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Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Develops Level Shifter Patent

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a leader in technology and semiconductor manufacturing, has developed a level shifter patent, U.S. Patent Number 8970454, filed on November 9, 2011, and published online on March 3, 2015. The patent describes a level shifter, a system-on-chip including the same, and a multimedia device including the same. The level shifter is a critical component in electronic circuits, responsible for converting voltage levels between different domains. This innovation has significant implications for the development of high-performance electronic devices.

Key Takeaways:

  • The patent describes a level shifter that comprises an input node, first and second voltage shifter circuits, and an output node, wherein the first and second voltage shifter circuits have the same structure and are connected in parallel between the input node and the output node.
  • The first voltage shifter circuit may include at least two inverters operating at the second voltage domain, while the second voltage shifter circuit may include at least one inverter operating at the first voltage domain and at least one inverter operating at the second voltage domain.
  • The patent also describes a system-on-chip (SOC) that includes a processor, a phase locked loop, a peripheral block, an audio block, a display block, a graphic block, an image processing block, and a codec block, all operating in response to a clock generated by a level shifter.
  • The level shifter may include a first inverter configured to output a second voltage of the second voltage domain or a ground voltage according to a voltage of the input node, a second inverter configured to output the second voltage or the ground voltage to the output node according to an output of the first inverter, and a third inverter configured to output the first voltage of the first voltage domain or the ground voltage according to the voltage of the input node.
  • The patent emphasizes the importance of identifying the delay time between the rising edge of the first clock and the rising edge of the second clock and the delay time between the falling edge of the first clock and the falling edge of the second clock to be identical.
  • The level shifter is of significant importance in the development of high-performance electronic devices, such as mobile devices and smart TVs, which require efficient and reliable voltage level conversion.

Statistics:

  • U.S. Patent Number: 8970454
  • Filing date: November 9, 2011
  • Publication date: March 3, 2015
  • Patent owners: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
  • Number of inventions disclosed in the patent: 1
  • Keywords: Technology Companies, Semiconductor-Memory Chip Companies

Sources:

  • Ku, Jachun; Lim, Kyoungmook. Level Shifter, System-On-Chip Including the Same, and Multimedia Device Including the Same. U.S. Patent Number 8970454, filed November 9, 2011, and published online on March 3, 2015. Patent URL: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=8970454.PN.&OS=PN/8970454RS=PN/8970454

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