Texas Instruments Corporation

Madhan Radhakrishnan

Nitin Kumar Agarwal

Sachin Sudhir Turkewadikar

A power control integrated circuit (IC) chip can include a direct current (DC)-DC converter that outputs a switching voltage in response to a switching output enable signal. The power control IC chip can also include an inductor detect circuit that detects whether an inductor is conductively coupled to the DC-DC converter and a powered circuit component in response to an inductor detect signal. The power control IC chip can further include control logic that (i) controls the inductor detect signal based on an enable DC-DC signal and (ii) controls the switching output enable signal provided to the DC-DC converter and a linear output disable signal provided to a linear regulator based on a signal from the inductor detect circuit indicating whether the inductor is conductively coupled to the DC-DC converter and the powered circuit component.

Inductor detection

Circuit and method for power control

A driver for a piezo actuator includes a transconductance amplifier to produce an output current, a slew rate-controlled amplifier, and a logic gate. The logic gate receives a first control signal to cause the transconductance amplifier to transition to a high impedance mode, receive a compare signal indicative of the amplitude of the output current produced by the transconductance amplifier being less than a threshold, and generate a second control signal to the transconductance amplifier responsive to the first control signal indicating the high impedance mode for the transconductance amplifier and the compare signal indicative of the output current being less than the threshold. A voltage is provided to the slew rate-controlled amplifier upon assertion of the first control signal, wherein the voltage causes the slew rate controlled amplifier to generate a voltage to the transconductance amplifier that causes the transconductance amplifier's output to fall below the threshold.

Piezo actuator driver with slew rate protection

Detecting an inductor coupled to a power control circuit

Aspects of the present invention provide a DC/DC converter for use with a supply voltage and operable to drive a load, wherein the DC/DC converter includes a Vnode, a Vnode, a switching component, a filter, a comparator, a current detecting component and a control component. The Vnode can receive the supply voltage and the Vnode can provide an output voltage to drive the load. The filter electrically connects the switching component with the Vnode. The comparator can generate a comparison signal based on the output voltage. The current detecting component can detect when a current in a direction from the filter toward the Vnode decreases to zero. The control component can control the switching component so as to provide the output voltage at the Vnode in a discontinuous conduction mode to drive the load.

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Bengaluru, India

Madhan Radhakrishnan