Display backlight headroom control systems and methods

    公开(公告)号:US10678092B2

    公开(公告)日:2020-06-09

    申请号:US15711932

    申请日:2017-09-21

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: Aspects of the subject technology relate to display circuitry such as backlight control circuitry for operating parallel strings of light-emitting diodes (LEDs). A voltage supply circuit of the backlight control circuitry provides a common supply voltage to the strings of LEDs. Headroom control circuitry samples a residual voltage at the end of each string, determines a minimum of the residual voltages, and provides feedback, based on the determined minimum voltage, to the voltage supply circuit. A headroom control feedback loop may be provided including sampling lines coupled to the second end of each string of LEDs for sampling a residual voltage of each string. Headroom control circuitry may modify the supply voltage based on the minimum residual voltage. Sample-and-hold circuitry may be provided that holds the sampled residual voltages until the voltage supply circuit is ready for an update.

    Local display backlighting systems and methods

    公开(公告)号:US10555389B2

    公开(公告)日:2020-02-04

    申请号:US16232913

    申请日:2018-12-26

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: Aspects of the subject technology relate to display of an electronic device. The display includes a backlight unit having a voltage source, a string of light-emitting diodes and a bypass switch for each light-emitting diode in the string. The string of light-emitting diodes can receive, at a first end, a supply voltage from the voltage source. The bypass switch for each light-emitting diode is controllable to pulse-width-modulate that light-emitting diode. The headroom voltage feedback circuit is coupled to a second end of the string.

    Inductive Flying Capacitor Converters and Control Techniques Therefor

    公开(公告)号:US20220376616A1

    公开(公告)日:2022-11-24

    申请号:US17324307

    申请日:2021-05-19

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: Power converters can include a plurality of switching devices and a combination of one or more inductors and one or more flying capacitors. Both boost and buck converters may employ such topologies, and can achieve high efficiency and small size in at least some applications, including those with high conversion ratios. A control circuit can generate a first pair of complementary gate drive signals to drive a first complementary switch pairs and a second pair of complementary gate drive signals to drive a second complementary switch pair. The control circuit can vary a phase shift between the first pair of complementary gate drive signals and the second pair of complementary gate drive signals to regulate the flying capacitor voltage.

    Methods and Apparatus for Controlling Display Backlight

    公开(公告)号:US20200105185A1

    公开(公告)日:2020-04-02

    申请号:US16418882

    申请日:2019-05-21

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: A display may have an array of pixels illuminated using a backlight unit. The backlight unit may include multiple strings of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and a boost converter for providing an output voltage to the multiple LED strings. The boost converter may have a single-phase single-switch, single-phase multi-switch, and/or multi-phase multi-switch configuration, where the switches are turned off when the peak current is reached. When transitioning from a single phase to a dual phase operation, the second (slave) phase current may be slowly ramped up. When transition from the dual phase to the single phase operation, the output voltage may be elevated while slowing ramping down the slave phase current. The boost converter may include a current detection circuit for adjusting the peak current of each phase to balance the average current levels. The boost converter may also include an in-rush current controller configured to sense a short fault.

    Mitigation of battery output voltage ripple under pulse load

    公开(公告)号:US11876439B2

    公开(公告)日:2024-01-16

    申请号:US17450910

    申请日:2021-10-14

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    CPC classification number: H02M1/14 H02M1/0077 H02M3/04

    Abstract: A battery powered electronic device can include a battery to power one or more loads, a first DC-DC converter having an input coupled to the battery and an output, and a second DC-DC converter cascaded with the first DC-DC converter and coupled to a second load subject to pulsed operation. The first and second converters may be configured so as to isolate the one or more loads from transients associated with the pulsed operation of the second load. The second converter may have an input coupled to the output of the first converter and an output coupled to the second load. Alternatively, the second converter may be a bidirectional converter having first terminals coupled to the output of the first converter and second terminals coupled to an energy storage device.

    PULSE FREQUENCY MODULATION AND FREQUENCY AVOIDANCE METHOD AND IMPLEMENTATION FOR SWITCHING REGULATORS

    公开(公告)号:US20210273562A1

    公开(公告)日:2021-09-02

    申请号:US16805577

    申请日:2020-02-28

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: Embodiments relate to a switching regulator having a dual mode control. The switching regulator includes an error amplifier configured to receive an output voltage of a power source, and to generate an error voltage based on a difference between the output voltage of the power source and a reference voltage. The switching regulator additionally includes a PFM controller configured to receive the error voltage from the error amplifier, and to generate a clock signal having a switching frequency based on a difference between the error voltage and a modulation voltage. Moreover, the switching regulator includes a PWM controller configured to receive the clock signal and an error signal determined based on a load current sensed at an output of the power source, and to generate a control signal to control the power source.

    LED driver headroom voltage control systems and methods

    公开(公告)号:US10269307B2

    公开(公告)日:2019-04-23

    申请号:US15683648

    申请日:2017-08-22

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: Aspects of the subject technology relate to control circuitry for operating light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The control circuitry may include a pulse-width-modulation (PWM) driver for the LEDs and headroom voltage control circuitry. The PWM driver may adjust a rising edge or a trailing edge of the PWM cycles for various LEDs to ensure a headroom voltage detection window for the headroom voltage control circuitry to sample the headroom voltage of those LEDs without being affected by the rising edge of the PWM cycle for LED or the falling edge of the PWM cycle for another LED.

    Inductive flying capacitor converters and control techniques therefor

    公开(公告)号:US11689094B2

    公开(公告)日:2023-06-27

    申请号:US17324307

    申请日:2021-05-19

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    CPC classification number: H02M1/0095 H02M3/07 H02M7/4837

    Abstract: Power converters can include a plurality of switching devices and a combination of one or more inductors and one or more flying capacitors. Both boost and buck converters may employ such topologies, and can achieve high efficiency and small size in at least some applications, including those with high conversion ratios. A control circuit can generate a first pair of complementary gate drive signals to drive a first complementary switch pairs and a second pair of complementary gate drive signals to drive a second complementary switch pair. The control circuit can vary a phase shift between the first pair of complementary gate drive signals and the second pair of complementary gate drive signals to regulate the flying capacitor voltage.

    Pulse frequency modulation and frequency avoidance method and implementation for switching regulators

    公开(公告)号:US11342842B2

    公开(公告)日:2022-05-24

    申请号:US16805577

    申请日:2020-02-28

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: Embodiments relate to a switching regulator having a dual mode control. The switching regulator includes an error amplifier configured to receive an output voltage of a power source, and to generate an error voltage based on a difference between the output voltage of the power source and a reference voltage. The switching regulator additionally includes a PFM controller configured to receive the error voltage from the error amplifier, and to generate a clock signal having a switching frequency based on a difference between the error voltage and a modulation voltage. Moreover, the switching regulator includes a PWM controller configured to receive the clock signal and an error signal determined based on a load current sensed at an output of the power source, and to generate a control signal to control the power source.

Patent Agency Ranking