Patents Examined by Brandon S Cole
  • Power factor correction circuit, multiplier and voltage feed-forward circuit
    Patent number: 10256716
    Abstract: A voltage feed-forward circuit, a multiplier using the voltage feed-forward circuit, and a power factor correction circuit using the multiplier. The voltage feed-forward circuit is used to maintain and output a peak voltage (Vff) of an input voltage (Vin), and includes first switch element (S1), a logic control unit (U1), a second switch element (S2), a first capacitor (C1), a third switch element (S3) and a second capacitor (C2). The first control signal (?1) and the second control signal (?2) begin to be provided at the same time, and the first control signal (?1) stops being provided when a voltage of the second end of the first capacitor (C1) is greater than the peak voltage (Vff) of the input voltage (Vin).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: COSEMITECH (SHANGHAI) CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jian You, Xiaoping Yin
  • Power supply including bi-directional DC converter and control method thereof
    Patent number: 10250057
    Abstract: A power supply including a bi-directional DC converter and a control method thereof are disclosed herein. The power supply includes first to third terminals, first and second semiconductor switches and a mode switching means. The first terminal is electrically coupled to an external power source. The second terminal is electrically coupled to a load. The third terminal is electrically coupled to a battery. The first and second semiconductor switches are electrically coupled in series between the first and second terminals. The mode switching means is electrically coupled to the first semiconductor switch, the second semiconductor switch and a bi-directional DC converter, respectively. The bi-directional DC converter is further electrically coupled to an intermediate node between the first semiconductor switch and the second semiconductor switch, and to the third terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: SILERGY SEMICONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGY (HANGZHOU) LTD.
    Inventors: Chen Zhao, Lingdong Zhang
  • Power allocation system
    Patent number: 10243369
    Abstract: A hub device controls an electrical energy state of one or more appliances, and controls an alternative electricity supply such as a solar generation installation whose output is non-constant such that sometimes the electrical energy available from the alternative electrical supply is greater than the electrical energy demand from the appliances, and at other times the electrical energy available from the alternative electrical supply is less than the electrical energy demand from the appliances. The hub device may control the alternative electricity supply and/or the appliances such that the electrical energy available from the alternative electrical supply is matched to the electrical energy demand from the appliances.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: Embertec Pty Ltd
    Inventor: Domenico Gelonese
  • Level-shifting circuit for non-complementary logic
    Patent number: 10243562
    Abstract: A voltage shifting circuit includes a first transistor in electrical parallel with a second transistor between an input node and an output node; a gate threshold capacitor disposed between the output node and a gate of the second transistor; and at least one of a) a downshift capacitor disposed between the input node and a drain/source of the first transistor, arranged to downshift a voltage from the input node and apply the downshifted voltage to the drain/source of the first transistor; and b) an upshift capacitor disposed between the input node and a drain/source of the second transistor, arranged to upshift a voltage from the input node and apply the upshifted voltage to the drain/source of the second transistor. This circuit is advantageously directly coupled to an input or output node of a non-complementary logic gate, of which multiple instances can be deployed in display circuitry or solar panels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Wilfried Ernst-August Haensch, Bahman Hekmatshoartabari
  • Digital on-chip duty cycle monitoring device
    Patent number: 10241537
    Abstract: An apparatus includes an oscillator circuit, a counter circuit, and a control circuit. The oscillator circuit may receive an input clock signal and an inverse input clock signal, and, for a first time period, may generate an oscillator output signal with a frequency based on a duty cycle of the input clock signal. For a second time period, the oscillator circuit may generate the oscillator output signal with a frequency based on a duty cycle of the inverse input clock signal. The counter circuit may count oscillations of the oscillator output signal over the first time period and over the second time period. The control circuit may determine, based on the oscillations counted by the counter circuit during the first time period and the second time period, a duty cycle value indicative of the duty cycle of the input clock signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Huaimin Li, Fabien S Faure, Shy Hamami, Pradeep Trivedi, Yaron Cohen
  • Method and circuits for fine-controlled phase/frequency offsets in phase-locked loops
    Patent number: 10236895
    Abstract: Implementations provide a phase locked loop (PLL) device that includes: a phase and frequency detector (PFD) and charge pump (CP) portion; a low pass filter; a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) driven by the low pass filter to generate a VCO clock signal, multiple divider configured to receive the VCO clock signal and frequency divide the VCO clock signal in stages to generate a series statically divided VCO clock signals and a dynamically divided VCO clock signal; a feedback portion including a first component configured to receive the dynamically divided VCO clock signal and generate indicator signals; and a second component configured to multiplex from the indicator signals to generate the feedback clock signal set for the PFD and CP portion; and a master phase/frequency control engine configured to assert a division control over at least one divider and a multiplex control over the multiplex network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: Analog Bits Inc.
    Inventors: Alan C. Rogers, Raghunand Bhagwan
  • Four-port circulator with frequency conversion based on nondegenerate three waving mixing josephson devices
    Patent number: 10236432
    Abstract: A technique relates to a superconducting device. A first mixing device has a first mixing port and a second mixing port. A second mixing device has another first mixing port and another second mixing port. The first and second mixing devices are superconducting nondegenerate three-wave mixing devices. The first mixing port and the another first mixing port are configured to couple to a first coupler. The second mixing port and the another second mixing port are configured to couple to a second coupler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventor: Baleegh Abdo
  • Semiconductor device and method for controlling the same
    Patent number: 10236890
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a mode determination unit configured to determine a power mode based on a temperature of the semiconductor device and a reference temperature, the power mode including one of a first mode which sets the operating frequency of the operation clock to be a first operating frequency and a second mode which sets the operating frequency of the operation clock to be a second operating frequency, and output a control signal according to the power mode to a clock generating unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahiko Gomi, Tetsuya Suzuki
  • Hybrid power devices
    Patent number: 10230364
    Abstract: A device comprises a first diode and a second diode connected in series between a first terminal and a second terminal of a switching element, wherein an anode of the first diode is directly connected to an anode of the second diode, a third diode connected between the first terminal and the second terminal of the switching element and a first switch connected in parallel with the first diode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: Futurewei Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Dianbo Fu, Zhaohui Wang, Jun Zhang, Lei Shi
  • Four-port circulator with frequency conversion based on nondegenerate three waving mixing josephson devices
    Patent number: 10230038
    Abstract: A technique relates to a superconducting device. A first mixing device has a first mixing port and a second mixing port. A second mixing device has another first mixing port and another second mixing port. The first and second mixing devices are superconducting nondegenerate three-wave mixing devices. The first mixing port and the another first mixing port are configured to couple to a first coupler. The second mixing port and the another second mixing port are configured to couple to a second coupler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventor: Baleegh Abdo
  • Apparatus and method for processing an input-signal voltage
    Patent number: 10224915
    Abstract: A circuit for processing an input-signal voltage comprises a first comparator comprising a first-comparator sense node and a reference capacitance that is coupled to the first-comparator sense node, a second comparator comprising a second-comparator sense node, and a comparator select switch coupled between a path input terminal of the circuit and the first-comparator sense node and the second-comparator sense node. A method of processing at least one input-signal voltage using at least one associated threshold voltage in a circuit, wherein a plurality of comparators comprises more comparators than there are path input terminals coupled to path output terminals, comprises selectively making a coupling via one comparator of two comparators provided in parallel to form a coupling path from the path input terminal to an associated path output terminal, while breaking the coupling via the other comparator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Peter Bogner, Gerhard Maderbacher
  • Circuit for and method of implementing a multifunction output generator
    Patent number: 10224884
    Abstract: A circuit for implementing a multifunction output generator is described. The circuit comprises an amplifier circuit having a first input and a second input; a voltage generator coupled at a first node to a first input of the amplifier circuit; a controllable current source configured to provide a variable current to the first node; and a switching circuit enabling the operation of the amplifier circuit in a first mode for sensing a temperature and a second mode for providing a reference voltage. A method of implementing a multifunction output generator is described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: XILINX, INC.
    Inventors: Umanath R. Kamath, John K. Jennings, Adrian Lynam
  • Measuring apparatus including phase locked loop and measuring method thereof
    Patent number: 10215784
    Abstract: A measuring system, during a measurement process thereof, uses a phase-locked loop mechanism of a stator phase voltage and a stator phase current of a three-phase AC motor to effectively remove harmonics and to sense and obtain the amplitude effective values of the phase voltage and the phase current of the three-phase AC motor and the phase difference between the phase voltage and phase current. Therefore, the measuring apparatus is capable of quickly and accurately calculating the input power of the motor without having to measure the parameters of the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Chun-Han Chen, Chun-Hsiang Yang, Yung-Jen Cheng, Ming-Fa Tsai, Ying-Che Weng
  • Low voltage differential signalling device
    Patent number: 10211817
    Abstract: A LVDS device, comprising: a first pair of switches, operable to drive current from a first output to a second output through a differential signalling circuit; a second pair of switches, operable to drive current from the second output to the first output through the differential signalling circuit; a voltage limiter, connected in series with the first and second pair of switches, operable to receive a control voltage and, responsive to the control voltage, to limit a voltage at each of the first and second output to less than a clamping voltage when current is driven through the differential signalling circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventors: Cristian Pavao Moreira, Birama Goumballa
  • Wireless charging using selected reflectors
    Patent number: 10211674
    Abstract: A method of wireless power transmission is provided. The method comprises generating, by a transmitter, a plurality of wireless power waves. The method further comprises outputting, by the transmitter, the wireless power waves toward a reflector such that the wireless power waves are reflected by the reflector to form a pocket of energy in proximity of a receiver configured to interface with the pocket of energy and charge a device thereby. The receiver is coupled to the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: Energous Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Leabman, Gregory Scott Brewer
  • Electronic device with an output voltage booster mechanism
    Patent number: 10211724
    Abstract: An electronic device includes: a clock booster configured to generate a boosted intermediate voltage greater than a source voltage, wherein the clock booster includes: a controller capacitor configured to store energy for providing a gate signal, wherein the gate signal is for controlling charging operations to generate the boosted intermediate voltage based on the source voltage, and a booster capacitor configured to store energy according to the gate signal for providing the boosted intermediate voltage, wherein the booster capacitor has greater capacitance level than the controller capacitor; and a secondary booster operatively coupled to the clock booster, the secondary booster configured to generate an output voltage based on the boosted intermediate voltage, wherein the output voltage is greater than both the source voltage and the boosted intermediate voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Michele Piccardi
  • Direct current backup system
    Patent number: 10205341
    Abstract: A DC backup system is for providing emergency electric power to an electronic device powered by an input power source, and includes a battery backup unit and a battery control unit. The battery backup unit is operable to output state information indicating a state thereof, and test information associated with a self test performed thereon. The battery control unit is electrically connected to the battery backup unit for receiving the state information and the test information therefrom, and is configured to control, according to the state information and the test information, the battery backup unit to output electric power to the electronic device when the input power source fails.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignees: Lite-On Electronics (Guangzhou) Limited, Lite-On Technology Corp.
    Inventor: Wei-Lieh Lai
  • LDMOS transistors and associated systems and methods
    Patent number: 10199475
    Abstract: A lateral double-diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect (LDMOS) transistor includes a silicon semiconductor structure, a dielectric layer at least partially disposed in a trench of the silicon semiconductor structure in a thickness direction, and a gate conductor embedded in the dielectric layer and extending into the trench in the thickness direction. The dielectric layer and the gate conductor are at least substantially symmetric with respect to a center axis of the trench extending in the thickness direction, as seen when the LDMOS transistor is viewed cross-sectionally in a direction orthogonal to the lateral and thickness directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
    Inventors: John Xia, Marco A. Zuniga, Badredin Fatemizadeh, Vijay Parthasarathy
  • Wireless power transmission apparatus
    Patent number: 10193352
    Abstract: A wireless power transmission apparatus is described that comprises a mounting member, an upper transmission coil disposed on the mounting member, and first and second terminals disposed in the mounting member. The upper transmission coil comprises an outer coil part connected to the first terminal and formed in one-turn with respect to a central axis between the first and second terminals, a first inner coil part connected to the outer coil part and formed in a half-turn on a first side of the central axis, a second inner coil part connected to the first inner coil part, formed in a half-turn on a second side of the central axis, a third inner coil part connected to the second inner coil part, formed in a half-turn on the first side of the central axis, and a fourth inner coil part connected to the third inner coil part and the second terminal, formed in a half-turn on the second side of the central axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: LG INNOTEK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Su Ho Bae, Dong Ho Yong
  • Minimizing ringing in wide band gap semiconductor devices
    Patent number: 10193544
    Abstract: Embodiments include a power conversion circuit comprising first and second semiconductor switches, and a drive circuit configured to create a period of operational overlap for the first and second switches by setting a gate voltage of the first switch to an intermediate value above a threshold voltage of the first switch, during turn-on and turn-off operations of the second switch. Embodiments also include a method of operating first and second semiconductor devices, comprising: reducing a gate voltage of the first device to an intermediate value above a threshold voltage while the second device is off; turning off the first device after the second device is on; increasing the gate voltage of the first device to the intermediate value while the second device is on; and fully turning on the first device after the second device is off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Krishna Prasad Bhat, Chingchi Chen