Patents by Inventor Patrick G. O'Farrell

Patrick G. O'Farrell 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: 6151186
    Abstract: A circuit (10) and method for providing a drive current to a voice coil (20) to position a head (13) of a disk drive (14) includes driver circuitry (68, 70) for controlling currents flowing in the voice coil (20) and at least one sense current circuit (92), which may include FET devices (112, 114, 116, 118), for sensing and controlling the currents in a current path (26) of the driver circuit (10). Programmable circuitry (170) is connected to adjust at least one of the sense current circuits (112, 114 or 116, 118) to control a current flowing through the voice coil (20) to position the head (13) to a desired location. A trim capability is implemented by providing one or more trim FETs (145-148, 155-158) that are selectively connectable in parallel with current mirroring FETs (120, 126), which may be, for example, FETs connected to mirror a current in one of the current flow paths (26) of the drive circuit (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2000
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Patrick G. O'Farrell
  • Patent number: 5867001
    Abstract: A motor driver circuit (12) for providing drive signals to stator coils of a polyphase dc motor (10) includes a plurality of current paths, each connected between a supply voltage and a reference potential. Each current path includes two driver transistors (14,20, 16,22, 18,24), a node (A, B, C) of each of the stator coils being connectable between the driver transistors in respective current flow paths. A commutator (26) is connected to operate the driver transistors in a sequence in which drive currents are delivered for application in a predetermined sequence to the stator coils. A plurality of sensing transistors (32) are connected to produce a mirror current which mirrors a mirrored current in an associated driver transistor (20) in a respective current flow path. Circuitry (26) is provided which is responsive to the mirror currents of the sensing transistors to control the amplitudes of the currents in the associated driver transistor in a respective current flow path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 2, 1999
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Rolf Lagerquist, William R. Krenik, Kenneth J. Maggio, Patrick G. O'Farrell