Stmicroelectronics (grenoble 2) Sas

Stmicroelectronics (alps) Sas

Stmicroelectronics (rousset) Sas

Xavier Branca

Nicolas Moeneclaey

Samuel Rigault

Romain David

A driver circuit includes a fly capacitor with a first end and a second end. The driver circuit includes a laser diode having an anode and a cathode. The driver circuit is configured to operate in first and second operating states. The anode is coupled to the first end of the fly capacitor. In the first operating state, the cathode is coupled to a first voltage supply node, the first end of the fly capacitor is coupled to a second voltage supply node, and the second end of the fly capacitor is coupled to a first reference terminal. In the second operating state, the cathode is coupled to a second reference terminal and decoupled from the first voltage supply node, the first end of the fly capacitor is decoupled from the second voltage supply node, and the second end of the fly capacitor is coupled to a third reference terminal.

Laser diode driver circuits and methods of operating thereof

In an embodiment, a low side driver integrated circuit for a laser diode includes a reference transistor, an output transistor having a gate coupled to a gate of the reference transistor, a first transistor having a gate for receiving a pulsed signal, a drain coupled to a drain of the output transistor and a source coupled to ground, a second transistor, for obtaining a source voltage of the output transistor equal to the source voltage of the reference transistor, a first servo-control circuit for applying a drain voltage of the output transistor to the drain of the reference transistor, and a second servo-control circuit for applying a static reference voltage to the source of the reference transistor.

Low side driver for laser diode

The present disclosure relates to a driver circuit for an optical light emitter of a ranging device, the driver circuit comprising: an inductor having a first of its nodes coupled to a current driver; a first branch comprising a first switch coupled between the second node of the inductor and a first supply voltage rail; a second branch for conducting a current through the optical light emitter, the second branch being coupled between the second node of the inductor and the first supply voltage rail; and a current sensor configured to detect the current passing through the inductor and to provide a feedback signal to the current driver.

Optical light emitter device and method

An embodiment device includes a first MOS transistor and a first resistor in series between first node and second nodes, the first resistor being connected to the second node; a second MOS transistor and a second resistor in series between the first and second nodes, the second resistor being connected to the second node and the gates of the first and second transistors being coupled to each other; an operational amplifier including a first terminal connected to a node of connection of the first resistor to the first transistor, a second terminal, and an output terminal coupled to the gate of the first transistor; and a circuit configured to supply a set point voltage to the second terminal of the amplifier.

Device for providing a current

A charge pump generates an output voltage. A first circuit generates a pulse width-modulated signal as a function of a deviation between the output voltage and a setpoint voltage. A second circuit receives a periodic signal and conditions the supply of the periodic signal to a control input of the charge pump as a function of the state of the pulse width-modulated signal.

Charge pump

An optical emission circuit includes a power supply source and a regulation circuit coupled to control the power supply source. An optical source and a first switch are coupled in series to the power supply source. A square pulse signal source has an output coupled to a control input of the first switch. The square pulse signal source is configured to provide a square pulse signal. The regulation circuit regulates the current supplied by the power supply source according to a product of a peak current set point by a duty cycle of the square pulse signal.

Square pulse optical transmission circuit

An optical emitting circuit includes an array of M optical sources distributed in N groups, where N is lower than M. A controller is configured to generate N periodic square wave control signals that are successively mutually phase shifted by pi/N and that all have the same period, and to cyclically activate/deactivate all the optical sources of the N groups using the control signals. The optical emitting circuit is configured so that each group is activated when a corresponding control signal is in its first state and deactivated when the corresponding control signal is in its second state. The number of optical sources in each group and the order of the groups in the sequence of activations/deactivations are chosen so as to generate an optical signal having an amplitude that sinusoidally varies in steps.

Growing community of inventors

Sassenage, France

Xavier Branca