Patents Examined by Kevin H Sprenger
  • Patent number: 10164540
    Abstract: A controller for a power conversion circuit has a first current-reading circuit coupled for receiving a first feedback signal at a first circuit node and generating an internal feedback signal at a second circuit node inversely proportional to the first feedback signal. A second current-reading circuit is coupled for receiving a second feedback signal at the first circuit node and generating the internal feedback signal at the second circuit node inversely proportional to the second feedback signal. The first current-reading circuit generates the internal feedback signal inversely proportional to an electric current injected into the controller at the first circuit node. The second current-reading circuit generates the internal feedback signal inversely proportional to an electric current drawn from the controller at the first circuit node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC
    Inventors: Christophe Basso, Stephanie Cannenterre
  • Patent number: 10158286
    Abstract: In this DC/DC converter, a first switching circuit is connected between a first winding of a transformer and a DC power supply, and a second switching circuit is connected between a second winding and a battery. A control circuit includes a first circuit for performing feedback control so as to reduce a difference between a detected value and a command value of charge current, and a second circuit for correcting one of control input and output of the first circuit on the basis of the detected value and the command value. In charging the battery, the control circuit controls a phase shift amount of a first diagonal element in the first switching circuit and a phase shift amount of a second diagonal element in the second switching circuit relative to the drive phase of a first reference element in the first switching circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2018
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Yusuke Higaki, Ryota Kondo, Masaki Yamada
  • Patent number: 10158293
    Abstract: A power supply module includes a substrate, a switching control IC and a coil. The coil includes a plurality of metal posts, first ends of which are mounted on a first surface of the substrate, wiring conductors that are in conductive contact with the first ends of the metal posts, and post connection conductors that are in conductive contact with second ends of the metal posts. The power supply module further includes a magnetic core that strengthens magnetic flux generated by the coil, and a sealing resin that seals the metal posts and the magnetic core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2018
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takashi Noma, Keiichi Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 10153684
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a bleeder circuit; solutions of the present invention may be applied in linear driving and switch driving solutions; a threshold voltage is a zero crossing value, and when the input voltage is zero crossing, the load current at this time is zero; a bleeder current is generated to make the input current greater than a holding current of a TRIAC dimmer, to maintain turning-on of the TRIAC dimmer, and a second time is set as a delay time, which reduces power consumption. In the application of switch driving solution, the current regulating circuit is controlled to be enabled according to the waveform features of the previous and latter halves of periods of the sine wave as well as the size of the input current of the driving circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: Joulwatt Technology (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Guoqiang Liu, Bai Lang, Junming Zhang, Pitleong Wong, Yuancheng Ren, Xunwei Zhou
  • Patent number: 10141863
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a controller determines the polarity of the input voltage detected by an input voltage detector. Then, when the polarity of the input voltage is positive, the first switch is subject to pulse driving, and when the polarity of the input voltage is negative, the second switch is subject to pulse driving, where the pulse driving is carried out at an on/off timing determined on the basis of the respective detection outputs of an input voltage detector, an input current detector, an output voltage detector, and an output current detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yutaka Usami
  • Patent number: 10122274
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a multi-function circuit. The circuit comprises a low side circuit that is comprised with a first set of enhancement mode transistors. The half bridge circuit also includes a high side circuit that is comprised of a second set of transistors. Each of the enhancement mode transistors of the first set and second set of enhancement mode transistors are Gallium Nitride (GaN) transistors. In some embodiments, the GaN transistors are High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs). In additional embodiments, the GaN transistors are configured and operated as saturated switches. In further embodiments, the half bridge circuit is designed as a discrete circuit. Additionally, each of the first set and second set of transistors, diodes, resistors, and all passive elements are discrete components arranged to form a half bridge circuit. In fact, the entire half bridge circuit is built from discrete components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: Freebird Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Anthony G. P. Marini, James L. Larrauri, Simon P. Wainwright, Max Zafrani
  • Patent number: 10122294
    Abstract: An inverter phase leg has upper and lower gate drive circuits supplying gate drive signals to upper and lower transistors. Each gate drive circuit includes an active clamp for selectively deactivating the upper and lower transistors. The transistors are comprised of semiconductor devices, each having respective gate, source, and emitter terminals. Each emitter terminal is connected to a respective output electrode structured to enhance a common source inductance between the respective gate and emitter terminals. Each emitter terminal is further connected to a respective Kelvin emitter electrode substantially bypassing the respective output electrode. Each respective active clamp is connected between the respective gate terminal and Kelvin emitter electrode so that the active clamping function remains effective in the presence of the enhanced common source inductance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Zhuxian Xu, Chingchi Chen, Michael W. Degner
  • Patent number: 10110131
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a control circuit configured for an interleaved switching power supply, can include: (i) a feedback compensation signal generation circuit configured to sample an output voltage of the interleaved switching power supply, and to generate a feedback compensation signal; (ii) a first switch control circuit configured to compare a voltage signal indicative of an inductor current in the first voltage regulation circuit against the feedback compensation signal, and to control a first main power switch in the first voltage regulation circuit; and (iii) a second switch control circuit configured to turn on a second main power switch in the second voltage regulation circuit after half of a switching cycle after the first main power switch is turned on, and to regulate an on time of the second main power switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: Silergy Semiconductor Technology (Hangzhou) LTD
    Inventors: Feng Yu, Chen Zhao
  • Patent number: 10103645
    Abstract: This power converter is provided with: three clusters (CLu, CLv, CLw) in which unit cells are cascade-connected; and power supplies of the same kind which are respectively connected to one end of each of the three clusters. Terminals of the three clusters at the side not connected to the power supplies are respectively connected to other ends of the power supplies connected to the other clusters to form a delta-connection configuration. Three connections of the delta-connection configuration are respectively connected to each of the U, V, and W phases of a three-phase alternating current, and power conversion between the power supplies and the three-phase AC is enabled. If DC power supplies (Vdcu, Vdcv, Vdcw) are employed as the power supplies, power conversion between the DC power supplies and the three-phase AC power supplies can be performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: TOKYO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Hirofumi Akagi, Makoto Hagiwara
  • Patent number: 10097080
    Abstract: System and method for protecting a power converter. An example system controller for protecting a power converter includes a signal generator, a comparator, and a modulation and drive component. The signal generator is configured to generate a threshold signal. The comparator is configured to receive the threshold signal and a current sensing signal and generate a comparison signal based on at least information associated with the threshold signal and the current sensing signal, the current sensing signal indicating a magnitude of a primary current flowing through a primary winding of a power converter. The modulation and drive component is coupled to the signal generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: On-Bright Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chao Yao, Yunchao Zhang, Yuan Lin, Zhiqiang Sun, Lieyi Fang
  • Patent number: 10095251
    Abstract: A voltage regulating circuit provides a feedback voltage and an output voltage based on a power voltage. The voltage regulating circuit includes a reference voltage generator and a compensating circuit. The reference voltage generator receives the power voltage, produces the feedback voltage, and includes an impedance having first and second terminals. The second terminal is coupled to a ground voltage and a first current flows through the impedance at the first terminal to produce the feedback voltage. The compensating circuit includes a negative threshold voltage (NVT) transistor having a source terminal, a drain terminal and a gate terminal. The source terminal receives a power voltage, the drain terminal is connected to the gate terminal and coupled to the first terminal of the impedance through a path to add a second current to the first current when the NVT transistor is turned on under an operational condition at the FF corner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: United Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Chai-Wei Fu, Cheng-Hsiao Lai, Ying-Ting Lin, Yuan-Hui Chen, Ya-Nan Mou, Yung-Hsiang Lin, Hsueh-Chen Cheng
  • Patent number: 10075057
    Abstract: A hybrid topology power converter includes a three-level circuit module and a cascaded H-bridge circuit module. A control method includes the following steps. Firstly, a zero sequence component is injected into a total modulation wave, thereby generating a compensated total modulation wave. Then, a first voltage signal is generated according to the compensated total modulation wave. An H-bridge modulation wave is generated according to the compensated total modulation wave and the first voltage signal. A three-level driving signal is generated according to the first voltage signal, and an H-bridge driving signal is generated according to the H-bridge modulation wave. A duty cycle of at least one switch element of the three-level circuit module is adjusted according to the three-level driving signal. A duty cycle of at least one switch elements of the cascaded H-bridge circuit module is adjusted according to the H-bridge driving signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: DELTA ELECTRONICS (SHANGHAI) CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Dingkun Shen, Jianfei Zheng, Wei Xu, Jianping Ying, Lan Wei, Zhiming Hu
  • Patent number: 10063150
    Abstract: A method and system of controlling a converter is provided. The method includes sensing, by a controller, an on and off state of a secondary side switch of the converter and deriving, by the controller, a current command of the converter. The current command is then compared with preset current reference values each provided based on the on and off state of the secondary side switch. As the result of the comparison of the current command with the current reference value, the on and off state of the secondary side switch is either changed or maintained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventors: Jee Heon Kim, Jun Yeon Park, Hyun Wook Seong, Won Kyoung Choi, Dong Jun Lee
  • Patent number: 10050512
    Abstract: A power conversion apparatus includes a semiconductor module including a semiconductor device and a control circuit unit controlling the semiconductor module. The semiconductor module has main and subsidiary semiconductor devices connected in parallel. The control circuit unit performs control such that the subsidiary semiconductor device is turned on after the main semiconductor device is turned on, and the main semiconductor device is turned off after the subsidiary semiconductor device is turned off. The control circuit unit performs control such that, one of the turn-on and turn-off switching timings has a switching speed faster than that of the other of the switching timings. The semiconductor module is configured such that, at a high-speed switching timing, an induction current directed to turn off the subsidiary semiconductor device is generated in a control terminal of the subsidiary semiconductor device depending on temporal change of a main current flowing to the main semiconductor device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kengo Mochiki, Mitsunori Kimura, Hiroshi Shimizu, Yasuyuki Ohkouchi, Yuu Yamahira, Tetsuya Matsuoka, Kazuma Fukushima
  • Patent number: 10050557
    Abstract: In various embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided an energy harvesting apparatus, including: an energy harvester for generating electric power from an ambient source; a power conditioning circuit coupled to the output of the energy harvester; including: a boost converter module; a buck-boost converter module; and a power modification control module; wherein the power modification control module is configured to initialize the energy harvesting apparatus from inactivity to a normal energy harvesting state by operating the boost converter module, and operating the buck-boost converter when an output voltage of the power conditioning circuit rises to a predetermined value. A corresponding method of operating an energy harvesting apparatus is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: Agency for Science, Technology and Research
    Inventors: Yuan Gao, I Made Darmayuda, San Jeow Cheng, Minkyu Je, Chun Huat Heng
  • Patent number: 10044280
    Abstract: A DC/DC converter includes: duty command calculation units for calculating duty command values for first, second, third, and fourth switching elements on the basis of difference voltage between a high-voltage-side voltage command value and a high-voltage-side voltage detection value; and a phase shift duty command calculation unit for calculating a phase shift duty command value corresponding to a phase difference between gate signals for the first and fourth switching elements and gate signals for the second and third switching elements, on the basis of difference voltage between a voltage target value and a charge voltage detection value of a charge/discharge capacitor, wherein gate signals for driving the first, second, third, fourth switching elements are generated on the basis of the duty command values and the phase shift duty command value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Ryota Kondo, Mai Uenaka, Matahiko Ikeda
  • Patent number: 10044283
    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: December 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: Silergy Semiconductor Technology (Hangzhou) LTD
    Inventor: Jian Deng
  • Patent number: 10032555
    Abstract: A current regulator for regulating alternating current (AC) flow to a load device is provided. The current regulator can include an AC coupling device that can be electrically connected to the load device via an output electrical path, a current control device electrically connected in series with the AC coupling device, and an AC feedback circuit electrically connected to the output electrical path and the current control device. The current control device can modify a current flow through at least one component of the AC coupling device in response to receiving an error correction current. An output AC current provided to the load device can be controlled based on the current flow through the component of the AC coupling device. The AC feedback circuit can include voltage error compensation device that provides the error correction current in response to receiving a feedback voltage corresponding to the output AC current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Isaac Ng, Abdul Qadir Shabbir
  • Patent number: 10027251
    Abstract: A power inverter comprises a plurality of high power switching modules that form an alternating current (AC) output; a plurality of terminals in communication with the high power switching modules for outputting the AC output; a capacitor bank that provides a conditioned voltage to the high power switching modules for producing the AC output in response to receiving and storing electrical energy related to a direct current (DC) supply; and a case positioned over the high power switching modules. The capacitor bank is mounted to the case, and the capacitor bank is positioned over the high power switching modules so that the high power switching terminals are proximal the capacitor bank for reducing inductance. A gate driver module at a top region of the high power switching modules includes a plurality of planar transformers for reducing a distance between the capacitor bank and the gate driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: ATSE, LLC
    Inventors: Franklin B. Jones, Andrew I. Nehring, Daniel T. Jones, Robert A. Hummel, Eric D. Donahue
  • Patent number: 10027222
    Abstract: System and method for protecting a power converter. An example system controller for protecting a power converter includes a signal generator, a comparator, and a modulation and drive component. The signal generator is configured to generate a threshold signal. The comparator is configured to receive the threshold signal and a current sensing signal and generate a comparison signal based on at least information associated with the threshold signal and the current sensing signal, the current sensing signal indicating a magnitude of a primary current flowing through a primary winding of a power converter. The modulation and drive component is coupled to the signal generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: On-Bright Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chao Yao, Yunchao Zhang, Yuan Lin, Zhiqiang Sun, Lieyi Fang