Patents by Inventor Louis DeMarco

Louis DeMarco 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: 9698691
    Abstract: A switching DC-to-DC converter has an adaptive duty cycle limiting circuit with an inductor current sensor to generate a sense signal indicative of magnitude of the inductor current. A replica signal is generated from the sense signal and transferred through a replica parasitic resistance circuit. A differential voltage is developed across the replica parasitic resistances and compared with a maximum limit voltage level. The maximum limit voltage level is indicates that a gain level of the switching DC-to-DC converter has decreased even though the duty cycle has increased. A duty cycle limit signal is generated and transferred to disable a switch in a switching circuit for limiting the duty cycle of the switching DC-to-DC converter, when the gain level has decreased such that the switching DC-to-DC converter does not enter a region where the gain of the switching DC-to-DC converter has a negative slope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: Dialog Semiconductor (UK) Limited
    Inventors: Kemal Ozanoglu, Selcuk Talay, Pier Cavallini, Naoyuki Unno, Louis deMarco
  • Publication number: 20160359414
    Abstract: A switching DC-to-DC converter has an adaptive duty cycle limiting circuit with an inductor current sensor to generate a sense signal indicative of magnitude of the inductor current. A replica signal is generated from the sense signal and transferred through a replica parasitic resistance circuit. A differential voltage is developed across the replica parasitic resistances and compared with a maximum limit voltage level. The maximum limit voltage level is indicates that a gain level of the switching DC-to-DC converter has decreased even though the duty cycle has increased. A duty cycle limit signal is generated and transferred to disable a switch in a switching circuit for limiting the duty cycle of the switching DC-to-DC converter, when the gain level has decreased such that the switching DC-to-DC converter does not enter a region where the gain of the switching DC-to-DC converter has a negative slope.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2015
    Publication date: December 8, 2016
    Inventors: Kemal Ozanoglu, Selcuk Talay, Pier Cavallini, Naoyuki Unno, Louis deMarco
  • Patent number: 9450490
    Abstract: The present document relates to switching DC converters In particular, the present document relates to creating an auxiliary reference voltage for the switching converter to implement a dynamic correction of static load regulation. Main objective of the disclosure is minimizing the regulation error on account of accuracy when non-idealities present in the regulation loop are considered. An additional control loop to monitor the regulated error signal has been added. The additional loop has the purpose to create an auxiliary reference for the boost converter which will be updated (up and down) whenever the regulation exceeds a target threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: Dialog Semiconductor (UK) Limited
    Inventors: Pier Cavallini, Louis DeMarco
  • Publication number: 20160126838
    Abstract: The present document relates to switching DC converters In particular, the present document relates to creating an auxiliary reference voltage for the switching converter to implement a dynamic correction of static load regulation. Main objective of the disclosure is minimizing the regulation error on account of accuracy when non-idealities present in the regulation loop are considered. An additional control loop to monitor the regulated error signal has been added. The additional loop has the purpose to create an auxiliary reference for the boost converter which will be updated (up and down) whenever the regulation exceeds a target threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2014
    Publication date: May 5, 2016
    Inventors: Pier Cavallini, Louis DeMarco
  • Patent number: 8624511
    Abstract: Circuits and methods to achieve a most efficient driver for white LEDs are disclosed. Switching Losses associated with the switching activity of a boost converter and mainly depending on clock frequency and total capacitance at the switching nodes and conduction losses associated with the current flowing in the boost converter and mainly depending on the series resistance of the elements in the regulation loop are minimized by using a size programmable NFET power switch with constant current limit, a very low voltage and accurate programmable current source, a programmable reference voltage for the error amplifier, and a PWM generator with programmable clock frequency. A limited number of configuration windows corresponding to a set of programmable values (OTP registers) for specific ranges of the current fed to the WLEDs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Dialog Semiconductor GmbH
    Inventors: Pier Cavallini, Louis DeMarco, Adil Sabihi
  • Publication number: 20130249421
    Abstract: Circuits and methods to achieve a most efficient driver for white LEDs are disclosed. Switching Losses associated with the switching activity of a boost converter and mainly depending on clock frequency and total capacitance at the switching nodes and conduction losses associated with the current flowing in the boost converter and mainly depending on the series resistance of the elements in the regulation loop are minimized by using a size programmable NFET power switch with constant current limit, a very low voltage and accurate programmable current source, a programmable reference voltage for the error amplifier, and a PWM generator with programmable clock frequency. A limited number of configuration windows corresponding to a set of programmable values (OTP registers) for specific ranges of the current fed to the WLEDs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2012
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: DIALOG SEMICONDUCTOR GMBH
    Inventors: Pier Cavallini, Louis DeMarco, Adil Sabihi