Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC

Power Paragon, Inc.

Alan Richard Ball

Stephen P Robb

Stephen Meek

Alejandro Lara-Ascorra

Suzanne Nee

Jefferson W Hall

Paul Jay Harriman

David M Heminger

David K Briggs

Dave Dufour

Paul Fenton

Gary Streeter

Ben Streeter

Sam Kjellman

Kristie Valdez

Leonid R Besprozvanny

Hand-held device

A battery charger circuit includes a transistor having a first current electrode for receiving a charging voltage, a control electrode for receiving a control signal, and a second current electrode for providing an output voltage. The battery charger circuit further includes a rectifier having a terminal coupled to the second current electrode of the transistor, and another terminal coupled to a power supply voltage terminal. The battery charger circuit also includes a control and regulation circuit having an input for receiving a feedback signal representative of a temperature, and an output for providing the control signal. The control and regulation circuit operates in either a switching mode or a linear mode in response to the feedback signal.

Battery charger circuit for changing between modes during operation based on temperature and battery voltage and method therefor

In one embodiment, a semiconductor device to provide protection for electronic circuits, the semiconductor device typically includes a vertical MOS transistor, a reference circuit, and an amplifier. The amplifier amplifies the reference voltage to enable the vertical MOS transistor responsively to a transient event.

Transient suppression device and method therefor

A method and circuit for managing thermal performance of an integrated circuit. Temperature sensing circuits and a plurality of power FETs that are coupled together in parallel are manufactured from a semiconductor substrate. Each temperature sensing circuit monitors the temperature of the portion of the semiconductor substrate near or including a corresponding power FET. When the temperature of the semiconductor substrate near one or more of the power FETs reaches a predetermined value, the corresponding temperature sensing circuit reduces a voltage appearing on the gate of the power FET. The reduced voltage increases the on-resistance of the power FET and channels a portion of its current to others of the plurality of power FETs. The power FET continues operating but with a reduced current flow. When the temperature of the semiconductor substrate falls below the predetermined value, the gate voltage of the power FET is increased to its nominal value.

Method for regulating temperature

A method and circuit for managing thermal performance of an integrated circuit. In accordance with an embodiment, a thermal limit circuit and a semiconductor device are manufactured from a semiconductor material, wherein the thermal limit circuit is configured to operate at a temperature level that is different from a threshold temperature in response to the thermal sensing element sensing a temperature at least equal to the threshold temperature.

Method for regulating temperature and circuit therefor

A power supply circuit having a converter circuit and method for determining a current flowing into the converter circuit. A converter circuit includes an amplifier and a current-to-current converter module. The amplifier has a current sensing element coupled between its inverting and noninverting input terminals. The amplifier generates a sensing signal from a charging current flowing through the current sensing element. The sensing signal is input into the current-to-current converter module, which scales the charging current and modulates the scaled charging current. The current-to-current converter module converts the modulated current to a charging voltage that is representative of the charging current. The charging current is converted to a current that is representative of the input current to converter circuit. The input current to the converter circuit is added to an auxiliary load current to yield the current of the power supply circuit.

Circuit and method for determining a current

In one embodiment, an LED system is controlled to have a substantially unity power factor.

Method of forming an LED system

In one embodiment, a diagnostic circuit is used to test the on-resistance of a transistor.

Transistor diagnostic circuit

In one embodiment, an LED control circuit is configured control a current through an LED responsively to a value that is proportional to a control signal for values of the control signal that are less than a threshold value of the control signal and to control the current to a value that is proportional to the threshold value for values of the control signal that are greater than the threshold value.

LED control circuit and method therefor

Method of forming a transistor diagnostic circuit

In one embodiment, a vertical N-channel transistor is coupled in a high side configuration to control a current through an LED. A control circuit operates the vertical N-channel transistor to control a value of the current.

LED controller and method therefor

In one embodiment, a current regulator is configured to form a first signal representative of a current flow through a power switch and to use the first signal to determine an off-time of the power switch.

Current regulator and method therefor

In one embodiment, a protection device is used to protect a circuit. The protection device has a maximum rated power dissipation that is less than a maximum rated power dissipation of the circuit that is being protected.

Growing community of inventors

Gilbert, AZ, United States of America

Alan Richard Ball