Patents by Inventor Kaoru Sakaguchi

Kaoru Sakaguchi has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9459641
    Abstract: Provided is a variable output voltage regulator capable of reducing heat generation during an overcurrent protection operation even when a setting value of an output voltage is high. The variable output voltage regulator can change an output voltage by trimming a resistor of a voltage dividing circuit in response to a trimming signal output from a trimming signal generation circuit. The trimming signal is used to change a limiting voltage of a fold-back type overcurrent protection circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignee: SII SEMICONDUCTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kaoru Sakaguchi, Teruo Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20160233208
    Abstract: Provided is an overheat detection circuit having a small circuit scale, low cost, and low electric power consumption. The overheat detection circuit implemented in a CMOS semiconductor device includes: a reference voltage circuit connected between a base and an emitter of a parasitic bipolar transistor; and a current detection circuit connected to the emitter of the parasitic bipolar transistor, in which the current detection circuit is configured to detect a flow of a current through the parasitic bipolar transistor to output an overheat detection signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2016
    Publication date: August 11, 2016
    Inventors: Noriyuki HARADA, Kaoru SAKAGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20160226467
    Abstract: To provide a low-pass filter circuit which is high in noise elimination capability and starts its output stably and at high speed, and a power supply device. A low-pass filter circuit is provided which is equipped with a capacitance element connected to an output terminal, and a resistance circuit connected between an input terminal and the output terminal, and in which the resistance circuit is equipped with a first MOS transistor connected between the input terminal and the output terminal, and an amplifier which has a first input terminal to which the input terminal is connected, a second input terminal to which the output terminal is connected, and an output terminal to which a gate of the first MOS transistor is connected, and which controls a time constant of the low-pass filter circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2016
    Publication date: August 4, 2016
    Inventor: Kaoru SAKAGUCHI
  • Patent number: 9298200
    Abstract: The constant voltage includes a sense transistor through which a sense current flows based on an output current flowing through an output transistor; a current division circuit for dividing the sense current and outputting divided currents; a first current to voltage conversion circuit for converting a first division current output from the current division circuit to a first voltage; a second current voltage conversion circuit for converting a second division current output from the current division circuit to a second voltage; an output voltage detection circuit for controlling the current division circuit such that a drain voltage of the sense transistor becomes equal to a voltage of the output terminal; and an overcurrent protection circuit for controlling the output voltage and the output current by detecting an overcurrent flowing through the output transistor based on the first voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments, Inc.
    Inventor: Kaoru Sakaguchi
  • Patent number: 9110487
    Abstract: Provided is a voltage regulator including an overcurrent protection circuit, which does not need a test circuit. The voltage regulator has a configuration in which a reference voltage circuit includes an element that determines a reference voltage and an overcurrent protection circuit includes an element that determines a maximum output current, the element of the reference voltage circuit and the element of the overcurrent protection circuit having the same characteristics. Accordingly, there is a correlation between an output voltage before trimming and the maximum output current for overcurrent protection. Thus, a maximum output current before trimming can be estimated without performing evaluation by a test circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Kaoru Sakaguchi, Takashi Imura
  • Patent number: 8922188
    Abstract: Provided are a low pass filter circuit having a small output voltage shift caused by a substrate leakage current at high temperature, and a voltage regulator using the low pass filter circuit, which has a small output voltage shift at high temperature. In a low pass filter circuit using a PMOS transistor as a resistive element, a back gate terminal of the PMOS transistor is set to have a higher voltage than a source of the PMOS transistor. Further, in a voltage regulator incorporating the low pass filter circuit to an output of a reference voltage circuit, the voltage of the back gate terminal of the PMOS transistor which is higher than that of the source thereof is generated by the reference voltage circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventor: Kaoru Sakaguchi
  • Publication number: 20140253070
    Abstract: The constant voltage includes a sense transistor through which a sense current flows based on an output current flowing through an output transistor; a current division circuit for dividing the sense current and outputting divided currents; a first current to voltage conversion circuit for converting a first division current output from the current division circuit to a first voltage; a second current voltage conversion circuit for converting a second division current output from the current division circuit to a second voltage; an output voltage detection circuit for controlling the current division circuit such that a voltage of the output terminal becomes equal to a drain voltage of the sense transistor; and an overcurrent protection circuit for controlling the output voltage and the output current by detecting an overcurrent flowing through the output transistor based on the first voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2014
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Applicant: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventor: Kaoru SAKAGUCHI
  • Patent number: 8723594
    Abstract: The semiconductor device includes: a first transistor controlled by a control signal; a sense voltage generating circuit for sensing current flowing through the first transistor, mirroring current flowing through a reference current circuit, and summing the currents to generate voltage based on the summed currents; a reference voltage circuit for mirroring current flowing through the reference current circuit and generating reference voltage; an amplifier for comparing the voltage generated by the sense voltage generating circuit and the reference voltage; and a second transistor which has a gate connected to an output terminal of the amplifier and which can turn off the first transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventor: Kaoru Sakaguchi
  • Publication number: 20130249599
    Abstract: The semiconductor device includes: a first transistor controlled by a control signal; a sense voltage generating circuit for sensing current flowing through the first transistor, mirroring current flowing through a reference current circuit, and summing the currents to generate voltage based on the summed currents; a reference voltage circuit for mirroring current flowing through the reference current circuit and generating reference voltage; an amplifier for comparing the voltage generated by the sense voltage generating circuit and the reference voltage; and a second transistor which has a gate connected to an output terminal of the amplifier and which can turn off the first transistor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2013
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
    Inventor: Kaoru SAKAGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20130234688
    Abstract: Provided are a low pass filter circuit having a small output voltage shift caused by a substrate leakage current at high temperature, and a voltage regulator using the low pass filter circuit, which has a small output voltage shift at high temperature. In a low pass filter circuit using a PMOS transistor as a resistive element, a back gate terminal of the PMOS transistor is set to have a higher voltage than a source of the PMOS transistor. Further, in a voltage regulator incorporating the low pass filter circuit to an output of a reference voltage circuit, the voltage of the back gate terminal of the PMOS transistor which is higher than that of the source thereof is generated by the reference voltage circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2013
    Publication date: September 12, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
    Inventor: Kaoru SAKAGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20120286751
    Abstract: Provided is a voltage regulator including an overcurrent protection circuit, which does not need a test circuit. The voltage regulator has a configuration in which a reference voltage circuit includes an element that determines a reference voltage and an overcurrent protection circuit includes an element that determines a maximum output current, the element of the reference voltage circuit and the element of the overcurrent protection circuit having the same characteristics. Accordingly, there is a correlation between an output voltage before trimming and the maximum output current for overcurrent protection. Thus, a maximum output current before trimming can be estimated without performing evaluation by a test circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2012
    Publication date: November 15, 2012
    Inventors: Kaoru Sakaguchi, Takashi Imura