Cirrus Logic Inc.

Renesas Electronics America Inc.

Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

Other

Philips Lighting Holding B.v.

Avago Technologies Fiber IP (singapore) Pte. Ltd

Sigmatel, Inc.

Robert Thomas Grisamore

John L Melanson

Eric Jerome King

Firas Azrai

Zhaohui He

William Draper

Jean-Charles Pina

Kiran Gonsalves

Michael Allan Kost

Mohit Sood

Axel Thomsen

Eric J Swanson

Marty Lynn Pflum

Karl I Nordling

Mauro L Gaetano

Travis Guthrie

Janet L Yun

Andy Engel

Yanhui Xie

Jean Charles Pina

Narendra Kayathi

David L Beck

Kartika Prihadi

Aaron Shreeve

Spencer Isaacson

Allan Liu

Timothy William Nutt

Nicholas John Havens

James Robert Toker

William A Draper

Methods and systems for performing current sense compensation for one or more power stages in a multiphase voltage regulator are described. A controller can be connected to a plurality of power stages through a communication interface. The controller can generate a data packet including a command to obtain temperature information and an address that identifies a specific power stage among the plurality of power stages. The controller can send the data packet to the plurality of power stages using the communication interface. The controller can receive temperature information of the specific power stage from the specific power stage through the communication interface. The controller can compensate a sensed current of the specific power stage based on the received temperature information of the specific power stage.

Remote current sense compensation in multiphase voltage regulators

A system including a controller and a plurality of power stages is described. The system can include a communication interface, the plurality of power stages, and a controller connected to the plurality of power stages through the communication interface. The controller can generate a data packet including a command encoding a task and an address identifying at least one power stage among the plurality of power stages. The controller can send the data packet to the plurality of power stages through the communication interface. Each power stage among the plurality of power stages can receive the data packet through the communication interface, compare the address in the data packet with an address assigned to the power stage, determine whether to perform the task based on a result of the comparison between the address in the data packet with an address assigned to the power stage.

Digital communications bus for voltage regulator control and status read of multiple power stages

Methods and systems for operating a voltage regulator are described. An apparatus may receive a feedback signal from a power stage. The feedback signal may be one of a sensed signal measured from an output of the power stage and a calibration signal representing a fixed voltage. The apparatus may convert the feedback signal into a correction signal. The apparatus may further adjust a synthetic current using the correction signal, the synthetic current being associated with the power stage.

System level offset calibration of multiphase voltage regulator

A system and method includes a controller that alternately enables at least two different current paths for a current flowing through a dimmer when the dimmer is in an OFF mode. In at least one embodiment, enabling and disabling the current paths allows a power supply of the dimmer to continue functioning and provides the controller sufficient voltage to continue functioning. One of the current paths is a low impedance path and another current path is a path to a voltage supply node of a switching power converter controller. In at least one embodiment, the controller generates an impedance control signal to enable a low impedance current path for a current in the dimmer and alternately provide a current path to the voltage supply node for the controller.

Dimmer compatibility with reactive loads

A power train may have a power train input and a power train output, wherein the power train is configured to transfer electrical energy from the power train input to a load coupled to the power train output in conformity with one or more power train control signals. A scheduler may be configured to receive events from the power train and, responsive to each particular event, schedule execution of a thread of control instructions responsive to the particular event, wherein the thread is selected from a plurality of threads. A processor may be configured to execute the threads of control instructions scheduled by the scheduler, such that for each particular event the processor generates one or more power train control signals responsive to the particular event within a first switching cycle of receipt of the particular event or within a second switching cycle immediately subsequent to the first switching cycle.

Programmable system architecture for power controllers including thread execution responsive to power train event

An electronic system includes controller to control a switching power converter to provide power to a load. To control the amount of power provided to the load, in at least one embodiment, the controller senses a current value representing a current in the switching power converter and detects when the current value reaches a target peak value. However, due to delays in the controller and/or the switching power converter, the detected target peak value will not be the actual current peak value generated by the switching power converter. In at least one embodiment, the controller adjusts the detected target peak value with a post-detection delay compensation factor to generate a delay compensated current value that more accurately represents an actual peak current value associated with the current in the switching power converter.

Primary-side control of a switching power converter with feed forward delay compensation

A power system includes a controller to control a switching power converter, and the controller is configured to automatically transition operation of the switching power converter, during each cycle of an input voltage to the switching power converter, between operating in discontinuous conduction mode and critical conduction mode.

Controlling power factor in a switching power converter operating in discontinuous conduction mode

A power distribution system includes controller of a switching power converter to control the switching power converter and determine one or more switching power converter control parameters. In at least one embodiment, the controller determines the one or more switching power converter control parameters using a resonant period factor from a reflected secondary-side voltage and an occurrence of an approximate zero voltage crossing of the secondary-side voltage during a resonant period of the secondary-side voltage. In at least one embodiment, the switching power converter control parameters include (i) an estimated time of a minimum value of the secondary-side voltage during the resonant period and (ii) an estimated time at which a current in the secondary-side of the transformer decayed to approximately zero.

Control data determination from primary-side sensing of a secondary-side voltage in a switching power converter

In at least one embodiment, a lighting system receives an input signal, such as a supply voltage, that can be affected by a dimmer. The supply voltage can be affected by a dimmer when, for example, a dimmer phase cut (i.e. chopped) the supply voltage. A dimmer detection system of the lighting system determines if a dimmer is affecting the supply voltage. In at least one embodiment, the dimmer detection system also determines a type of the dimmer, such as detecting if the dimmer is a leading edge or trailing edge dimmer. In at least one embodiment, the dimmer detection system provides dimmer type data to one or more other circuits such as a switching power converter controller. The one or more other circuits utilize the dimmer type data to affect their operation.

Dimmer detection

A power control/lighting system includes a controller to provide compatibility between a lamp ballast configured to receive a dedicated dimmer signal and a phase control dimmer. In at least one embodiment, the controller converts a phase control dimming signal into dimming information useable by a lamp ballast of a gas discharge lamp based lighting system. Additionally, in at least one embodiment, the controller also controls power factor correction of the power control/lighting system. In at least one embodiment, the controller provides dimming information based on the phase control dimming signal that allows the lamp ballast to be used in conjunction with a phase control dimmer.

Phase control dimming compatible lighting systems

A controller is configured to generate one or more power control signals for a lamp to supply power to the lamp from a supply voltage. The controller is further configured to receive customization data encoded in the supply voltage. Thus, in at least one embodiment, the controller receives the customization data via one or more power terminals of the lamp. Phase cut angles in the supply voltage provided to the controller encode the customization data, and each phase cut angle encodes N symbols of data. N is an integer greater than or equal to one (1). In at least one embodiment, the customization data alters the controller from one state to another state in accordance with data represented by phase cuts in the supply voltage that encode the customization data. Examples of customization data include calibration data and configuration data.

Controller customization system with phase cut angle communication customization data encoding

In at least one embodiment, a lamp includes a controller configured to generate power control signals for a lamp is also configured to receive lamp calibration data received via one or more power terminals of the lamp. The controller is configured to process the calibration data to calibrate the lamp. In at least one embodiment, the lamp includes one or more light emitting diodes.

Calibration of lamps

A cascaded power converter having an auxiliary power supply operated from the second switching power stage provides efficient operation by activating the auxiliary power supply early in the startup process. A low energy transfer operating mode is initiated in the second switching power stage to charge the auxiliary power supply output without generating significant disruption at the load. After the first switching power stage is started and the intermediate node voltage has increased to a level sufficient to operate the second switching power stage, the final switching power stage enters a normal operating mode. The low energy transfer operating mode has a substantially reduced switching rate and pulse width from that of the normal operating mode.

Growing community of inventors

Austin, TX, United States of America

Robert Thomas Grisamore