Patents by Inventor Kyoichiro Araki

Kyoichiro Araki 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: 8093876
    Abstract: A control circuit 10 according to the present invention transits to a first current limiter mode when an output current of a DC-DC converter circuit reaches an upper limit current or greater in a normal mode; transits to the normal mode when the output current falls below the upper limit current in the first current limiter mode; transits to a second current limiter mode when a first predetermined period elapses without a transition to the normal mode in the first current limiter mode; and transits to the normal mode when a second predetermined period elapses in the second current limiter mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Rohm Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kyoichiro Araki, Hironori Nakahara, Yoshinori Imanaka, Isao Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20110006694
    Abstract: A control circuit is provided for a separately excited DC/DC converter which directly monitors output voltage to detect a short-circuit state, and performs overcurrent protection. A switching controller of the control circuit controls a switching operation of a switching transistor of the separately excited DC/DC converter. A voltage comparator compares the output voltage and a threshold voltage, to detect the short-circuit state. After a predetermined start-up time has elapsed after beginning start-up of the separately excited DC/DC converter, when the voltage comparator detects the short-circuit state, the switching controller halts the switching operation of the switching transistor, and makes detection of the short-circuit state by the voltage comparator non-operative before elapse of the start-up time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2007
    Publication date: January 13, 2011
    Applicant: ROHM CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoichi Tamegai, Isao Yamamoto, Kyoichiro Araki
  • Patent number: 7868744
    Abstract: A driving apparatus drives a mover arranged for feedback of a touch panel. A reference voltage generation unit generates a reference voltage having a signal waveform to be applied to the mover. A pulse modulator generates a PWM signal of which duty ratio is controlled by feedback so that a feedback voltage corresponding to a drive voltage to be applied to the mover approaches the reference voltage. A switching element of the DC/DC converter is turned ON/OFF by a PWM signal from the pulse modulator, so that an output voltage of the DC/DC converter is controlled, and a drive voltage corresponding to the output voltage is applied to the mover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: Rohm Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kyoichiro Araki, Isao Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 7863833
    Abstract: A control circuit is provided for a separately excited DC/DC converter which directly monitors output voltage to detect a short-circuit state, and performs overcurrent protection. A switching controller of the control circuit controls a switching operation of a switching transistor of the separately excited DC/DC converter. A voltage comparator compares the output voltage and a threshold voltage, to detect the short-circuit state. After a predetermined start-up time has elapsed after beginning start-up of the separately excited DC/DC converter, when the voltage comparator detects the short-circuit state, the switching controller halts the switching operation of the switching transistor, and makes detection of the short-circuit state by the voltage comparator non-operative before elapse of the start-up time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Rohm Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoichi Tamegai, Isao Yamamoto, Kyoichiro Araki
  • Patent number: 7859229
    Abstract: A discharging device capable of realizing a proper PWM drive by accurately reflecting, as a strobe device, the secondary-side condition of a separately-excited strobe charging circuit being charged. A charging device which charges a main capacitor (2) via a separately-excited DC/DC converter and discharges the energy of the main capacitor, wherein a pulse width control circuit (1) for controlling a conduction pulse width on the primary side of the separately-excited DC/DC converter is provided, and this pulse width control circuit is configured such that a PWM soft start drive is performed that expands a conduction pulse width on the primary side of the separately-excited DC/DC converter stepwise up to a maximum pulse width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignees: Panasonic Photo & Lighting Co., Ltd., Rohm Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hisanori Hoshikawa, Kyoichiro Araki, Isao Yamamoto, Youichi Tamegai
  • Publication number: 20100066336
    Abstract: A control circuit 10 according to the present invention transits to a first current limiter mode when an output current of a DC-DC converter circuit reaches an upper limit current or greater in a normal mode; transits to the normal mode when the output current falls below the upper limit current in the first current limiter mode; transits to a second current limiter mode when a first predetermined period elapses without a transition to the normal mode in the first current limiter mode; and transits to the normal mode when a second predetermined period elapses in the second current limiter mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2007
    Publication date: March 18, 2010
    Applicant: ROHM CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kyoichiro Araki, Hironori Nakahara, Yoshinori Imanaka, Isao Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 7579784
    Abstract: A control circuit for controlling a switching element in a switching power supply by generating a switching signal is disclosed. The control circuit may include a soft start circuit that generates a switching signal so that an output voltage of the switching power supply gradually increases for a period until the output voltage reaches a predetermined reference voltage. The soft start circuit may increase the output voltage at a first limiting speed when the output voltage is lower than a predetermined threshold voltage, and may increase the output voltage at a second limiting speed which is set higher than the first limiting speed when the output voltage is higher than the threshold voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2009
    Assignee: Rohm Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kyoichiro Araki, Yoichi Tamegai, Isao Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20090009144
    Abstract: A discharging device capable of realizing a proper PWM drive by accurately reflecting, as a strobe device, the secondary-side condition of a separately-excited strobe charging circuit being charged. A charging device which charges a main capacitor (2) via a separately-excited DC/DC converter and discharges the energy of the main capacitor, wherein a pulse width control circuit (1) for controlling a conduction pulse width on the primary side of the separately-excited DC/DC converter is provided, and this pulse width control circuit is configured such that a PWM soft start drive is performed that expands a conduction pulse width on the primary side of the separately-excited DC/DC converter stepwise up to a maximum pulse width.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2006
    Publication date: January 8, 2009
    Applicant: Panasonic Photo & Lighting Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Hisanori Hoshikawa, Kyoichiro Araki, Isao Yamamoto, Youichi Tamegai
  • Publication number: 20080309467
    Abstract: A driving apparatus drives a mover arranged for feedback of a touch panel. A reference voltage generation unit generates a reference voltage having a signal waveform to be applied to the mover. A pulse modulator generates a PWM signal of which duty ratio is controlled by feedback so that a feedback voltage corresponding to a drive voltage to be applied to the mover approaches the reference voltage. A switching element of the DC/DC converter is turned ON/OFF by a PWM signal from the pulse modulator, so that an output voltage of the DC/DC converter is controlled, and a drive voltage corresponding to the output voltage is applied to the mover.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2008
    Publication date: December 18, 2008
    Applicant: ROHM CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kyoichiro ARAKI, Isao YAMAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20080136342
    Abstract: A control circuit is provided for a separately excited DC/DC converter which directly monitors output voltage to detect a short-circuit state, and performs overcurrent protection. A switching controller of the control circuit controls a switching operation of a switching transistor of the separately excited DC/DC converter. A voltage comparator compares the output voltage and a threshold voltage, to detect the short-circuit state. After a predetermined start-up time has elapsed after beginning start-up of the separately excited DC/DC converter, when the voltage comparator detects the short-circuit state, the switching controller halts the switching operation of the switching transistor, and makes detection of the short-circuit state by the voltage comparator non-operative before elapse of the start-up time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2007
    Publication date: June 12, 2008
    Applicant: ROHM CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoichi Tamegai, Isao Yamamoto, Kyoichiro Araki
  • Publication number: 20080136341
    Abstract: A control circuit for controlling a switching element in a switching power supply by generating a switching signal is disclosed. The control circuit may include a short start circuit that generates a switching signal so that an output voltage of the switching power supply gradually increases for a period until the output voltage reaches a predetermined reference voltage. The soft start circuit may increase the output voltage at a first limiting speed when the output voltage is lower than a predetermined threshold voltage, and may increase the output voltage at a second limiting speed which is set higher than the first limiting speed when the output voltage is higher than the threshold voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2005
    Publication date: June 12, 2008
    Inventors: Kyoichiro Araki, Yoichi Tamegai, Isao Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 7315095
    Abstract: In a soft start period after power-on, a voltage regulating apparatus checks LED by LED to determine whether the LED is mounted on a position to receive a drive voltage. After the soft start period, the voltage regulating apparatus monitors the driving status of each of the plurality of LEDs. When it is determined as a result of monitoring that the driving status of at least one of the LEDs is improper, the voltage regulating apparatus increases the drive voltage. In this process, the monitoring on an LED determined to be unmounted as a result of a mount checking process is invalidated. With this, it is ensured that a result of monitoring on the LED unmounted is prevented from affecting the increasing of the drive voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2008
    Assignee: Rohm Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Noboru Kagemoto, Kyoichiro Araki, Isao Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 7307385
    Abstract: A charge pump circuit boosts a voltage of a battery so as to generate a drive voltage for an LED. A constant current circuit generates a constant current to feed through the LED. A monitoring circuit monitors a cathode potential of the LED, i.e., a voltage across the constant current circuit. A control circuit receives a result of monitoring from the monitoring circuit 110 and increases a step-up ratio of the charge pump circuit when the voltage across the constant current circuit drops below a minimum voltage that guarantees a constant current. The control circuit sets an externally requested constant current value in the constant current circuit. When a change from a large current to a small current is requested, the control circuit returns the step-up ratio of the charge pump circuit to 1.0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2007
    Assignee: Rohm Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Isao Yamamoto, Kyoichiro Araki, Noboru Kagemoto
  • Patent number: 7190195
    Abstract: An input circuit is provided which prevents malfunctioning of a function circuit during a power source voltage rise without the need of a separate Under Voltage Lock Out (UVLO) circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2007
    Assignee: Rohm Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Isao Yamamoto, Kyoichiro Araki, Yoichi Tamegai
  • Publication number: 20050248322
    Abstract: In a soft start period after power-on, a voltage regulating apparatus checks LED by LED to determine whether the LED is mounted on a position to receive a drive voltage. After the soft start period, the voltage regulating apparatus monitors the driving status of each of the plurality of LEDs. When it is determined as a result of monitoring that the driving status of at least one of the LEDs is improper, the voltage regulating apparatus increases the drive voltage. In this process, the monitoring on an LED determined to be unmounted as a result of a mount checking process is invalidated. With this, it is ensured that a result of monitoring on the LED unmounted is prevented from affecting the increasing of the drive voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2005
    Publication date: November 10, 2005
    Inventors: Noboru Kagemoto, Kyoichiro Araki, Isao Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20050231127
    Abstract: A charge pump circuit boosts a voltage of a battery so as to generate a drive voltage for an LED. A constant current circuit generates a constant current to feed through the LED. A monitoring circuit monitors a cathode potential of the LED, i.e., a voltage across the constant current circuit. A control circuit receives a result of monitoring from the monitoring circuit 110 and increases a step-up ratio of the charge pump circuit when the voltage across the constant current circuit drops below a minimum voltage that guarantees a constant current. The control circuit sets an externally requested constant current value in the constant current circuit. When a change from a large current to a small current is requested, the control circuit returns the step-up ratio of the charge pump circuit to 1.0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2005
    Publication date: October 20, 2005
    Inventors: Isao Yamamoto, Kyoichiro Araki, Noboru Kagemoto
  • Publication number: 20050212569
    Abstract: An input circuit is provided which prevents malfunctioning of a function circuit during a power source voltage rise without the need of a separate Under Voltage Lock Out (UVLO) circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2005
    Publication date: September 29, 2005
    Inventors: Isao Yamamoto, Kyoichiro Araki, Yoichi Tamegai