The disclosed embodiment relates to a method of controlling a system including at least one inverter with six switches, which is linked to a battery, and supervised by a processor. The method implements a vector modulation, so that it is able to prevent the current linking the battery from passing through zero amperes by means of appropriate control logic. The disclosed embodiment also relates to device for controlling an electronic component.

This application relates to methods and apparatus for powering microcontrollers (104), in particular for powering microcontrollers of a personal care product, such as a shaver product (107). The microcontroller is arranged such that a first output port (206-1) of a plurality of output ports of the microcontroller receives, in use, an AC waveform. Each output port has an associated high-side switch (207) electrically connected between the output port and a high-side DC voltage rail and an associated low-side switch (208) electrically connected between the output port and a low-side DC voltage rail. A processing module (202) of the microcontroller is configured to monitor a phase of the AC waveform and to control switching of the associated high-side and low-side switches of the first output port based on the phase of the AC waveform so as to provide a rectified voltage between the high-side DC voltage rail and the low-side voltage rail for powering the processing module. The processing module (202) also controls switching of the associated switches of at least a further output port to output a control signal for controlling at least one aspect of operation of a host device. The processing module is further configured to maintain the associated high-side switch of the first output port in a turned-off state when a monitored voltage of the AC waveform at the first output port is between zero and a monitored voltage at the high-side DC voltage rail, and to maintain the associated high-side switch of the first output port in a turned-on state when the monitored voltage of the AC waveform at the first output port is greater than the monitored voltage at the high-side DC voltage rail.

A load control device for controlling the amount of power delivered from an AC power source to an electrical load is operable to conduct enough current through a thyristor of a connected dimmer switch to exceed rated latching and holding currents of the thyristor. The load control device comprises a controllable-load circuit operable to conduct a controllable-load current through the thyristor of the dimmer switch. The load control device disables the controllable-load circuit when the phase-control voltage received from the dimmer switch is a reverse phase-control waveform. When the phase-control voltage received from the dimmer switch is a forward phase-control waveform, the load control device is operable to decrease the magnitude of the controllable-load current so as to conduct only enough current as is required in order to exceed rated latching and holding currents of the thyristor.

A semiconductor device has an A/D converter configured to convert an analog signal representing a current flowing in a control target into a digital signal, an overcurrent determination unit configured to, based on the analog signal, determine that an overcurrent has occurred in the control target when the current flowing in the control target has exceeded an overcurrent threshold, and determine that the overcurrent has not occurred in the control target when the current flowing in the control target has not exceeded the overcurrent threshold, a drive control signal generation unit configured to generate a drive control signal for controlling driving of the control target so that the current flowing in the control target is equal to a target current, based on a conversion result of the A/D converter, and generate the drive control signal to reduce the current flowing in the control target when the overcurrent determination unit determines that the overcurrent has occurred, and an overcurrent threshold setting unit configured to set the overcurrent threshold based on the conversion result of the A/D converter and the target current.

In embodiments, a voltage regulator has an input node to receive an input voltage and an output node. The voltage regulator has a charge pump circuit that receives a boosting control signal to boost the input voltage based on the boosting control signal. The voltage regulator further has a feedback regulation circuit configured to receive the output voltage and to provide a first operation control signal and a second operation control signal as a function of the output voltage; a phase control circuit configured to receive the first operation control signal and to provide the boosting control signal as a function of the first operation control signal; and a filter coupled to the output node, configured to receive the second operation control signal and configured to inject to or sink from the output node a charge that is a function of the second operation control signal.

An embodiment DC to DC conversion circuit comprises a DC to DC converter and a regulation circuit. The regulation circuit comprises a comparator configured to detect, during a discharge phase of the DC to DC converter, an overshoot period during which an output voltage of the DC to DC converter exceeds a target voltage, and a timer configured to measure a duration of the overshoot period.

Electronic circuits are disclosed. One electronic circuit includes: a transistor device having a load path and a drive input; a first drive circuit configured to receive a supply voltage and generate a drive signal for the transistor device based on the supply voltage; and a biasing circuit connected in parallel with the load path of the transistor device. The biasing circuit includes a bias voltage circuit configured to receive the supply voltage and generate a bias voltage higher than the supply voltage based on the supply voltage.

Electronic circuits are disclosed. One electronic circuit includes: a transistor device having a load path and a drive input; a first drive circuit configured to receive a supply voltage and generate a drive signal for the transistor device based on the supply voltage; and a biasing circuit connected in parallel with the load path of the transistor device. The biasing circuit includes a bias voltage circuit configured to receive the supply voltage and generate a bias voltage higher than the supply voltage based on the supply voltage.

A first inverter has a set of first output phases coupled to a grid voltage source. A second inverter has a set of second output phases coupled to the grid voltage source. A phase measurement device is adapted to measure at least one reference phase of the grid voltage source at a reference phase point. An electronic data processor is configured to: determine an observed phase difference between the reference phase point and an observed position sample of a pulse-width-modulation carrier signal of the first inverter, the second inverter, or each parallel-coupled inverter; determine a target phase difference between the reference phase point and target position sample of the pulse-width-modulation carrier signal; determine a frequency adjustment to the pulse-width-modulation carrier signal of the first inverter, the second inverter, or all parallel-coupled inverters, based on a difference between the observed phase difference and the target phase difference.

An embodiment DC to DC conversion circuit comprises a DC to DC converter and a regulation circuit. The regulation circuit comprises a comparator configured to detect, during a discharge phase of the DC to DC converter, an overshoot period during which an output voltage of the DC to DC converter exceeds a target voltage, and a timer configured to measure a duration of the overshoot period.