Patents by Inventor Harald Netzer
Harald Netzer has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
-
Patent number: 11864292Abstract: The invention relates to an isolated converter (100) for providing a current supply to an LED load, comprising: a galvanic isolation stage (101); a sensing circuit (103) on a primary side of the isolation stage (101), which is magnetically coupled to a secondary side of the isolation stage (101); wherein the sensing circuit (103) is configured to receive a feedback signal that is proportional to a secondary side current; and a control unit (105) configured to determine an output current of the converter (100) based on the feedback signal; wherein at least one electrical characteristic of the sensing circuit (103) and/or the control unit (105) is adjustable to convert the feedback signal from a first ratio to a second ratio to the secondary side current.Type: GrantFiled: April 7, 2021Date of Patent: January 2, 2024Assignee: Tridonic GmbH & Co KGInventors: Harald Netzer, Stefan Stark
-
Patent number: 11784558Abstract: The invention relates to an LLC stage for an LED driver (100), comprising a half bridge or full-bridge circuit (100a) comprising two switches (M40, M41), connected in series, a control circuitry (100e), such as e.g. a microcontroller or ASIC, for controlling switching operations of the switches (M40, M41), wherein the control circuitry (100e) for switches is arranged to monitor the middle point voltage between the two switches (M40, M41) and enables the switch on of one of the switches (M40, M41) only if the middle point voltage meets defined criteria. The control circuitry (100e) is designed to issue an error signal, if a dead time, during which both switches are non-conducting and resulting from the monitoring of the midpoint voltage, is greater than a preset threshold value.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2020Date of Patent: October 10, 2023Assignee: Tridonic GmbH & Co KGInventors: Harald Netzer, Stefan Stark
-
Publication number: 20230254958Abstract: The invention relates to an isolated converter (100) for providing a current supply to an LED load, comprising: a galvanic isolation stage (101); a sensing circuit (103) on a primary side of the isolation stage (101), which is magnetically coupled to a secondary side of the isolation stage (101); wherein the sensing circuit (103) is configured to receive a feedback signal that is proportional to a secondary side current; and a control unit (105) configured to determine an output current of the converter (100) based on the feedback signal; wherein at least one electrical characteristic of the sensing circuit (103) and/or the control unit (105) is adjustable to convert the feedback signal from a first ratio to a second ratio to the secondary side current.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 7, 2021Publication date: August 10, 2023Applicant: Tridonic GmbH & Co KGInventors: Harald Netzer, Stefan Stark
-
Patent number: 11711011Abstract: A switched power converter (102) is arranged for supplying lighting means (108) as a load, having at least one (M40, M41) switch controlled by a control unit (106), wherein the control unit (106) comprises: a feedback controller, such as an ASIC or microcontroller, generating a switch control signal based on a feedback signal (Imeas), such as e.g. the load current (ILED), and a separate sweep block, supplied with a signal representing a characteristic of the load (LED), such as e.g. the load voltage (VLED), and modulating the switch control signal (tout-ctrl) by a cyclic sweep, wherein the modulated switch control signal (tout-sweep) is provided directly or indirectly to the at least one switch (M40, M41).Type: GrantFiled: July 15, 2020Date of Patent: July 25, 2023Assignee: Tridonic GmbH & Co KGInventors: Harald Netzer, Ludwig Erasmus De Clercq, Frank Lochmann
-
Publication number: 20230053639Abstract: The invention relates to a method (100) for operating an isolated primary side switched converter (300) for providing a voltage supply to an LED load (401), wherein the converter comprises a galvanic isolation stage (301), the method comprising the steps of: detecting (101) a feedback signal at a primary side of the galvanic isolation stage (301), wherein the feedback signal corresponds to a secondary side voltage, determining (103) an LED supply voltage based on the feedback signal, calculating (105) a threshold value based on a constant reference voltage and an adjustment factor, wherein the adjustment factor is a dynamic factor whose absolute value increases with increasing LED current, and interrupting (107) the voltage supply to the LED load (401) if the determined LED supply voltage exceeds the threshold value.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 22, 2021Publication date: February 23, 2023Applicant: Tridonic GmbH & Co KGInventors: Harald Netzer, Stefan Stark
-
Publication number: 20220393601Abstract: The invention relates to an isolated resonant primary side switched converter (100), comprising a galvanic isolation stage (105), an auxiliary winding (L51-c) on the primary side (101) of the isolation stage (105) which is magnetically coupled to at least one secondary side winding (L51-b, L51-d) of the isolation stage (105), wherein the auxiliary winding (L51-c) is configured to detect a feedback signal as to a secondary side voltage, and a control unit (107) configured to sample the feedback signal, in each or every nth switching cycle, during a sampling period in which a current is flowing on the secondary side (103) of the isolation stage (105), and to process the sampled signal for a feedback control of the secondary side voltage by controlling the switching operation of a primary side switch (M40, M41).Type: ApplicationFiled: November 5, 2020Publication date: December 8, 2022Applicant: Tridonic GmbH & Co KGInventors: Harald Netzer, Stefan Stark
-
Publication number: 20220376492Abstract: A source circuit, a power supply and an electric system. The source circuit includes at least one voltage source supplied from a mains circuit and used to provide at least one voltage for at least one device and at least one switch respectively connected to the at least one voltage source and controlled to be turned on according to a voltage of the mains circuit and/or at a timing after the mains circuit being applied corresponding to the device.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 25, 2019Publication date: November 24, 2022Applicant: Tridonic GmbH & Co KGInventors: Xinhai Li, Yaofeng Lin, Zongjie Wu, Harald Netzer
-
Publication number: 20220272812Abstract: A switched power converter (102) is arranged for supplying lighting means (108) as a load, having at least one (M40, M41) switch controlled by a control unit (106), wherein the control unit (106) comprises: a feedback controller, such as an ASIC or microcontroller, generating a switch control signal based on a feedback signal (Imeas), such as e.g. the load current (ILED), and a separate sweep block, supplied with a signal representing a characteristic of the load (LED), such as e.g. the load voltage (VLED), and modulating the switch control signal (tout-ctrl) by a cyclic sweep, wherein the modulated switch control signal (tout-sweep) is provided directly or indirectly to the at least one switch (M40, M41).Type: ApplicationFiled: July 15, 2020Publication date: August 25, 2022Applicant: Tridonic GmbH & Co KGInventors: Harald Netzer, Ludwig Erasmus De Clercq, Frank Lochmann
-
Publication number: 20220141933Abstract: The invention relates to an LLC stage for an LED driver (100), comprising a half bridge or full-bridge circuit (100a) comprising two switches (M40, M41), connected in series, a control circuitry (100e), such as e.g. a microcontroller or ASIC, for controlling switching operations of the switches (M40, M41), wherein the control circuitry (100e) for switches is arranged to monitor the middle point voltage between the two switches (M40, M41) and enables the switch on of one of the switches (M40, M41) only if the middle point voltage meets defined criteria. The control circuitry (100e) is designed to issue an error signal, if a dead time, during which both switches are non-conducting and resulting from the monitoring of the midpoint voltage, is greater than a preset threshold value.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 1, 2020Publication date: May 5, 2022Applicant: TRIDONIC GMBH & CO KGInventors: Harald Netzer, Stefan Stark