Patents by Inventor Pietro Gallina

Pietro Gallina 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).

  • Publication number: 20230188156
    Abstract: A power converter system for converting an input voltage at an input into an output voltage at an output may comprise a switch network comprising a reactive circuit element and a plurality of switches, switch control circuitry configured to operate the plurality of switch in a plurality of periodic, sequential states to regulate the output voltage, and reference current generating circuitry. The reference current generating circuitry may include a comparator coupled to a sensed switch of the plurality of switches and configured to compare a current flowing through the sensed switch to a reference current and current-steering circuitry coupled to the comparator configured to generate the reference current and alternate the reference current between a first reference current and a second reference current whenever the switch control circuitry changes from one state of the plurality of periodic, sequential states to another state of the plurality of periodic, sequential states.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2022
    Publication date: June 15, 2023
    Applicant: Cirrus Logic International Semiconductor Ltd.
    Inventors: Ivan PERRY, Hasnain AKRAM, Graeme G. MACKAY, Pietro GALLINA, Chanchal GUPTA, Bryan QUINONES, Abhishek RAY
  • Patent number: 10958174
    Abstract: A power converter and method to detect a light load condition at an output of the power converter are presented. The power converter may have an inductor and a resistive element connected between an input of the power converter and an input of the inductor. The power converter may have a first chopping unit to generate a chopped voltage signal at an output of said first chopping unit, wherein the chopped voltage signal is generated by chopping an inductor voltage at the input of said inductor based on a duty cycle of the power converter. The power converter may have a reference current source, wherein the reference current source and a replica resistive element are arranged in series. The power converter may have a comparator unit to generate, based on the reference potential and based on the chopped voltage signal, a signal indicative of said light load condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: Dialog Semiconductor Inc.
    Inventors: Manmeet Singh, Pietro Gallina, Rosario Pagano, Vijay Choudhary, Vivek Parasuram, John Kesterson
  • Patent number: 10811970
    Abstract: An object of this disclosure is to implement a Buck, Boost, or other switching converter, with a circuit to supply a reference voltage and Adaptive Voltage Positioning (AVP), by means of a servo and programmable load regulation. The reference voltage is modified, achieving a high DC gain, using a servo to remove any DC offset at the output of the switching converter. The correction implemented by the servo is measured, and a programmable fraction of the correction is injected back on either the reference voltage or the output feedback voltage. To accomplish at least one of these objects, a Buck, Boost, or other switching converter is implemented, consisting of an output stage driven by switching logic, with a servo configured between the reference voltage and the control loops of the Buck converter. The AVP function is implemented on either the reference voltage or output feedback voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: Dialog Semiconductor (UK) Limited
    Inventors: Pietro Gallina, Vincenzo Bisogno, Mark Childs
  • Publication number: 20200052591
    Abstract: An object of this disclosure is to implement a Buck, Boost, or other switching converter, with a circuit to supply a reference voltage and Adaptive Voltage Positioning (AVP), by means of a servo and programmable load regulation. The reference voltage is modified, achieving a high DC gain, using a servo to remove any DC offset at the output of the switching converter. The correction implemented by the servo is measured, and a programmable fraction of the correction is injected back on either the reference voltage or the output feedback voltage. To accomplish at least one of these objects, a Buck, Boost, or other switching converter is implemented, consisting of an output stage driven by switching logic, with a servo configured between the reference voltage and the control loops of the Buck converter. The AVP function is implemented on either the reference voltage or output feedback voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2019
    Publication date: February 13, 2020
    Inventors: Pietro Gallina, Vincenzo Bisogno, Mark Childs
  • Patent number: 10505450
    Abstract: A servo block in a Buck, Boost, or switching converter allows a positive offset to be applied to the DAC voltage. In a typical switching converter application, the load will have a positive current, sourced from the switching converter to ground through the load. This will cause the output voltage of the switching converter to fall with the output impedance. The servo block corrects the output voltage by adjusting the DAC voltage upwards. In the case where current is forced back into the switching converter, causing the output voltage to rise, the servo block will have affect. The behavior of the servo block is desirable as it reduces the negative affect the servo block may have on load transients occurring when the switching converter is in over voltage. In particular, the idea of shifting the DAC voltage for several different loops with a single servo block is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Dialog Semiconductor (UK) Limited
    Inventors: Mark Childs, Pietro Gallina, Vincenzo Bisogno
  • Patent number: 10468984
    Abstract: An object of this disclosure is to implement a Buck, Boost, or other switching converter, with a circuit to supply a reference voltage and Adaptive Voltage Positioning (AVP), by a servo and programmable load regulation. The reference voltage is modified, achieving a high DC gain, using a servo to remove any DC offset at the output of the switching converter. The correction implemented by the servo is measured, and a programmable fraction of the correction is injected back on either the reference voltage or the output feedback voltage. To accomplish at least one of these objects, a Buck, Boost, or other switching converter is implemented, consisting of an output stage driven by switching logic, with a servo configured between the reference voltage and the control loops of the Buck converter. The AVP function is implemented on either the reference voltage or output feedback voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: Dialog Semiconductor (UK) Limited
    Inventors: Pietro Gallina, Vincenzo Bisogno, Mark Childs
  • Patent number: 10355595
    Abstract: A circuit and method providing switching regulation configured to provide a pulse frequency modulation (PFM) mode of Operation with reduced electromagnetic interference (EMI) comprising an output stage configured to provide switching comprising a first and second transistor, a sense circuit configured to provide output current information sensing from an output stage and a current limit reference, a first digital-to-analog converter (DAC) configured to provide signal to the current limit reference, an adder function configured to provide a signal to the first digital-to-analog converter (DAC), and a linear shift feedback register (LSFR) configured to provide a signal to an adder function followed by the first digital-to-analog converter (DAC), and the LSFR receives a clock signal from said output stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: Dialog Semiconductor (UK) Limited
    Inventors: Mark Childs, Tiago Patrao, Pietro Gallina, Alexandre Tavares, Michele De Fazio
  • Publication number: 20190058399
    Abstract: A circuit and method providing switching regulation configured to provide a pulse frequency modulation (PFM) mode of Operation with reduced electromagnetic interference (EMI) comprising an output stage configured to provide switching comprising a first and second transistor, a sense circuit configured to provide output current information sensing from an output stage and a current limit reference, a first digital-to-analog converter (DAC) configured to provide signal to the current limit reference, an adder function configured to provide a signal to the first digital-to-analog converter (DAC), and a linear shift feedback register (LSFR) configured to provide a signal to an adder function followed by the first digital-to-analog converter (DAC), and the LSFR receives a clock signal from said output stage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2018
    Publication date: February 21, 2019
    Inventors: Mark Childs, Tiago Patrao, Pietro Gallina, Alexandre Tavares, Michele De Fazio
  • Publication number: 20190044444
    Abstract: A servo block in a Buck, Boost, or switching converter allows a positive offset to be applied to the DAC voltage. In a typical switching converter application, the load will have a positive current, sourced from the switching converter to ground through the load. This will cause the output voltage of the switching converter to fall with the output impedance. The servo block corrects the output voltage by adjusting the DAC voltage upwards. In the case where current is forced back into the switching converter, causing the output voltage to rise, the servo block will have affect. The behavior of the servo block is desirable as it reduces the negative affect the servo block may have on load transients occurring when the switching converter is in over voltage. In particular, the idea of shifting the DAC voltage for several different loops with a single servo block is disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2018
    Publication date: February 7, 2019
    Inventors: Mark Childs, Pietro Gallina, Vincenzo Bisogno
  • Patent number: 10116210
    Abstract: A servo block in a Buck, Boost, or switching converter allows a positive offset to be applied to the DAC voltage. In a typical switching converter application, the load will have a positive current, sourced from the switching converter to ground through the load. This will cause the output voltage of the switching converter to fall with the output impedance. The servo block corrects the output voltage by adjusting the DAC voltage upwards. In the case where current is forced back into the switching converter, causing the output voltage to rise, the servo block will have affect. The behavior of the servo block is desirable as it reduces the negative affect the servo block may have on load transients occurring when the switching converter is in over voltage. In particular, the idea of shifting the DAC voltage for several different loops with a single servo block is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: Dialog Semiconductor (UK) Limited
    Inventors: Mark Childs, Pietro Gallina, Vincenzo Bisogno
  • Patent number: 10110126
    Abstract: A circuit and method providing switching regulation configured to provide a pulse frequency modulation (PFM) mode of operation with reduced electromagnetic interference (EMI) comprising an output stage configured to provide switching comprising a first and second transistor, a sense circuit configured to provide output current information sensing from an output stage and a current limit reference, a first digital-to-analog converter (DAC) configured to provide signal to the current limit reference, an adder function configured to provide a signal to the first digital-to-analog converter (DAC), and a linear shift feedback register (LSFR) configured to provide a signal to an adder function followed by the first digital-to-analog converter (DAC), and the LSFR receives a clock signal from said output stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: Dailog Semiconductor (UK) Limited
    Inventors: Mark Childs, Tiago Patrao, Pietro Gallina, Alexandre Tavares, Michele De Fazio
  • Publication number: 20180006558
    Abstract: An object of this disclosure is to implement a Buck, Boost, or other switching converter, with a circuit to supply a reference voltage and Adaptive Voltage Positioning (AVP), by means of a servo and programmable load regulation. The reference voltage is modified, achieving a high DC gain, using a servo to remove any DC offset at the output of the switching converter. The correction implemented by the servo is measured, and a programmable fraction of the correction is injected back on either the reference voltage or the output feedback voltage. To accomplish at least one of these objects, a Buck, Boost, or other switching converter is implemented, consisting of an output stage driven by switching logic, with a servo configured between the reference voltage and the control loops of the Buck converter. The AVP function is implemented on either the reference voltage or output feedback voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2016
    Publication date: January 4, 2018
    Inventors: Pietro Gallina, Vincenzo Bisogno, Mark Childs
  • Publication number: 20170070146
    Abstract: A servo block in a Buck, Boost, or switching converter allows a positive offset to be applied to the DAC voltage. In a typical switching converter application, the load will have a positive current, sourced from the switching converter to ground through the load. This will cause the output voltage of the switching converter to fall with the output impedance. The servo block corrects the output voltage by adjusting the DAC voltage upwards. In the case where current is forced back into the switching converter, causing the output voltage to rise, the servo block will have affect. The behavior of the servo block is desirable as it reduces the negative affect the servo block may have on load transients occurring when the switching converter is in over voltage. In particular, the idea of shifting the DAC voltage for several different loops with a single servo block is disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2015
    Publication date: March 9, 2017
    Inventors: Mark Childs, Pietro Gallina, Vincenzo Bisogno
  • Publication number: 20170070145
    Abstract: A circuit and method providing switching regulation configured to provide a pulse frequency modulation (PFM) mode of operation with reduced electromagnetic interference (EMI) comprising an output stage configured to provide switching comprising a first and second transistor, a sense circuit configured to provide output current information sensing from an output stage and a current limit reference, a first digital-to-analog converter (DAC) configured to provide signal to the current limit reference, an adder function configured to provide a signal to the first digital-to-analog converter (DAC), and a linear shift feedback register (LSFR) configured to provide a signal to an adder function followed by the first digital-to-analog converter (DAC), and the LSFR receives a clock signal from said output stage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2015
    Publication date: March 9, 2017
    Inventors: Mark Childs, Tiago Patrao, Pietro Gallina, Alexandre Tavares, Michele De Fazio
  • Patent number: 9471071
    Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method for a voltage regulator for improved voltage regulation using a remote feedback and remote feedback low pass filter. The system comprises of a power management unit, a remote load point (HOST), an inductor, a filtering capacitor, a printed circuit board (PCB) track output net, a ground connection, a remote feedback line, and a low pass filter (LPF). In this present disclosure, the electrical connection of the remote feedback low pass filter to the output filter capacitor minimizes transient ringing, reduced noise coupling, and improved system stability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: Dialog Semiconductor (UK) Limited
    Inventor: Pietro Gallina
  • Patent number: 9323265
    Abstract: Multi-stage amplifiers which provide a constant output voltage subject to load transients are presented. The amplifier has a pass device to source a load current at an output voltage. The amplifier has a first driver circuit to control the pass device based on a reference voltage and based on a first feedback voltage. The amplifier has a sink transistor to sink a first current from the output node to a low potential. Furthermore, the amplifier comprises a bypass transistor configured to couple a sense voltage, to sink a second current from the output node to the low potential. There is a second driver circuit to control the sink transistor and the bypass transistor, based on the reference voltage and based on a second feedback voltage. A voltage divider derives the first feedback voltage, the second feedback voltage and the sense voltage from the output voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: Dialog Semiconductor (UK) Limited
    Inventors: Ambreesh Bhattad, Frank Kronmueller, Pietro Gallina
  • Publication number: 20150378379
    Abstract: Multi-stage amplifiers which provide a constant output voltage subject to load transients are presented. The amplifier has a pass device to source a load current at an output voltage. The amplifier has a first driver circuit to control the pass device based on a reference voltage and based on a first feedback voltage. The amplifier has a sink transistor to sink a first current from the output node to a low potential. Furthermore, the amplifier comprises a bypass transistor configured to couple a sense voltage, to sink a second current from the output node to the low potential. There is a second driver circuit to control the sink transistor and the bypass transistor, based on the reference voltage and based on a second feedback voltage. A voltage divider derives the first feedback voltage, the second feedback voltage and the sense voltage from the output voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2014
    Publication date: December 31, 2015
    Inventors: Ambreesh Bhattad, Frank Kronmueller, Pietro Gallina
  • Publication number: 20150253790
    Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method for a voltage regulator for improved voltage regulation using a remote feedback and remote feedback low pass filter. The system comprises of a power management unit, a remote load point (HOST), an inductor, a filtering capacitor, a printed circuit board (PCB) track output net, a ground connection, a remote feedback line, and a low pass filter (LPF). In this present disclosure, the electrical connection of the remote feedback low pass filter to the output filter capacitor minimizes transient ringing, reduced noise coupling, and improved system stability.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2014
    Publication date: September 10, 2015
    Applicant: Dialog Semiconductor GmbH
    Inventor: Pietro Gallina
  • Patent number: 8154172
    Abstract: The invention relates to a circuit for highly efficient driving of piezoelectric loads, comprising a linear driving circuit portion connected to the load through an inductive-resistive connection whereto a voltage waveform is applied. Advantageously, the circuit comprises further respective circuit portions, structurally independent, connected in turn to the inductive-resistive connection through respective inductors to supply a considerable fraction of the overall current required by the load in the transient and steady state respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Luca Battaglin, Pietro Gallina, Giancarlo Saba, Giancarlo Zinco, Claudio Diazzi, Vittorio Peduto
  • Publication number: 20060261704
    Abstract: The invention relates to a circuit for highly efficient driving of piezoelectric loads, comprising a linear driving circuit portion connected to the load through an inductive-resistive connection whereto a voltage waveform is applied. Advantageously, the circuit comprises further respective circuit portions, structurally independent, connected in turn to the inductive-resistive connection through respective inductors to supply a considerable fraction of the overall current required by the load in the transient and steady state respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2006
    Publication date: November 23, 2006
    Inventors: Luca Battaglin, Pietro Gallina, Giancarlo Saba, Giancarlo Zinco, Claudio Diazzi, Vittorio Peduto