Triune Ip, LLC

Triune Systems, LLC

Texas Instruments Corporation

Active-semi, Inc.

Other

Kent State University

Tribune IP LLC

Brett E Smith

Ross Eliot Teggatz

Wayne T Chen

Amer H Atrash

Eric Christian Blackall

John H Carpenter, Jr

James Allen Kohout

Hiroshi Watanabe

Md Abidur Rahman

Jonathan Robert Knight

Abidur Rahman

Kee Chee Tiew

Narasimhan Trichy

William E Glenn

Philip J Bos

Thomas A Schmidt

Huijuan Li

Jianmin Chen

Erick Blackall

Carvel E Holton

David L Johnson

Zheng Li

Shanmuganand Chellamuthu

William E Grose

John Christian Vogt

Valerian Mayega

Hemasiri K Vithana

Percy E Neyra

Kee-Cheo Tiew

Jingwel Xu

Ross E Terratz

Trichy Narasimhan

David L Johnson, Deceased

A power loss protection integrated circuit includes a storage capacitor terminal (STR), an autonomous capacitor health check circuit, and a capacitor fault terminal (CF). The capacitor health check circuit autonomously performs periodic capacitor check operations. In a check operation, current is sinked from the STR terminal for a predetermined time and in a predetermined way. If during this time the voltage on the STR terminal STR drops below a predetermined voltage, then a digital signal CF is asserted onto the CF terminal. Immediately following each capacitor check, a charging voltage is driven onto the STR terminal to recharge the external capacitors coupled to the STR terminal. In one example, the integrated circuit further includes a current switch circuit (eFuse) and a buck/boost controller. The capacitor health check circuit is only enabled during normal mode operation of the integrated circuit, and the check circuit disables boost operation during capacitor checks.

Power loss protection integrated circuit with autonomous capacitor health check

The present invention provides circuits, systems, and methods for programming a floating gate. As described herein, a floating gate tunneling device is used with an analog comparison device in a circuit having a floating reference node and an offset-mitigating feedback loop for iteratively programming a floating gate or multiple floating gates.

Memory for programming a floating gate using an analog comparison device coupled to a tunneling device

The disclosed invention provides examples of preferred embodiments including systems for harvesting energy from variable output energy harvesting apparatus. The systems include energy harvesting apparatus for providing energy input to a switched mode power supply and a control loop for dynamically adjusting energy harvesting apparatus input to the switched mode power supply, whereby system output power is substantially optimized to the practical. Exemplary embodiments of the invention include systems for harvesting energy using solar cells in boost, buck, and buck-boost configurations.

Variable power energy harvesting system

A monitoring circuit for use with a monitored circuit having a power supply input and a load output. The monitoring circuit having a biasing module, a reference generator coupled to the power supply input and the biasing module, a comparator coupled to the monitored circuit and the reference generator and an output device coupled to the load output and activated at a predetermined signal threshold.

Monitoring method, circuit and system

Disclosed are advances in the arts with novel methods and apparatus for detecting faulty connections in an electrical system. Exemplary preferred embodiments include monitoring techniques and systems for monitoring signals at one or more device loads and analyzing the monitored signals for determining fault conditions at the device loads and/or at the main transmission lines. The invention preferably provides the capability to test and monitor electrical interconnections without fully activating the host system.

Electrical line status monitoring system

Advances in the arts are disclosed with novel methods and circuit systems for controlling power in an energy harvesting system. Techniques and related systems for controlling power output of an energy harvesting device provide for monitoring at least one power parameter at a power source and monitoring at least one power parameter at a load such as a storage medium. The power source output is adjusted in order to optimize energy harvesting and/or storage based on real-time performance parameters.

Adaptive power control for energy harvesting

A power loss protection integrated circuit includes a current switch circuit (eFuse), a VIN terminal, a VOUT terminal, a buck/boost controller, and a storage capacitor terminal STR. The controller is adapted to work: 1) as a boost to take a low voltage from the VOUT terminal and to output a larger charging voltage onto the STR terminal, or 2) as a buck to take a higher voltage from the STR terminal and to buck it down to a lower voltage required on the VOUT terminal. The current switch circuit outputs a digital undervoltage signal (UV) and a digital high current signal (HC). These signals are communicated on-chip to the controller. Asserting UV causes the converter to begin operating in the buck mode. Asserting HC prevents the converter from operating in the boost mode.

Power loss protection integrated circuit

Disclosed are advances in the arts with novel and useful voltage transient protection circuitry in configurations which include a bridge circuit in combination with one or more voltage reference, load to ground circuit, and/or snub circuit such that the output node is held at a selected voltage level, preferably mid-rail, and potentially damaging transient voltages are avoided.

Voltage transient protection circuitry

Disclosed are advances in the arts with novel and useful electronic circuitry with pop and click noise reduction. A load circuit is connected with a full or single-ended half-H bridge circuit and another circuit mechanism in a configuration by which a signal may be used to selectably bring the load circuit terminals to a selected voltage level when an externally applied signal is not present.

Pop and click noise reduction

An AC to DC converter system is disclosed in which a conversion circuit for converting an AC input signal to a DC output signal is operably coupled with an enabling circuit designed for sensing and output parameter indicative of the presence or absence of a load at the DC output. The system is designed so that the conversion circuit operates in an inactive standby state when there is no load, and in an active state for supplying DC power when a load is present. The enabling circuit is configured to operate using low power.

Low power converter

A power loss protection integrated circuit includes a current switch circuit portion (eFuse) and an autonomous limit checking circuit. The limit checking circuit includes an input analog multiplexer, an ADC, a plurality of capture registers, a state machine, and a flag output terminal. For each capture register, the limit checking circuit further includes an associated lower limit register and an associated upper limit register. The state machine controls the multiplexer and the capture registers so the ADC digitizes voltages on various nodes to the monitored, and stores the results into corresponding capture registers. In integrated circuit has circuitry that allows both a high voltage as well as a high current to be monitored. The value in a capture register is compared to upper and lower limit values. If any capture value is determined to be outside the limits, then a digital flag signal is asserted onto the flag output terminal.

Power integrated circuit with autonomous limit checking of ADC channel measurements

The disclosed invention provides apparatus and methods for dynamic biasing in electronic systems and circuits. The apparatus and methods disclosed provide non-linear biasing responsive to monitored load conditions.

Dynamic biasing for regulator circuits

Growing community of inventors

McKinney, TX, United States of America

Brett E Smith