Infineon Technologies Austria Ag

Infineon Technologies Ag

Infineon Technologies LLC

Simone Fabbro

Karl Norling

Wolfgang Frank

Davide Giacomini

Benjamim Tang

Giuseppe Bernacchia

Dieter Draxelmayr

Darryl Tschirhart

Christian Lindholm

Jens A Ejury

Giacomo Cascio

Fabio Padovan

Aliaksandr Subotski

Matteo Bassi

Emiliano Alejandro Puia

Saleh Karman

Paulus Petrus Bernardus Arts

Natasa Pojak

Alan Huang

An apparatus comprises a power source connected to a buffer capacitor. The apparatus comprises a first switch connected between the buffer capacitor and a driven switch. The buffer capacitor is charged by the power source when the first switch is turned off. The apparatus comprises a comparator. The comparator monitors the charging of the buffer capacitor. In response to the buffer capacitor reaching a threshold amount of charge, the comparator turns on the first switch to initiate a charge redistribution of charge from the buffer capacitor to the driven switch.

Charge redistribution for powering a driven switch

A device includes: first and second electronic sides; an isolation barrier galvanically isolating the electronic sides from one another and including a signal coupler configured to enable signaling between the electronic sides over the isolation barrier via electromagnetic coupling; and transceiver circuitry included in both electronic sides and configured to implement, based on a frequency response profile of the isolation barrier, full-duplex communication between the electronic sides using the same signal coupler. According to another embodiment of a device, the device includes: electronic circuitry; an isolation barrier galvanically isolating the electronic circuitry and including a signal coupler configured to enable signaling over the isolation barrier via electromagnetic coupling; and transceiver circuitry configured to implement, based on a frequency response profile of the isolation barrier, full-duplex communication between the electronic circuitry of the device and electronic circuitry of another device using the same signal coupler.

Devices, systems and methods for multiple channel communication across an isolation barrier

An apparatus comprises an energy transfer device configured to supply power from a primary side of an isolation barrier through the isolation barrier to a secondary side of the of the isolation barrier for driving a gate of a switch for controlling output of the switch at the secondary side. The apparatus comprises a monitoring component. The monitoring component is configured to monitor an operating state of the switch. The monitoring component is configured to evaluate the operating state to determine whether a fault has occurred, perform a countermeasure, and/or provide a signal of the fault.

Power transfer, gate drive, and/or protection functions across an isolation barrier

An apparatus comprises an energy transfer device that operates one or more input switches of an input side of an electrical isolation device to transfer energy through the isolation device to an output side of the electrical isolation device for activating a switch. The apparatus comprises a voltage conversion device that converts the energy from an input voltage of the input side to an output voltage to control the switch when the energy transfer is active. The apparatus comprises a passive turn off device that passively deactivates the switch when the energy transfer is inactive. The passive turn off device is disabled from deactivating the switch when the energy transfer is active.

Controlling a switch across an isolation barrier

A multi-output gate driver system comprises a power device having a gate node; a first driver having an input and an output coupled to the gate node; a second driver having an input and an output coupled to the gate node; a first comparator having a first input coupled to the output of the second driver, a second input coupled to a first reference voltage, and an output; a second comparator having a first input coupled to the output of the second driver, a second input coupled to a second reference voltage, and an output; and a logic circuit having an input for receiving a control signal, a first output coupled to the input of the first driver, and a second output coupled to the input of the second driver.

Method for static gate clamping in multi-output gate driver systems

Methods, devices, and integrated circuits are disclosed for controlling a buck-boost converter. In one example, a device is configured to compare an output voltage at a voltage output with a low reference voltage and a high reference voltage. The device may compare a current at an inductor with a low threshold current and a high threshold current. The device may, responsive to the output voltage at the voltage output being lower than the low reference voltage, charge the inductor. The device may, responsive to the current at the inductor reaching the high threshold current, couple the inductor to the voltage output to transfer charge from the inductor to the voltage output. The device may, responsive to either the current at the inductor reaching the low threshold current or the output voltage reaching the high reference voltage, stop transferring charge from the inductor to the voltage output.

Efficient PFM switch control for non-inverting buck-boost converter

Circuits that provide an auxiliary power supply on the secondary side of an isolated switched-mode power converter are described. Such an auxiliary supply may be used to provide power to a secondary side controller or to other circuitry in the secondary side of the power converter. During at least a start-up phase of the power converter, the secondary side auxiliary power supply is supplied power by use of a self-starting primary side driver that operates autonomously until the secondary side controller is fully operational. Circuits and methods for such a self-starting primary side driver are provided. The techniques disclosed provide for a secondary side auxiliary power supply that uses minimal additional circuitry.

Circuits and methods for auxiliary secondary supply generation with self-starting primary side driver in isolated power converters

Apparatuses and methods are described where input signals are supplied to a translinear mesh. In some embodiments an output of the translinear mesh is regulated to a desired value.

Sensor signal processing using translinear mesh

A power stage of a voltage regulator includes a first switch for connecting a load to a supply voltage in a first switching state of the power stage, a second switch for connecting the load to ground in a second switching state of the power stage and driver circuitry for setting the power stage in the first switching state, the second switching state or a non-switching state in which both switches are off responsive to a switching control signal received by the power stage. A power management unit moves the power stage from a nominal power mode to a first low power mode if the power stage is in the non-switching state for a predetermined time period.

Voltage regulator with power stage sleep modes

Systems and methods for controlling a switching converter using a duty cycle associated with either a buck mode or a boost mode of the switching converter. More particularly, a controller determines when to change between buck mode and boost mode based on the duty cycle associated with one of the buck mode or the boost mode.

Controlling a multi-mode switching converter

This disclosure describes techniques for regulating a kfactor (i.e., a load current-to-sensing current ratio) of a current sensing power metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET). The techniques may include generating a reference voltage based on a configurable function that defines the reference voltage as a function of two or more main terminal voltages which are obtained at two or more different locations on a metallization that forms a main terminal of a current sensing power MOSFET, and regulating a sensing terminal of the current sensing power MOSFET at a voltage that is determined based on the reference voltage. Using a configurable function of two or more main terminal voltages to regulate a sensing terminal of a current sensing power MOSFET may allow the voltage at which the sensing terminal is regulated to be trimmed in order to improve the accuracy of the kfactor produced by the current sensing power MOSFET.

Regulation of a load current-to-sensing current ratio in a current sensing power metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET)

This disclosure relates to a voltage regulator system where duty cycle value of an input voltage is measured, where the input voltage is supplied to a regulator circuit that provides a regulated output voltage. Based on a calculated ideal duty cycle, which is derived from the measure duty cycle, a determination is made as to whether the regular circuit operational mode is to be changed to achieve greater efficiency.

Controlling a switching regulator mode determined by an ideal duty cycle for maintaining high efficiency for a wide input voltage range

A circuit arrangement for detecting a load current through a load includes a main transistor, a sensing transistor through which a load current flows that is a measure of the load current flowing through the main transistor. In addition, a resistance is connected in series with the load path of the sensing transistor, and a current source is connected to a node arranged between the sensing transistor and the resistance. A detector detects the load current flowing through the main transistor by measuring the voltage across the resistance.

Growing community of inventors

Udine, Italy

Simone Fabbro