Patents by Inventor Tom C. Truong

Tom C. Truong 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: 8305053
    Abstract: One embodiment of the invention includes a power supply system. The system includes at least one power switch configured to be activated and deactivated based on a duty-cycle of a respective at least one control signal to generate an output voltage. The system also includes a gate driver configured to generate the at least one control signal and to adjust a slew-rate of each pulse of the at least one control signal to substantially mitigate amplitude ringing at a switching node during a first rising-edge portion and to substantially mitigate conduction losses associated with the at least one power switch during activation and deactivation of the at least one power switch during a second rising-edge portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Tom C. Truong, Stefan Wiktor
  • Patent number: 8223465
    Abstract: An embodiment of the invention provides a surge current protection circuit. The surge current protection circuit comprises a peak current detector and a current sensing device. When the peak current detector detects when a surge current has occurred, by monitoring a change in duty cycle on a node of a HS (high side) switch, a LS (low side) switch is activated. The current sensing device senses the current drawn through the LS switch. When the current sensing device senses a current that exceeds a current limit, the HS switch is turned off for a period of time such that the surge current is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Tom C. Truong
  • Publication number: 20120043950
    Abstract: One embodiment of the invention includes a power supply system. The system includes at least one power switch configured to be activated and deactivated based on a duty-cycle of a respective at least one control signal to generate an output voltage. The system also includes a gate driver configured to generate the at least one control signal and to adjust a slew-rate of each pulse of the at least one control signal to substantially mitigate amplitude ringing at a switching node during a first rising-edge portion and to substantially mitigate conduction losses associated with the at least one power switch during activation and deactivation of the at least one power switch during a second rising-edge portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2010
    Publication date: February 23, 2012
    Inventors: Tom C. Truong, Stefan Wiktor
  • Publication number: 20110096445
    Abstract: An embodiment of the invention provides a surge current protection circuit. The surge current protection circuit comprises a peak current detector and a current sensing device. When the peak current detector detects when a surge current has occurred, by monitoring a change in duty cycle on a node of a HS (high side) switch, a LS (low side) switch is activated. The current sensing device senses the current drawn through the LS switch. When the current sensing device senses a current that exceeds a current limit, the HS switch is turned off for a period of time such that the surge current is reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2009
    Publication date: April 28, 2011
    Applicant: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Tom C. Truong
  • Patent number: 6445258
    Abstract: A crystal oscillator circuit includes a crystal driven by a variable current source having a transconductance device with transconductance dependent on current, and a CMOS buffer circuit for receiving a sinusoidal signal from the crystal and providing a square wave output signal. The buffer circuit includes first and second bi-level buffers capacitively coupled to receive sinusoidal signals and operating in a push-pull mode for providing square wave output signals from each of said first and second buffers, and a third buffer driven by output signals from the first and second buffers, whereby duty cycle of the first and second buffers is controlled by bias voltages applied to CMOS transistors in the buffers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2002
    Assignee: Zeevo, Inc.
    Inventor: Tom C. Truong