Patents Examined by Adolf Berhane
  • Patent number: 10128763
    Abstract: A method for regulating a power converter includes initiating a transition of a switch coupled to an input side of the power converter from an OFF to an ON state to regulate a transfer of energy from the input to an output side of the power converter after a switch control signal generator receives an enable signal and if a feedback signal representative of an output of the power converter indicates a change in an output of the power converter. The enable signal is generated to communicate a control signal from the output to the input side in response to a first signal representative of a voltage on an output terminal that oscillates in response to an ending of the transfer of energy. The transition of the switch from the OFF to the ON state occurs substantially at a time that the first signal reaches an extremum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Power Integrations, Inc.
    Inventors: Balu Balakrishnan, David Michael Hugh Matthews, Vikram Balakrishnan, Roland Sylvere Saint-Pierre, Zhao-Jun Wang, Giao Minh Pham, Qing McIntosh
  • Patent number: 10128775
    Abstract: A motor drive apparatus driving a motor as a three-phase motor converting direct current into three-phase alternating current, includes: inverter modules and equivalent in number to phases of the motor; and a control unit generating PWM signals used to drive the inverter modules with PWM. The inverter modules each include a plurality of switching element pairs connected in parallel, each of the switching element pairs including two switching elements connected in series.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Takuya Shimomugi, Yosuke Shinomoto, Koichi Arisawa, Kazunori Hatakeyama
  • Patent number: 10128736
    Abstract: A rectifier device is described herein. In accordance with one exemplary embodiment, the rectifier device includes a semiconductor substrate doped with dopants of a first doping type and at least one well region arranged in the semiconductor substrate and doped with dopants of a second doping type. Accordingly, the at least one well region and the surrounding semiconductor substrate form a pn-junction. The rectifier device further includes 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. The rectifier device further includes a control circuit and a biasing circuit. The control circuit is configured to switch on the first MOS transistor for an on-time period, during which the diode is forward biased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Damiano Gadler, Albino Pidutti
  • Patent number: 10128776
    Abstract: An inverter device includes a converter circuit unit, an inverter circuit unit, and a current detector. The inverter device includes a calculator that calculates a frequency command value based on output current detected by the current detector, and a pulse signal output unit that outputs a pulse signal based on the frequency command value calculated by the calculator. The calculator includes a calculator and a calculator. The calculator estimates a target frequency from a load torque and motor characteristics, and calculates a first frequency command value with the estimated target frequency as a target. The calculator calculates a second frequency command value to cause torque current detected based on the output current detected by the current detector to follow a torque current limit value calculated based on the output current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Kamiko
  • Patent number: 10126773
    Abstract: According one embodiment, a circuit is described comprising a first reference voltage generating circuit comprising an output to provide a first reference voltage and a second reference voltage generating circuit comprising an input receiving a value representative of the first reference voltage, the second reference voltage generating circuit being configured to generate a second reference voltage based on the received value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Maximilian Hofer, Albert Missoni
  • Patent number: 10126769
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein provide a voltage regulator that includes an error amplifier configured to provide a difference signal indicative of a voltage difference between a reference signal and a feedback signal, a pulse width modulation generator configured to receive the difference signal and to output a pulse width modulated signal based on the difference signal, and one or more transistors configured to receive the pulse width modulated signal at a gate of the one or more transistors, and to provide the feedback signal at a drain of the one or more transistors as a regulated voltage that is adjusted to match the reference signal so as to reduce the voltage difference between the reference signal and the feedback signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Marvell World Trade Ltd.
    Inventors: Weiwei Xu, Xiaoyue Wang
  • Patent number: 10122281
    Abstract: A power conversion device includes a potential variation suppression portion having first and second ground capacitors and a reactor, for suppressing a potential variations at an A point at which switching elements and are connected together and at a B point in a bidirectional switch. The potential variation suppression portion suppresses potential variation at the A point by cancelling a first leakage current, which flows due to the potential variation at the A point at the positive and negative polarities of an alternating current voltage, with a first compensating current flowing via the reactor and ground capacitor, and suppresses the potential variation at the B point by cancelling a second leakage current, which flows due to the potential variation at the B point at the negative polarity of the alternating current voltage, with a second compensating current flowing via the reactor, a switch, and the second ground capacitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Qichen Wang, Satoru Fujita
  • Patent number: 10122286
    Abstract: A power conversion circuit includes a high-side MOSFET and a low-side MOSFET. A conduction terminal of the high-side MOSFET is coupled to a conduction terminal of the low-side MOSFET at a half-bridge (HB) circuit node. The high-side MOSFET is switched off. Voltage potential transitions of the HB circuit node are counted while the high-side MOSFET and low-side MOSFET are off. Assertion of a control signal to the low-side MOSFET is postponed for two voltage potential transitions of the HB circuit node after the high-side MOSFET is switched off. The low-side MOSFET is switched off by de-asserting the control signal to the low-side MOSFET. Switching on the high-side MOSFET is postponed for two voltage potential transitions of the HB circuit node after switching off the low-side MOSFET.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC
    Inventor: Roman Stuler
  • Patent number: 10122280
    Abstract: A buck converter includes a high side transistor, a low side transistor, and a controller. The high side transistor is configured to, when ON, connect an inductor to an input signal. The low side transistor is configured to, when ON, connect the inductor to ground. The controller is configured to control the high side transistor and the low side transistor. The controller has a comparator that includes a first input pair that includes a first transistor, a second transistor, a third transistor, a fourth transistor, a first switch, and a second switch connected such that, when the first switch is closed and the second switch is open, a total gain of the first input pair is one relative to other input pairs and, when the second switch is closed and the first switch is open, the total gain of the first input pair is two relative to other input pairs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Ari Kalevi Väänänen, Jussi Matti Aleksi Särkkä
  • Patent number: 10122283
    Abstract: System and method for regulating a power converter. The system includes a first signal processing component configured to receive at least a sensed signal and generate a first signal. The sensed signal is associated with a primary current flowing through a primary winding coupled to a secondary winding for a power converter. Additionally, the system includes a second signal processing component configured to generate a second signal, an integrator component configured to receive the first signal and the second signal and generate a third signal, and a comparator configured to process information associated with the third signal and the sensed signal and generate a comparison signal based on at least information associated with the third signal and the sensed signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: Guangzhou On-Bright Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Lieyi Fang, Guo Wei Lin
  • Patent number: 10122288
    Abstract: A transformer includes a front stage circuit and a rear stage circuit. As a front stage circuit, a switch series unit, which is connected in parallel to a power supply, includes odd-numbered switches and even-numbered switches alternately turned ON. Mutual connection points of the respective switches and points at both ends of the switch series unit are regarded as m nodes in total. Capacitors are provided on at least one of a first electrical path combining odd nodes to lead them to a first output port, and a second electrical path combining even nodes to lead them to a second output port. The capacitors are present so as to correspond to at least (m?1) nodes. The rear stage circuit includes an element series unit, which is composed of a pair of semiconductor elements connected in series to each other for conducting operations of mutually opposite polarities, and necessary inductors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignees: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., National University Corporation Toyohashi University of Technology
    Inventors: Hideaki Nakahata, Kenichi Hirotsu, Takashi Ohira, Kyohei Yamada, Daiya Egashira
  • Patent number: 10116209
    Abstract: A method of operating a switched-mode power supply (SMPS) includes starting up the switched-mode power supply by determining a rate of increase of a duty cycle of a pulse width modulated (PWM) signal based on an input voltage and a switching frequency of the SMPS; and generating the PWM signal having the duty cycle in accordance with the determined rate of increase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AG
    Inventors: Luca Bizjak, Emanuele Bodano, Stefano Marsili, Joachim Pichler
  • Patent number: 10116233
    Abstract: A hybrid rectifier that works as either a hybrid full bridge or a voltage doubler. Under 220 V AC input condition, the hybrid rectifier operates in full bridge mode, while at 110 V AC input, it operates as voltage doubler rectifier. The hybrid rectifier may be used with a DC-DC converter, such as an LLC resonant converter, in a power supply. With this mode switching, the LLC converter resonant tank design only takes consideration of 220 V AC input case, such that the required operational input voltage range is reduced, and the efficiency of the LLC converter is optimized. Both the size and power loss are reduced by using a single stage structure instead of the conventional two-stage configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Inventors: Yang Chen, Hongliang Wang, Yan-Fei Liu, Zhanming Li, Yue Fu
  • Patent number: 10116221
    Abstract: A series compensating electric power transmission system has an insulated type DC-DC converter that operates in the first through fourth quadrants, first and second DC voltage sources, and first and second power converters. In the converter, a first I/O positive terminal is connected to a first voltage source positive terminal. A first I/O negative terminal is connected to a first voltage source negative terminal. One of second I/O positive and negative terminals is connected to the first voltage source positive terminal. The other of the second I/O positive and negative terminals is connected to a second voltage source positive terminal. The first power converter converts power between the first I/O positive and negative terminals and first AC I/O terminals. The second power converter converts power between the second I/O positive and negative terminals and second AC I/O terminals. The second power converter is configured with a plurality of bidirectional switches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuki Iwaya, Toshimasa Miyazaki, Kazu Shoji
  • Patent number: 10116227
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a system and method for pulse driving. The system is configured to drive a multi-level converter, including: a main control module generating encoding information which contains driving information according to sampling information; a local control module electrically coupled to the multi-level converter to output control signals to the multi-level converter so as to control on and off of the at least M power switches in the multi-level converter; a first optical fiber coupled to the main control module and the local control module, wherein the local control module receives the encoding information output from the main control module via the first optical fiber and generates the control signals according to the encoding information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: Delta Electronics (Shanghai) CO., LTD
    Inventors: Boyu Pu, Yi Zhang, Zheng Wang, Zhao Wang, Hailong Wang, Ming Wang
  • Patent number: 10116201
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a single phase, non-insulated, miniaturized DC/AC power inverter (1) having an output power density higher than 3000 W/dm3, wherein said first (S1_H), second (S1_L), third (S2_H) and fourth (S2_L) switches are made of wide-band semiconductors and preferably of gallium nitride or GaN semiconductors; and wherein said DC/AC power inverter (1) further comprises: a ripple-compensating active filter comprising a third half-bridge (203) having a fifth switch (S3_H) in series with a sixth switch (S3_L), said fifth switch (S3_H) being connected at one end to the positive terminal (L+) of the DC input, said sixth switch (S3_L) being connected at one end to the negative terminal (L?) of the DC input,the other end of the fifth switch (S3_H) being connected to the other end of the sixth switch (S3_L), defining a third common end, said third common end being connected to a first end of a LC filter, made of at least one inductor (L6) and one storage capacitor (C5), a second end of the LC fil
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: Constructions Electroniques + Télécommunications
    Inventors: Paul Bleus, Thierry Joannes, François Milstein, Pierre Stassain, Fabrice Frebel
  • Patent number: 10116302
    Abstract: A high-side switching element is provided between a main output terminal having an intermediate potential and a high-side terminal. A signal transmission circuit includes a first point, a second point, a signal switching element, and a diode. The intermediate potential is applied to the first point. A referred potential between the low-side potential and the high-side potential is applied to the second point. The signal switching element has a first end connected to the first point and a second end, and is switched in accordance with a conversion signal. The diode is provided between the second point and the second end of the signal switching element and has a direction with which a forward current can flow by a voltage between the first point and the second point in a case where the intermediate potential is the low-side potential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Haruhiko Murakami, Rei Yoneyama, Masayuki Ando, Hiroyuki Okabe
  • Patent number: 10116224
    Abstract: One example includes a switching power converter circuit. The circuit includes a gate driver configured to generate at least one switching signal in response to a feedback signal. The circuit also includes a feedback stage configured to generate the feedback signal based on an amplitude of an output voltage at an output. The circuit further includes a power stage including at least one switch and a transformer. The at least one switch can be controlled via the respective at least one switching signal to provide a primary current through a primary winding of the transformer to induce a secondary current through a secondary winding of the transformer to generate the output voltage. The power stage further includes a self-driven synchronous rectifier stage coupled to the secondary winding to conduct the secondary current from a low voltage rail through the secondary winding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventors: F. Dong Tan, Ding Woo, Kwang Yi, Hai Hoang
  • Patent number: 10116211
    Abstract: A power converter with adaptive zero-crossing current detection is provided. The power converter includes a first transistor, a second transistor, a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) controller, a low-pass filter, and a delay controller. The first transistor is coupled between a supply voltage and a common node. The second transistor is coupled between the common node and a ground voltage. The common node has a reactive voltage. A reactive current flows through the common node. The PWM controller selectively enables and disables the first transistor and the second transistor according to a second control signal and a first transistor control signal. The low-pass filter is coupled between the common node and an output node. The delay controller generates the second control signal according to the reactive voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: MEDIATEK INC.
    Inventors: Yung Hsu Chen, Kuan-Yu Chu
  • Patent number: 10110129
    Abstract: A switching control circuit includes: a feedback control part that turns on/off an output switch element so that an output voltage of a switching output circuit becomes to be a target value; a synchronous control part that turns on/off a synchronous rectification element; and a reverse current detection part that detects a reverse current during a turning-on period of the synchronous rectification element, wherein the synchronous control part has operation modes including: an asynchronous mode in which the synchronous rectification element is always turned off; and a synchronous mode in which the synchronous rectification element is turned on when the output switch element is turned off, and is turned off when the reverse current reaches a predetermined reverse current detection level, and wherein the reverse current detection level is gradually raised when the synchronous control part is switched from the asynchronous mode to the synchronous mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: Rohm Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shinsuke Matsushima