Patents Examined by Fred E Finch, III
  • Patent number: 11277007
    Abstract: A power system includes an AC power supply, an AC filter circuit, an AC circuit breaker, and a first switch. The AC filter circuit includes an inductor having one end connected in series to an output end of the AC power supply, and a capacitor having one end receiving a voltage at another end of the inductor. The AC circuit breaker exists between the other end of the inductor and an electric power grid. The first switch switches a state between the one end of the capacitor and a wire connecting the other end of the inductor to the AC circuit breaker, between a connected state and a disconnected state. The AC power supply may be a generator and include a generator control unit controlling the generator. The generator control unit may turn off the first switch when the AC power supply operates in a predetermined standby mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: TOSHIBA MITSUBISHI-ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Katsuya Umeda, Tsuguhiro Tanaka, Masahiro Kinoshita
  • Patent number: 11271402
    Abstract: The presence of injected DC has harmful consequences for a power grid system. A piecewise sinusoidal ripple voltage wave at the line-frequency that rides on the main capacitor bank of the power converter is observed. This observation leads to a new DC detection elimination method. Three DC elimination methods for this ripple component are disclosed to allow dissipation of DC energy through heat and/or electromagnetic wave, or to allow transformation of this energy into usable power that is fed back into the power grid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: Smart Wires Inc.
    Inventors: Antonio Ginart, Shreesha Adiga Manoor, Mahsa Ghapandar Kashani, Hamed Khalilinia, Haroon Inam, Amrit Iyer, Govind Chavan, Niloofar Torabi
  • Patent number: 11271474
    Abstract: A power supply circuit, including a rectifier circuit, an inductor having a voltage from the rectifier circuit applied thereto, a transistor for controlling a current flowing through the inductor, and an integrated circuit that performs switching of the transistor. The integrated circuit includes a signal generating circuit that generates a drive signal that reaches first and second logic levels to respectively turn on and off the transistor, a buffer circuit that generates first and second voltages for turning on and off the transistor based on the drive signal at the first and second logic levels, respectively, a detection circuit that detects elapse of a time period from when the drive signal reaches the first logic level to a predetermined timing before the drive signal reaches the second logic level, and a determination circuit that determines whether the terminal is short-circuited when the time period has elapsed since the drive signal reaches the first logic level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Nobuyuki Hiasa
  • Patent number: 11262827
    Abstract: In an example embodiment, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) Type-C cable comprises a USB Type-C connector and an IC controller coupled thereto. The IC controller comprises a terminal coupled to a VCONN line of the USB Type-C cable, a transistor coupled between the terminal and an internal power supply of the IC controller, a resistive element coupled between the terminal and a control terminal of the transistor, and control logic. The IC controller is to: power on the transistor from a voltage, received at the terminal, falling across the resistive element; power on the internal power supply in response to the voltage being passed through the transistor; power up the IC controller in response to powering on the internal power supply; and operate the control logic to fully power on the transistor, and thus enter an active mode of the IC controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Nicholas Alexander Bodnaruk, Pradeep Kumar Bajpai, Godwin Gerald Arulappan, Hamid Khodabandehlou
  • Patent number: 11258351
    Abstract: A control unit determines a polarity of an actual voltage value of an AC power supply if it is either positive or negative based on a detection voltage thereof detected by the voltage detector. The control unit alternately actuates a set of a first switch and a fourth switch and another set of the second switch and a third switch each time when it is determined that the polarity of the actual voltage value of the AC power supply changes. A second reactor is disposed at at least one of first and second positions. The first position is located between a first AC side terminal and a connection point located between the first switch and the second switch. The second position is located between a second AC side terminal and a connection point located between the third switch and the fourth switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoto Kobayashi, Seiji Iyasu, Yuichi Handa
  • Patent number: 11256276
    Abstract: A power control integrated circuit (IC) chip can include a direct current (DC)-DC converter that outputs a switching voltage in response to a switching output enable signal. The power control IC chip can also include an inductor detect circuit that detects whether an inductor is conductively coupled to the DC-DC converter and a powered circuit component in response to an inductor detect signal. The power control IC chip can further include control logic that (i) controls the inductor detect signal based on an enable DC-DC signal and (ii) controls the switching output enable signal provided to the DC-DC converter and a linear output disable signal provided to a linear regulator based on a signal from the inductor detect circuit indicating whether the inductor is conductively coupled to the DC-DC converter and the powered circuit component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Sachin Sudhir Turkewadikar, Nitin Agarwal, Madhan Radhakrishnan
  • Patent number: 11251705
    Abstract: A switched mode power supply includes a multilevel buck power converter and a control circuit. The power converter includes a first buck circuit and a second buck circuit each having a power switch, a rectifier, and an inductor. The power supply may further include a resonant power converter coupled to the multilevel buck power converter. In some examples, the control circuit is configured to generate control signals for the first buck circuit's power switch and the second buck circuit's power switch to control the power converter, and adjust a switching frequency of the control signals to control the amount of reverse current flowing in the first buck circuit and the second buck circuit to achieve zero voltage switching of the first buck circuit's power switch and the second buck circuit's power switch. Other example multilevel buck power converters and power supplies are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: Astec International Limited
    Inventors: James Sigamani, Jonathan Ross Bernardo Fauni
  • Patent number: 11251722
    Abstract: A converter scheme (30) comprises a plurality of poles and a plurality of converters (32), the plurality of poles (60,62,64) including at least one positive pole (60), at least one negative pole (62) and a neutral pole (64), the plurality of converters (32) including at least one first converter (32a) and at least one second converter (32b), the or each first converter (32a) connected to the neutral pole (64) and the or the respective positive pole (60), the or each first converter (32a) operable to control a converter voltage across the neutral pole (64) and the corresponding positive pole (60), the or each second converter (32b) connected to the neutral pole (64) and the or the respective negative pole (62), the or each second converter (32b) operable to control a converter voltage across the neutral pole (64) and the corresponding negative pole (62), wherein the converter scheme (30) includes a controller (36) programmed to perform a voltage control mode when there is an imbalance between power or current
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: General Electric Technology GmbH
    Inventors: Radnya Anant Mukhedkar, Gearoid Sean O'Heidhin, Amit Kumar
  • Patent number: 11251696
    Abstract: A circuit includes two thyristors coupled in anti-series. An AC capacitor has first and second electrodes respectively coupled to two different electrodes of the two thyristors. The first and second electrodes are coupled to receive an AC voltage. A control circuit detects discontinuance of application of the AC voltage to the AC capacitor and in response thereto simultaneously applies same gate currents to the two thyristors. A current path through the two thyristors (one passing current in forward mode and the other in reverse mode) discharges a residual voltage stored on the AC capacitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics LTD
    Inventor: Laurent Gonthier
  • Patent number: 11251713
    Abstract: A multiple parallel-connected resonant converter, an inductor-integrated magnetic element and a transformer-integrated magnetic element are provided. The multiple parallel-connected resonant converter includes a first and a second converters. The first converter having a first input and output end includes a first inductor, a first transformer and a first capacitor connected in series. The second converter having a second input and output end includes a second inductor, a second transformer and a second capacitor connected in series. The second output end is connected with the first output end in parallel. The first and second inductor are integrated in a first magnetic element, the first magnetic element includes a first and second side column, and a first and second central column. The first inductor includes a first coil positioned around the first central column and the second inductor includes a second coil positioned around the second central column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: Delta Electronics (Shanghai) CO., LTD
    Inventors: Haijun Yang, Zengyi Lu, Weilong Xia, Yajiang Yan
  • Patent number: 11245333
    Abstract: Provided is a power conversion device using a magnetic coupling reactor and being capable of reducing the number of parts and reducing the size of not only the magnetic coupling reactor but also an input capacitor. The magnetic coupling reactor is connected between a semiconductor switch element group, which executes power conversion, and the input capacitor. The coupling factor of two reactors in the magnetic coupling reactor is kept to a value equal to or less than a set value, for example, 0.8. The set value takes into consideration an area in which a ripple current of the input capacitor increases rapidly in response to a rise in coupling factor. The ripple current flowing in the input capacitor is reduced by thus setting the coupling factor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Mao Kawamura
  • Patent number: 11239656
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed for current sensing and current limiting. An example apparatus includes a first main transistor including a first main transistor gate terminal coupled between an output terminal and an intermediate node; a second main transistor including a second main transistor gate terminal coupled between the intermediate node and a ground terminal; a first amplifier including a first amplifier output coupled to the first main transistor gate terminal; a second amplifier including a second amplifier output coupled to the second main transistor gate terminal; and a third amplifier including a third amplifier inverting input coupled to the intermediate node, a third amplifier non-inverting input coupled to a sense transistor, and a third amplifier output coupled to a third gate terminal of a third transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Roy Alan Hastings
  • Patent number: 11239753
    Abstract: A switching converter, control method control circuit thereof are disclosed. The switching converter converts a DC input voltage into a DC output voltage. The control circuit comprising: a compensation module, generating a ramp signal; a comparator, compares a first superimposed signal related to the DC output voltage with a second superimposed signal related to an error signal between the DC output voltage and the ramp signal; a first RS flip-flop generates a pulse width modulation signal in accordance with a set signal and a reset signal, obtains a constant on time in accordance with the reset signal, and obtains an off time related to the DC output voltage; and a driving module which converts the pulse width modulation signal into a switching control signal, wherein the compensation module adaptively adjusts the slope of the ramp signal. The control circuit adopts an adaptive ramp signal to perform compensation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: HANGZHOU SILAN MICROELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yongqiang Yu, Jun Wang, Huajie Chen, Zhihua Ning
  • Patent number: 11239765
    Abstract: A multi-level circuit, a three-phase multi-level circuit, and a control method are provided. The multi-level circuit includes two groups of bus capacitors (C1 and C2) that are connected in series; a plurality of switching transistor branches that are connected in parallel to the capacitors, where each switching transistor branch includes a first half bridge (Q1 and Q2) and a second half bridge (Q3 and Q4), and a common terminal of the two half bridges is grounded (N); and two negative coupled inductors (L1 and L2), where each input terminal of each negative coupled inductor is connected to a common terminal (A1 and A2) of two switching transistors in the first half bridge in only one of the switching transistor branches. In this circuit, a quantity of groups of bus capacitors is decreased and circuit design complexity is reduced. Further, a dropout voltage of the switching transistors is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Zhuyong Huang, Xiaofei Zhang, Chuntao Zhang
  • Patent number: 11239743
    Abstract: A switching mode power supply preventing false triggering of an over current protection due to a surge pulse. The switching mode power supply has a switch and an inductor. An inductor current flows through the inductor. The switching mode power supply turns off the switch and meanwhile starts timing for a preset period of time when the inductor current is larger than a preset value. The switch is kept off during the preset period of time and is then turned on when the preset period of time expires.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: Chengdu Monolithic Power Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuedong Chen, Yiqing Jin, Zhiheng Hu
  • Patent number: 11233452
    Abstract: A DC-DC voltage converter includes an input circuit, a parallel linked leg (PLL), an output circuit and a controller. The PLL includes an active leg switch, a leg inductor, a leg capacitor and a leg diode. The controller is configured to i) turn on the active input switch and the active leg switches while maintaining the active output switch at a turn off state for the first duty cycle period ii) turn off the active input switch and the active leg switches, and turn on the active output switch for a second duty cycle period following the first duty cycle period, and iii) turn off the active output switch while maintaining also turn off states of the active input switch and the active leg switches for a remaining period following the second duty cycle period. A method of controlling the DC-DC converter includes steps of i) to iii).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: Prince Sultan University
    Inventors: Mahajan Sagar Bhaskar, Dhafer J. Almakhles, Umashankar Subramaniam, Sanjeevikumar Padmanaban, Sakthivel Rathinasamy
  • Patent number: 11228245
    Abstract: A dc/dc buck converter controller comprises an artificial neural network (ANN) controller comprising an input layer and an output layer. The input layer receives an error value of a dc/dc buck converter and an integral of the error value. The output layer produces an output error voltage. A pulse-width-modulation (PWM) sliding mode controller (SMC) is configured to receive the output error voltage and produce a control action voltage by multiplying the output error voltage with a PWM gain. A drive circuit is configured to receive the control action voltage and provide a drive voltage to an input switch of the dc/dc buck converter. A PI control block is configured to modify a reference output voltage based on a maximum current constraint input. A locking circuit is configured to maintains the output error voltage at the saturation limit of the PWM SMC to manage a maximum duty cycle constraint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: The Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama
    Inventors: Shuhui Li, Weizhen Dong, Xingang Fu, Michael Howard Fairbank
  • Patent number: 11226645
    Abstract: The present invention provides a reference voltage generating circuit. The reference voltage generating circuit includes a charge supply circuit providing a first reference voltage during a first period; and a voltage supply circuit providing a second reference voltage during a second period. The voltage supply circuit does not provide the second reference voltage during the first period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: Sitronix Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Yao-Sheng Hu, Li-Yu Huang
  • Patent number: 11223287
    Abstract: A resonant DC-DC converter includes an inverter circuit, a rectifier circuit and a transformer unit. The inverter circuit is connected to a first terminal of the transformer unit, and the rectifier circuit is connected to a second terminal of the transformer unit. The first and second terminals are galvanically isolated from one another by a first transformer. The transformer unit is configured to adapt a transformation ratio of the transformer unit. The transformer unit has an energy transmission path which includes an inverter and a second transformer, with an input of the energy transmission path being arranged parallel to a primary side of the first transformer and an output of the energy transmission path being arranged in series with the secondary side of the first transformer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Martin Hergt, Marcel Lutze, Sebastian Nielebock, Markus Pfeifer, Markus Zocher
  • Patent number: 11223286
    Abstract: A method for estimating an output voltage of an isolated resonant converter is disclosed. The proposed method, wherein the isolated resonant converter includes a transformer having an auxiliary winding and a secondary winding, a first output diode electrically connected to the secondary winding in series and a voltage holder coupled to the auxiliary winding, includes: obtaining the output voltage V o = [ v aux_dh ? ( t ) + V F ] ยท N s N aux - V F , where vaux_dh(t) is an output voltage of the voltage holder, VF is a forward voltage drop of the first output diode, NS is a number of turns of the secondary winding and Naux is a number of turns of the auxiliary winding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: NATIONAL CHENG KUNG UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Tsorng-Juu Liang, Chi-Hung Lin, Wei-Jing Tseng