As paths for a current flowing through a conductor, a first current path through which a current flows from a first conductive portion to a second conductive portion, and a second current path through which a current flows from a third conductive portion to the second conductive portion are provided. Each of the first conductive portion, the second conductive portion, and the third conductive portion has a plate shape, a point P1 is located on a plate surface of the first conductive portion, and a point P2 is located on a plate surface of the second conductive portion. A current detecting circuit detects a value related to a potential difference between the points P1 and P2, and outputs a voltage value corresponding to a values of a current flowing through each of the first current path and the second current path.

A semiconductor package is provided, which includes a first die and a second die. The first die includes a first section of a power converter, and the second die includes a second section of the power converter. The power converter may include a plurality of switches, and a Power Management (PM) circuitry to control operation of the power converter by controlling switching of the plurality of switches. The PM circuitry may include a first part and a second part. The first section of the power converter in the first die may include the first part of the PM circuitry, and the second section of the power converter in the second die may include the second part of the PM circuitry.

A multi-phase switch mode, voltage regulator has a transient mode portion in which a phase control output is coupled to one or more control inputs of one or more switch circuits that conduct inductor current through one or more transient phase inductors, from amongst a number of phase inductors. A slew mode control circuit detects a high slope and then a low slope in the feedback voltage and, in between detection of the high slope and the low slope, pulses the phase control output of the transient mode portion so that the switch circuit that conducts transient phase inductor current adds power to, or sinks power from, the power supply output. Other embodiments are also described.

A multi-phase switch mode, voltage regulator has a transient mode portion in which a phase control output is coupled to one or more control inputs of one or more switch circuits that conduct inductor current through one or more transient phase inductors, from amongst a number of phase inductors. A slew mode control circuit detects a high slope and then a low slope in the feedback voltage and, in between detection of the high slope and the low slope, pulses the phase control output of the transient mode portion so that the switch circuit that conducts transient phase inductor current adds power to, or sinks power from, the power supply output. Other embodiments are also described.

This disclosure relates generally to optically-switchable devices, and more particularly, to systems, apparatus, and methods for controlling optically-switchable devices. In some implementations, an apparatus for controlling one or more optically-switchable devices includes a processing unit, a voltage regulator and a polarity switch. The processing unit can generate: a command voltage signal based on a target optical state of an optically-switchable device, and a polarity control signal. The voltage regulator can receive power at a first voltage and increase or decrease a magnitude of the first voltage based on the command voltage signal to provide a DC voltage signal at a regulated voltage. A polarity switch can receive the DC voltage signal at the regulated voltage to maintain or reverse a polarity of the DC voltage signal based on the polarity control signal. The polarity switch can output the DC voltage signal at the regulated voltage and at the polarity based on the polarity control signal to power the optically-switchable device. In some other implementations, the apparatus includes a processing unit, an energy storage device, and first and second voltage regulators.

An improved power converter produces power through a power switch in response to an activation signal that has an on-time and a switching frequency. An on-time signal has a constant on-time and controls the on-time of the activation signal. An error signal indicates that the switching frequency is not equal to a reference frequency. A step up signal and a step down signal are based on the error signal. A count signal is increased in response to the step up signal and decreased in response to the step down signal. An on-time pulse has a duration that is related to a value of the count signal. The on-time pulse controls the constant on-time of the on-time signal and maintains the switching frequency at about the reference frequency.

An improved power converter produces power through a power switch in response to an activation signal that has an on-time and a switching frequency. An on-time signal has a constant on-time and controls the on-time of the activation signal. An error signal indicates that the switching frequency is not equal to a reference frequency. A step up signal and a step down signal are based on the error signal. A count signal is increased in response to the step up signal and decreased in response to the step down signal. An on-time pulse has a duration that is related to a value of the count signal. The on-time pulse controls the constant on-time of the on-time signal and maintains the switching frequency at about the reference frequency.

An object is to provide a technique capable of bringing a switching time point of a gate drive condition close to an appropriate switching time point. A semiconductor switching element drive circuit includes a logic circuit that inverts a level of an output signal based on a divided voltage of an output voltage of a semiconductor switching element, and a switching circuit. The switching circuit switches a gate drive condition of the semiconductor switching element during a turn-off operation from a first gate drive condition to a second gate drive condition in which a switching speed is lower than that of the first gate drive condition based on the output signal from the logic circuit.

An object is to provide a technique capable of bringing a switching time point of a gate drive condition close to an appropriate switching time point. A semiconductor switching element drive circuit includes a logic circuit that inverts a level of an output signal based on a divided voltage of an output voltage of a semiconductor switching element, and a switching circuit. The switching circuit switches a gate drive condition of the semiconductor switching element during a turn-off operation from a first gate drive condition to a second gate drive condition in which a switching speed is lower than that of the first gate drive condition based on the output signal from the logic circuit.

A DC-DC converter may include: a first converter for converting an input voltage to generate a first power supply voltage; a duty ratio controller configured generate a duty ratio control signal for controlling a duty ratio of a switching pulse of the first converter; a switching frequency controller configured to generate a switching frequency control signal for controlling a driving frequency of the first converter corresponding to a switching frequency of the switching pulse; and a current sensor configured to sense current flowing through the first converter. The first converter is driven at a switching frequency of a first frequency in a first mode, based on the switching frequency control signal, and generates the first power supply voltage of a first level, based on the duty ratio control signal. The switching frequency controller determines whether to turn off the current sensor.