Abstract: Embodiments of overvoltage protection devices and a method for operating an overvoltage protection device are disclosed. In an embodiment, an overvoltage protection device includes a switch circuit connected between an input terminal from which an input voltage is received and an output terminal from which an output voltage is output and including multiple NMOS transistors and multiple PMOS transistors connected in series between the input terminal and the output terminal, a first voltage generation circuit configured to, generate a first voltage that is applied to the NMOS transistors and a second voltage that is applied to a body of each of the PMOS transistors, in response to the input voltage and a supply voltage, and a second voltage generation circuit configured to generate a third voltage that is applied to the PMOS transistors in response to the input voltage and the first voltage.

Abstract: An electrostatic chuck device comprising: a placing table having a placing surface on which a plate-shaped sample is placed, an electrostatic attraction electrode, which is located on a lower side of the placing table in such a manner that the electrode is located on a surface side opposite to the placing surface of the placing table, a base part on which at least the placing table and the electrostatic attraction electrode are mounted, a focus ring which surrounds the placing table wherein the focus ring is a continuous ring or is divided into two or more portions, and a lift pin which is movable in an up-down direction and raises the entirety of or at least a part of the focus ring from the base part.

Abstract: A switching type control method based on a double loop predictive control is provided. A deadbeat control is adopted by the outer loop control. The switching type control method is adopted by the inner loop control. When the system is in the steady state, the deadbeat control by an inner loop is adopted to ensure the steady state accuracy of the system and to achieve the fixed switching frequency. When the system is in the transient state, it is switched to the finite control set model predictive control by the inner loop to ensure the rapid transition of the system to the steady state.

Abstract: A multi-level inverter includes a coupling to a DC power source and a coupling to an AC power source, a plurality of capacitors arranged to create a set of nodes, and a plurality of switches located between the capacitors and the AC power source. Switches are configured to create an AC bypass in which the capacitors coupled to the DC power source may be isolated from the AC power source. The AC bypass is utilized as one of the switching states in a switching sequence that provides enhanced performance including but not limited to reduced electromagnetic interference and ripple.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to a first trip unit that is configured to be coupled to a power distribution system arranged in a Zone Selective Interlocking (ZSI) arrangement. The first trip unit includes an Input/Output circuit including a ZSI input terminal and a ZSI output terminal, a heartbeat signaling module configured to transmit a second signal to a second trip unit in a lower-level zone than the first trip unit, responsive to the normal condition, a first monitoring module configured to monitor a first signal received by the first trip from a third trip unit in a higher-level zone, responsive to the normal condition, and a second monitoring module configured to detect the fault condition. Related systems, devices, and methods are also described.

Abstract: A DC to DC power converter is described that includes a transformer, a primary side connected to a primary transformer winding, and a secondary side connected to a secondary transformer winding. The secondary side comprises inductor-capacitor (LC) circuitry at an input, and a plurality of diodes providing uncontrolled rectification. A controller controls switching of the switching circuitry to apply voltage pulses to the primary transformer winding. The voltage pulses are separated by zero-voltage periods. A switching frequency of the switching circuitry is less than the resonant frequency of the LC circuitry.

Abstract: A power conversion device including: a reactor formed such that a DC winding and a plurality of coupled windings are wound around one magnetic body, one end of the DC winding is connected to a voltage source, one end of each of the plurality of coupled windings is connected to another end of the DC winding, another end of each of the plurality of coupled windings is connected to each intermediate connection point between a plurality of upper and lower arms composed of switching elements, and magnetic fluxes generated by currents flowing through the DC winding and the coupled windings merge with each other in the same direction; and a control device for controlling the switching elements, wherein the upper arms or the lower arms are controlled by in-phase driving or interleave driving on the basis of the duty of switching operation.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling and monitoring the lifetime of a superconducting fault current limiter. The apparatus may include a processor; and a memory unit coupled to the processor, including a lifetime routine, where the lifetime routine is operative on the processor to monitor the superconducting fault current limiter. The lifetime routine may include a lifetime estimation processor to receive a set of fault information for a fault event of a superconductor tape of the superconducting fault current limiter, determine a present state of the superconductor tape based upon the set of fault information, and determine an estimated lifetime of the superconductor tape based upon the present state. The present state may be determined from additional information such as fault history on the superconducting fault current limiter, as well as a database of superconductor tape behavior with respect to various faults.

Abstract: An EOS/ESD protection apparatus includes a voltage detection circuit, a controlling circuit having a switch unit, an inverter circuit, and a clamp transistor. The voltage detection circuit is configured to detect whether an over voltage event occurs in a power supply line to generate a switch control signal. The switch unit is turned on/off to generate a voltage control signal according to the switch control signal. The inverter circuit has an output and an input coupled to the voltage control signal transmitted from the controlling circuit. The clamp transistor has a control terminal coupled to the output of the inverter and is configured to be turned on when the over voltage event occurs in the power supply line.

Abstract: The present disclosure pertains to detection of a broken conductor in an electric power system. In one embodiment, a broken conductor detector may be configured to be mounted to an electrical conductor and may comprise a communication subsystem configured to transmit a signal configured to indicate that the conductor is broken. A sensor may determine an operating vector. A processing subsystem may be configured to receive the operating vector from the sensor and to identify when the operating vector is outside of a range defined by a rest vector and a threshold value. In certain embodiments, the threshold may comprise a three-dimensional sphere. The processing subsystem may determine that the conductor is broken based on the operating vector remaining outside of the range for a period of time determined by the timer subsystem. A signal may be transmitted by the communication subsystem to indicate that the conductor is broken.

Abstract: A power converter and method to detect a light load condition at an output of the power converter are presented. The power converter may have an inductor and a resistive element connected between an input of the power converter and an input of the inductor. The power converter may have a first chopping unit to generate a chopped voltage signal at an output of said first chopping unit, wherein the chopped voltage signal is generated by chopping an inductor voltage at the input of said inductor based on a duty cycle of the power converter. The power converter may have a reference current source, wherein the reference current source and a replica resistive element are arranged in series. The power converter may have a comparator unit to generate, based on the reference potential and based on the chopped voltage signal, a signal indicative of said light load condition.

Abstract: An AC/DC converter is operative to receive, via AC input terminals, an AC input signal and to transform the AC input signal into a DC output signal. The AC/DC converter comprises a first DC discharge circuit coupled to AC input terminals. The controller comprises a second DC discharge circuit having a controllable switching element for switching the second DC discharge circuit on and off. The second DC discharge circuit is operative to receive a DC discharge current from the first DC discharge circuit; logic associated with the AC/DC converter repeatedly: receives a DC sense signal from the second DC discharge circuit and determines, based on the value of the DC sense signal within a predetermined measurement time period, loss of the AC input signal. In response to determining loss of the AC input signal, the logic controls activation of the second DC discharge circuit depending on the DC sense signal.

Abstract: Communicating fault indications between primary and secondary controller in a secondary-controlled flyback converter is described. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a primary-side field effect transistor (FET) coupled to a flyback transformer coupled to the primary-side FET, and a primary-side controller coupled to the flyback transformer. The primary-side controller is configured to receive a signal from a secondary-side controller across a galvanic isolation barrier, apply a pulse signal to the primary-side FET in response to the signal to turn-on and turn-off the primary-side FET, communicate information to the secondary-side controller across the flyback transformer by varying a first pulse width of the pulse signal to a second pulse width and applying the pulse signal with the second pulse width to the primary-side FET.

Abstract: To this end, the invention relates to a method for controlling a switched electronic circuit connecting an electrical voltage source u to a load R and forming a system having an output y and a plurality of operating modes i, at least some of which thus can be activated by following a switching rule o. According to the invention, the following steps are provided: —measuring state variables x of the system having equilibrium values xr; —introducing at least one parameter p into the system, representing a measuring error of an electrical unknown of the operation of the circuit; —estimating the parameter from a state monitor and applying a Lyapunov function thereto; —deducing therefrom the equilibrium values of the system in order to obtain the control rule.

Abstract: Various embodiments provide a direct current (DC)-DC converter circuit. The DC-DC converter circuit includes a control circuit to switch the DC-DC converter circuit between a charge state, a discharge state, and a tri-state mode. As part of a first control loop, the control circuit may switch the DC-DC converter between the charge state and the discharge state based on the output voltage to provide the output voltage with the target voltage level. Additionally, as part of a second control loop, the control circuit may switch the DC-DC converter between the charge state and the discharge state based on the current through an inductor of the DC-DC converter. The second control loop may provide overcurrent protection for the DC-DC converter. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Abstract: A power system includes a control circuit, a power conversion circuit, a current detection circuit and a overheat detection circuit. The control circuit is for generating one or more pulse signal. The power conversion circuit is electrically coupled to the control circuit, for generating an output current according to the pulse signal. The current detection circuit is electrically coupled to the power conversion circuit, for generating a sensing current according to the output current. The overheat detection circuit is electrically coupled to the current detection circuit and the control circuit, for generating the correction current according to a temperature of the power conversion circuit. The control circuit adjusts a duty ratio of the pulse signal according to a correction sensing current to adjust the output current, and the correction sensing current is a sum of the value of the sensing current and the correction current.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a voltage regulator including a high-side field-effect transistor, a low-side field-effect transistor, an inductor, and a conductive net connecting the high-side field-effect transistor, the low-side field-effect transistor and the inductor. The apparatus further includes an attenuation circuit coupled to the conductive net, wherein the attenuation circuit includes an electronic switch that enables and disables an amount of attenuation provided by the attenuation circuit. Examples of the attenuation circuit include a snubber circuit and a boost resistor circuit.

Abstract: An electronic circuit includes an inductive element outputting an inductor current, a first transistor, a second transistor, and a load current estimator circuit. The first transistor is connected between a first end of the inductive element and a reference terminal. The second transistor is connected between the first end of the inductive element and an output terminal for outputting a load current. The load current estimator circuit receives a first voltage which is sensed between both ends of the second transistor in response to the inductor current while the first transistor is turned off and the second transistor is turned on, and outputs a second voltage based on a level of the first voltage at a reference time point within a time interval when the second transistor is turned on. The second voltage is associated with an intensity of the load current.

Abstract: A voltage regulator includes an error amplifier which receives a feedback voltage and a reference voltage, an amplifier circuit which receives an output voltage of the error amplifier and controls a gate of an output transistor by a first output voltage, and a non-regulation detection circuit which detects a non-regulation state of the voltage regulator based on a second output voltage of the amplifier circuit. The amplifier circuit includes a first transistor receiving the output voltage of the error amplifier at a gate of the first transistor, and a second transistor connected to a drain of the first transistor, and provides the second output voltage based on a gate-source voltage of the second transistor.

Abstract: A secondary side controlled control circuit for power converter with synchronous rectifier is provided. The secondary side controlled control circuit comprises a primary side controller and a secondary side controller. The primary side controller generates a primary side switching signal for switching a primary side switch of the power converter. The secondary side controller generates a secondary side switching signal for switching a switch of the synchronous rectifier of the power converter. The secondary side controller generates a primary side control signal to control the primary side controller for controlling the primary side switching signal.