Apple patents circuit design that reduces timing errors in power management
Apple has been granted a patent for a specific type of electronic circuit used to manage power. The design uses two capacitors and switches that are triggered by pulse signals with different lengths to control the flow of electricity. By making the second pulse signal shorter than the first, the circuit aims to reduce unwanted offsets in the output.
In the filing’s own words
A switched capacitor circuit is provided that may include a first capacitor, a second capacitor, one or more switches coupled between the first and second capacitors, and a first output switch coupled between the first capacitor and a first output terminal. The one or more switches can be controlled by a first pulse signal, and the first output switch can be controlled by a second pulse signal different than the first pulse signal. The switched capacitor circuit can further include a second output switch coupled between the second capacitor and a second output terminal different than the first output terminal. The second output switch can also be controlled by the second pulse signal. The second pulse signal can overlap only a portion of the first pulse signal.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A switched capacitor circuit comprising: a first capacitor; a second capacitor; one or more switches coupled between the first and second capacitors; and a first output switch coupled between the first capacitor and a first output terminal, wherein: the one or more switches are controlled by a first pulse signal having a first activation period; and the first output switch is controlled by a second pulse signal having a second activation period shorter than the first activation period.
Facts
- Company
- Apple (Apple Inc.)
- Official title
- Offset reduction for switched capacitor circuitry
- Patent number
- US12732183B2
- Application number
- 18776557
- Filed
- Jul 18, 2024
- Granted
- Sep 8, 2026
- Inventors
- 1
- Claims
- 19
Classified under
H03K 17/16 Electricity & electronicsH03K 5/133 Electricity & electronicsH03K 19/00346 Electricity & electronicsMore from Apple in Chips & hardware
- Apple patents glass chip base that uses light to move data Oct 8, 2026
- Apple patents radar that maps rooms using moving objects Sep 1, 2026
- Apple patents display method that reuses static images to save power Sep 1, 2026
- Apple patents stretchable OLED displays with sealed pixel islands Sep 8, 2026
- Apple patents method to fix color fringes in high-resolution displays Sep 8, 2026
Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.