Sgs-thomson Microelectronics S.r.l.

Stmicroelectronics S.r.l.

Other

Infineon Technologies Austria Ag

Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.

Franco Cocetta

Mauro Merlo

Giorgio Rossi

Fabio Marchio

Bruno Murari

Jeff Kotowski

Sergio Lecce

Urs H Mader

David F Swanson

Xiaoying Yu

Liana Luoni

Massimo Grasso

Luigi Gervasi

Yvonne Ko

Alessandro Zafarana

Fabio Marchioo

Representative implementations of devices and techniques provide a configurable slope of a voltage response of a bandgap-based temperature sensor circuit. The slope and/or a translation of the voltage response may be configured by current domain operations at a strategic node.

Configurable slope temperature sensor

A relaxation oscillator for generating an oscillator output signal having a predetermined frequency. The relaxation oscillator includes an interleaved charge pump for providing a restoring charge to an integrator in response to at least one charge pump control signal. The relaxation oscillator further includes an integrator having an integrator input connected to the current summing node. The integrator is adapted to produce an integrator output signal having the predetermined frequency at an integrator output. A comparator having an input connected to the integrator output is adapted to generate the oscillator output signal having the predetermined frequency in response to the integrator output signal.

Precision relaxation oscillator without comparator delay errors

An integrated self-powered and switching electronic circuit regulates a stable reference voltage and comprises a band-gap voltage generator to produce said stable reference voltage for a system circuit block that is generally supplied by the output of the band-gap generator through a comparator and an error amplifier. A regulating loop is provided between the output of the system block and the input of the voltage generator circuit to supply a voltage signal produced by the output of the system block. Advantageously, the voltage generator circuit incorporates both the comparator and the error amplifier.

Switching type bandgap controller

A switching regulator circuit produces a varying reference voltage with temperature and includes at least one band-gap generator for supplying a power stage through an error amplifier and a comparator. The error amplifier is also supplied a regulated voltage which may be produced by the regulator itself. The at least one band-gap generator includes a plurality of band-gap generators being supplied by the regulated voltage and input a fraction of the regulated voltage through a voltage divider. The respective outputs of the band-gap generators are connected to a logic network which has an output connected to the power stage. The error amplifier and comparator may be included within each respective band-gap generator.

Electronic switching regulator circuit for producing a reference voltage variable with temperature

A system and method regulates an alternator and includes a circuit for digitally generating a sawtooth waveform. An error amplifier circuit generates a divided down and error amplified alternator system voltage. A comparator circuit receives and compares to each other the digitally generated sawtooth waveform and the error amplified alternator system voltage and has an output to produce an alternator field input signal used for driving the field of an alternator.

System and method for regulating an alternator

Relatively low currents are monitored through an integrated DMOS power transistor in a low-side driver configuration. A feedback circuit is responsive to the voltage applied to a gate of the DMOS power transistor to limit the minimum value to which the drain-source voltage may drop to keep it sufficiently high, and to allow a reliable monitoring of the current through the power transistor, even at relatively low levels. This is performed by increasing the conduction resistance of the power transistor at low current levels.

Monitoring of low currents through a low-side driver DMOS by modulating its internal resistance

A voltage regulator of the type comprising a linear filter, a comparator, and a stretcher filter which are connected in cascade with one another between an input terminal and an output terminal of the regulator. The input terminal receives an error signal as converted by the comparator into a square-wave error signal, and the output terminal deliveres a square-wave output control signal which has a stretched duty cycle over the square-wave error signal by a time delay introduced from the stretcher filter. The regulator further comprises a non-linear filtering section for the error signal which is connected between the input terminal of the regulator and the linear filter and has linear gain with the error signal below a first value, gain approximately of unity with the error signal between the first value and a second value, and zero gain with the error signal above the second value.

Non-linear voltage regulator, particularly for an automotive alternator

A reference voltage generator having a dual slope temperature characteristic, for use in an automotive alternator voltage regulator, comprises a bandgap circuit (R1,R2,R3,R4) which generates a voltage (A) having a thermal drift coefficient of zero and a voltage (B) having a non-zero thermal drift coefficient. These voltages are applied to a voltage divider (R5,R6) and a voltage-follower type of circuit (OPA1). A unidirectional conduction amplifier circuit (OPA2) has an input terminal connected to an intermediate point (C) on the voltage divider. A second voltage divider (R7,R8) is connected between the output terminals of the voltage-follower circuit (D) and the amplifier circuit (E) . An intermediate node (F) of the second voltage divider is coupled to an output terminal (VREF) of the generator.

Reference voltage generator, having a double slope temperature

The invention concerns a circuit for limiting the maximum current to be supplied to a load through a power MOS, being an improvement of the limiting circuitry which uses an equalizing capacitor. The addition of circuitry with a one-way current flow between a terminal of the equalizing capacitor and the gate terminal of the power MOS is effective to lower the voltage across the capacitor and to speed up its charging process, thereby making the current limiting action expected from the circuit a timely one. The circuitry which limits current flow to one direction may include a second MOS of the same type as the power MOS. In this way, any deviations of the power MOS from its designed operation, e.g. due to its manufacturing process variation and thermal drift phenomena, can also be compensated.

Circuit for limiting the maximum current value supplied to a load by a

A circuit for controlled discharge of energy stored in an inductive load, comprising an active semiconductor device (T) connected serially with the inductive load (L) between first and second terminals of a voltage supply source and having a control terminal for connection to a driver circuit (C), and a control circuit (R1, R2, COMP) connected between the inductive load and said control terminal. The control circuit comprises a voltage divider (R1, R2) connected between the inductive load (L) and the first terminal of the voltage supply source, and a comparator (COMP) having first and second input terminals respectively connected to the voltage divider and to a voltage reference and an output terminal which is coupled to the control terminal of the active element (T).

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Premariacco, Italy

Franco Cocetta