Patents Examined by Kevin H Sprenger
  • Patent number: 9391532
    Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, a power converter includes an H-bridge switching arrangement, a transformer having a primary winding coupled to an output of the H-bridge switching arrangement, a first switch coupled between a power input of the H-bridge switching arrangement and a first power supply node, and a second switch coupled between a center-tap of the primary winding of the transformer and a low impedance node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Tomas Reiter, Sandra Zeljkovic
  • Patent number: 9391521
    Abstract: Positive-side DC terminals P1? and P? connected to a positive-side DC bus of a chopper 4 are provided in the chopper 4 and the positive-side DC terminals P1? and P? are connected to positive-side DC terminals P1 and P, respectively. With this configuration, a current of a DC bus of an inverter 2 is drawn via the positive-side DC terminal P1? into the chopper 4 and is returned via the positive-side DC terminal P? to the DC bus of the inverter 2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Masafumi Ichihara
  • Patent number: 9369065
    Abstract: An inexpensive and space-saving power conversion device is provided which can eliminate a high-cost and large reactor like a buffer reactor. A device includes multiple switching elements 21u, 21x performing conversion between DC and AC upon switching, a unitary unit C including the switching elements 21u, 21x, and a capacitor 30, and unit arms 10P, 10N each including at least one unitary unit C. The primary side of a transformer 40 is connected between the pair of unit arms 10P, 10N so as to suppress a short-circuit current by a leakage inductance component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Yosuke Nakazawa, Takeru Murao, Masahiro Tsumenaga
  • Patent number: 9350226
    Abstract: Disclosed is a power control driving device which includes a sine wave signal generating unit; a control signal converting unit configured to convert a sine wave from the sine wave signal generating unit into a multi-bit control signal; and a three-phase inverter circuit configured to output a voltage varied by the multi-bit control signal from the control signal converting unit. The control signal converting unit includes a multi-bit sigma-delta modulator configured to convert an analog sine wave into a digital signal. The three-phase inverter circuit includes a plurality of switch units, on-off states of the plurality of switch units being controlled according to the multi-bit control signal from the control signal converting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Jaewon Nam, Minki Kim, Jimin Oh, Yil Suk Yang
  • Patent number: 9350175
    Abstract: Power converter circuitry for converting power from a power source of any one of a number of power source types, and in which arcing at relays in the event of a shutdown is avoided. A shunt circuit is provided in inrush and protection circuitry of the power converter, the circuit including a power field-effect transistor and optionally a series-connected relay. The shunt circuit is controlled to divert current from the main relay in the event of a rectifier fault, allowing the main relay to be opened under reduced or zero current. The field-effect transistor of the shunt circuit can then be safely opened, allowing its series relay to be opened under zero current conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Palanivel Subramaniam, Raghothama Reddy, Gary Lin
  • Patent number: 9331601
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an inverter with power cell of dual structure for use in high input voltage by changing a conventional 6-level cascaded H-bridge multilevel inverter to thereby reduce product development cost, manufacturing cost and volume of the product, the inverter including a first SMPS (Switching Mode Power Supply) connected to a first power cell region, a second SMPS connected to a second power cell region and a controller connecting the first and second SMPSs, where each phase is formed by serially connecting a plurality of power cells formed with a plurality of stages operated by receiving a power supplied from a phase shift transformer, and each of the plurality of power cells is mutually connected, and includes the first power cell region and the second power cell region independently operating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: LSIS Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jong Je Park
  • Patent number: 9331581
    Abstract: Disclosed are AC-DC voltage converter circuits and methods for low standby power consumption. In one embodiment, a method can include: (i) detecting operating states of an input power supply, where the input power supply is received by a safety capacitor and provided to a switching power supply circuit after being rectified and filtered; (ii) removing a phantom load when the input power supply operates in a normal operating state; (iii) loading the phantom load when the input power supply operates in an under voltage lock out state; and (iv) when the input power supply operates in the under voltage lock out state, using energy stored in the safety capacitor to supply power to a load of the switching power supply circuit and the phantom load, and disabling a power stage circuit until a voltage of the safety capacitor is reduced to less than a safety threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: Silergy Semiconductor Technology (Hangzhou) LTD
    Inventor: Wei Chen
  • Patent number: 9325242
    Abstract: A switching regulator includes a controller and a power stage for coupling to a load through an inductor and a capacitor. The a controller is operable to control operation of the power stage via a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal generated based on a difference between a reference voltage and the load voltage and sample the inductor current at a lower rate than the load voltage. The controller is further operable to estimate the capacitor current based on the sampled load voltage, generate an offset to the reference voltage based on the sampled inductor current and the estimated capacitor current and adjust the PWM signal applied to the power stage based on the offset. The switching regulator can be single-phase or multi-phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventors: Amir Babazadeh, Benjamim Tang, Kenneth Ostrom
  • Patent number: 9323263
    Abstract: An output stage has an input supply node to receive an input power supply and an output node to provide an output supply to a load. An amplifier is used to control current strength of the output stage according to the output supply and a reference voltage. A hysteresis unit is used to monitor the output supply and operable to control the current strength of the output stage according to a voltage level of the output supply. In one embodiment, a plurality of charge pumps are used to adjust current strength of the output stage. A logic unit is used to monitor the output supply and operable to control the plurality of charge pumps according to a voltage level of the output supply and one or more reference voltages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Rinkle Jain, Yi-Chun Shih, Vaibhav Vaidya
  • Patent number: 9325249
    Abstract: An AC/DC power converter utilizing a single stage boost-asymmetric LLC topology is disclosed. The converter uses a combined pulse width modulation (PWM) and frequency modulation (FM) to achieve dual control for a single main magnetic element (transformer). The transformer provides an output voltage regulation throughout the primary-secondary isolation operating in resonant mode (LLC) by means of frequency modulation, while at the same time its magnetizing inductance is conditioning the input current and providing a boosted high voltage for energy storage purpose by means of duty cycle control. A single pair of complementary primary switches is used to drive the primary winding of the transformer in order to achieve both voltage regulation and power conditioning. The secondary side capacitors and the resonant inductor, which may be either integrated into the transformer or external to the transformer, achieve the resonant function of the transformer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Bogdan T. Bucheru
  • Patent number: 9293987
    Abstract: A small and low-cost load driving circuit device that reduces common mode noise without using a transformer, has a first switching arrangement provided between a high potential source and a terminal of an electrical load; a second switching arrangement provided between ground and the other terminal of the electrical load; a control arrangement that controls the first and second switching arrangements so as to simultaneously disconnect each other with the same frequency and the same duty ratio; and a synchronization arrangement that synchronizes the disconnect timing of the first switching arrangement and the disconnect timing of the second switching arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Kouichi Yamanoue
  • Patent number: 9287779
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes systems and methods for 100% duty cycle in switching regulators. A switching regulator circuit includes a ramp generator to produce a ramp signal having a period and a comparator to receive the ramp signal and an error signal, and in accordance therewith, produce a modulation signal. In a first mode of operation, the ramp signal increases to intersect the error signal, and in accordance therewith, changes a state of a switching transistor during each period of the ramp signal. In a second mode of operation, the error signal increase above a maximum value of the ramp signal, and in accordance therewith, the switching transistor is turned on for one or more full periods of the ramp signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Ricardo T Goncalves, Troy Stockstad, Joseph D Rutkowski
  • Patent number: 9281756
    Abstract: A power flow controller with a fractionally rated back-to-back (BTB) converter is provided. The power flow controller provide dynamic control of both active and reactive power of a power system. The power flow controller inserts a voltage with controllable magnitude and phase between two AC sources at the same frequency; thereby effecting control of active and reactive power flows between the two AC sources. A transformer may be augmented with a fractionally rated bi-directional Back to Back (BTB) converter. The fractionally rated BTB converter comprises a transformer side converter (TSC), a direct-current (DC) link, and a line side converter (LSC). By controlling the switches of the BTB converter, the effective phase angle between the two AC source voltages may be regulated, and the amplitude of the voltage inserted by the power flow controller may be adjusted with respect to the AC source voltages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Assignee: VARENTEC, INC.
    Inventors: Deepakraj M. Divan, Rajendra Prasad Kandula, Anish Prasai
  • Patent number: 9270200
    Abstract: A method of controlling an inverter for converting a DC input to an AC output, the method including measuring a voltage of an AC output produced by the inverter; determining a drive voltage for controlling the inverter; and if a difference in amplitude and/or phase between the drive voltage and the measured voltage exceeds a predetermined threshold, modifying the drive voltage to reduce the difference in amplitude and/or phase between the drive voltage and the measured voltage. The method may be particularly useful for controlling an inverter during “islanded” operation with a variable load, and may therefore be useful e.g. in marine, battlefield, disaster relief and/or aviation electrical power systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE PLC
    Inventors: Andrew Jeremy Roscoe, Stephen Jon Finney
  • Patent number: 9257844
    Abstract: An arrangement and a method for reactive power compensation in connection with a power transmission line. The arrangement includes at least one transformer and at least one reactive power compensator connected to the low-voltage side of the transformer and at least one adapter reactor, the adapter reactor being connected in series with the transformer so that the reactive power compensator is connected to the power transmission line via the transformer and the adapter reactor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: ALSTOM Grid Oy
    Inventor: Antero Kähkönen
  • Patent number: 9252669
    Abstract: The present invention provides an Alternating Current/Direct Current (AC/DC) converter employing measures not only against residual voltage but also to reduce power consumption. The AC/DC converter receives an Alternating Current (AC) voltage through a concentric plug and converts the AC voltage into a Direct Current (DC) voltage. A discharge path is disposed on a path from a discharge terminal to a ground terminal. A detection circuit compares a wave detection voltage with a predetermined threshold voltage, and enables the discharge path to be turned on when the wave detection voltage is continuously lower than the threshold voltage for a predetermined detection time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: ROHM CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Satoru Nate, Hiroshi Hayashi
  • Patent number: 9246394
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a synchronous rectification control circuit in a flyback converter, can include: a first control circuit that receives a drain-source voltage signal of a synchronous rectifier switch and a flyback converter output voltage, and generates a first control signal based on a conduction time of a primary-side power switch; a second control circuit configured to receive the drain-source voltage signal, and to generate a second control signal; when the primary-side power switch is turned off, and the first control signal is greater than a threshold value, the second control signal controls a switching operation of the synchronous rectifier switch; and when the primary-side power switch is turned off, and the first control signal is less than the threshold value, the synchronous rectifier switch is configured to stop operation, before the primary-side power switch is turned on again.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: Silergy Semiconductor Technology (Hangzhou) LTD
    Inventor: Jian Deng
  • Patent number: 9236811
    Abstract: A multiphase transformer rectifier unit for converting a three-phase alternating current supplied from a power distribution system to direct current supplied to at least one load. The multiphase transformer rectifier unit includes a magnetic core having a primary winding set and secondary winding set, and a rectifier circuit. The secondary winding set is arranged to generate N substantially equally distributed output phases, wherein N is an odd number multiple of 3, and N>3, and the primary winding set (17) is arranged to provide a positive or negative phase shift equal substantially to 360 ( 8 × N ) degrees of said output phases. Also an arrangement of two inventive multiphase transformer rectifier units for reducing current distortion in the power distribution system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: SAAB AB
    Inventors: Lennart Kruse, Johan Björk Svensson, Ola Qvarnström, Claes-Göran Sköld
  • Patent number: 9214856
    Abstract: There is provided a power factor correction device including: a main switching unit including a first main switch and a second main switch performing a switching operation with predetermined phase differences; an auxiliary switching unit including a first auxiliary switch and a second auxiliary switch forming a transmission path for surplus power existing before the first main switch and the second main switch are turned on, respectively; an inductor unit positioned between a power input unit to which AC power is applied and the main switching unit and accumulating or discharging energy according to a switching operation of the main switching unit; and an auxiliary inductor unit regulating an amount of current flowing in the auxiliary switching unit in the event of a switching operation of the auxiliary switching unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRO-MECHANICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: In Wha Jeong, Bum Seok Suh, Min Gyu Park
  • Patent number: 9214858
    Abstract: In an intermediate bus architecture power system, a voltage controller that generates control signals for controlling an intermediate bus voltage (VIB) output from a first stage DC-to-DC power converter to at least one second stage DC-to-DC power converter via the intermediate voltage bus. A receiver receives values of the current input to the first stage converter, or the current and voltage output by the first stage converter. The controller determines a first value of an efficiency measure using the received values corresponding to a first VIB, and determines a second value of the efficiency measure for a second VIB higher than the first VIB.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson (publ)
    Inventors: Torbjörn Holmberg, Magnus Karlsson