Patents Assigned to Power Integrations, Inc.
  • Publication number: 20200106365
    Abstract: A controller for use in a power converter with multiple outputs includes a discharge detect circuit coupled to receive a voltage signal from a transformer winding of the power converter to output a discharge signal in response to the voltage signal. A multi-output signal process and interface block is coupled to output request signals to the output selection drive and idle ring visibility logic circuit. An output selection drive and idle ring visibility logic circuit is coupled to receive the discharge signal from the discharge detect circuit and the output request signals from the multi-output signal process and interface block. An idle ring detection circuit is coupled to one of the plurality of output switches and coupled to output an idle ring output signal to generate a next request pulse.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2019
    Publication date: April 2, 2020
    Applicant: Power Integrations, Inc.
    Inventors: ANTONIUS JACOBUS JOHANNES WERNER, Manoj Bhasin, Matthew David Waterson, Karl Moore
  • Publication number: 20200106366
    Abstract: A resonant power converter controller comprising a control circuit configured to turn on a synchronous rectifier (SR) in response to a count of a number of times a drain voltage of the SR crosses below a turn on threshold based on a stored count and turns off the SR when the drain voltage crosses above a turn off threshold. The control circuit comprises a first comparator configured to generate a first detection signal in response to the drain voltage being less than the turn on threshold. A first turn on detection circuit generates a first turn on signal when the count reaches the stored count. A first turn off signal is generated in response to the drain voltage being greater than the turn off threshold. A drive circuit turns on and off the SR in response to the first turn on signal and the first turn off signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2019
    Publication date: April 2, 2020
    Applicant: Power Integrations, Inc.
    Inventor: IGOR Miletic
  • Patent number: 10608525
    Abstract: A circuit for use in a power converter includes a control circuit capable of detecting whether an AC voltage source is coupled to an input of the power converter, and whether the AC voltage source is uncoupled from the input within a first period of time. A control circuit is coupled to drive a switch in a first operating mode when the control circuit detects that the AC voltage source is coupled to the input, and drive the switch in a second operating mode when the control circuit detects that the AC voltage source is uncoupled from the input. The control circuit is capable of discharging a capacitance coupled between input terminals of the power converter to a SELV level through a discharge path and the switch within a second period of time. An RC time constant of the discharge path is less than or equal to one second.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Power Integrations, Inc.
    Inventors: Balu Balakrishnan, David Kung, Raymond Kenneth Orr, David Michael Hugh Matthews
  • Patent number: 10587186
    Abstract: A circuit for shaping an input current of a switching power converter. The circuit is a power factor circuit comprising an input to be coupled to receive a rectified line signal, an output, a resistance coupled to resist a flow of current from the input to the output. The resistance has a first value and a switch coupled in parallel with the resistance and coupled to switch from a less conductive state into a more conductive state in response to the flow of current through the input, and the more conductive state is sufficiently conductive to divert a portion of the current flow away from the resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: Power Integrations, Inc.
    Inventor: Marvin Espino
  • Patent number: 10585444
    Abstract: A controller for use in a power converter including a jitter generator circuit coupled to receive a drive signal from a switch controller and generate a jitter signal. The jitter signal is a modulated jitter signal when the drive signal is below a first threshold frequency. The switch controller is coupled to a power switch coupled to an energy transfer element. The switch controller is coupled to receive a current sense signal representative of a current through the power switch. The switch controller is coupled to generate the drive signal to control switching of the power switch in response to the current sense signal and the jitter signal to control a transfer of energy from an input of the power converter to an output of the power converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: Power Integrations, Inc.
    Inventors: Giao Minh Pham, Lance M. Wong
  • Patent number: 10574145
    Abstract: A method of dynamically adjusting a storage time of a bipolar junction transistor (BJT) in a switched mode power converter during a switching cycle includes generating a storage time reference signal responsive to an input voltage signal. A collector off signal is generated responsive to a comparison of a current sense signal to a collector off reference threshold signal. The current sense signal is representative of a switch current of the BJT. A base off reference threshold signal is generated responsive to the storage time reference signal and the collector off signal. A base off signal is generated responsive to a comparison of the current sense signal and the base off reference threshold signal. Charging of a base terminal of the BJT is discontinued responsive to the base off signal, and the base terminal of the BJT is discharged responsive to the collector off signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: Power Integrations, Inc.
    Inventors: Antonius Jacobus Johannes Werner, Manoj Bhasin, Matthew David Waterson, Adrian Kirilov Lefedjiev
  • Patent number: 10574302
    Abstract: A controller for a semiconductor switch is described that includes a transmitter and a receiver that communicate across galvanic isolation using an inductive coupling. An example controller includes first circuitry referenced to a first reference potential, second circuitry referenced to a second reference potential and galvanically isolated from the first circuitry, and an inductive coupling galvanically isolating the first circuitry and the second circuitry. The inductive coupling includes a first winding referenced to the first reference potential and a second winding referenced to the second reference potential, wherein the first circuitry includes signal reception circuitry coupled to the inductive coupling, wherein the signal reception circuitry includes one or more signal receivers coupled to the first winding to receive signals transmitted over the inductive coupling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: Power Integrations, Inc.
    Inventors: Olivier Garcia, Jan Thalheim, Didier Raphael Balli, Matthias Peter
  • Publication number: 20200044574
    Abstract: A secondary controller including a control circuit coupled to a secondary switch of a power converter. The control circuit is coupled to receive a secondary switch voltage signal representative of the secondary switch, and turns ON the secondary in response in response to how many times the secondary switch voltage signal crosses below a turn on threshold to a limit set in a last half period. The control circuit turns OFF the secondary switch when the secondary switch voltage signal crosses above a turn off threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2018
    Publication date: February 6, 2020
    Applicant: Power Integrations, Inc.
    Inventor: Igor Miletic
  • Patent number: 10554136
    Abstract: A secondary controller including a control circuit coupled to a secondary switch of a power converter. The control circuit is coupled to receive a secondary switch voltage signal representative of the secondary switch, and turns ON the secondary in response in response to how many times the secondary switch voltage signal crosses below a turn on threshold to a limit set in a last half period. The control circuit turns OFF the secondary switch when the secondary switch voltage signal crosses above a turn off threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: Power Integrations, Inc.
    Inventor: Igor Miletic
  • Publication number: 20200021284
    Abstract: Driver circuitry for driving a power semiconductor switch having a control input and main terminals is described. The driver circuitry includes control terminal driver circuitry coupled to the control input and configured to provide a drive signal, a sense terminal coupled to the main terminal, a current mirror coupled to the sense terminal to mirror a current input into the sense terminal during turn-off, a first current comparator configured to compare a current signal received from the current mirror to a first current threshold and output a first signal representative of the comparison, and a second comparator configured to compare a signal received from the sense terminal to a turn-on threshold and output a second signal representative of the comparison. The turn-on threshold represents a highest voltage of the main terminal during turn-on. The first current threshold represents a highest voltage of the main terminal during turn-off.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2019
    Publication date: January 16, 2020
    Applicant: Power Integrations, Inc.
    Inventor: JAN THALHEIM
  • Publication number: 20190393314
    Abstract: A vertical power transistor device includes a semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type, with a plurality of dielectric regions disposed in the semiconductor layer. The dielectric regions extend in a vertical direction from a top surface of the semiconductor layer downward. Each dielectric region has a rounded-square cross-section in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the vertical direction. Adjacent ones of the dielectric regions are laterally separated by a narrow region of the semiconductor layer. Each dielectric region has a cylindrical field plate member centrally disposed therein. The cylindrical field plate member extends in the vertical direction from the top surface downward to near a bottom of the dielectric region. The dielectric region laterally separates the cylindrical field plate member from the narrow region. A source region is disposed at the top surface, and a drain region is disposed at the bottom, of the semiconductor layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2019
    Publication date: December 26, 2019
    Applicant: Power Integrations, Inc.
    Inventors: Sorin Stefan Georgescu, Kamal Raj Varadarajan, Alexei Ankoudinov
  • Publication number: 20190393874
    Abstract: A switch having a drain, a source, and a control. The switch comprising a depletion-mode transistor including a first, a second, and a control terminal and an enhancement-mode transistor including a first, a second, and a control terminal. The first terminal of the depletion-mode transistor is the drain of the switch and the control of the depletion-mode transistor is coupled to the source of the switch. The control of the enhancement-mode transistor is coupled to the control of the switch, the second terminal of the enhancement-mode transistor is the source of the switch. The switch comprises a clamp circuit to clamp a voltage of the first terminal of the enhancement-mode transistor to a threshold, the clamp circuit comprises a resistor and a pn-junction device coupled between the first and second terminals of the enhancement-mode transistor and between the second terminal and the control of the depletion-mode transistor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2019
    Publication date: December 26, 2019
    Applicant: Power Integrations, Inc.
    Inventors: Hartley Horwitz, Sorin Georgescu, Kuo-Chang Robert Yang
  • Publication number: 20190393871
    Abstract: A cascode switch comprising a normally-on semiconductor device comprising a gate, a source and a drain, and a normally-off semiconductor device comprising a gate, a source and a drain. The drain of the normally-off semiconductor device coupled to the normally-on semiconductor device, the source of the normally-on semiconductor device coupled to the drain of the normally-off semiconductor device and the gate of the normally-on semiconductor device coupled to the source of the normally-off semiconductor device. The cascode switch further comprises a leakage current clamp coupled across the normally-off semiconductor device, the leakage current clamp circuit configured to prevent the drain of the normally-off semiconductor from going too high due to leakage current.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2019
    Publication date: December 26, 2019
    Applicant: Power Integrations, Inc.
    Inventor: Nigel Springett
  • Publication number: 20190387588
    Abstract: A current matching circuit includes a plurality of LED driver circuits. A current to voltage converter circuit is coupled to the plurality of LED driver circuits to generate a plurality of voltage signals. Each one of the plurality of voltage signals is representative of a respective output current through a corresponding one of the plurality of LED driver circuits. A comparison circuit is coupled to the current to voltage converter circuit to compare the plurality of voltage signals. An adjustment circuit is coupled to the comparison circuit and the plurality of LED driver circuits. The adjustment circuit is configured to trim the plurality of LED driver circuits in response to the comparison circuit such that each respective output current through the plurality of LED driver circuits is substantially equal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2019
    Publication date: December 19, 2019
    Applicant: Power Integrations, Inc.
    Inventor: John David Greenwood
  • Publication number: 20190379294
    Abstract: A controller to regulate an output voltage of a power converter comprising a feedback reference circuit to generate a drive signal to control a power switch in response to the feedback signal and an output power control circuit configured to generate an adjust signal in response to an output current of the power converter and a desired value of an output power of the power converter, the adjust signal adjusts the feedback signal such that the controller regulates the output voltage to achieve the desired value of the output power. The output power control circuit further comprises an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), a calculator circuit, and an update circuit. The ADC provides a measure signal which is a digital representation of the output current, the calculator circuit determines a calculated value of the output voltage, and the update circuit further outputs an update signal to update the adjust signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2019
    Publication date: December 12, 2019
    Applicant: Power Integrations, Inc.
    Inventors: Yury Gaknoki, Zongqi Hu, Xiang Wu
  • Patent number: 10505458
    Abstract: A power conversion system includes a switch mode power converter including a switch coupled to regulate an output voltage to a regulation value in response to a feedback signal. A controller is coupled to deliver a gate drive signal to the switch during an enabled control condition. The controller is further coupled to inhibit the gate drive signal to the switch during an inhibited control condition. A duty cycle state machine included in controller is coupled to adjust a duty cycle of the gate drive signal according to a plurality of discrete duty cycle states.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Power Integrations, Inc.
    Inventors: Tiziano Pastore, Sundaresan Sundararaj
  • Publication number: 20190372470
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods for sequencing outputs in a multi-output power converter system are disclosed herein. During start-up multiple CC/CV outputs may be sequenced so that energy is first provided to a highest voltage secondary output and subsequently provided to a lowest voltage secondary output. Additionally, control may be exerted so as to concurrently and monotonically increase voltages during at least part of the start-up transient; and concurrent control may be further implemented using control circuitry and a variable reference generator. In some embodiments a variable reference may be generated from a capacitor voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2019
    Publication date: December 5, 2019
    Applicant: Power Integrations, Inc.
    Inventors: Karl Moore, Matthew David Waterson, Antonius Jacobus Johannes Werner
  • Patent number: 10498300
    Abstract: An IC for power conversion includes bias circuitry that generates one or more bias voltages. An adaptive biasing circuit adaptively shifts an input signal having a negative value to a positive value. An operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) receives a supply bias current and the first and second bias voltages. The OTA has first and second input terminals coupled to the input signal and ground, respectively. The OTA has first and second transistors coupled to the first and second input terminals through first and second resistors at first and second internal nodes, respectively. Additional circuitry of the OTA is coupled to the second internal node. The additional circuitry insures that the voltage at the second internal node follows the voltage at the first internal node. The OTA generates an output current signal responsive to a differential input voltage applied across the first and second input terminals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Power Integrations, Inc.
    Inventor: Frank Joseph Schulz
  • Patent number: 10498244
    Abstract: A controller for use in a power converter of a motor drive includes a control circuit configured to turn ON a high side switch by sinking a current of an ON signal. A high side signal interface circuit is coupled to receive the ON signal to generate a drive signal to control switching of the high side switch in a presence of a common mode signal caused by slewing at a half bridge node. The high side signal interface circuit includes a common mode cancellation circuit coupled to provide a common rejection signal to provide a cancellation or rejection of the common mode signal. A first current hysteresis comparator is coupled to receive a common mode rejection signal, a first current signal, and a fourth current signal, and generate a first output signal in a presence of a common mode voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Power Integrations, Inc.
    Inventors: Hartley Fred Horwitz, Steven Greig Porter
  • Patent number: 10490548
    Abstract: A heterostructure semiconductor device includes first and second active areas, each electrically isolated from one another, and each including first and second active layers with an electrical charge disposed therebetween. A power transistor is formed in the first active area, and an integrated gate resistor is formed in the second active area. A gate array laterally extends over the first active area of the power transistor. First and second ohmic contacts are respectively disposed at first and second lateral ends of the integrated gate resistor, the first and second ohmic contacts are electrically connected to the second portion of the second active layer, the second ohmic contact also being electrically connected to the gate array. A gate bus is electrically connected to the first ohmic contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: Power Integrations, Inc.
    Inventors: Alexey Kudymov, Jamal Ramdani