment, this is achieved by disposing the divider outside the phase locked loop and using the output of the divider to create the clocks for both the transmit circuit and receive circuit. In another embodiment, one or more dividers are disposed outside the phase locked loop, each having a reset, such that they can be initialized to a predetermined state. Further, by utilizing a divider with a reset, the quadrature signal generator is guaranteed to output clocks for the transmit circuit and the receive circuit that have a constant phase relationship.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: Silicon Laboratories Inc.
    Inventors: Rangakrishnan Srinivasan, John Khoury
  • Patent number: 11979157
    Abstract: It is described a signal converter device (100) for converting a single-ended signal to a differential signal, the device (100) comprising: i) a multiplier device (110), configured to receive a single-ended incoming signal (105), and multiply the incoming signal (105) to provide a multiplied signal (115); and ii) a divider device (120), configured to receive the multiplied signal (115), and divide the multiplied signal (115) to provide a differential signal (125a, 125b). Further, a corresponding signal conversion method is described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventors: Stefano Dal Toso, Olivier Susplugas
  • Patent number: 11973496
    Abstract: A drive circuit includes: an input stage configured to receive a first input signal and a second input signal, and to output a first output signal and a common-mode output signal, where the first input signal and the second input signal are complementary signals; an output stage configured to receive the first output signal, and to output a second output signal; and a duty cycle adjusting subcircuit configured to determine the first output signal and the common-mode output signal or a signal obtained by inverting the common-mode output signal as a control signal, and to adjust a duty cycle of the second output signal. The drive circuit determines the common-mode output signal or the signal obtained by inverting the common-mode output signal as the control signal of the duty cycle adjusting subcircuit, and adjusts the duty cycle of the second output signal to tend to a preset value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: CHANGXIN MEMORY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventor: Siman Li
  • Patent number: 11968755
    Abstract: A method supplies a lighting device with electrical energy, wherein the lighting device includes at least two integrated circuits with at least one LED group by a current source associated with this LED group. The method includes generating a supply voltage by a voltage regulator, adjusting a LED group current passing the LED groups by one of the respective current sources , detecting the voltage drops across the current sources, selecting one voltage drop of each integrated circuit as a characteristic voltage drop, generating a control value of the respective integrated circuit, according to the characteristic voltage drop, reducing the control voltage when the control voltage is greater than a control value of the respective integrated circuit, and controlling the output voltage in accordance with the control voltage and/or in accordance with a control bus voltage derived from the control voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Elmos Semiconductor SE
    Inventors: Carsten Leitner, Andre′ Krieger, Christian Schmitz, Thomas Geistert
  • Patent number: 11968762
    Abstract: The present disclosure discloses a wall switch panel and a light fitting. The wall switch panel includes a touch panel, a micro-control module, and a wireless module. The touch panel has a first communication interface; the micro-control module has a second communication interface and a third communication interface, and the micro-control module is electrically connected with the first communication interface through the second communication interface; the wireless module has a fourth communication interface and is electrically connected with the third communication interface through the fourth communication interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignees: SUZHOU OPPLE LIGHTING CO., LTD., OPPLE LIGHTING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Gang Liu
  • Patent number: 11962303
    Abstract: An architecture for high-performance flip-flops having minimal clock-activated transistors is disclosed. The flip-flops operating in a first voltage domain can receive an input signal from a second voltage domain. The flip-flops include a first latch electrically coupled to a second latch. The first latch includes a first output and a second output. The second latch further includes a first and a second keeper pull-up sub-circuit which electrically couples to the first and second output of the first latch. The clock-gating functionality of the first and second keeper pull-up sub-circuits is merged with the first latch to reduce the loading on the clock signal, and thus the operation of the flip-flop is contention-free and fully-static. An embodiment of the second latch includes only one clock-activated transistor for low-power application. Another embodiment includes two clock-activated transistors for high-speed application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Inventor: Steve Dao
  • Patent number: 11955963
    Abstract: An output driving circuit includes: a plurality of bias voltage generating circuits configured to generate a plurality of bias voltages; a switching control circuit; and an output voltage generating circuit. The switching control circuit is configured to selectively connect one bias voltage generating circuit of the plurality of bias voltage generating circuits to the output voltage generating circuit based on an output voltage. The output voltage generating circuit is configured to transmit and receive a parasitic current generated due to transition of the output voltage to and from the one bias voltage generating circuit selectively connected to the output voltage generating circuit through the switching control circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Eonguk Kim
  • Patent number: 11955978
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for voltage comparators are described. In one example, a circuit for a voltage comparator includes a first transistor, a second transistor for receiving a first input voltage at a second transistor gate terminal, and a third transistor for receiving a second input voltage at a third transistor gate terminal. The second transistor and the third transistor are connected to the first transistor at a first node. A fourth transistor is connected to the second transistor at a second node, and a fifth transistor is connected to the third transistor at a third node. One or more capacitors are connected between the third node and a fourth node, where the fourth node includes the second transistor gate terminal. One or more capacitors are connected between the second node and a fifth node, where the fifth node includes the third transistor gate terminal. In one example operation, the one or more capacitors provide regenerative gain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Blue Cheetah Analog Design, Inc.
    Inventors: Elad Alon, Eric Naviasky
  • Patent number: 11953935
    Abstract: Examples of clock generators with very low duty cycle distortion (DCD) are provided. A clock source and driver generate a main clock signal and a complementary clock signal that are input to a chopper circuit, which also receives complementary chopper control signals from a non-overlapping generator circuit. The chopper circuit is controlled to pass the main clock signal as a first output signal when the chopper circuit is in a first state, and pass the complementary clock signal as a second output signal when the chopper circuit is in a third state. In a second state, which occurs during each of the falling edges of the main clock signal, the chopper circuit holds the previous state, and does not transmit the falling edges of the main clock signal. The rising edges of the main clock signal is used to derive the rising and falling edges of the output signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Suvadip Banerjee
  • Patent number: 11942943
    Abstract: A method of duty cycle adjustment includes conditionally inverting an input clock into a conditionally inverted clock; and adjusting a duty cycle of the conditionally inverted clock in one direction in accordance with an integer that represents an amount of duty cycle adjustment, using an uneven clock buffer and a plurality of uneven clock multiplexers that are cascaded and incrementally activated as a value of the integer increments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: REALTEK SEMICONDUCTOR CORP.
    Inventor: Chia-Liang (Leon) Lin
  • Patent number: 11942938
    Abstract: Design and methods for implementing a Rational Ratio Multiplier (RRM) with close to 50% duty cycle. This invention gives an optimal way to implement an RRM that saves both area and power for a given design and is able to achieve a good accuracy of the output clock with a difference between the high period and the low period of the output clock by only half a cycle of the input clock which is the closest to get to a 50% duty cycle clock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventor: Uzi Zangi
  • Patent number: 11942934
    Abstract: A level converter and circuit arrangement comprising such level converters. The level converter comprises a transistor, an impedance converter, an input voltage connection, an output voltage connection, and a power supply connection. The input voltage connection is connected to a gate terminal of the transistor. The output voltage connection is connected to a source terminal of the transistor and to the power supply connection. A first input terminal of the impedance converter is connected to the source connection or to the gate terminal of the transistor. An output terminal of the impedance converter is connected to the drain terminal of the transistor. The power supply connection is equipped to receive a current from a constant current source. The impedance converter is equipped to keep a source-drain voltage of the transistor at a predefined value using a reference voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventor: Rudolf Ritter
  • Patent number: 11936371
    Abstract: Circuits and methods that limit current through power FETs of power converter to reduce damaging current in-rush events, independent of switching frequency, device mismatches, and PVT variations. Embodiments utilize a closed-loop feedback circuit and/or a calibrated compensation circuit to regulate, substantially independent of frequency, the control voltage VGATE applied to a power FET gate. In a reduced gate-drive mode, connecting a feedback or compensation circuit to the gate of an LDO source-follower FET allows the gate voltage to be regulated to control the LDO output voltage to a final inverter coupled to the gate of a power FET so that VGATE is adjusted to provide a reduced gate-drive to the power FET; connecting to the output of the LDO allows the LDO output voltage to the final inverter to be directly regulated to adjust VGATE; connecting to the gate of the power FET allows VGATE to be directly set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: pSemi Corporation
    Inventors: Satish Kumar Vangara, Antony Christopher Routledge, Gregory Szczeszynski, Xiaowu Sun
  • Patent number: 11930573
    Abstract: A power supply device is provided. The power supply device includes a power converter and a controller. The controller controls the power converter to generate an output power. The controller includes a first detection circuit and a second detection circuit. The first detection circuit detects the output power to obtain a first detection result. The first detection result is a variation of an output current value of the output power. The second detection circuit detects electrical characteristics other than the output current value to obtain a second detection result. The controller determines whether to limit output of the output power according to a relationship between the first detection result and the second detection result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Power Forest Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Rong-Jie Tu, Hung-Chih Chiu, Chien-Lung Lee
  • Patent number: 11923840
    Abstract: A power down signal generator generates a power down signal. The power down signal generator includes a detection transistor, a resistor coupled in series with the detection transistor, and a compensation transistor coupled in parallel to the resistor. The detection transistor receives a first supply voltage in a first voltage domain and a current. A control voltage is generated across the resistor based on a first part of the current. The compensation transistor receives a bias voltage derived from a second supply voltage in a second voltage domain and sinks, based on the bias voltage, a second part of the current to maintain the control voltage within a predefined range. The generation of the power down signal is controlled based on the first supply voltage and the control voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventors: Chinmayee Kumari Panigrahi, Sunil Chandra Kasanyal, Shashank Sunil Amati
  • Patent number: 11916432
    Abstract: A chip with power-glitch detection is provided, which includes a power terminal receiving power, an inverter, and a back-up power storage device coupled to the power terminal. The inverter has an input terminal coupled to the power terminal. The back-up power storage device transforms the power to back-up power. The inverter is powered by the back-up power when a power glitch occurs on the power terminal, and the power glitch is reflected at an output terminal of the inverter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: MEDIATEK INC.
    Inventor: Pin-Wen Chen
  • Patent number: 11909403
    Abstract: A multi-feedback circuit that compares a duty cycle corrected reference clock fREF, and controls a number of identical delay lines to generate a new clock with a frequency that is a multiple (e.g., 32×, 4×, etc.) of the frequency of fREF with approximately 50% duty cycle (DC). The new clock is used as a reference clock to a phase locked loop (PLL) or a multiplying delay locked loop (MDLL) resulting in shorter lock times for the PLL/MDLL, higher bandwidth for the PLL/MDLL, lower long-term output clock jitter. The multi-feedback circuit can also be used as a low power clock generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Kuan-Yueh Shen, Nasser Kurd
  • Patent number: 11903110
    Abstract: A virtual and parallel power extraction method by using time division, comprising an alternating current load (1), a load end time-division power extraction control device (2), a switch end time-division power extraction control device (3), and a switch end power supply load (4). The alternating current load (1) is connected in parallel with the load end time-division power extraction control device (2); the switch end time-division power extraction control device (3) is connected in parallel with the switch end power supply load (4); a combination body formed by connecting the alternating current load (1) with the load end time-division power extraction control device (2) in parallel and the combination body formed by connecting the switch end time-division power extraction control device (3) with the switch end power supply load (4) in parallel are together connected in series in an alternating current circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: HUIZHOU HAOMEISHI INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hui Li, Long Zhao, Wenfan Li