Skyworks Solutions, Inc.

Silicon Laboratories Inc.

Patrick De Bakker

Michael R May

Carlos Jesus Briseno-Vidrios

Fernando Naim Lavalle Aviles

Tamás Marozsák

Charles Guo Lin

Gabor Marek

Péter Onódy

Andras V Horvath

Douglas F Pastorello

Ion Constantin Tesu

Louis J Nervegna

András Vince Horváth

James Edward Heckroth

Phillip M Matthews

An integrated circuit includes a demodulator to demodulate a signal simultaneously transmitted over an isolation communication channel and obtain gate information and configuration information. The demodulator includes a gate demodulation path and a configuration demodulation path. The received signal oscillates at a first frequency to represent a first state, oscillates at different frequencies to represent a seconds state, oscillates at a third frequency (or third and fourth frequencies), which are lower than the first frequency, to represent a third state, and the received signal is steady state to represent a fourth state. The gate demodulation path detects the first and second states. The configuration demodulation path includes first and second sub-demodulation paths. An envelope detector in the first sub-demodulation path detects the second state and the second sub-demodulation path detects the third state. The configuration demodulation paths uses an output of the gate demodulation path.

Demodulator for an isolation communication channel for dual communication

An isolated gate driver includes a first input terminal to receive gate information and one or more input terminals to receive configuration information. A modulation circuit generates a modulated signal having four possible states, each of the four possible states corresponding to a different unique pair of values of the gate information and the configuration information. The modulation circuit represents two of the states using on-off keying (OOK) while the configuration information is at a first value and represents two of the states as a modification to the OOK modulation based on the configuration information being at a second value. The modulated signal is sent over an isolation communication channel coupling a transmitter and receiver of the isolated gate driver.

Transmitter for dual communication over an isolation channel

An isolated gate driver has a first portion in a first voltage domain and a second portion in a second voltage domain. The first and second portions are coupled by an isolation communication channel. The isolated gate driver transmits across the isolation communication channel a serial word containing first drive strength information and simultaneously transmits gate information with the serial word across the isolation communication channel. The gate information indicates a state of a gate signal for a transistor coupled to the second portion of the isolated gate driver. A demodulator circuit demodulates a signal containing the gate information and the drive strength information transmitted across the isolation communication channel in the serial word. A gate signal output circuit coupled to the demodulator circuit supplies the gate signal based on the gate information with a drive strength of the gate signal being based on the drive strength information.

Interface for passing control information over an isolation channel

A method for protecting a system including a driver integrated circuit includes receiving a driver input signal. The method includes driving an output signal externally to the driver integrated circuit. The output signal is driven based on the driver input signal and an indication of a delay between receipt of an edge of the driver input signal and arrival of a corresponding edge of the output signal at an output node coupled to a terminal of the driver integrated circuit.

Gate driver output protection circuit

A controller enumerates a plurality of devices while operating in a daisy-chain mode of operation and then causes the devices to operate in a parallel mode of operation in which the devices are individually addressed.

Enumeration of peripheral devices on a serial communication bus

A scan controller provides a translation between a two terminal external interface and a four signal line internal scan interface to a digital core of the integrated circuit. The two terminal external interface has an input terminal and an input/output terminal. The input terminal receives a clock signal and the input/output terminal serially receives a scan enable signal and a scan in data bit. A state machine controls the scan controller. The scan in data bit, the scan enable signal, and a scan clock signal are supplied in parallel to the internal scan interface. The digital logic provides a scan out data bit and the scan controller supplies the scan out data bit over the input/output terminal in synchronism with the clock signal.

Two pin scan interface for low pin count devices

A first die is communicatively coupled to a first isolation communication channel and a second isolation communication channel and configured to send a first heartbeat signal over the first isolation communication channel. A second die is coupled to receive the first heartbeat signal from the first die over the first isolation communication channel and to supply a second heartbeat signal to the second isolation communication channel. The first die enters a first die low power mode responsive to detecting an absence of the second heartbeat signal and the second die enters a second die low power mode responsive to detecting an absence of the first heartbeat signal. The first and second die use low power oscillators in the low power mode to supply the heartbeat signals.

Low power heartbeat for low power mode

A memory power controller comprises a clock generation circuitry for generating a first clock signal and a second clock signal responsive to a source clock and a determination that the source clock has a period greater than a predetermined value. The first clock is generated responsive to a determination that the source clock has a period greater than the predetermined value and the second clock is generated responsive to the determination that the source clock has a period less than the predetermined value. Memory time-out circuitry generates a memory enable/disable signal to control operation of an associated memory responsive to the clock signal and the determination that the source clock has a period greater than the predetermined value. The memory time-out circuitry further synchronizes the memory enable/disable signal with the source clock.

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Hollis, NH, United States of America

Patrick De Bakker