Patents by Inventor Martin Feldtkeller

Martin Feldtkeller 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: 9166028
    Abstract: Disclosed is a circuit arrangement, including a transistor component with a gate terminal, a control terminal, and a load path between a source and a drain terminal, and a drive circuit connected to the control terminal and configured to determine a load condition of the transistor component, to provide a drive potential to the control terminal, and to adjust the drive potential dependent on the load condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventors: Franz Hirler, Martin Feldtkeller, Gerald Deboy
  • Patent number: 9130478
    Abstract: A rectifier circuit includes a bridge circuit configured to receive an alternating input signal. A parallel resonant circuit is coupled between the bridge circuit and an output. The circuit could also include a capacitive storage element coupled to the output and configured to provide an output signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventor: Martin Feldtkeller
  • Patent number: 9124194
    Abstract: A device includes a full-bridge configured to convert a direct current (DC) voltage to an alternating current (AC) voltage. The full-bridge includes at least first, second, third and fourth bridge sections. Each of the first, second, third and fourth bridge sections includes a switch of a first type configured to switch in response to a first voltage level and a switch of a second type configured to switch in response to a second voltage level different than the first voltage level. The switch of the second type is configured to be driven using an inductive current of a load coupled to an output of the full-bridge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventor: Martin Feldtkeller
  • Publication number: 20150243645
    Abstract: Disclosed is a semiconductor device arrangement including a first semiconductor device having a load path, and a plurality of second transistors, each having a load path between a first and a second load terminal and a control terminal. The second transistors have their load paths connected in series and connected in series to the load path of the first transistor, each of the second transistors has its control terminal connected to the load terminal of one of the other second transistors, and one of the second transistors has its control terminal connected to one of the load terminals of the first semiconductor device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2015
    Publication date: August 27, 2015
    Inventors: Rolf Weis, Franz Hirler, Martin Feldtkeller, Gerald Deboy, Matthias Stecher, Armin Willmeroth
  • Patent number: 9083243
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a protection circuit for protecting a half-bridge circuit. The protection circuit detects an incorrect response of the half-bridge by monitoring the current of a first switch at a series resistor of a second switch. The protection circuit has a detector for detecting the voltage across the resistor and an evaluation circuit which is designed in such a manner that it evaluates an output signal from the detector after the first switch has been switched on and provides a fault signal at an output when the voltage across the resistor is greater than the threshold voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Assignee: INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRIA AG
    Inventors: Martin Feldtkeller, Dieter Zipprick
  • Publication number: 20150123729
    Abstract: In various embodiments, a circuit is provided including a supply terminal, a logic circuit, an inverter and a control transistor which may include a body region, first and second source/drain regions, a gate insulating region having a layer thickness and a gate region. The first source/drain region may be coupled to the supply terminal. The logic circuit may have an internal supply terminal connected to the second source/drain region of the control transistor and a plurality of transistors each having a gate insulating region having a second layer thickness. The inverter input may be coupled to the internal supply terminal of the logic circuit and the output to the gate region of the control transistor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2015
    Publication date: May 7, 2015
    Inventor: Martin Feldtkeller
  • Publication number: 20150123717
    Abstract: An electronic switch is connected in series with a load dependent on an input signal. The electronic switch is operated in a first operation mode for a first time period after a signal level of the input signal has changed from an off-level to an on-level. The first operation mode includes driving the electronic switch dependent on a voltage across the load and dependent on a temperature of the electronic switch. The electronic switch is operated in a second operation mode after the first time period. The second operation mode includes driving the electronic switch dependent on the temperature according to a hysteresis curve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2015
    Publication date: May 7, 2015
    Inventor: Martin Feldtkeller
  • Patent number: 9019005
    Abstract: In various embodiments, a circuit is provided including a supply terminal, a logic circuit, an inverter and a control transistor which may include a body region, first and second source/drain regions, a gate insulating region having a layer thickness and a gate region. The first source/drain region may be coupled to the supply terminal. The logic circuit may have an internal supply terminal connected to the second source/drain region of the control transistor and a plurality of transistors each having a gate insulating region having a second layer thickness. The inverter input may be coupled to the internal supply terminal of the logic circuit and the output to the gate region of the control transistor. The inverter may include a transistor with a gate insulating region having a third layer thickness substantially equal to the first and second layer thicknesses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventor: Martin Feldtkeller
  • Publication number: 20150069990
    Abstract: A embodiment relates to a current estimation circuitry for a converter comprising: an integrator for integrating a voltage across an inductor of the converter; a current sense unit for obtaining a signal that is associated with the current flowing through at least one of the electronic switches of the converter; and a control unit for adjusting at least two parameters of the integrator based on comparing the output of the integrator with the signal provided by the current sense unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2013
    Publication date: March 12, 2015
    Applicant: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventor: Martin FELDTKELLER
  • Patent number: 8970262
    Abstract: Disclosed is a semiconductor device arrangement including a first semiconductor device having a load path, and a plurality of second transistors, each having a load path between a first and a second load terminal and a control terminal. The second transistors have their load paths connected in series and connected in series to the load path of the first transistor, each of the second transistors has its control terminal connected to the load terminal of one of the other second transistors, and one of the second transistors has its control terminal connected to one of the load terminals of the first semiconductor device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventors: Rolf Weis, Franz Hirler, Martin Feldtkeller, Gerald Deboy, Matthias Stecher, Armin Willmeroth
  • Patent number: 8963626
    Abstract: In various embodiments, a circuit is provided including a supply terminal, a logic circuit, an inverter and a control transistor which may include a body region, first and second source/drain regions, a gate insulating region having a layer thickness and a gate region. The first source/drain region may be coupled to the supply terminal. The logic circuit may have an internal supply terminal connected to the second source/drain region of the control transistor and a plurality of transistors each having a gate insulating region having a second layer thickness. The inverter input may be coupled to the internal supply terminal of the logic circuit and the output to the gate region of the control transistor. The inverter may include a transistor with a gate insulating region having a third layer thickness substantially equal to the first and second layer thicknesses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventor: Martin Feldtkeller
  • Patent number: 8947842
    Abstract: An electronic circuit includes a temperature evaluation circuit. The temperature evaluation circuit includes a first sensor circuit with a first output terminal that is configured to sense a first temperature at a first position of the electronic circuit and to generate at the first output terminal a first output current that is dependent on the first temperature. A second sensor circuit includes a second output terminal and is configured to sense a second temperature at a second position of the electronic circuit and to generate at the second output terminal a second output current that is dependent on the second temperature. An evaluation circuit has an input terminal connected to the first output terminal and the second output terminal and is configured to provide an evaluation signal that is dependent on a current received at the input terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventor: Martin Feldtkeller
  • Patent number: 8947064
    Abstract: An electronic switch is connected in series with a load dependent on an input signal. The electronic switch is operated in a first operation mode for a first time period after a signal level of the input signal has changed from an off-level to an on-level. The first operation mode includes driving the electronic switch dependent on a voltage across the load and dependent on a temperature of the electronic switch. The electronic switch is operated in a second operation mode after the first time period. The second operation mode includes driving the electronic switch dependent on the temperature according to a hysteresis curve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventor: Martin Feldtkeller
  • Publication number: 20150015217
    Abstract: A method for operating a power factor correction circuit is provided which may include the steps of providing a plurality of N switched-mode converter circuits each comprising an nth inductor, where N is at least 2, starting a switching pulse for the nth switched-mode converter circuit when the following conditions are fulfilled: the nth inductor of the nth switched-mode converter circuit has a predefined magnetization state; and a predefined time period has elapsed since the start of a switching pulse for an mth switched-mode converter circuit, where m=n?1 in case n>1 and m=N in case n=1. The predefined time period is a predefined fraction of the time period from the start of a previous switching pulse for the nth switched-mode converter circuit to a time when the nth inductor of the nth switched-mode converter circuit has the predefined magnetization state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2014
    Publication date: January 15, 2015
    Inventors: Martin Feldtkeller, Martin Krueger
  • Publication number: 20140369433
    Abstract: A transformer arrangement for signal transmission is provided, the transformer arrangement having at least one transformer with a primary coil and a secondary coil and a controller. The controller is configured in a magnetization phase to control a first current to flow through the primary coil to increase until a predefined criterion is fulfilled, wherein the magnetization phase is longer than a time constant of the primary coil of the at least one transformer. The controller is configured in a voltage application phase to apply a voltage to the at least one transformer so that a second current flows through the primary coil, wherein the second current has a polarity which changes during the voltage application phase compared with the first current, wherein the voltage application phase is shorter than two times the time constant of the primary coil of the at least one transformer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2014
    Publication date: December 18, 2014
    Inventor: Martin Feldtkeller
  • Patent number: 8912775
    Abstract: A power factor correction circuit is provided which may include a first switched-mode converter circuit comprising a first inductor, at least one second switched-mode converter circuit having a second inductor, a control circuit coupled to the first and second switched-mode converter circuits, wherein the control circuit is configured to start a switching pulse for the second switched-mode converter circuit when the following conditions are fulfilled: the second inductor of the second switched-mode converter circuit has a predefined magnetization state and a predefined time period has elapsed since the start of a switching pulse for the first switched-mode converter circuit, wherein the predefined time period is a predefined fraction of the time period from the start of a previous switching pulse for the second switched-mode converter circuit to a time when the second inductor of the second switched-mode converter circuit has the predefined magnetization state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Martin Feldtkeller, Martin Krueger
  • Patent number: 8907685
    Abstract: Disclosed is a circuit arrangement for determining a temporal change of an output voltage of a half-bridge circuit during a dead time. In one embodiment, the circuit arrangement includes a first input for applying the output voltage. A capacitive network includes a first and a second circuit node capacitively coupled to the input, and having a terminal for a reference potential. A recharging circuit during the switched-on phase of one of a first and second switching elements, adjusts electrical potentials of the first and second nodes, the electrical potentials each being different from the reference potential. A comparator arrangement, during the dead time, determines a time difference between such times at which the electrical potentials at the first and second node each assume a given potential value, the time difference being a measure for the change with time of the output voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventor: Martin Feldtkeller
  • Publication number: 20140355323
    Abstract: A device includes a full-bridge configured to convert a direct current (DC) voltage to an alternating current (AC) voltage. The full-bridge includes at least first, second, third and fourth bridge sections. Each of the first, second, third and fourth bridge sections includes a switch of a first type configured to switch in response to a first voltage level and a switch of a second type configured to switch in response to a second voltage level different than the first voltage level. The switch of the second type is configured to be driven using an inductive current of a load coupled to an output of the full-bridge.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2013
    Publication date: December 4, 2014
    Inventor: Martin Feldtkeller
  • Publication number: 20140312983
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for generating an oscillating signal and an oscillator circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2014
    Publication date: October 23, 2014
    Inventor: Martin Feldtkeller
  • Patent number: 8861643
    Abstract: A signal transmitting device and a method for transmitting via a signal transmitting device is disclosed. In one embodiment the transmitting device comprises a first resonant circuit with a resonant circuit inductance and a resonant circuit capacitance and a second resonant circuit with a resonant circuit inductance and a resonant circuit capacitance, a coupling element which couples the first resonant circuit to the second resonant circuit, a first excitation circuit, coupled to the first resonant circuit, and at least one further excitation circuit coupled to the second resonant circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventor: Martin Feldtkeller