Stmicroelectronics S.r.l.

Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.

Angelo Genova

Roberto Gariboldi

Aldo Vittorio Novelli

Giuseppe Cantone

Pietro Filoramo

Mario Tarantola

Carmelo Francesco Maria Marchese

Alexandr Ikriannikov

Laszlo Lipcsei

Giulio Ricotti

Albino Pidutti

Urs H Mader

Salvatore Pappalardo

Marvin Lyle Peak, Jr

Alberto De Marco

Benedetto Marco Marletta

Benedetto Marco Marietta

Roberto Filippo

An electrical switching system includes a constant-power controller and a switching device electrically coupled between a first node and a second node. The constant-power controller is configured to (a) generate a digital control signal to control the switching device, (b) control a duration of an active phase of the digital control signal at least partially based on a voltage across the switching device, and (c) control a peak value of the digital control signal to regulate a peak magnitude of current flowing through the switching device.

Electrical switching systems including constant-power controllers and associated methods

A resonant power converter includes a capacitive divider circuit, a coupled inductor, and N switching stages, where N is an integer greater than two. The coupled inductor includes N windings, and total leakage inductance of the coupled inductor and equivalent capacitance of the capacitive divider circuit collectively form a resonant tank circuit of the resonant power converter. Each switching stage is electrically coupled between a respective one of the N windings of the coupled inductor and the capacitive divider circuit. The capacitive divider circuit may include one or more resonant capacitors.

Resonant power converters including coupled inductors

A differential signal transfer system includes a dynamic level-shifter and a common-mode rejection device. The dynamic level-shifter is configured to (a) receive an input signal including a differential-mode component and a first common-mode component and (b) generate a level-shifted signal from the input signal, the level-shifted signal including the differential-mode component and a second common-mode component that is different from the first common-mode component. The common-mode rejection device is configured to receive the level-shifted signal and generate an output signal therefrom, where the output signal includes the differential-mode component.

Differential signal transfer systems and associated methods

An electric circuit comprising means for communicating with an external device coupled to means for measuring the charge condition of an external battery. In some embodiments, the circuit comprises at least one level shifter for changing the reference voltage of communication signals. In some embodiments, the circuit comprises a first driver and a second driver for driving external switching elements for the controlled charge and discharge of the battery.

Low side NMOS protection circuit for battery pack application

A high side circuit includes at least one power device having a first non-drivable terminal connected to a supply voltage, at least one load connected between a second non-drivable terminal of the power device and ground, and driving circuitry. The driving circuitry includes transistors which are connected to each other and to a higher voltage than the supply voltage in order to control the turning on and the turning off of the power device and to reduce or minimize the potential difference between the second non-drivable terminal and a drivable terminal of the power device during the turning off state to avoid the re-turning on of the same power device.

Methods and apparatus for preventing inadvertent activation of power devices

A current control method controls current for drive systems of multi-phase brushless motors, in particular at phase switching, wherein the motor coils coupled to a common node are driven by applying a respective drive voltage to the free end of each coil via corresponding power stages. The method comprises switching the current flow from one phase to the next in the direction of rotation of the motor at the phase switch, thereby forcing the unaffected one of said coils by the phase switch into a state of high impedance. Advantageously, the decreasing rate of the current in the coil unaffected by the phase switch can be twice as high as the decreasing rate of the current in the phase being switched from.

Control method of the current flow in driver systems for brushless motors, particularly during the switching phase

The device and method monitor the current delivered to a load through a power transistor including a sense transistor. The circuit includes a disturbances attenuating circuit that has a differential stage, and first, second and third stages referenced to ground, the respective input nodes of which are connected in common to an output node of the differential stage. The third stage is formed by a transistor identical to a transistor of the first stage and delivers a current signal through a current terminal thereof, proportional to the current being delivered to the load.

Device and method for monitoring current delivered to a load

An integrated device for a switching system is disclosed. The device includes control circuitry for generating at least one switching control signal, reference circuitry for generating at least one reference quantity, a using circuit for using the reference quantity, a circuit for storing the reference quantity, and a switch which, in a first operative condition, connects the reference circuit to the using circuit and to the storage circuit in order to apply the reference quantity thereto. In a second operative condition, the switch disconnects the reference circuit from the using circuit and connects the storage circuit to the using circuit in order to apply the stored reference quantity thereto. Finally, the device includes filtering circuitry for keeping the switch in the second operative condition for a filtering period in accordance with the switching of the control signal.

Integrated device for switching systems with filtered reference

A circuit for charging a capacitance using an LDMOS integrated transistor functioning as a source follower and controlled, in a manner to emulate a high voltage charging diode of the capacitance. The LDMOS transistor is controlled via a bootstrap capacitor charged by a diode at the supply voltage of the circuit, and by an inverter driven by a logic control circuit as a function of a Low Gate Drive Signal and of a second logic signal which is active during a phase wherein the supply voltage is lower than the minimum switch-on voltage of the integrated circuit. The circuit uses a first zener diode to charge the bootstrap capacitor and the source of the transistor is connected to the supply node through a second zener diode.

Turn-off circuit for an LDMOS in presence of a reverse current

A circuit for charging a capacitance using an LDMOS integrated transistor functioning as a source follower stage and controlled, in a manner to emulate a high voltage charging diode of the capacitance via a bootstrap capacitor charged by a diode connected to the supply node of the circuit, and by an inverter driven by a logic control circuit as a function of a first Low Gate Drive Signal and of a second logic signal. The second logic signal is active during a phase where the supply voltage is lower than the minimum switch-on voltage of the integrated circuit. The circuit further includes a second inverter functionally referred to the charging node of the bootstrap capacitor and to the voltage of the output node of the inverter. The second inverter has an input coupled to the second logic signal and an output coupled to the gate node of the LDMOS transistor for preventing accidental undue switch-on of the LDMOS transistor.

Protection circuit for controlling the gate voltage of a hv LDMOS

A circuit for charging a capacitance using an LDMOS integrated transistor controlled in a manner to emulate a high voltage charging diode of the capacitance. The circuit avoids the switch-on of parasitic bipolar transistors of the LDMOS structure during transient states. The circuit includes a number of junctions directly biased between a source node and a body node of the LDMOS transistor, a current generator referred to a ground of the circuit, at least one switch between the source and a first junction of a chain of directly biased junctions, and a limiting resistor connected between the body and the current generator referred to ground. The switch is open during a charging phase of the capacitance and is closed when the charging voltage of the capacitance exceeds a preestablished threshold responsive to a control signal. The switch is controlled by a logic signal active during the phase in which the supply voltage of the integrated circuit is lower than the minimum switch-on voltage of the same integrated circuit, for charging the body with a current whose maximum value is limited to a preestablished value.

Control of the body voltage of a HV LDMOS

In multi-phase driving systems of electric motors in a switching mode employing distinct integrated half-bridge output stages, the use of multiple external components for each integrated half-bridge stage to implement functions of adjustment of the switching dead-time and of disabling/enabling of the half-bridge stage can be avoided and an improved matching obtained by using single external components connected in common to the dedicated pins of all the distinct integrated half-bridge output stages. This is achieved by duplicating the disabling comparator, respectively for the power transistor of the pull-up branch and for the power transistor of the pull-down branch in each integrated half-bridge stage.

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Delia, Italy

Angelo Genova