Abstract: This application relates to methods and apparatus for driving a transducer with switching drivers. A driver circuit has first and second switching drivers for driving the transducer in a bridge-tied-load configuration, each of the switching drivers having a respective output stage for controllably switching the respective driver output node between high and low switching voltages with a controlled duty cycle. Each of switching drivers is operable in a plurality of different driver modes, wherein the switching voltages are different in said different driver modes. A controller controls the driver mode of operation and the duty cycle of the switching drivers based on the input signal. The controller is configured to control the duty cycles of the first and second switching drivers within defined minimum and maximum limits of duty cycles; and to transition between driver modes of operation when the duty cycle of one of the switching drivers reaches a duty cycle limit.

Abstract: A battery management system, may include an input configured to couple to a power supply, an output configured to couple to a battery, and battery management circuitry coupled between the power supply and the battery and configured to deliver electrical energy to the output at a significantly higher peak-to-average power ratio than receipt of electrical energy to the input.

Abstract: A cascaded switched power converter provides a wide voltage conversion ratio and improved efficiency ins systems such as power supplies and amplifiers. A switched-capacitor charge pump circuit is operated by one or more first clock signals and is coupled in cascade with an inductor-based power supply circuit according to one or more second clock signals. A control circuit that generates clock signals so that the one or more second clock signals have a phase offset with respect to the one or more first clock signals that is set to adjust a conversion ratio of the cascaded combination of the switched-capacitor charge pump circuit and the inductor-based power supply circuit. The inductor of the inductor-based power supply circuit may be an inductive load, such as a speaker, and the phase offset may be modulated according to an audio signal to provide audio amplification.

Abstract: A power management system for use in a device comprising a battery and one or more components configured to draw electrical energy from the battery may include a first power converter configured to electrically couple between charging circuitry configured to provide electrical energy for charging the battery and the one or more downstream components and a bidirectional power converter configured to electrically couple between the charging circuitry and the battery, wherein the bidirectional power converter is configured to transfer charge from the battery or transfer charge from the battery based on a power requirement of the one or more components and a power available from the first power converter.

Abstract: Pulse width modulation (PWM) driver circuitry comprising: a loop filter configured to receive an analog input signal and to output a digital loop filter output signal based on the analog input signal and an analog feedback signal; and a PWM modulator configured to receive a digital signal based on the digital loop filter output signal and to output a PWM signal, wherein the PWM driver circuitry further comprises a feedback path coupled to an output of the PWM driver circuitry for the analog feedback signal.

Abstract: Pulse width modulation (PWM) driver circuitry comprising: a loop filter configured to receive an analog input signal and to output a digital loop filter output signal based on the analog input signal and an analog feedback signal; and a PWM modulator configured to receive a digital signal based on the digital loop filter output signal and to output a PWM signal, wherein the PWM driver circuitry further comprises a feedback path coupled to an output of the PWM driver circuitry for the analog feedback signal.

Abstract: A mobile device may include a power supply configured to generate a supply voltage, a power converter configured to generate a converted voltage from the supply voltage wherein the converted voltage is significantly different than the supply voltage, and a plurality of power domains. The plurality of power domains may include a first power domain that is global to the mobile device and comprising a first plurality of electronic components powered from the converted voltage and a second power domain that is global to the mobile device and comprising a second plurality of electronic components powered from the supply voltage, wherein power requirements of each of the second plurality of electronic components are significantly higher than power requirements of each of the first plurality of electronic components.

Abstract: The application describes a switched driver (401) for outputting a drive signal at an output node (402) to drive a load such as a transducer. The driver receives respective high-side and low-side voltages (VinH, VinL) defining an input voltage at first and second input nodes and has connections for first and second capacitors (403H, 403L). A network of switching paths is configured such that each of the first and second capacitors can be selectively charged to the input voltage, the first input node can be selectively coupled to a first node (N1) by a path that include or bypass the first capacitor, and the second input node can be selectively coupled to a second node (N2) by a path that includes or bypasses the second capacitor. The output node (402) can be switched between two switching voltages at the first or second nodes. The driver is selectively operable in different operating modes, where the switching voltages are different in each of said modes.

Abstract: A system for estimating power dissipation in an integrated circuit comprising a power converter and an amplifier, the system comprising processing circuitry configured to: receive a signal indicative of an output voltage to a load which, in use of the integrated circuit, is driven by the amplifier; receive a signal indicative of an output current to the load; determine an output power value based on the received signal indicative of the output voltage to the load and the received signal indicative of the output current to the load; receive a signal indicative of an input voltage to the power converter; receive a signal indicative of an average current input to the power converter; determine an input power value based on the received signal indicative of the input voltage to the power converter and the received signal indicative of the average current input to the power converter; and determine a power dissipation value based on the determined output power value and the determined input power value.

Abstract: A method for controlling an input current limit of boost converter circuitry, the method comprising: receiving a power dissipation value for the boost converter circuitry; and controlling an input current limit of the boost converter circuitry based on the power dissipation value.

Abstract: A system may include a control circuit and a multi-level power converter comprising a plurality of switches and a power inductor electrically coupled to the plurality of switches, wherein the power inductor is coupled to a switching node of the multi-level power converter, wherein the multi-level power converter is capable of applying three or more switching voltages to the switching node. The control circuit may generate control signals that define a sequence of switching of the plurality of switches of the power converter, the control circuit configured to, during a switching cycle of the converter in which the power inductor is magnetized and demagnetized, control switching of the plurality of switches among at least three switch configurations during magnetization and demagnetization of the power inductor such that a voltage on the switching node experiences a different respective magnitude of voltage in each of the at least three switch configurations.

Abstract: In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, a power converter system may comprise a plurality of power converter stages in a cascaded arrangement, the power converter stages comprising at least a first power converter stage and a second power converter stage configured to modify an operational state and/or an operational mode of the second power converter stage responsive to feedforward information associated with the first power converter stage.

Abstract: This application relates to methods and apparatus for driving a transducer with switching drivers. A driver circuit has first and second switching drivers for driving the transducer in a bridge-tied-load configuration, each of the switching drivers having a respective output stage for controllably switching the respective driver output node between high and low switching voltages with a controlled duty cycle. Each of switching drivers is operable in a plurality of different driver modes, wherein the switching voltages are different in said different driver modes. A controller controls the driver mode of operation and the duty cycle of the switching drivers based on the input signal. The controller is configured to control the duty cycles of the first and second switching drivers within defined minimum and maximum limits of duty cycles; and to transition between driver modes of operation when the duty cycle of one of the switching drivers reaches a duty cycle limit.

Abstract: This application relates to methods and apparatus for driving a transducer with switching drivers. A switching driver has first and second supply node for receiving supply voltages and includes an output bridge stage, a capacitor and a network of switches. The network of switches is operable in different switch states to provide different switching voltages to the output bridge stage. A controller is configured to control the switch state of the network of switches and a duty cycle of output switches of the output bridge stage based on an input signal to generate an output signal for driving the transducer.

Abstract: This application relates to methods and apparatus for driving a transducer with switching drivers. A driver circuit has first and second switching drivers for driving the transducer in a bridge-tied-load configuration, each of the switching drivers having a respective output stage for controllably switching the respective driver output node between high and low switching voltages with a controlled duty cycle. Each of switching drivers is operable in a plurality of different driver modes, wherein the switching voltages are different in said different driver modes. A controller controls the driver mode of operation and the duty cycle of the switching drivers based on the input signal. The controller is configured to control the duty cycles of the first and second switching drivers within defined minimum and maximum limits of duty cycles; and to transition between driver modes of operation when the duty cycle of one of the switching drivers reaches a duty cycle limit.

Abstract: A method for intelligently generating a stimulus for use in characterization of parameters of a model of a battery may include dynamically analyzing a current drawn from the battery by a load, based on analysis of the current, determining a sink current for augmenting the current drawn by the load, and generating the sink current based on a determined need to update the parameters.

Abstract: A method for intelligently generating a stimulus for use in characterization of parameters of a model of a battery may include dynamically analyzing a current drawn from the battery by a load, based on analysis of the current, determining an augmented current for augmenting the current drawn by the load, and generating the augmented current based on a determined need to update the parameters.

Abstract: A method for estimating equivalent circuit model parameters of a battery may include measuring a battery voltage across terminals of the battery and a battery current drawn from the battery, decomposing the battery voltage and the battery current into a plurality of sub-bands, each sub-band of the plurality of sub-bands based on a time constant that characterizes a temporal behavior of the battery, for each sub-band of the plurality of sub-bands, estimating an equivalent resistance for such sub-band based on a spectral content of the battery voltage and battery current for such sub-band, and estimating an open circuit voltage of the battery based at least on the spectral content of the battery voltage and battery current present in one of the plurality of sub-bands and the equivalent resistances of the plurality of sub-bands.

Abstract: A power delivery system may include an inductive power converter comprising a shared connection to a shared voltage from a battery, multiple inductive phases, each of the multiple inductive phases configured to generate a respective voltage from the shared voltage, multiple regulated voltage connections, and one or more switches configured and arranged to selectively assign at least one of the multiple inductive phases to a regulated voltage connection selected from the multiple regulated voltage connections.

Abstract: A power management system for use in a device comprising a battery and one or more components configured to draw electrical energy from the battery may include a first power converter configured to electrically couple between charging circuitry configured to provide electrical energy for charging the battery and the one or more downstream components and a bidirectional power converter configured to electrically couple between the charging circuitry and the battery, wherein the bidirectional power converter is configured to transfer charge from the battery or transfer charge from the battery based on a power requirement of the one or more components and a power available from the first power converter.