Abstract: A step-down switching regulator includes a switching device coupled to an input terminal to which an input voltage is applied, an inductor having a first end and a second end, the first end being connected to the switching device, a smoothing unit having an output terminal and configured to smooth a voltage at the second end of the inductor and generate an output voltage at the output terminal, a rectifier configured to flow a current to the inductor when the switching device is in an OFF state, and a control circuit configured to drive the switching device so that the output voltage becomes equal to a set target voltage. The control circuit detects a difference voltage between the input voltage and the output voltage or a difference voltage between the input voltage and the set target voltage, and causes the switching device to be in an ON state when the difference voltage is lower than or equal to a predetermined voltage value.

Abstract: A conductive connecting member 1 is contacted with an electrochemical cell for electrical conduction. The cell has a solid electrolyte film, a first electrode provided on a first face of the solid electrolyte film and contacting a first gas and the first gas, and a second electrode provided on a second face of the solid electrolyte film and contacting a second gas. The conductive connecting member 1 has a plate-like main part 2 and a tongue piece 3 protruding from the main part 2. One end of the tongue piece 3 is connected with the main part 2.

Abstract: A switching regulator circuit including a high-side switch and a low-side switch; an inductor having a first terminal coupled to a common terminal between the high-side switch and the low-side switch, and a second terminal coupled to an output terminal of the switching regulator circuit; a low-pass filter coupled to the first terminal of the inductor, where the low-pass filter is operative for generating a ramp signal based on the voltage signal present at the first terminal of the inductor; and a hysteretic comparator coupled to the low pass filter, where the hysteretic comparator receives the ramp signal as an input signal, and generates an output signal which is operative for controlling the operation of the high-side switch and the low-side switch.

Abstract: A frequency compensation circuit internal to an integrated circuit which comprises a transconductance amplifier having a first input configured to receive a reference voltage, a second input configured to receive an input voltage and an input current, a first output configured to output a first output current and a second output configured to output a second output current; and a compensation circuit connected to said second output of said transconductance amplifier, wherein said first output is connected to said second input.

Abstract: An electrochemical apparatus has a plurality of ceramic electrochemical cells 1, a plurality of gas feed members 4A and a plurality of gas discharge members 4B. The electrochemical cell 1 has a first electrode 6 contacting with a first gas, a solid electrolyte layer 15 and a second electrode 12A, 12B contacting with a second gas. A gas flow channel 5 for flowing the first gas therethrough, a first through hole 8 and a second through hole 9 are provided in the electrochemical cell 1. The gas feed member 4A is inserted into the first through hole 8, the gas discharge member 4B is inserted into the second through hole 9. The adjacent gas feed members 4A are airtightly coupled to each other to thereby form a gas feed channel, and the adjacent gas discharge members 4B are airtightly coupled to each other to thereby form a gas discharge channel.

Abstract: There are provided an inductive load current control circuit for detecting and controlling a current flowing to an inductive load with high accuracy, and a power supply. The inductive load current control circuit includes first and second switch elements connected in series between an input voltage and a ground potential, an inductive load connected to a connection point between the first and second switch elements, a third switch element having one terminal connected to the connection point between the first and second switch elements, a current comparator connected to another terminal of the third switch element to compare an output current of the third switch element with a reference current, decide and output a magnitude relation, and a switch element control circuit that controls transition from a state in which the second switch element is turned on to a state in which the first switch element is turned on according to an output of the current comparator.

Abstract: A step-up power supply device includes: a step-up converter; a startup circuit which controls the on/off operation of a switch element of the step-up converter when an output voltage of the device is smaller than a reference voltage; and a control circuit which operates in substitution for the startup circuit when the output voltage is higher than the reference voltage to control the on/off operation of the switch element such that the output voltage reaches a target value.

Abstract: A buck-boost switching regulator which includes a first switch, a first diode, an inductor, a second switch, a second diode, and a controller for controlling the first switch and the second switch, the controller being configured to receive a current signal indicative of a inductor current flowing in the inductor, and generating a signal indicative of an average current flowing in the inductor, the average current being utilized to control the first switch and the second switch, wherein the controller includes a first compensator circuit for outputting a voltage error signal, a second compensator circuit for outputting a current error signal and a modulator circuit to output a first control signal to control the first switch and a second control switch to control the second switch.

Abstract: A frequency compensation circuit internal to an integrated circuit which comprises a transconductance amplifier having a first input configured to receive a reference voltage, a second input configured to receive an input voltage and an input current, a first output configured to output a first output current and a second output configured to output a second output current; and a compensation circuit connected to said second output of said transconductance amplifier, wherein said first output is connected to said second input.

Abstract: A step-up converter includes an inductor which receives input voltage Vi at one end, a first FET of the first conduction type which functions as a switch for determining whether or not energy is accumulated in the inductor, a second FET of the second conduction type which rectifies a current output from the other end of the inductor, an output capacitor having an end connected to the source of the second FET, a current detection circuit, and a feedback control circuit. The current detection circuit detects a current flowing through the first N-channel FET to output current detection signal Vc. The feedback control circuit controls the operations of the first N-channel FET and a P-channel FET based on current detection signal Vc.

Abstract: A current detection circuit of the present invention has a switching device 1; an auxiliary switching device 2; an offset voltage source comprising an offset resistor device 7 and a current source circuit 8; a compensation circuit, comprising a differential amplifier 4 and a compensation transistor 5, for adjusting the output current of the auxiliary switching device 2 so that the potential obtained by subtracting the voltage drop across the offset resistor device 7 from the output potential of the switching device 1 is equal to the output potential of the auxiliary switching device 2, being configured that the detection level of the current flowing in the switching device 1 is shifted by an offset amount.

Abstract: A reference voltage is applied from a reference voltage generating circuit to the non-inverting input terminal of an amplifier for supplying a drive voltage to the gate terminal of an NMOS transistor, and the output voltage appearing at the source terminal of the NMOS transistor is divided by a resistor pair and applied to the inverting input terminal of the amplifier. The voltage obtained by adding a voltage equal to or higher than the voltage for sufficiently driving the NMOS transistor to the output voltage appearing at the source terminal of the NMOS transistor is generated by a charge pump circuit and supplied to the amplifier as a power supply voltage. With this configuration, the drive voltage for the NMOS transistor is suppressed to the required minimum voltage while the drive voltage is obtained securely. The power consumption in the amplifier can thus be suppressed.

Abstract: An assembly structure for facilitating assembly of laminated cells, for reducing the possibility of gas leakage and for preventing the reduction of generating efficiency of cells due to the gas leakage is provided. A plate-shaped electrochemical cell made of a ceramic material with a through hole formed therein is held by a holding member. The holding member is made of a ceramic material having a planar main body with a protruded portion. A first supply hole for supplying a first gas and a second supply hole for supplying a second gas are formed in the holding member. The planar main body of the holding member has a first sealing surface against a first surface of the electrochemical cell while the protruded portion is inserted into the through hole.

Abstract: There are provided an inductive load current control circuit for detecting and controlling a current flowing to an inductive load with high accuracy, and a power supply. The inductive load current control circuit includes first and second switch elements connected in series between an input voltage and a ground potential, an inductive load connected to a connection point between the first and second switch elements, a third switch element having one terminal connected to the connection point between the first and second switch elements, a current comparator connected to another terminal of the third switch element to compare an output current of the third switch element with a reference current, decide and output a magnitude relation, and a switch element control circuit that controls transition from a state in which the second switch element is turned on to a state in which the first switch element is turned on according to an output of the current comparator.

Abstract: The present invention provides a current-mode control step-up converter capable of reducing the minimum duty ratio to a sufficiently small value and facilitating the setting of the maximum duty ratio. The step-up converter comprises a current detector 9 for generating a current detection signal Vc corresponding to the current of a rectifier 4; an error amplifier 8 for generating an error signal Ve corresponding to an output DC voltage Vo; and a control circuit 10 for turning ON/OFF the main switch 3 on the basis of the current detection signal Vc and the error signal Ve. The control circuit 10 comprises a comparator 11 and a timer circuit 12. With this configuration, the ON time of the main switch 3 is set at a predetermined value, and the valley value of an inductor current changing in a triangular waveform is controlled. Hence, the OFF time of the main switch is adjusted to stabilize the output.

Abstract: A planar type electrochemical device 10 has a first electrochemical cell 1A and a second electrochemical cell 1B integrated with each other. Each of the electrochemical cells has a first electrode 5 contacting a first gas, a solid electrolyte 4 and a second electrode 3 contacting a second gas. The first electrode 5 is exposed to the surface of the electrochemical device. A flow route 2a for the second gas is formed in the electrochemical device.

Abstract: In a DC-DC converter conforming to the current mode control system, in which the valley value of an inductor current is controlled for output control, a current detection circuit 6 is configured to detect the current flowing from a low-side FET 2 to an inductor 3 using an FET 60, an NPN transistor 61, an NPN transistor 62, a PNP transistor 64, a PNP transistor 65 and a resistor 66, to detect the current flowing from the inductor 3 to the low-side FET 2 using an FET 67, a differential amplifier 68, an FET 69 and the resistor 66, and to output a current detection signal Vc.

Abstract: A step-up power supply device includes: a step-up converter; a startup circuit which controls the on/off operation of a switch element of the step-up converter when an output voltage of the device is smaller than a reference voltage; and a control circuit which operates in substitution for the startup circuit when the output voltage is higher than the reference voltage to control the on/off operation of the switch element such that the output voltage reaches a target value.

Abstract: A ceramic electrochemical cell 11 has a first electrode 12 contacting a first gas, a solid electrolyte film 13 and a second electrode 14 contacting a second gas. The electrochemical cell 11 is supported with a metal supporting member 1. A flow route 6 for a first gas is formed between the supporting member 1 and electrochemical cell 11. The supporting member 1 is supported with a metal manifold member. A gas supply hole and a gas discharge hole each communicated with the flow route 6 for the first gas is provided in the manifold member.

Abstract: A current detection circuit of the present invention has a switching device 1; an auxiliary switching device 2; an offset voltage source comprising an offset resistor device 7 and a current source circuit 8; a compensation circuit, comprising a differential amplifier 4 and a compensation transistor 5, for adjusting the output current of the auxiliary switching device 2 so that the potential obtained by subtracting the voltage drop across the offset resistor device 7 from the output potential of the switching device 1 is equal to the output potential of the auxiliary switching device 2, being configured that the detection level of the current flowing in the switching device 1 is shifted by an offset amount.