Abstract: Provided is a contactless power receiving unit which has a simple configuration, and which is capable of generating constant induced electromotive force regardless of the orientation of a power receiving coil. Multiple power receiving coils are arranged to form certain relative angles to one another in a parallel magnetic field generated by a power supply unit. A rectifier circuit is connected to each power receiving coil. An adder circuit is configured to add DC power obtained, through the rectifier circuits, from the multiple power receiving coils, and to output resultant DC power of the addition.

Abstract: Single-phase full bridge boost converter systems and methods are provided. One system includes a direct-quatrature (D-Q) control system configured to generate a control voltage (vcon) including direct-phase and quadrature-phase voltage components. The system also includes a comparator configured to compare vcon to a carrier waveform voltage, generate switching commands based on the comparison, and transmit the switching commands to a current switch. Another system includes a boost converter including multiple switches coupled to a load and an AC voltage source. The switches are configured to provide charging current to the load in response to receiving switching commands. A D-Q control system configured to receive and delay an ia value, and issue switching commands based on the ia and delayed ia value is also included.

Abstract: A switching regulator includes a first switch, an inductor, a second switch, a controller to control a switching operation by switching the first switch and switching the second switch complementally to the first switch, and a reverse current detector to detect a reverse current that flows from an output terminal toward the second switch. The reverse current detector generates a proportional voltage that is proportional to a voltage at a junction node between the second switch and the inductor, and detects a generation or an indication of the reverse current based on the proportional voltage. The controller turns the second switch off to create a shutdown state when the reverse current detector detects the generation or the indication of the reverse current.

Abstract: In a conventional bias circuit, as a power supply voltage increases, a current supplied to a bandgap reference becomes unstable due to a fluctuation of the power supply voltage, which makes it impossible for the bias circuit to perform stable bias operations in some cases. A bias circuit of the present invention has a bandgap reference, and includes a first current path supplying a drive current to the bandgap reference, and a second current path supplying a current to the bandgap reference for a predetermined period of time after power-on.

Abstract: A battery pack including at least one battery cell, a switch, and battery state monitoring circuitry. The battery state monitoring circuitry may be configured to control an ON resistance of the switch to a first ON resistance when the switch is ON and the battery pack is in a stand-by-state and to control the ON resistance to a second ON resistance when the switch is ON and said battery pack is not in said stand-by-state, the first ON resistance greater than the second ON resistance. A cordless electrical device and method consistent with embodiments are also provided.

Abstract: A delay applied to a turn-on time for a high side switch in a switch mode power converter prevents oscillation between continuous and discontinuous conduction modes under light load conditions. The delay equalizes turn-on time for a high side switch with respect to continuous and discontinuous modes, so that turn-on time is not treated differently between the different modes. The delay value can be set for be equivalent to a propagation delay through a driver for a low side switch, in addition to a turn-off time for the low side switch. The addition of the delay element tends to maintain the switch mode power converter in a discontinuous mode under light load conditions and avoids oscillation between discontinuous and continuous conduction modes.

Abstract: A voltage sag generator device for use in an electrical generator machine such as a wind turbine, connected to an electrical network including one to three parallel transformers connected on one side to the wind turbine via a coupling switch and circuit breakers, and earthed on the other side via circuit breakers and a control switch. The device includes mechanisms for causing short-circuits when the coupling switch and the control switch are actuated in such a way that a voltage sag having the required duration and type is generated, and mechanisms for protecting the transformers during voltage sag generation.

Abstract: Power conversion systems and diagnostic techniques are presented for detecting suspected converter faults when a pre-charge circuit is engaged during system startup, in which known or estimated system characteristics are used to derive expected converter voltage values or rate of change values and the levels are measured during startup to ascertain whether the pre-charge circuit or other converter components are faulted.

Abstract: A method for coupling an energy storage system to a variable energy supply system includes providing an energy storage system including at least one Vanadium redox battery and at least one battery charge controller. The method also includes electrically coupling the at least one battery charge controller to the variable energy supply system such that the at least one battery is configured to supply a substantially consistent energy output during fluctuating energy loads of the energy supply system.

Abstract: A high voltage start-up circuit with constant current control applied to a switching mode power converter is provided. The high voltage start-up circuit includes a high voltage junction transistor, a control transistor, a current detecting resistor and a bias resistor. The drain of the junction transistor is connected to a high power supply, the gate of the junction transistor is connected to the drain of the control transistor, and the source of the junction transistor is connected to the current detecting resistor. The voltage drop crossing the current detecting resistor is kept constant to have the junction transistor output a constant current. The bias resistor which is connected between the gate of the junction transistor and the output end of the high voltage start-up circuit has the gate to source bias voltage of the junction transistor kept constant to output constant current.

Abstract: A power supply system includes multiple power converter phases. A controller (e.g., a processor device) monitors energy delivery for each of multiple power converter phases that supply energy to a load. The controller analyzes the energy delivery associated with each of the multiple power converter phases to identify an imbalance of energy delivered by the multiple power converter phases to the load. Based on the analyzing and detection of an imbalance condition, the controller modifies a future order of activating the multiple power converter phases for powering the load. Accordingly, a single phase of a multiphase switching power converter may be prevented from becoming overloaded while delivering energy to power the load.

Abstract: In a digital controlled power supply including a digital controller for generating a PWM signal which is used to turn on and off a switching element to obtain an output voltage for a load based on an input voltage, the digital controller includes an AD converter for receiving an analog output current from the power supply and converting the current into a digital value to produce a digital output current value, an arithmetic processing unit for conducting an arithmetic operation of a pulse width for each period of a sampling frequency of the AD converter or a frequency of carrier wave as a criterion to obtain the PWM signal, and a frequency controller for variably controlling the frequency of carrier wave and the sampling frequency on the basis of the digital output current value from the AD converter.

Abstract: A transformer-coupled buck-boost DC-DC power converter is disclosed. An active clamp circuit is provided to form a resonant circuit with the transformer to control the slew rate of the secondary current and allow the secondary switch to be turned ON at conditions of zero voltage and relatively low current. The characteristic resonant period of the active clamp transformer circuit may be less than the minimum converter operating period. A winding of the transformer is shunted during a clamp phase to retain energy in the transformer. ZVS phases are provided to reduce switching losses when switches in the converter are turned ON. An energy-storage phase may be varied to control the amount of energy stored per operating cycle. An input-storage phase may transfer energy to the clamp capacitor during a series of converter operating cycles and transfer said energy to the secondary during different converter operating cycles.

Abstract: A current-mode switching regulator uses adaptive current sensing to reliably monitor an inductor current in a cost-efficient and power-efficient manner. A semiconductor switch periodically turns on to conduct the inductor current. A voltage drop across the semiconductor switch is monitored when the semiconductor switch is on. A variable gain amplifier with an automatic gain control loop generates a feedback signal from the voltage drop of the semiconductor switch when conducting to provide an indication of the inductor current to a controller. The automatic gain control loop compensates for any variations in the on-resistance of the semiconductor switch.

Abstract: A voltage detection device that is connected to a DC circuit to which a DC voltage is applied and that detects the DC voltage applied to the DC circuit includes a voltage conversion unit for outputting a first voltage that increases as the DC voltage increases and a second voltage that decreases as the DC voltage increases, an error detection unit for detecting an error for the first voltage and the second voltage based upon the first voltage and the second voltage when the DC voltage is 0, and a voltage calculation unit for correcting a difference between the first voltage and the second voltage based upon the error detected by the error detection unit and calculating the DC voltage based upon the corrected difference between the first voltage and the second voltage.

Abstract: A current reference circuit is disclosed. A small startup current is defined as the base current into a bipolar transistor with its collector-emitter path connected in series with a resistor between the power supply voltage and ground. This startup current is conducted via a diode-connected MOS transistor in a first leg of a current mirror. Temperature compensation is maintained by a reference leg in the current mirror that includes a bipolar transistor having an emitter area N times larger than that of a bipolar transistor in a second leg of the current mirror, to establish a temperature-compensated current in the reference leg. A compensation capacitor connected between the collector and base of a bipolar transistor in the first leg suppresses oscillation, and can be modest in size due to the Miller effect.

Abstract: In one embodiment the present invention includes a DC to DC converter device which includes an electronic circuit. The electronic circuit comprises a first comparator, a second comparator, a first switch, a first latch, and a current sensor. The inductor current includes a peak current value and a valley current value. The first comparator detects the peak current value and resets the first latch which opens the first switch. The second comparator detects the valley current value and sets the first latch which closes the first switch. The current sensor is coupled to sense an inductor current flowing through an output load, and is coupled to provide a sense voltage to the first and second comparators. In this manner, the electronic circuit provides DC to DC conversion with current control.

Abstract: A switching regulator having first and second power switches. The first power switch has at least two transistors connected in series, the transistors having a first maximum voltage across their terminals which is less than the input voltage of the regulator. The transistors have at least a first node at the point where they are connected, and a first control circuit controls the voltage at the first node so that the voltages across the terminals of the transistors of the first power switch do not exceed the first maximum voltage. The second power switch also has at least two transistors connected in series, the transistors having a maximum voltage across their terminals that is less than the input voltage. The transistors have at least a second node at the point where they are connected, and a second control circuit controls the voltage at the second node so that the voltages across the terminals of the transistors of the second power switch do not exceed the second maximum voltage.

Abstract: A voltage regulator has a device for regulating an output voltage, having an input to receive an input voltage and an output to deliver an output voltage of a constant level, and a device for correcting a drop-out voltage violation, coupled to the device for regulating, to determine an occurrence of a drop-out voltage violation and to cause the device for regulating to change the level of the output voltage upon detection of the drop-out voltage violation. A method for regulating an output voltage has the steps of receiving an input voltage, generating and outputting a regulated output voltage of a constant level, monitoring occurrence of a drop-out voltage violation, and causing a change of the level of the output voltage upon detection of the drop-out voltage violation.

Abstract: A circuit that electrically controls power includes at least one power control device and at least one heat extraction device. The at least one extraction device is in thermal contact with the at least one power control device. The heat extraction device is arranged such that it can be clamped to a fixed predefined electric potential and electrically insulated by the at least one power control device.