Patents Examined by Gustavo Rosario Benitez
  • Patent number: 12261528
    Abstract: A power converter for providing power to a load includes a buck converter having a DC input and a DC output and that is configured to receive a DC voltage at the DC voltage input and provide DC output voltage at the DC output. The converter also includes a voltage monitor that monitors a voltage provided at the DC output and a selectively connectable transient suppression circuit connected across that DC output and connected to the voltage monitor. The selectively connectable transient suppression circuit includes a dissipation circuit and a suppression circuit switch connected in series with the dissipation circuit that controls charge dissipation from the DC output into the dissipation circuit based on the voltage monitor determining that the voltage across the DC output is above a threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2025
    Assignee: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventors: Raghavendra Ramachandra, Pradeep Chitirala, Priya Kakarla Naga Lakshmi, Mahtab Ahmed
  • Patent number: 12255533
    Abstract: A power converter includes a high side switch, a low side switch, a low side driver, a loading detector, a configurable regulator and a high side driver. The low side driver generates a low side drive signal to control the low side switch. The configurable regulator generates a regulation voltage, a magnitude of which is greater when the loading detector detects that the power converter has light loading than when the loading detector detects that the power converter has heavy loading. The high side driver generates a high side drive signal that switches between the input voltage and the regulation voltage to control the high side switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2025
    Assignee: Novatek Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Yi-Meng Lan, Yung-Chou Lin, Tuo-Kuang Chen, Chih-Yang Kang
  • Patent number: 12255531
    Abstract: The disclosure provides a full-bridge resonant converter, including a full-bridge switching circuit, a transformer, a resonance tank, a secondary side circuit, and a damping circuit. The secondary side circuit includes a first output diode and a second output diode. When the current value of a current flowing through the first output diode and the second output diode is resonated to zero amperes, and a resonant current flowing through the resonance tank does not flow through a primary side winding of the transformer at all, the transformer and the secondary side circuit jointly provide an equivalent capacitance, and the damping circuit and the equivalent capacitance jointly perform a damping operation on the resonant current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2025
    Assignee: Acer Incorporated
    Inventor: Tzu-Tseng Chan
  • Patent number: 12244214
    Abstract: An AC-DC conversion circuit provides a three-phase power source. The AC-DC conversion circuit includes a first inductor, a second inductor, a third inductor, a switch bridge arm assembly, and a control unit. The switch bridge arm assembly includes three switch bridge arms, and each switch bridge arm includes an upper switch and a lower switch. A plurality of common-connected nodes between the upper switches and the lower switches are coupled to the three-phase power source through the first inductor, the second inductor, and the third inductor. The control unit turns on the upper switch and the lower switch to provide a current detection loop. The control unit acquires a magnitude of a first current flowing through the first inductor and a magnitude of a third current flowing through the third inductor, and determines whether a current detection mechanism of the first current and the third current is normal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2025
    Assignee: DELTA ELECTRONICS, INC.
    Inventors: Cheng-Te Li, Nian-Ci Chen, Chih-Yuan Chuang, Cheng-Hao Hsueh
  • Patent number: 12244217
    Abstract: A power supply circuit has a first node, a second node, a DC-DC converter that includes a switched capacitor, generates an output voltage based on an input voltage supplied from the first node, and outputs the output voltage from the second node, and a regulator that is connected in parallel to the DC-DC converter between the first node and the second node and controls an output current flowing to the second node based on a reference voltage lower than the input voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2025
    Assignee: Kioxia Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Morimoto, Rui Ito, Ryuichi Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 12244242
    Abstract: An apparatus for conversion between AC and DC voltages includes a rectifier and first and second stages coupled to each other and having a regulator and a switched-capacitor circuit respectively. The first stage receives a first voltage from the rectifier and the second stage provides a second voltage. A controller controls the first and second stages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2025
    Assignee: pSemi Corporation
    Inventors: David M. Giuliano, David Kunst
  • Patent number: 12218608
    Abstract: A method includes detecting a voltage signal of a three-level power converter, the voltage signal indicative of a capacitor voltage balancing in the three-level power converter, and dynamically adjusting an operating variable to adjust the voltage signal until the capacitor voltage balancing in the three-level power converter satisfies a criteria.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: HUAWEI DIGITAL POWER TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Liming Ye, Heping Dai, Ning Wang, Gang Ye
  • Patent number: 12212239
    Abstract: An example apparatus includes: a first and second capacitor; a first and second inductor; a first switch having a first and second terminal, the first terminal coupled to the first capacitor, and the second terminal coupled to the first and second inductor; a second switch having a third and fourth terminal, the third terminal coupled to the second terminal, the fourth terminal coupled to the second capacitor; a third switch having a fifth and sixth terminal, the fifth terminal coupled to the first terminal, the sixth terminal coupled to the second inductor; and a diode having a seventh and eighth terminal, the seventh terminal coupled to the sixth terminal, the eighth terminal coupled to the fourth terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2025
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Hua Tang, Shanguang Xu, Zhaofu Zhou, Teng Feng, Ian Lloyd Bower
  • Patent number: 12206339
    Abstract: A method for hybrid control of grid-connected inverter based on time sharing of a voltage source and a current source including at least one control process, each control process including N+M control cycles. N may be a number of control cycles of a grid-connected inverter operating in a voltage source mode, M may be a number of control cycles of the grid-connected inverter operating in a current source mode. The control cycles of the grid-connected inverter operating in a voltage source mode and a current source mode may switch by counting. Aiming at a problem of being difficult to realize stable operation under large fluctuations in SCR, the present disclosure realizes a time-sharing control of the voltage source mode and the current source mode through a control algorithm, hybrids features of both mode, improves the stability of the grid-connected inverter, and realizes a stable operation under large fluctuations in SCR.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2024
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2025
    Assignee: HEFEI UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Xing Zhang, Feng Han, Xiangdui Zhan, Xinxin Fu, Jilei Wang
  • Patent number: 12206320
    Abstract: A DCR current sensing circuit used in a switching converter having a power switch and an inductor. The DCR current sensing circuit has a current sensing capacitor coupled in series with a current sensing resistor to form a RC circuit, a current mirror, a first and a second compensation circuits, wherein the RC circuit is coupled in parallel with the inductor. The current mirror generates a first mirror current signal and a second mirror current signal based on a voltage across the current sensing capacitor. The first compensation circuit receives the first mirror current signal and generates a first current sensing signal for meeting a first requirement of the switching converter. The second compensation circuit receives the second mirror current signal and generates a second current sensing signal for meeting a second requirement of the switching converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2025
    Assignee: Chengdu Monolithic Power Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chun Shih Huang, Chia Chun Hsiao
  • Patent number: 12205784
    Abstract: A triggered vacuum gap (TVG) device that has application as a closing switch for synchronized closing in distribution and transmission power systems. The TVG device controllably sustains a current arc in the device through initial current zeros created by power system transients and, thereby, prevents premature interruption of the closing operation. The TVG device includes main electrodes defining a vacuum gap therebetween and a triggering electrode providing a triggering gap between one main electrode and the triggering electrode. The TVG device also includes a triggering circuit having a high voltage impulse source that supplies a fast rising impulse voltage to the one main electrode and the triggering electrode for creation of a plasma to provide an initial breakdown of the triggering gap and a low voltage unidirectional current source that supplies current to the one main electrode and the triggering electrode once the first triggering gap breakdown has occurred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2025
    Assignee: S&C Electric Company
    Inventor: Goran Djogo
  • Patent number: 12176804
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a voltage converter and method for pulse frequency modulation-type operation during a start-up phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Sebastien Ortet, Vincent Binet
  • Patent number: 12176821
    Abstract: A device may include an rectifier with one or more transistors that accepts a three-phas7 input and generates a DC bus output, a low-pass filter to provide a filtered DC bus voltage, a driver to drive the transistors based on a modulation index, and a controller to generate the modulation index. The controller may generate a nominal modulation index, generate an adjusted modulation index based on the nominal modulation index modified by a ratio of the filtered and measured DC bus voltages, and provide the modulation index to the PWM driver, where the modulation index is the nominal modulation index when a difference voltage associated with a difference between the filtered and measured DC bus voltages is below a voltage threshold, and where the modulation index is the adjusted modulation index when the difference voltage is above the voltage threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignee: VERTIV CORPORATION
    Inventors: Matthew Elswick, Xian Chen, Kaiyu Wang
  • Patent number: 12149179
    Abstract: A power converter includes a full-bridge circuit, power converting circuit, transformer, and controller. The full-bridge circuit includes a series-connected unit made of first and second switches and a series-connected unit made of third and fourth switches and is connected to power transmitting terminals. The power converting circuit is connected to power receiving terminals. The transformer includes power transmitting coil and power receiving coil. The power transmitting coil is connected to full-bridge circuit. The power receiving coil is connected to power converting circuit. The controller turns on the first and second switches alternately and also the third and fourth switches alternately. A resistive load is connected to the power receiving terminals. The controller serves to determine a phase difference between the time when first switch is turned on and the time when third switch is turned on to decrease with a decrease in measured voltage developed at the power receiving terminals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2024
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Seiji Iyasu, Syuji Kurauchi, Yuuichi Handa
  • Patent number: 12149163
    Abstract: Provided is a technology in which a control device of a converter performs gate cutoff for cutting off power supply to a load when one of a battery detection value obtained by a battery voltage sensor or a low-voltage-side detection value obtained by a low-voltage-side voltage sensor or both thereof are abnormal values. After the control device performs the gate cutoff, the control device determines whether or not a main body circuitry is abnormal based on the battery detection value and the low-voltage-side detection value. When the control device determines that the main body circuitry is not abnormal, the control device determines whether one of the battery voltage sensor or the low-voltage-side voltage sensor is abnormal based on the battery detection value, the low-voltage-side detection value, and a high-voltage-side detection value obtained by a high-voltage-side voltage sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2024
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Kado Nakagawa, Jino Yoon, Nobuhiro Kihara, Mai Nakada
  • Patent number: 12143018
    Abstract: Disclosed is a DC voltage converter, including a plurality of dividing modules positioned in parallel and synchronized in an interleaved manner, all the dividing modules being controlled by one and the same error signal sampled for each dividing period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: VITESCO TECHNOLOGIES GMBH
    Inventor: Philippe Boissiere
  • Patent number: 12143030
    Abstract: A method of converting an alternating current (AC) voltage to a direct current (DC) voltage by an AC-to-DC converter. The method includes producing an AC virtual waveform approximately synchronized to the AC voltage. The method further includes detecting a cessation of the AC voltage, continuing to produce the AC virtual waveform during the cessation of the AC voltage, and detecting a resumption of the AC voltage. Upon detecting the resumption of the AC voltage, the method includes applying the AC virtual waveform to a control loop implemented by the AC-to-DC converter for a period of time, and after the period of time, the method includes applying an output of a phase-locked loop to the control loop instead of the AC virtual waveform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Jongwan Kim
  • Patent number: 12136892
    Abstract: In a power converter, each of a positive busbar and a negative busbar includes a first current path that has a first thermal resistance and is a current flow path between a power-source connection terminal and at least one terminal connection portion, and a second current path that has a second thermal resistance and is a current flow path between the power-source connection terminal and an element connection portion. The first thermal resistance of the first current path of at least one of the positive busbar and the negative busbar is lower than the second thermal resistance of the second current path of the at least one of the positive busbar and the negative busbar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2024
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomohisa Sano, Yuu Yamahira
  • Patent number: 12136870
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a buck converter for achieving a high output and reducing cost. The buck converter includes: a MOSFET, including a first side connected to an application end of an input voltage; a rectifying element, connected to a second side of the MOSFET by a first connection node; a coil, having a first terminal connected to the first connection node; and an output capacitor, connected to a second terminal of the coil. The MOSFET is a super-junction MOSFET.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2024
    Assignee: ROHM CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Akinobu Sawada
  • Patent number: 12132392
    Abstract: A power conversion device including a semiconductor switching element having a control electrode terminal and two main electrode terminals and configured to control a current flowing between the two main electrodes by a drive signal applied to the control electrode terminal; and a drive circuit configured to generate the drive signal in synchronization with an input signal and to turn on/off the semiconductor switching element by the drive signal. The drive circuit is configured to detect the current flowing between the two main electrode terminals of the semiconductor switching element at a timing at which the semiconductor switching element is turned off, and to adjust a drive capacity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2024
    Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Akira Nakamori