Patents Examined by Tuan T. Lam
  • Patent number: 11909401
    Abstract: An input driven self-clocked dynamic comparator, and associated systems and methods are described herein. In one embodiment, self-clocked dynamic comparator, includes a latch configured to receive an input voltage (VIN), a reference voltage (VREF) and a clocking (CLKsf) signal, and configured to output a first rail-to-rail output (OUT+) signal and a second rail-to-rail output (OUT?) signal. The self-clocked dynamic comparator also includes a pre-amplifier (PRE-AMP) configured to output an enable (TRI) signal based on a comparison between the VIN and an adjusted VREF. The self-clocked dynamic comparator further includes a pre-amplifier (PRE-AMP) configured to output an enable (TRI) signal based on a comparison between the VIN and an adjusted VREF, and a logic gate configured to receive the TRI signal and one of the OUT+ signal and OUT? signal, and configured to output the CLKsf signal. The cycles of the CLKsf signal cause the latch to dissipate energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: University of Washington
    Inventors: Samrat Dey, Thomas Lewellen, Jacques Christophe Rudell
  • Patent number: 11901900
    Abstract: An integrated circuit includes an input pad and a Schmitt trigger coupled to the input pad. The Schmitt trigger includes a main PMOS branch that charges an intermediate node of the Schmitt trigger responsive to voltage transitions at the input node. The Schmitt trigger includes a charging assistance circuit that helps to rapidly charge the intermediate node of the Schmitt trigger. The charging assistance circuit includes a parallel PMOS branch in parallel with the main PMOS branch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Kailash Kumar, Manoj Kumar
  • Patent number: 11894849
    Abstract: The present invention provides a Schmitt trigger circuit in which chattering does not occur in the output of the Schmitt trigger circuit even when it is connected to a communication bus without impedance matching and reflected noise is superimposed on the input signal. The Schmitt trigger circuit includes: a first signal detection circuit; a second signal detection circuit; a latch circuit; a selection signal generation circuit; a first input port; and a first output port. The first signal detection circuit is connected to the first input port, the latch circuit and the selection signal generation circuit. The second signal detection circuit is connected to the first input port, the latch circuit and the selection signal generation circuit. The latch circuit is connected to the selection signal generation circuit and the output port. The selection signal generation circuit includes a delay circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: ABLIC Inc.
    Inventors: Junichi Kanno, Yasushi Imai
  • Patent number: 11888482
    Abstract: A system comprises a first comparator, a second comparator, a pulse-width modulation (PWM) controller, and a ramp generator. The first comparator has a positive input coupled to a first ramp output of the ramp generator and a negative input configured to receive an input voltage. The second comparator has a positive input configured to receive the input voltage and a negative input coupled to a second ramp output of the ramp generator. The PWM controller is coupled to outputs and control signal inputs of the first and second comparators and has a control output. In some implementations, the ramp generator generates a high-side falling ramp for the first comparator and a low-side rising ramp for the second comparator. In some implementations, the ramp generator includes a first ramp generator for the high-side falling ramp and a second ramp for the low-side rising ramp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Chen Jiang, Shamim Choudhury, Subrahmanya Bharathi Akondy
  • Patent number: 11881859
    Abstract: A circuit includes an inverter coupled between an input and an output. The inverter includes first and second pull-down transistors having control terminals coupled to the input, a pull-up resistor, and a pull-up transistor having a control terminal coupled to the input. The first and second pull-down transistors are coupled in series along a pull-down path extending between a first voltage supply terminal and the output. The pull-up resistor and pull-up transistor are coupled in series along a pull-up path extending between a second voltage supply terminal and the output. A hysteresis transistor has a control terminal coupled to the output. The hysteresis transistor is coupled to the inverter along a hysteresis path extending between the first voltage supply terminal and the pull-up path. A clamp circuit is coupled to the inverter along a clamp path extending between the first voltage supply terminal and the pull-down path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Abhishek Gupta, Sayantan Gupta
  • Patent number: 11881830
    Abstract: A filter circuit includes multiple registers, a switch circuit, multiple multipliers and a summation circuit. Each register is configured to store an input. The switch circuit is coupled to the registers and configured to receive the inputs from the registers as a series of registered inputs and adjust arrangement of the inputs of the series of registered inputs to generate a series of rearranged inputs according to a count value. The count value is accumulated in response to reception of a new input of the filter circuit. The multipliers are coupled to the switch circuit. The inputs of the series of rearranged inputs are sequentially provided to the multipliers. Each multiplier is configured to generate a multiplication result according to the received input and a coefficient. The summation circuit is coupled to the multipliers and configured to sum up the multiplication results to generate an output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
    Inventor: Chih-Hao Liu
  • Patent number: 11876352
    Abstract: The present invention concerns a device for pulsed electric discharge in a liquid comprising a control module configured to control a voltage generator such that the voltage generator applies a predetermined heating voltage setpoint between electrodes during a heating period until a pulsed electric discharge is obtained between the electrodes, in order to measure the breakdown voltage during the pulsed electric discharge, in order to estimate the quantity of energy supplied to the liquid during the heating period, referred to as the “quantity of heating energy”, from the predetermined heating voltage setpoint and the measured breakdown voltage, and in order to determine a new heating voltage setpoint to apply between the electrodes of the at least one pair of electrodes at the next pulsed electric discharge based on the estimated quantity of heating energy and a predefined breakdown voltage setpoint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: ADM28 FRANCE
    Inventor: Romain Pecquois
  • Patent number: 11875972
    Abstract: Methods and devices for generating a voltage waveform at an output may include providing four DC voltages of different magnitudes. The first (V1) magnitude is higher than the third (V3) and fourth (V4) magnitude. The fourth DC voltage is coupled to the output followed by coupling the first DC voltage to the output, to bring an output voltage (VP) at the output to a high level. The first DC voltage is decoupled from the output, followed by coupling the third DC voltage to the output, to obtain a drop of the output voltage (VP). A ground potential (V0) is coupled to the output following coupling the third DC voltage and the second DC current (I2) is coupled to the output following coupling the ground potential, wherein the second DC current ramps down the output voltage (VP).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: PRODRIVE TECHNOLOGIES INNOVATION SERVICES B.V.
    Inventor: Antonius Wilhelmus Hendricus Johannes Driessen
  • Patent number: 11876509
    Abstract: A method of driving a transistor between switching states includes controlling a transition of a gate voltage at a gate terminal of a transistor during each of a plurality of turn-off switching events to turn off the transistor, wherein the transistor is configured to be turned off according to a desaturation time during each of the plurality of turn-off switching events; measuring a transistor parameter indicative of a voltage slew rate of the transistor for a first turn-off switching event during which the transistor is transitioned from an on state to an off state; and regulating a duration of the desaturation time for a next turn-off switching event based on the measured transistor parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Guang Zeng, Franz-Josef Niedernostheide, Mark-Matthias Bakran, Zheming Li
  • Patent number: 11863189
    Abstract: An integrated circuit includes an upper threshold circuit, a lower threshold circuit, and a control circuit. The upper threshold circuit is configured to set a logic level of a first enabling signal based on comparing an input voltage signal with an upper threshold voltage. The lower threshold circuit is configured to set a logic level of a second enabling signal based on comparing the input voltage signal with a lower threshold voltage. The control circuit is configured to change an output voltage signal from a first voltage level to a second voltage level when the logic level of the first enabling signal and the logic level of the second enabling signal are changed consecutively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Yu-Kai Tsai, Chia-Hui Chen, Chia-Jung Chang
  • Patent number: 11855618
    Abstract: A gate drive device drives a gate of a semiconductor switching element and controls a transient voltage corresponding to a voltage of a main terminal of the semiconductor switching element to a target value of the transient voltage at a time of switching the semiconductor switching element. The gate drive device includes a calculation circuit, a drive circuit, a detection circuit, and a learning circuit. The calculation circuit executes a predetermined calculation mode to calculate an operation amount for operating gate drive speed of the semiconductor switching element. The drive circuit drives the gate of the semiconductor switching element according to the operation amount. The detection circuit detects the transient voltage. The learning circuit executes learning processing to change the predetermined calculation mode based on the operation amount calculated by the calculation circuit and the transient voltage detected by the detection circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, MIRISE Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Hironori Akiyama, Akimasa Niwa
  • Patent number: 11848677
    Abstract: A clock signal generation circuit for a switched capacitor circuit with a chopping function unit includes: first and second synchronous clock circuits that generate first and second synchronous clock signals, respectively; an edge signal generation circuit that generates one or more rise and fall edge signals by delaying the first synchronous clock signal; a first clock generator that generate a first clock signal group for driving the switched capacitor circuit; and a second clock generator that generates a second clock signal group for driving the chopping function unit. Frequencies of the first and second clock signal groups are respectively defined by the first and second synchronous clock circuits. Rise and fall edges of the first and second clock signal groups are defined by the edge signal generation circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, MIRISE Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Shotaro Wada, Tomohiro Nezuka
  • Patent number: 11848063
    Abstract: A circuit includes a first output signal supply line, a second output signal supply line, an output line, a first p-type thin-film transistor disposed between the first output signal supply line and the output line an n-type thin-film transistor disposed between the second output signal supply line and the output line, and a second p-type thin-film transistor disposed between the second output signal supply line and the output line. The n-type thin-film transistor and the second p-type thin-film transistor are configured to be OFF to output a signal on the first output signal supply line to the output line when the first p-type thin-film transistor is ON. The first p-type thin-film transistor is configured to be OFF to supply a signal on the second output signal supply line to the output line when the n-type thin-film transistor and the second p-type thin-film transistor are ON.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: XIAMEN TIANMA DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD
    Inventor: Tomohiko Otose
  • Patent number: 11847430
    Abstract: Disclosed examples include non-volatile counter systems to generate and store a counter value according to a sensor pulse signal, and power circuits to generate first and second supply voltage signals to power first and second power domain circuits using power from the sensor pulse signal, including a switch connected between first and second power domain supply nodes, a boost circuit, and a control circuit to selectively cause the switch to disconnect the first and second power domain circuits from one another after the first supply voltage signal rises above a threshold voltage in a given pulse of the sensor pulse signal, and to cause the boost circuit to boost the second supply voltage signal after the regulator output is disconnected from the second power domain supply node in the given pulse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Sudhanshu Khanna, Hao Meng, Michael Zwerg, Christy Leigh She, Steven Craig Bartling
  • Patent number: 11843374
    Abstract: A level shifter may include: a discharge circuit configured to receive an input signal on the basis of a first power supply voltage, and discharge an internal node on the basis of the input signal; a charge supply circuit configured to supply charge to an output node from which an output signal is outputted, on the basis of a second power supply voltage; and a voltage adjustment circuit including a first MOS transistor coupled between the internal node and the output node, and configured to adjust the voltage of the output node on the basis of a bias voltage applied to the first MOS transistor, and stop the operation of adjusting the voltage of the output node on the basis of the bias voltage, when the levels of the first and second power supply voltages are equal to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: SK hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Seung Ho Lee
  • Patent number: 11843386
    Abstract: An integrated circuit can include latched comparator circuitry. The latched comparator circuitry may include first and second input transistors configured to receive an input signal, first and second cross-coupled inverting circuits, reset transistors, and a current pulse generator. The first and second inverting circuits may each include a pull-up transistor and a pull-down transistor. The first input transistor may be coupled between the pull-up and pull-down transistors in the first inverting circuit. The second input transistor may be coupled between the pull-up and pull-down transistors in the second inverting circuit. The reset transistors may be coupled in parallel with the pull-up transistors and may receive a clock signal. The current pulse generator may receive the clock signal and generate current pulse signals in response to detecting edges in the clock signal. Latched comparator circuitry configured and operated in this way can provide reduced clock kickback noise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Francesco Dalena
  • Patent number: 11843378
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to an architecture that uses hierarchical statistically multiplexed counters to extend counter life by orders of magnitude. Each level includes statistically multiplexed counters. The statistically multiplexed counters includes P base counters and S subcounters, wherein the S subcounters are dynamically concatenated with the P base counters. When a row overflow in a level occurs, counters in a next level above are used to extend counter life. The hierarchical statistically multiplexed counters can be used with an overflow FIFO to further extend counter life.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Marvel Asia PTE., LTD.
    Inventors: Weihuang Wang, Gerald Schmidt, Srinath Atluri, Weinan Ma, Shrikant Sundaram Lnu
  • Patent number: 11843383
    Abstract: Example implementations described herein are directed to reducing far end cross talk (FEXT), including differential-to-differential far end crosstalk (DDFEXT) or single ended FEXT through generating and applying a delay shifter/inverter that is cascaded onto a target electrical system and shifts the even-mode and odd-mode propagation delay of a target electrical system to be substantially equal, which in turn reduces FEXT in the overall system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Hirose Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ching-Chao Huang, Jeremy Buan, Jingqian Tian, Tadashi Ohshida
  • Patent number: 11837606
    Abstract: A display panel and a display device are provided. The display panel includes at least one driving circuit and at least one pixel circuit. A driving circuit provides a driving signal for a pixel circuit. The driving circuit includes N-level shift registers cascaded with each other, where N is greater than or equal to two. A shift register includes at least one first active layer, and an active layer with a largest area is a first preset active layer. The pixel circuit includes at least one second active layer, where an active layer with a largest area among active layers containing silicon is a second preset active layer, and an active layer with a largest area among active layers containing oxide semiconductor is a third preset active layer. The first preset active layer has an area greater than the second preset active layer and the third preset active layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: XIAMEN TIANMA MICRO-ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Qingjun Lai, Yihua Zhu, Yong Yuan, Ping An, Zhaokeng Cao
  • Patent number: 11831318
    Abstract: A frequency multiplier system includes a first frequency multiplier circuit to generate a first signal having a first frequency. The first frequency multiplier circuit includes a first post-divider circuit to divide the first frequency of the first signal to a first output frequency within a bounded first range of frequencies, and a first programmable frequency transition controller to control a transitioning frequency relationship between the first signal having the first frequency and a target signal having a desired target frequency. The system includes a second frequency multiplier circuit to generate a second signal having a second frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: Movellus Circuits Inc.
    Inventors: Scott Howe, Xiao Wu, Jeffrey Alan Fredenburg