Patents by Inventor Tai Keung Lee

Tai Keung Lee 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: 9143040
    Abstract: An open loop half-bridge LLC power converter includes circuitry to reliably increase hold-up time without sacrificing efficiency. An LLC resonant circuit includes resonant inductance, a primary transformer winding, and resonant capacitance. An auxiliary circuit includes an auxiliary transformer winding, an inductor, and a third switching element coupled in series. A controller is coupled across a voltage sensor and effective thereby to determine a holdup time condition. In a “normal” operating condition the controller generates switch driver signals to turn OFF the third switching element and disable the auxiliary circuit, and in a hold-up time condition the controller turns ON the third switching element and enables the auxiliary circuit wherein the output voltage is increased via current supplied from the auxiliary winding. In various embodiments the auxiliary winding may be an auxiliary primary or secondary, or a secondary to an auxiliary primary winding of a second transformer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Inventor: Tai Keung Lee
  • Patent number: 9124180
    Abstract: A resonant converter apparatus includes a plurality of resonant converters connected in parallel, and a control module outputting a pulse width modulation (PWM) control signal to the resonant converters. The control module includes a voltage control loop and a circuit control loop. The voltage control loop compares the sensed output voltage with a predetermined reference voltage, and outputs a PWM control signal to one of the resonant converters so the output voltage of the one converter is equal to the predetermined reference voltage. The current control loop uses the sensed output current of the one converter as a reference current, compares the reference current with the sensed output current from each of the other resonant converters, generates a frequency adjusting variable, and calculates the individual PWM control signal for each of the other converters so the output currents of the plurality of converters are the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: ASTEC INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
    Inventors: Tai Keung Lee, Wing Ling Cheng, Xiao Fen Zhong, Yi Cai
  • Publication number: 20140247626
    Abstract: An open loop half-bridge LLC power converter includes circuitry to reliably increase hold-up time without sacrificing efficiency. An LLC resonant circuit includes resonant inductance, a primary transformer winding, and resonant capacitance. An auxiliary circuit includes an auxiliary transformer winding, an inductor, and a third switching element coupled in series. A controller is coupled across a voltage sensor and effective thereby to determine a holdup time condition. In a “normal” operating condition the controller generates switch driver signals to turn OFF the third switching element and disable the auxiliary circuit, and in a hold-up time condition the controller turns ON the third switching element and enables the auxiliary circuit wherein the output voltage is increased via current supplied from the auxiliary winding. In various embodiments the auxiliary winding may be an auxiliary primary or secondary, or a secondary to an auxiliary primary winding of a second transformer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2014
    Publication date: September 4, 2014
    Inventor: Tai Keung Lee
  • Publication number: 20120236610
    Abstract: A resonant converter apparatus includes a plurality of resonant converters connected in parallel, and a control module outputting a pulse width modulation (PWM) control signal to the resonant converters. The control module includes a voltage control loop and a circuit control loop. The voltage control loop compares the sensed output voltage with a predetermined reference voltage, and outputs a PWM control signal to one of the resonant converters so the output voltage of the one converter is equal to the predetermined reference voltage. The current control loop uses the sensed output current of the one converter as a reference current, compares the reference current with the sensed output current from each of the other resonant converters, generates a frequency adjusting variable, and calculates the individual PWM control signal for each of the other converters so the output currents of the plurality of converters are the same.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2012
    Publication date: September 20, 2012
    Inventors: Tai Keung Lee, Wing Ling Cheng, Xiao Fen Zhong, Yi Cai
  • Patent number: 7915872
    Abstract: A switching power converter includes an input terminal for receiving an input voltage, an output terminal for supplying an output voltage, a coupled choke having a main winding and an auxiliary winding, an output capacitor coupled to the output terminal, a main diode coupled between the auxiliary winding and the output terminal, and a switch having first and second positions. The main and auxiliary windings are connected to be charged by an input voltage when the input voltage is coupled to the input terminal and the switch is in the first position. The auxiliary winding is connected to reverse bias the main diode when the switch is switched from the first position to the second position to thereby suppress reverse recovery current in the main diode. The power converter may further include an auxiliary diode coupled between a common node of the main and auxiliary windings and the output terminal, as well as an inductor in series with the auxiliary diode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: Astec International Limited
    Inventor: Tai Keung Lee
  • Publication number: 20090284241
    Abstract: A switching power converter includes an input terminal for receiving an input voltage, an output terminal for supplying an output voltage, a coupled choke having a main winding and an auxiliary winding, an output capacitor coupled to the output terminal, a main diode coupled between the auxiliary winding and the output terminal, and a switch having first and second positions. The main and auxiliary windings are connected to be charged by an input voltage when the input voltage is coupled to the input terminal and the switch is in the first position. The auxiliary winding is connected to reverse bias the main diode when the switch is switched from the first position to the second position to thereby suppress reverse recovery current in the main diode. The power converter may further include an auxiliary diode coupled between a common node of the main and auxiliary windings and the output terminal, as well as an inductor in series with the auxiliary diode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2008
    Publication date: November 19, 2009
    Inventor: Tai Keung Lee