Patents Examined by David A Singh
  • Patent number: 10291137
    Abstract: A flyback power converter includes a transformer having an auxiliary winding for generating an auxiliary voltage and providing a supply voltage on a supply node; a primary side controller circuit which is powered by the supply voltage from the supply node; and a high voltage (HV) start-up circuit. The HV start-up circuit is coupled to an high voltage signal through a HV input terminal and generates the supply voltage through a supply output terminal, wherein when the supply voltage does not exceed a start-up voltage threshold, a HV start-up switch conducts the HV input terminal and the supply output terminal to provide the supply voltage, and when the supply voltage exceeds a start-up voltage threshold, the HV start-up switch is OFF. The HV start-up circuit and the primary side controller circuit are packaged in two separate integrated circuit packages respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: RICHTEK TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chien-Fu Tang, Isaac Y. Chen, Tzu-Chen Lin, Kun-Yu Lin, Li-Yang Hsiao, Yung-Chih Lai
  • Patent number: 10291146
    Abstract: In some examples, a rectifier device includes a semiconductor substrate, an anode terminal and a cathode terminal connected by a load current path of a first MOS transistor and a diode connected parallel to the load current path. An alternating input voltage is operably applied between the anode terminal and the cathode terminal. Further, a control circuit is coupled to a gate electrode of the first MOS transistor and configured to switch on the first MOS transistor for an on-time period, during which the diode is forward biased. A gate driver circuit is included in the control circuit and includes a buffer capacitor and a cascade of two or more transistor stages connected between the buffer capacitor and the gate electrode of the first MOS transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Damiano Gadler, Albino Pidutti
  • Patent number: 10277145
    Abstract: A power supply device includes a power supply, a conversion module, and an electric current sensor, and circuitry. The power supply is to output a voltage that varies in accordance with an amount of electric power output from the power supply. The conversion module includes voltage converters electrically connected in parallel to convert the voltage to a target voltage. The electric current sensor is to detect current supplied from the power supply to the conversion module. The circuitry is configured to determine a number of operating voltage converters among the voltage converters, which are to actually convert the voltage, based on the current detected by the electric current sensor, the voltage, and a representative voltage representing a target range within which the target voltage is included.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Ryota Kitamoto
  • Patent number: 10270347
    Abstract: A short-circuit protected power supply circuit includes a switching power supply and a short-circuit sense/protection circuit. The switching power supply includes a synchronous rectifier, an output inductor, and an output capacitor. The synchronous rectifier is responsive to a synchronous rectifier control signal to selectively switch between an ON state and an OFF state. The output inductor and output capacitor are electrically connected in series with each other and are electrically connected in parallel with the synchronous rectifier. An output node is located between the output inductor and output capacitor. The short-circuit sense/protection circuit is coupled to the output node and is configured, upon a voltage magnitude at the output node being less than a predetermined voltage magnitude, to cause the synchronous rectifier control signal to switch the synchronous rectifier to, or keep it in, the OFF state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Joseph Marotta, Paul Schwerman, Serdar Tevfik Sozusen
  • Patent number: 10263505
    Abstract: A rectifier device which is used for a motor vehicle. Such a device includes a switching unit, which is connected to an intermediate circuit and can be operated with a predetermined switching frequency and provided with a plurality of filter elements connected in an intermediate circuit. Each is equipped with an inter intermediate circuit capacitance. A minimum of the magnitude frequency response of a respective filter element is within a different frequency interval, which has a harmonic of the switching frequency as a middle frequency and an interval length corresponding to the switching frequency as a respective minimum of the magnitude frequency response.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: AUDI AG
    Inventors: Maximilian Schiedermeier, Cornelius Rettner
  • Patent number: 10256760
    Abstract: A power conversion apparatus includes: a power converter that includes a plurality of switching elements; and a controller that controls the plurality of switching elements. The controller includes: a command generator that generates a voltage command vector; a synthesizer that synthesizes a correction vector with the voltage command vector to generate a synthetic vector; an adjuster that adjusts an output time of a plurality of voltage vectors from the power converter, the output time being corresponding to the synthetic vector; and a correction vector generator that generates the correction vector on the basis of an adjustment result of the adjuster.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA YASKAWA DENKI
    Inventors: Shingo Fukumaru, Shinya Morimoto, Hideaki Iura, Hirofumi Kinomura
  • Patent number: 10243443
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods for a bias supply circuit to support power supply including a switched-mode voltage converter cascaded with an n-channel-based linear regulator are provided. In an example, a cascaded power supply system can include a switched-mode DC-to-DC power converter, including an input voltage node, a first stage output voltage node, and a bootstrapped floating bias voltage node, and a linear regulator circuit. The linear regulator circuit can include an n-channel field-effect transistor (NFET) pass transistor, including a drain terminal coupled to the first stage output voltage node, a gate terminal, and a source terminal configured to provide a second-stage output voltage, and a gate driver circuit, including a driver output coupled to the gate terminal of the NFET pass transistor, and a high side supply node configured to receive a bias voltage generated from the bootstrapped floating bias voltage node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.
    Inventors: Jun Zhao, Brandon Day
  • Patent number: 10211748
    Abstract: A control board of a power conversion device, the control board includes a board main body, a plurality of drive circuits, a power source control circuit, an insulation region, a plurality of insulation transformers, and a connecting line that electrically connects the plurality of insulation transformers and the power source control circuit to each other, and at least a part of which extends in a region in inner layers of the board main body that overlaps the insulation region when viewed in a perpendicular direction with respect to the surface of the board main body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: AISIN AW CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Keita Mutsuura
  • Patent number: 10199954
    Abstract: A voltage source converter includes DC terminals, a plurality of single-phase limbs, and a controller. Each single-phase limb includes a phase element and switching elements. Each limb is connected between the DC terminals and is controllable to generate an AC voltage at the AC side of the corresponding phase element so as to draw a respective phase current from a multi-phase AC electrical network. The controller is configured to selectively generate a modified AC voltage demand for at least one limb in response to an imbalance in the phase currents and/or a change in electrical rating of at least one limb. The controller is configured to selectively control, in accordance with the or the respective modified AC voltage demand, the or each corresponding limb independently of the or each other limb to modify the voltage at the AC side of its phase element and thereby modify the corresponding phase current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC TECHNOLOGY GMBH
    Inventors: David Reginald Trainer, Omar Fadhel Jasim, Dumisani Simfukwe
  • Patent number: 10177572
    Abstract: A device includes a bidirectional switch circuit 10, a control unit 20 that performs virtual AC/DC conversion processing to acquire a plurality of interline voltage generation sections according to a plurality of modes divided according to a magnitude relation between voltages in each phase and that generates a switching pattern of the bidirectional switch circuit 10 to perform virtual DC/DC conversion processing corresponding to the plurality of interline voltage generation sections based on a second carrier waveform pattern CW2 according to the plurality of modes and a signal level G1 of a P-phase, a current setting unit 50 that inputs a current direction and an amount of current that flows in a power line LU, a current detection unit 51 that detects the current direction and the amount of current of the power line LU, and a current adjustment unit 52 that increases and decreases the signal level G1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: Fujitsu General Limited
    Inventor: Satoshi Ichiki
  • Patent number: 10168723
    Abstract: A reference voltage generator includes a mirroring circuit generating a first sub-voltage and a second sub-voltage that are constant, a first voltage generator including a first switch generating a first voltage based on the first sub-voltage, and a second voltage generator including a second switch generating a second voltage that is lower than the first voltage based on the second sub-voltage, wherein the second switch has a threshold voltage that is lower than the first switch to keep a voltage difference between the first voltage and the second voltage as a first reference voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Jin Seong Kang
  • Patent number: 10135360
    Abstract: A third power supply circuit subjects a reference voltage to DC-DC conversion to generate a power supply voltage common to a second driver circuit for driving a second switching device and a fourth driver circuit for driving a fourth switching device. Wirings from a substrate on which the third power supply circuit is provided to a substrate on which the second driver circuit and the fourth driver circuit are provided are used by the third power supply circuit to supply the power supply voltage commonly to the second driver circuit and the fourth driver circuit. A first impedance device, a second impedance device, a third impedance device, and a fourth impedance device are provided in a substrate on which the second driver circuit and the fourth driver circuit are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shusaku Goto
  • Patent number: 10128755
    Abstract: 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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Rajarshi Paul, Parin Patel, Damon Lee, Evaldo Miranda, Jr., Mark A. Yoshimoto, Jamie L. Langlinais, Jonathan M. Audy
  • Patent number: 10116203
    Abstract: A highly stable transformer, including a first transformer, a second transformer and a current induction device. The current induction device is provided in a load line of the first transformer for detecting an induction current in the load line of the first transformer. An induction load terminal of the current induction device is connected to a control winding. The control winding is provided in a winding of the second transformer to generate an induction voltage in the winding according to the induction current value and output a voltage value matching the load. The transformer has a zero voltage deviation, can be applied to precise appliance circuits and will not produce voltage drop. The transformer adopts active loaded lines, has good operation efficiency and good stability, saves main capacitor loss of no-load and unequal loads, and improves the startup performance of the transformer to any corresponding loads in a full-load condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: Xi'an TuoFeng Electromechanical Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Huipeng Li
  • Patent number: 10110110
    Abstract: When switching operations of converter cells are stopped due to temporary voltage reduction in an AC system, a voltage determination unit performs determination regarding a voltage of each DC capacitor after a predetermined period has passed, and a charge control unit transmits a charging gate signal, via a gate control unit, to select a converter cell at a voltage level at which a self-feeding circuit of the converter cell is operable. Thus, a DC capacitor of a converter cell whose voltage is lower than the voltage level at which a self-feeding circuit is operable is charged, thereby enabling switching operations of all the converter cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignees: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION, TOSHIBA MITSUBISHI-ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Fujii, Takushi Jimichi, Kaho Mukunoki, Ryosuke Uda, Taichiro Tsuchiya, Akihiro Matsuda, Hisanori Taguchi
  • Patent number: 10084315
    Abstract: A power conversion circuit for converting DC power supplied from a DC power supply to AC power; and a power conversion control section for controlling operation of the power conversion circuit so as to generate autonomous operation power as an AC voltage source in a parallel-off state from a power grid. The power conversion control section includes: an AC voltage control section for controlling AC voltage; an AC current suppression section for limiting AC current to a predetermined current limit value or smaller; and a DC voltage shortage suppression section for, when DC voltage of the power conversion circuit reduces, in response thereto, reducing the current limit value to be given to the AC current suppression section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Tatsuya Okuda, Kikuo Izumi, Takahiro Kato
  • Patent number: 10075074
    Abstract: In a controller for a DC to DC converter, PWM signal generating circuitry generates a set of PWM signals phase-shifted relative to one another, and controls states of the PWM signals according to a set of control signals. Each PWM signal of the PWM signals has an on-time state and an off-time state. Ramp signal generating circuitry, coupled to the PWM signal generating circuitry, generates a set of ramp signals having substantially the same ramp slope. Each ramp signal of the ramp signals is generated in response to detecting an on-time state of a corresponding PWM signal of the PWM signals. Additionally, a comparing circuit, coupled to the PWM and ramp signal generating circuitry, alternately compares the ramp signals with a preset reference to generate the control signals. A corresponding control signal of the control signals changes the corresponding PWM signal from the on-time state to an off-time state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: O2Micro, Inc.
    Inventors: Gang Li, Fengjiang Zhang, Guoyong Guo
  • Patent number: 10075058
    Abstract: In an example, a device for operating a switching converter is configured to receive a composite command duty cycle value. The device is further configured to generate an effective duty cycle value based on a voltage at a switching node. The device is further configured to generate a duty cycle mismatch value using the composite command duty cycle value and the effective duty cycle value so as to generate a plurality of duty cycle mismatch values. Each duty cycle mismatch value of the plurality of duty cycle mismatch values corresponds to a candidate natural frequency value of the converter. The device is further configured to output a candidate natural frequency value of the converter that corresponds to a maximum duty cycle mismatch of the plurality of duty cycle mismatch values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Harald Gietler, Andreas Berger, Marc Kanzian, Robert Priewasser, Christoph Unterrieder
  • Patent number: 10073512
    Abstract: A power converter includes primary and secondary bridges, a transformer, and a controller configured to generate a switching mode map that correlates each of a plurality of switching modes to a respective set of value ranges of system parameters of the power converter. The sets of system parameter value ranges are contiguous and non-overlapping across the switching mode map, each of the plurality of switching modes includes gate trigger voltage timings for commuting at least one of the primary and secondary bridges. The controller is configured to obtain a plurality of measured system parameter values, select from the switching mode map one of the plurality of switching modes that correlates to the set of system parameter values containing the plurality of measured system parameter values, and adjust gate trigger voltage timings of at least one of the primary and secondary bridges, according to the selected switching mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Simon Herbert Schramm, Said Farouk Said El-Barbari, Stefan Schroeder, Zhihui Yuan
  • Patent number: 10069438
    Abstract: During a single-phase three-wire output control process for causing a neutral point clamped inverter circuit to have a single-phase three-wire output, a power converter performs a potential control process for changing a potential of the O terminal to a positive or negative value to allow more power to be consumed from power stored in one of first and second capacitors with a higher voltage than from power stored in the other one of the first and second capacitors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: OMRON Corporation
    Inventors: Tomomi Yamashita, Kenji Kobayashi, Masao Mabuchi, Satoru Ikemoto