Infineon Technologies Ag

International Rectifier Corporation

Infineon Technologies Americas Corp.

Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique

Universite Claude Bernard – Lyon1

Ecole Centrale De Lyon

Institute National Des Sciences Appliquees De Lyon

Andre Mourrier

Bruno Charles Nadd

Michael Asam

David Jacquinod

Vincent Thiery

Christian Djelassi-Tscheck

Xavier De Frutos

Mario Tripolt

Mirko Bernardoni

Kevin Thevenet

Thomas Blasius

Vincent Laville

Vincent Usseglio

Loic Bourguine

Patrick Vaquette

Robert Illing

Bernhard Auer

Christian Walther

Markus Ekler

Vincent Thierry

Michael Luschin

Louis Janinet

Alexis Schindler

Christoph Schulz-Linkholt

Bruno Allard

Koami Kpoto

Guy Clerc

Federico Bribiesca Argomedo

A main controller is coupled with a first cluster coupled with a second cluster in a daisy chain. The main controller is configured to determine a measured delay time associated with a first cluster coupled with a second cluster in a daisy chain topology, and determine a propagation delay associated with the first cluster based on the measured delay time. The main controller is further configured to generate a message to the second cluster which includes a command to be executed by the second cluster, and send the message, through an isolated interface of the main controller, to the second cluster based on the determined propagation delay to execute the command to actuate the second cluster synchronized to a switching clock of the main controller.

Propagation delay compensation in daisy-chain topologies

This disclosure describes circuits and techniques for determining inductance on an electrical line. In some examples, a method comprises charging a capacitor in time steps to a voltage level; counting a number of the time steps to the voltage level, wherein the number of the time steps defines a coarse measurement inductance of the electrical line; measuring a charging rate associated with charging the capacitor within a measurement window that is defined at the voltage level, wherein the charging rate associated with charging the capacitor within the measurement window defines a fine measurement of the inductance of the electrical line; and outputting an indication of the number of time steps and an indication of the charging rate associated with charging the capacitor within the measurement window.

Inductance measurement circuits and methods using auto-adaptive floating time voltage measurement windows

A driver circuit is configured control one or more bypass transistors. The driver circuit includes a primary supply input connection configured to supply the driver circuit with power from a set of battery cells. The set of battery cells is configured to supply power to a load via a power delivery circuit. The driver circuit also includes one or more secondary supply input connections. The driver circuit is configured to receive information indicating whether an error condition is present in the power delivery circuit and control, based on the error condition being present in the power delivery circuit, the one or more bypass transistors to define a bypass current path. The driver circuit is also configured to receive, via a secondary supply input connection of the one or more secondary supply input connections, power from the bypass current path.

Driver circuit for bypass power transistor including secondary supply input connection from a power delivery circuit

In accordance with an embodiment, a circuit for driving an electronic switch includes a control circuit configured to trigger a switch-on and a switch-off of the electronic switch in accordance with an input signal, wherein the control circuit is further configured to trigger the switch-off of the electronic switch in response to an under-voltage signal signaling an under-voltage state; and an under-voltage detection circuit configured to signal the under-voltage state when a supply voltage received at a supply node is below an under-voltage threshold value, wherein the under-voltage threshold value depends on a load current passing through the electronic switch.

Smart electronic switch

A controller circuit is configured to receive, from a first device, a first node voltage measured at a first node by the first device at a first time when a first current flows between the first node and a second node and receive, from a second device, a second node voltage measured at a second node by the second device at a second time when a second current flows between the first node and the second node, wherein the first time is different from the second time. The controller circuit is further configured to, responsive to a determination that the first current corresponds to the second current, calculate, using the first node voltage and the second node voltage, a resistance value for one or more electrical components electrically connecting the first node and the second node.

Resistance measurement for measurements from multiple devices

A method is disclosed. The method includes measuring at least one electrical parameter (R, L, C) of at least one wire () in a motor vehicle () at a certain time instance (t) to obtain measurement data (M(t)); comparing the measurement data (M(t)) with comparative data (C(t)) held in a data storage (); and taking a predefined action () dependent on the comparing.

Wire integrity check

According to an embodiment, a current monitoring circuit includes a signal shaping unit configured to receive a current sense signal and provide a modified current signal; a filter configured to receive the modified current signal and to provide a respective filtered signal; a comparator configured to receive the filtered signal and a threshold value and to indicate when the filtered signal exceeds the threshold value. The signal shaping unit is configured to calculate a level of the modified current signal from a corresponding level of the current sense signal in accordance with non-linear function.

A circuit for controlling electrical power is described herein. In accordance with one embodiment, the circuit comprises: a circuit node operably connected to a pass element configured to be switched on and off in accordance with a drive signal applied at the circuit node; a communication interface configured to receive data from an external controller operably connected to the communication interface; and a control circuit configured to generate, in a first mode of operation, the drive signal dependent on parameters of a first parameter set and based on data received via the communication interface, and to generate, in a second mode of operation, the drive signal dependent on parameters of a second parameter set while discarding data received via the communication interface.

Driver for power distribution switch

In some examples, a device includes a memory configured to store a pre-warning threshold level for a parameter of a power switch. The device also includes a logic circuit configured to receive a signal from a controller and set the pre-warning threshold level in response to receiving the signal from the controller. The logic circuit is also configured to determine that a magnitude of the parameter of the power switch does not satisfy the pre-warning threshold level. The logic circuit is further configured to output an alert to the controller in response to determining that the magnitude of the parameter does not satisfy the pre-warning threshold level.

Parameter threshold level based on signal from controller

An integrated circuit that may be employed as a smart switch is described herein. In accordance with one embodiment the integrated circuit includes a power transistor coupled between a supply pin and an output pin and further includes a control circuit configured to trigger a switch-on and a switch-off of the power transistor in accordance with an input signal. The control circuit is configured to trigger a switch-off of the power transistor when a load current passing through the power transistor is at or above a predetermined current and a supply voltage received at the supply pin is at or below a predetermined threshold voltage.

Circuits, systems and methods are provided wherein a bypass circuit provides an auxiliary current path to supply current from a power supply line to an electrical load. The bypass circuit is used during a low-power mode, and consumes less quiescent power than a main current path that provides current from the power supply line to the electrical load during normal operation. The bypass circuit includes a current limiter and a comparator, and generates a high-current detection signal responsive to the comparator detecting that a current through the current limiter exceeds a maximum allowed or expected current.

Protected idle mode bypassing power stage

A method of operating a power system includes connecting an external load to a power outlet of the power system while a power switch of the power system is turned off, where the power switch is coupled between a power supply of the power system and the power outlet; measuring one or more electrical characteristics of the external load while the power switch is turned off; determining, based on the measured one or more electrical characteristics of the external load, whether a demagnetization energy of the external load is within a safe operation range for the power system; and in response to determining that the demagnetization energy of the external load is within the safe operation range, turning on the power switch.

Auxiliary power outlet with load inductance measurement system

A driver and protection circuit for driving a power switch is disclosed. The driver and protection circuit includes a fault detection block configured to detect a discrepancy between a reference drive signal and a measured voltage at a gate of the power switch. The driver and protection circuit also includes a short circuit detection block configured to detect a gate-to-source short circuit or a gate-to-drain short circuit of the power switch. The driver and protection circuit further includes a latch coupled to the fault detection block and the short circuit detection block to selectively turn off an output driver coupled to the gate of the power switch when a fault or a short circuit is detected, and wherein the latch is configured to send a diagnostic signal when the fault or the short circuit is detected.

Fault and short-circuit protected output driver

A circuit includes a first feedforward path configured to determine a state of a first power switch using a first gate control voltage from a gate driver and a source voltage of the first power switch, and to apply a gate driving voltage to a gate of the first power switch based on the determined state of the first power switch; and a first feedback path configured to provide a scaled value of a drain voltage of the first power switch and a scaled value of the source voltage of the first power switch to the gate driver, where the first feedforward path and the first feedback path are configured to provide a bi-directional gate interface coupled between the gate driver and the first power switch.

Growing community of inventors

Manosque, France

Andre Mourrier