Patents Examined by Demetries A. Gibson
  • Patent number: 9917533
    Abstract: A driver assembly comprises several semiconductor switches that are arranged in a plane so that distances between adjacent semiconductor switches in the plane are equally large, and so that each semiconductor switch has the same number of adjacent semiconductor switches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: Lemförder Electronic GmbH
    Inventors: Jorg Jahn, Thomas Erdmann, Ajoy Palit
  • Patent number: 9898019
    Abstract: A terminal I thereof is respectively connected with transition switches, and a terminal II is respectively connected with transition switches; the other terminals of the transition switches are jointly connected and are connected with the terminal through a saturable reactor and a thyristor switch; the other terminals of the transition switches are jointly connected and are connected with the terminal through a linear reactor, a saturable reactor and an overvoltage triggering thyristor circuit; an odd-numbered side main contact is respectively connected with the terminal I and a common terminal, and an even-numbered side main contact is respectively connected with the terminal II and the common terminal; the terminals of non-common terminals of a main path and a transition path are further connected with a bidirectional voltage stabilizing circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Inventor: Xiaoming Li
  • Patent number: 9887629
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a pulsating current ripple cancelling circuit and a power converting system using the same cancelling circuit. The pulsating current ripple cancelling circuit includes a first transformer having a primary winding side and a secondary winding side; a second transformer having a primary winding side and a secondary winding side, wherein the primary winding side of the second transformer is electrically coupled with the primary winding side of the first transformer; a first diode electrically coupled with the secondary winding side of the first transformer; a first equivalent capacitor combination electrically coupled with the primary winding side of the first transformer; and a second equivalent capacitor combination electrically coupled with the secondary winding side of the second transformer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: National Tsing Hua University
    Inventors: Ching-Tsai Pan, Ming-Chieh Cheng
  • Patent number: 9887625
    Abstract: A circuit and method for providing an improved current monitoring circuit for a switching regulator. A circuit providing switching regulation with an improved current monitor, comprising a pulse width modulation (PWM) controller configured to provide P- and N-drive signals, an output stage connected to said PWM controller and configured to provide switching, comprising a high-side and low-side transistor, driven by said P- and N-drive signals, respectively, a sense circuit configured to provide output current sensing from the output stage during a sampling period when the N-drive signal is active, and a sampling timing generator configured to provide a an n-sampling signal, nsample, to the sense circuit, wherein a start of the n-sampling signal is delayed by a first delay after the sampling period and the n-sampling signal is ended prior to an end of the sampling period by a second delay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: Dialog Semiconductor (UK) Limited
    Inventor: Seiichi Ozawa
  • Patent number: 9876432
    Abstract: The present invention provides, in one aspect, a restart timer that turns a switching element ON when it is not possible to turn the switching element ON via a zero-current detection and frequency reduction part, and specifically includes: a frequency reduction part that reduces a switching frequency of the switching element by delaying the turn-ON timing of the switching element by the zero-current detection and frequency reduction part when a light load state is detected; and a timer adjustment part that lengthens the restart time of the restart timer by synchronizing with the turn-ON timing of the switching element that was delayed by the frequency reduction part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Takato Sugawara
  • Patent number: 9871460
    Abstract: A third relay switches between an output of a first AC power source fed via a first relay and an output of a second AC power source fed via a second relay, and supplies the output after the switching to a load. A welding detection unit detects welding of the first relay. In order to switch the output of the first AC power source to the output of the second AC power source and supply the output of the second AC power source to the load, a power source switching control unit switches the first relay from the closed state to the open state, switches the third relay so as to select and feed the output of the second AC power source, and then prohibits switching of the second relay from the open state to the closed state until a first-relay welding detection processing by the welding detection unit is completed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masaaki Kuranuki, Masahiko Kubo
  • Patent number: 9847730
    Abstract: Provided is a power converter in which a magnetic core of a noise filter can be prevented from magnetic saturation and the noise filter can be downsized. A noise filter 140 provided in a power converter includes: a magnetic core 1 formed with a single through-hole 1A and forming a closed magnetic circuit; first wiring 11 having one end 81 connected to a power conversion circuit and the other end drawn out from the second opening 3, and running through the through-hole 1A from one first opening 2 to the other second opening 3; second wiring 21 having one end connected to the other end of the first wiring 11 and the other end 82 drawn out from the first opening 2 as a filter output end, and running through the through-hole 1A from the second opening 3 to the first opening 2; a first capacitor 41 provided between the ground and a connecting portion 31 of the first wiring 11 and the second wiring 21; and the second capacitor 51 provided between the other end 82 of the second wiring 21 and the ground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Akihiro Namba, Keisuke Fukumasu
  • Patent number: 9847721
    Abstract: A voltage converter includes a switching driver, a controller, a low-pass filter and a pulse width modulation signal generator. The switching driver includes a pull-up switching circuit connecting an input voltage to a switching node in response to a pull-up signal and a pull-down switching circuit connecting a ground voltage to the switching node in response to a pull-down signal. The controller generates the pull-up signal and the pull-down signal in response to a pulse width modulation signal and measures pull-up and pull-down turn-on times of the pull-up and pull-down switching circuits in real time to control a dead time. The low-pass filter filters a switching voltage signal on the switching node to generate an output voltage. The pulse width modulation signal generator generates the pulse width modulation signal based on a reference signal and the output voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Je-Kook Kim
  • Patent number: 9843191
    Abstract: A power converter including a detection apparatus and method for detecting an islanding condition based on measurements of one or more currents and voltages within the power converter provided to a current regulator to generate a signal that is provided in a positive feedback loop and is indicative of an islanding condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: David Smith, Maozhong Gong
  • Patent number: 9831775
    Abstract: A buck converter for converting an input voltage into an output voltage including a first switch and a low-pass filter circuit comprising an inductor, a low-pass filter switching device and an output capacitor system. The output capacitor system comprises a parallel arrangement of a first path comprising a first capacitor and at least a second path comprising a serial connection of a second capacitor and a second switch. A controller is provided to turn on the first switch during an on-cycle, thereby switching the input voltage to the low-pass filter circuit, and to turn off the first switch during an off-cycle. The controller further turns off the second switch under normal load operations so that the second capacitor is not charged and turns on the second switch in case of a load reduction during the off-cycle so that the second capacitor is added to the output capacitor system by the second switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Andreas Christian Doering
  • Patent number: 9812977
    Abstract: A method comprises determining an operating mode based upon an input voltage and an output voltage of a resonant converter, wherein the resonant converter comprises a switch network coupled to an input dc power source, a resonant tank coupled to the switch network and a transformer coupled between the resonant tank and a secondary rectifier, wherein the secondary rectifier is a full-bridge rectifier, configuring the switch network to operate at a buck converter mode in response to a first input voltage and configuring the secondary rectifier to operate at a boost converter mode in response to a second input voltage, wherein the first voltage is higher than the output voltage and the second voltage is lower than the output voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: Futurewei Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Liming Ye, Heping Dai, Dianbo Fu, Daoshen Chen
  • Patent number: 9812959
    Abstract: A step up/down switching regulator converts an input voltage of an input terminal into a predetermined setting voltage in a step up/down manner and outputs the setting voltage as an output voltage from an output terminal. The step up/down switching regulator includes a bypass mode in which the input voltage is directly bypassed to the output terminal without performing a step up/down switching, and a step up/down switching mode in which the step up/down switching is performed. The step up/down switching regulator includes a step up/down output unit, a step up/down control unit, and a mode select terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: RICOH ELECTRONIC DEVICES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yohichi Shiwaya, Shinya Shimizu
  • Patent number: 9800175
    Abstract: A five-level converting device includes an AC terminal, a bus capacitor module having a positive terminal, a negative terminal and a neutral terminal, a first switch module and a second switch module. The first switch module includes a bidirectional switching circuit, and the bidirectional switching circuit includes two first switching units reversely connected in series. The second switch module includes two second switching units, two third switching units, two fourth switching units, and two fifth switching units. The two second switching units are cascaded and connected to the two fourth switching units in parallel. The third, the fourth and the fifth switching units are cascaded and are connected to the bus capacitor module in parallel. Two different connection points of the first switch module are connected to the third switching units and fifth switching units through two flying capacitor modules respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: DELTA ELECTRONICS (SHANGHAI) CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Bo-Yu Pu, Ming Wang
  • Patent number: 9800134
    Abstract: Power conversion systems, filter circuits and integrated filter resistor and inductor apparatus are presented, in which a damping resistor is integrated with a filter inductor by winding joined resistor winding portions proximate to one another at least partially around a filter inductor core leg to form an integrated filter resistor and inductor apparatus for interconnection with filter capacitors to provide an input filter or an output filter for a motor drive or other power conversion system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Yogesh P. Patel, Lixiang Wei
  • Patent number: 9793823
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a controller for a grid tied inverter system with an improved control configuration for increasing response speed of an output current according to specific electric power required. The controller comprises a first control circuit section to output a direct current (DC)-DC converter control signal, and a second control circuit section to output an inverter control signal, wherein the first control circuit section and the second control circuit section are independent of each other without a link for signal input and output therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: LSIS CO., LTD
    Inventor: Ki Su Lee
  • Patent number: 9787185
    Abstract: A boost converter receives an input voltage and provides an output voltage and includes a power switch and a voltage control circuit configured to drive the power switch as a function of the output voltage. A voltage sensing circuit in the form of a voltage divider is coupled to sense the output voltage and provide a feedback voltage. The voltage control circuit drives the power switch. An electronic control switch is configured to selectively connect the voltage divider to sense the output voltage as a function of an enable signal generated by a timer circuit. The enable signal is pulsed such that the voltage divider is periodically connected to sense the output voltage during a first time and is disconnected from sensing during a second time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Gioacchino Lo Iacono, Domenico Cristaudo, Daniele Battaglia
  • Patent number: 9780672
    Abstract: System controller and method for a power converter. For example, a system controller for a power converter includes a logic controller configured to generate a modulation signal, and a driver configured to receive the modulation signal, generate a drive signal based at least in part on the modulation signal, and output the drive signal to a switch to affect a current flowing through an inductive winding for a power converter. Additionally, the system controller includes a voltage-to-voltage converter configured to receive a first voltage signal, the modulation signal, and a demagnetization signal, and to generate a second voltage signal based at least in part on the first voltage signal, the modulation signal, and the demagnetization signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: On-Bright Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Zhuoyan Li, Liqiang Zhu, Jiqing Yang, Lieyi Fang
  • Patent number: 9768699
    Abstract: Provided is a switching power supply unit that includes a pair of input terminals, a pair of output terminals, two transformers, two inverter circuits, a rectifying smoothing circuit, and a driver. The rectifying smoothing circuit includes eight rectifying devices, a first choke coil, a second choke coil, and a capacitance. In the rectifying smoothing circuit, two full-bridge rectifying circuits are provided that each include a first arm and a second arm. The first arm and the second arm each have two of the eight rectifying devices. Secondary windings of the respective two transformers are each coupled to corresponding one of the two full-bridge rectifying circuits to form an H-bridge coupling. Coupling relation of the first arm, the second arm, the first choke coil, the second choke coil, and the capacitance is appropriately defined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: TDK CORPORATION
    Inventor: Wataru Nakahori
  • Patent number: 9760139
    Abstract: Methods and systems for power supply unit (PSU) current sharing may include an In-System Power Monitoring and Management (IPMM) module monitoring an output value of a first power supply unit in a multi-power supply system. In an embodiment, the IPMM module may monitor an output value of a second power supply unit in the multi-power supply system. Additionally, the IPMM module may monitor an output performance parameter for the multi-power supply system. Furthermore, the IPMM module may adjust a setting of at least one of the first power supply unit and the second power supply unit for optimization of a current sharing performance parameter of the multi-power supply system. In various embodiments, the setting may include a droop voltage value, a distribution impedance value, or a set voltage increment value of at least one of the first power supply unit and the second power supply unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: DELL PRODUCTS, L.P.
    Inventors: Yung Fa Chueh, Tsai-Fu Hung, Chung-Fu Lai, Shih-Chieh Wang
  • Patent number: 9755518
    Abstract: Features and advantages of the present disclosure include a switching regulator and current measurement circuit. In one embodiment, a switching transistor in the switching regulator has a first voltage on a first terminal and a switching voltage on a second terminal. A current measurement circuit has first and second input terminals. A first switch couples the second terminal of the switching transistor to the first terminal of the current measurement circuit when the switching transistor is on, where the second input terminal of the current measurement circuit is coupled to the first terminal of the switching transistor and measurement(s) may be taken. When the switching transistor is off, the first and second input terminals of the current measurement circuit are coupled together, and measurements emulate zero current through the switching transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Mukesh Bansal, Michael McGowan, Iulian Mirea, Qadeer Khan, Troy Stockstad, Brett Walker, Todd Sutton