IP Library Granted Patent US 10,341,165
Granted Patent B2
US 10,341,165 · App. 15/986,045 · Granted Jul 2, 2019

CAN transmitter with fast CANL control loop

Inventor: Burkhard Gehring (Heilbronn, DE)
Assignee: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED
H04L29/0854H04L12/40H04L12/40032H04L67/1095H04L2012/40215
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,341,165
App. No.
15/986,045
Granted
Jul 2, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

A controller area network (CAN) transmitter includes an output stage circuit, a replica circuit of the output stage circuit configured to produce a replica signal, and a control amplifier configured to control a CANL output signal of the CAN transmitter in order to maintain the replica signal at a desired level.

Claims (43)

1. A controller area network (CAN) transmitter, comprising:

an output stage circuit;

a replica circuit of the output stage circuit configured to produce a replica signal; and

a control amplifier configured:

to control a CANL output signal of the CAN transmitter in order to maintain the replica signal at a desired level;

control a low side of the output stage circuit to generate the CANL output signal; and

provide no control over a CANH output signal of the CAN transmitter.

2. The CAN transmitter of claim 1 , wherein the control amplifier is further configured to bias transistors for the CANL output signal of the CAN transmitter during dominant states and during recessive states.

3. The CAN transmitter of claim 1 , wherein the replica circuit includes two resistors configured to model a CAN bus load.

4. The CAN transmitter of claim 3 , wherein a center node of the two resistors is connected as input to the control amplifier.

5. The CAN transmitter of claim 1 , wherein the control amplifier is further configured to control a gate voltage of an NMOS transistor of a CANL driver of the output stage circuit in order to maintain the replica signal at a desired level.

6. The CAN transmitter of claim 1 , wherein the replica circuit is less than 30% of the size of the output stage circuit.

7. The CAN transmitter of claim 1 , wherein the control amplifier is further configured to perform active feed-forward for compensating common mode game of the transmitter.

8. A controller area network (CAN) transmitter, comprising:

an output stage circuit;

a replica circuit of the output stage circuit configured to produce a replica signal; and

a control amplifier configured to control a CANL output signal of the CAN transmitter in order to maintain the replica signal at a desired level;

wherein the output stage circuit includes a CANL driver including a lateral double-diffused NMOS transistor and a freewheeling diode.

9. A controller area network (CAN) transmitter, comprising:

an output stage circuit;

a replica circuit of the output stage circuit configured to produce a replica signal;

a control amplifier configured to control a CANL output signal of the CAN transmitter in order to maintain the replica signal at a desired level; and

gate discharge switches coupled to gates of transmitters of the output stage circuit and the replica circuit.

10. A method, comprising:

generating a replica signal from a replica circuit of an output stage circuit of a controller area network (CAN) transmitter;

with a control amplifier:

controlling a CANL output signal of the CAN transmitter in order to maintain the replica signal at a desired level;

controlling a low side of the output stage circuit to generate the CANL output signal; and

providing no control over a CANH output signal of the CAN transmitter.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising biasing transistors for the CANL output signal of the CAN transmitter during dominant states and during recessive states.

12. A method, comprising:

generating a replica signal from a replica circuit of an output stage circuit of a controller area network (CAN) transmitter;

with a control amplifier, controlling a CANL output signal of the CAN transmitter in order to maintain the replica signal at a desired level; and

using a CANL driver to drive output, the CANL driver including an lateral double-diffused NMOS transistor and a freewheeling diode.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising using two resistors configured to model a CAN bus load.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising connecting a center node of the two resistors as input to the control amplifier.

15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising controlling a gate voltage of an NMOS transistor of a CANL driver of the output stage circuit in order to maintain the replica signal at a desired level.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the replica circuit is less than 30% of the size of the output stage circuit.

17. The method of claim 10 , further comprising performing active feed-forward for compensating common mode game of the transmitter.

18. A method, comprising:

generating a replica signal from a replica circuit of an output stage circuit of a controller area network (CAN) transmitter;

with a control amplifier, controlling a CANL output signal of the CAN transmitter in order to maintain the replica signal at a desired level; and

operating gate discharge switches coupled to gates of transmitters of the output stage circuit and the replica circuit to generate output.

Assignments (13)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 14, 2022
From: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 060894/0437 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 11, 2022
From: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 059363/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 10, 2022
From: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 059863/0400 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 9, 2022
From: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 059358/0335 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 28, 2022
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
To: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 059263/0001 →
GRANT OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENT RIGHTS Recorded Nov 19, 2021
From: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
To: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 058214/0625 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 4, 2021
From: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
To: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 057935/0474 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 24, 2020
From: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
To: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 055671/0612 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 5, 2020
From: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INC.; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 052856/0909 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 5, 2020
From: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INC.; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
To: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Reel/Frame 053468/0705 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 30, 2020
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A, AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
To: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INC.; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 053466/0011 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 24, 2020
From: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INC.; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 053311/0305 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 4, 2018
From: GEHRING, BURKHARD
To: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 047717/0575 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62510227 · May 23, 2017
Related Publication 20180343161A1 · Nov 29, 2018