Infineon Technologies Ag

Infineon Technologies Austria Ag

Osram Opto Semi-conductors Gmbh Co. Ohg

Stefan Hermann Groiss

Elmar Bach

Emanuele Bodano

Aliaksandr Subotski

Frank Moellmer

Johannes Karl Sturm

Ulrich Steegmueller

A method is provided for driving a half bridge circuit that includes a first transistor and a second transistor that are switched in a complementary manner. The method includes generating an off-current during a plurality of turn-off switching events to control a gate voltage of the second transistor; measuring a transistor parameter of the second transistor during a first turn-off switching event during which the second transistor is transitioned to an off state, wherein the transistor parameter is indicative of an oscillation at the first transistor during a corresponding turn-on switching event during which the first transistor is transitioned to an on state; and activating a portion of the off-current for the second turn-off switching event, including regulating an interval length of the second portion for the second turn-off switching event based on the measured transistor parameter measured during the first turn-off switching event.

Over current protection concept for negative load current of power device gate drivers

Disclosed is a method for driving a transistor device and an electronic circuit. The method includes: in an on-state of the transistor device (), reducing a drive voltage (V) of the transistor device () from a maximum voltage level (V) to an intermediate voltage level (V) that is higher than a threshold voltage level (V) of the transistor device (); maintaining the intermediate voltage level (V) for a predefined time period (T); and reducing the drive voltage (V) to below the threshold voltage level (V) after the predefined time period (T) to switch the transistor device to an off-state.

Method for driving a transistor device and electronic circuit

A photodiode structure including a semiconductor of a first conductivity type, the semiconductor having a main surface, a first well formed in the semiconductor at the main surface thereof, the first well being of a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type. A second well formed in the semiconductor at the main surface thereof laterally outside the first well, the second well being of the second conductivity type, and a first terminal electrically connecting the first well and the second well, and a second terminal connecting the semiconductor such that a depletion region of laterally varying distance to the main surface results from applying a reverse voltage to the first and second terminals.

Photodiode structure

A filter circuit arrangement comprising a circuit configuration having non-linear transmission characteristics for equalizing an input signal is disclosed. In one embodiment, the circuit configuration having the non-linear transmission characteristics is provided in a feedback loop of the filter circuit arrangement.

Integrated circuit having a filter circuit

Embodiments of the invention relate to a method and a corresponding circuit for digitizing an analog signal. Applying a nonlinear function to the signal, digitizing the signal and applying the inverse of the nonlinear function to the digital samples improve the digital samples.

Method and circuit for digitizing with improved resolution

An electronic circuit arrangement is provided which comprises an input terminal configured to input an input signal to be amplified and an output terminal configured to output the amplified input signal as an output signal. A signal path is defined between the input terminal and the output terminal. An amplifier unit having an amplifier gain is provided and being configured to amplify the input signal and for generating the output signal. A variation of an operational current of the amplifier unit is configured to provide a variation of the amplifier gain. The amplifier unit is arranged within the signal path. Furthermore a gain control unit is configured to control the gain of the amplifier unit by adjusting the operational current of the amplifier unit. The gain control unit is arranged outside the signal path.

Amplifier device

An integrated circuit includes a filter circuit that has at least one active device, wherein the active device has adjustable transconductance.

Integrated circuit including filter circuit arrangement

An integrated circuit including a voltage setting circuit configured to set the voltage level at a signal input to a value corresponding to a first supply voltage of the integrated circuit.

Sensing a current signal in an integrated circuit

A method for operating a threshold circuit arrangement and a threshold circuit arrangement is disclosed. In one embodiment, the invention provides a threshold circuit arrangement, wherein a comparator circuit is configured to compare an input signal is compared with a predetermined threshold, and wherein, depending on the result of the comparison, an output signal is adapted to change its state. A circuit is provided for preventing the change of state of the output signal in the case of predetermined forms of the input signal.

Threshold circuit arrangement

The invention relates to a procedure and a circuit device for the subtraction of electrical signals, with at least two regulating loops each comprising at least one amplifier unit. Advantageously, the circuit device comprises a device for subtracting a signal, made available by the circuit device and representing the difference between the electrical signals, from one of the electrical signals. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the potentials on lines carrying the electrical signals are maintained at the same value with the help of a first one or of the regulating loops.

Procedure and circuit device for the subtraction of electrical signals

A log circuit receives an operated current signal and a reference current signal at respective inputs and comprises an operand log circuit including a first bipolar semiconductor device and being configured to generate a first logarithmized signal on the basis of the operand current signal, a reference log circuit including a second bipolar semiconductor device and being configured to generate a second logarithmized signal on the basis of the reference current signal, and a differential-amplifier circuit receiving the first logarithmized signal and the second logarithmized signal, and outputting a differential-amplifier output signal in dependency on the first logarithmized signal and the second logarithmized signal. The differential amplifier is configured such that its amplification depends on a thermal voltage of a bipolar semiconductor device, so that at the output signal of the differential amplifier, the temperature dependency of the difference between the first logarithmized signal and the second logarithmized signal is counteracted.

Log circuit and highly linear differential-amplifier circuit

A filter circuit array is disclosed. In one embodiment, the filter circuit array includes a higher-order filter circuit array, wherein one energy storage per order of filter is provided. The transfer function of the filter circuit array has a zero formed by a first energy storage, in particular capacitor, and a double pole formed by two additional energy storages, in particular capacitors.

Filter circuit array

The present invention relates to an optical encoder for measuring the speed and direction of a moving raster. The raster may be moving linearly or angularly and may further be connected to a moving element, such as a spinning shaft, of which speed and orientation measurement Is sought. The raster may comprise a slit plate or the like and include many formations in sequence. The formations may be successively opaque and transparent to light. The raster modulates light from a light source and the modulated light is detected by at least one set of three photodetectors. Output of the photodetectors is then used to generate a reference signal to which individual outputs are compared. The results of the comparisons are indicative of the speed and direction of the raster and moving element to which the raster is attached. The at least one set of three photodetectors are oriented such that the combined lengths of the light receiving areas of the set of three photodetectors is between one half and one period of the raster. The photodetectors and evaluating circuitry used to process their output may be semiconductor components on a single substrate.

Optical encoder with triple photodiode

An apparatus and method for evaluating a digital information signal to be transmitted. A superimposition of the information with an interference signal can endanger an error-free data transmission. In order to ensure a correct data transmission, the information signal is amplified with a variable gain, where the information signal has been band-pass-filtered and demodulated beforehand, and fed to an integral-action controller that keeps the gain of the amplifier at a value corresponding to a controller threshold. Advantageously, the integral-action controller has a shorter time constant for increasing the gain than for reducing it, with the result that the gain is increased more rapidly than it is reduced. Thus, the integral-action control of the gain ensures that the band-pass-filtered and demodulated information signal is above a digitization threshold during its pulses and below the digitization threshold during its pulse intervals.

Method and apparatus for evaluating a digital information signal

The invention provides a circuit arrangement for conversion of an input current signal ( ) to a digital output signal ( ). In particular, the invention relates to a method for providing a low-capacitance voltage node for a comparator input of a tracking analog/digital converter. An input circuit node ( ) is supplied with an input current signal ( ). A feedback current signal ( ) is produced by the input circuit node ( ) in order to operate a tracking analog/digital converter. A difference current signal ( ) is likewise produced by the input circuit node ( ), and is supplied to a transimpedance resistance element ( ) connected to the input circuit node. A second connection of the transimpedance resistance element ( ) is connected to a reference circuit node ( ). An intermediate variable ( ) is produced at the reference circuit node ( ), and is supplied to a downstream converter device ( ). A constant voltage with respect to ground ( ) is maintained at the input circuit node ( ). The reference circuit node ( ) has a low capacitance with respect to ground ( ). There are thus no parasitic capacitances, or only negligible parasitic capacitances at the input of a downstream comparator ( ) of a tracking analog/digital converter, which means that there are virtually no time delays in the analog/digital conversion, and the speed of subsequent analog/digital conversion is thus increased.

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Villach-Landskron, Austria

Stefan Hermann Groiss