Infineon Technologies Ag

Stefano Zampieri

Fabio Ballarin

Marco Flaibani

Marco Piselli

Fabio Gini

Giovanni Bisson

A circuit includes a switching signal generator and synchronization circuitry configured to determine a first time of a switching period based on a switching signal. The circuit further includes a comparison signal generator configured to generate a comparison signal with a first constant rate of change after the first time. The synchronization circuitry is further configured to determine a second time of the switching period based on when current at the inductive element changes from a positive current to a negative current. The comparison signal generator is further configured to generate the comparison signal with a second constant rate of change after the second time. The circuit further includes a threshold detector configured to compare a value of the comparison signal at the end of a target switching period with a threshold value.

Comparison signal generator for power converter

The disclosure describes examples of integrate circuit (IC) chips. An IC chip includes a first detector configured to generate information indicative of whether an input supply voltage or power is greater than or equal to a first threshold, a second detector configured to receive a circuit voltage or current level and generate information used to indicate a status of the IC chip based on the received circuit voltage or current level, and a controller configured to cause the IC chip to enter a safe mode in response to both the first detector indicating that the input supply voltage or power is greater than the first threshold and the circuit voltage or current level being greater than a second threshold.

Determination of entering and exiting safe mode

Example current tracking circuits and systems as well as methods for tracking current are described herein. In one example, a current tracking circuit comprises a current mirror that receives a power supply input and a control signal as inputs, wherein the current mirror has a mirror ratio. The current tracking circuit also comprises a programmability sub-circuit coupled to the current mirror that trims a value of the mirror ratio. In another example, a method comprises performing current mirroring using a current mirror comprising a sense device, wherein a mirror ratio of the current mirror is based on a programmable sub-circuit. The method further comprises maintaining, by a voltage regulation loop, a collector potential of the sense device within a threshold difference level of a collector potential of a power device coupled to the sense device, wherein the sense device mirrors a current flowing in the power device.

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Padua, Italy

Stefano Zampieri