Patents Examined by Matthew V. Nguyen
  • Patent number: 11870345
    Abstract: A power converter circuit included in a computer system may include multiple devices and a switch node coupled to a regulated power supply node via an inductor. During a first time period, the power converter charges a capacitor, and the couples the capacitor to the switch node during a second time period. During a third time period the power converter couples the switch node to an input power supply node. To maintain constant charge delivered to the load during each time the switch node is coupled to the input power supply node, the duration of the third time period is adjusted based on a voltage level of the input power supply node, a voltage level of the regulated power supply node, a value of the inductor, and the durations of first and second time periods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Chongli Cai, Dingkun Du, Michael B. Nussbaum
  • Patent number: 11824460
    Abstract: A power converter includes a power module, a terminal block, a housing that houses the power module and the terminal block, and a bus bar that electrically connects the power module and a conductive member connected to an electric component outside the housing. The terminal block is a member that electrically connects the bus bar and the conductive member, has a first surface, a second surface facing the first surface, and a connection surface that connects the first surface and the second surface, and includes a fastening member provided on the second surface to be movable with respect to the terminal block. The bus bar is formed between the power module and the conductive member to surround the first surface, the connection surface, and the second surface of the terminal block, and is connected to the conductive member on the second surface via the fastening member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Taizo Tanibuchi, Kazuhiro Hayakawa, Rei Takahashi, Hironobu Sugihara
  • Patent number: 11791725
    Abstract: The present invention provides a voltage regulator including a voltage control circuit and a current control circuit. The voltage control circuit is configured to receive an output voltage of the voltage regulator to generate a first current to an output terminal of the voltage regulator; and the current control circuit is configured to generate a second current to the output terminal of the voltage regulator according to an output current of the voltage regulator, wherein the output current is generated according to the first current and the second current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: MEDIATEK INC.
    Inventors: Chien-Lung Lee, Jin-Yan Syu
  • Patent number: 11784564
    Abstract: A switched-mode power supply includes a voltage ramp generation circuit that generates a voltage ramp signal. The voltage ramp generation circuit includes, selectively connected in parallel, at least three capacitors. The selective connection of the capacitors is made according to a value of an internal power supply voltage of the switched-mode power supply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventors: Michel Cuenca, Sebastien Ortet
  • Patent number: 11777398
    Abstract: Circuitry for bootstrapping and precharging a gate of a field-effect transistor (FET) is disclosed. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a first transistor coupled to a switching node and further coupled to receive a supply voltage from a supply voltage node, and a second transistor coupled between the switching node and a ground node, wherein the first and second transistors are of a same type. A precharge circuit is configured to precharge a gate terminal of the first transistor to a voltage that is less than a supply voltage on the voltage supply node. The apparatus also includes a bootstrap circuit. Subsequent to precharging the gate terminal of the first transistor, the bootstrap circuit is configured to cause activation of the first transistor by charging the gate terminal to a voltage greater than the supply voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Giulio Maria Iadicicco, Michael Couleur, Siarhei Meliukh
  • Patent number: 11769636
    Abstract: A capacitor bank that includes at least two capacitors wherein the capacitor bank is configured to change the quantity of phases of the input voltage within the capacitor bank. The capacitor bank of the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a first capacitor and a second capacitor. The first capacitor and second capacitor are three phase capacitors each having three terminals configured to couple to an input voltage. The capacitor bank is wired so as to have a first source of an input voltage coupled to two terminals of the first capacitor and one terminal of the second capacitor. A second source of the input voltage is electrically coupled to one terminal of the first capacitor and two terminals of the second capacitor. The capacitor bank is operable to change the double phase input voltage into three phases within the capacitor bank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: NU-WAVE TECHNOLOGIES CORP.
    Inventor: Oscar Robichaud
  • Patent number: 11769653
    Abstract: Energy conversion systems that may employ control grid electrodes, acceleration grid electrodes, inductive elements, multi-stage anodes, and emissive carbon coatings on the cathode and anode are described. These and other characteristics may allow for advantageous thermal energy to electrical energy conversion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: Space Charge, LLC
    Inventors: Daniel Sweeney, Devin Vollmer, John Read
  • Patent number: 11762405
    Abstract: A power combining technique includes receiving a first voltage at a first input and a second voltage at a second input. The power combining technique further includes combining, with at least two power converters, power received from the first and second inputs into a single power rail. A power balancing technique further includes controlling the at least two power converters such that a first one of the power converters outputs an amount of current to the single power rail that is proportional to and/or equal to the amount of current output by another of the power converters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Jeffrey Anthony Morroni
  • Patent number: 11757373
    Abstract: In a power converter for converting DC power from a DC power source into AC power and supplying the AC power to a single-phase winding or multi-phase windings, a controller controls first and second inverter circuits and performs first power conversion control to lock open/closed states of switching elements in the second inverter circuit and switch open/closed states of switching elements in the first inverter circuit, and second power conversion control to lock open/closed states of the switching elements in the first inverter circuit and switch open/closed states of the switching elements in the second inverter circuit. The controller is configured to perform either the first power conversion control or the second power conversion control when an effective value of drive current through each winding is less than a threshold, and otherwise switch between the first power conversion control and the second power conversion control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshimitsu Takahashi, Makoto Taniguchi
  • Patent number: 11750097
    Abstract: A switch-mode AC-DC power converter includes a pair of input terminals, a pair of output terminals, and four switches coupled in a bridgeless totem-pole circuit arrangement between the pair of input terminals and the pair of output terminals. A control circuit is coupled to the four switches and configured to, during a cycle of an AC voltage input, turn on the first switch, turn off the second switch, and apply pulse-width modulation (PWM) control signals to the third and fourth switches. The control circuit is also configured to, during a zero crossing of the AC voltage input, supply a PWM control signal to the fourth switch to reduce a rate of voltage change across the second switch at the zero crossing to reduce common mode noise of the power converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: Astec International Limited
    Inventors: Zhihua Gu, Siu Chik Wong, Kim Ly Kha
  • Patent number: 11750095
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a voltage converter includes: a first transistor coupled between a first rail configured to receive a supply voltage and a first node; and an inductance coupled between the first node and a second node configured to deliver an output voltage, wherein, at each operating cycle of the converter, the first transistor is maintained in the on state for a first time period proportional to the inverse of a voltage difference between the supply voltage and the output voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Grenoble 2) SAS
    Inventors: Helene Esch, Mathilde Sie, David Chesneau, Eric Feltrin
  • Patent number: 11750099
    Abstract: Quasi-Constant On-Time Controller. At least one example embodiment is a method of operating a power converter, comprising: charging an inductor of a switching power converter, each charging has an on-time; and then discharging the inductor while providing current to the load; and repeating the charging and the discharging at a switching frequency. During the repeating, the example method may comprise: adjusting the switching frequency proportional to a voltage difference between an output voltage and a setpoint voltage; generating an on-time reference proportional to a frequency difference between the switching frequency and a setpoint frequency, the on-time of each charging of the inductor is based on the on-time reference; and modifying the on-time proportional to the voltage difference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC
    Inventor: Alessandro Zafarana
  • Patent number: 11736030
    Abstract: A synchronous rectification control circuit for controlling a switching circuit comprising a synchronous rectifier switch, can include: a drive circuit configured to generate a drive signal to control switching states of the synchronous rectifier switch; and a voltage regulation circuit configured to control the drive circuit to adjust an amplitude of the drive signal to decrease to a preset threshold in an adjustment state when a drain-source voltage of the synchronous rectifier switch is greater than an adjustment threshold before the synchronous rectifier switch is turned off, where a time that the voltage regulation circuit is in the adjustment state is an adjustment time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: Silergy Semiconductor Technology (Hangzhou) LTD
    Inventors: Qiao Zhang, Xinlei Li
  • Patent number: 11736002
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an adaptive soft start and soft stop device for a converter, and more particularly, provides an adaptive soft start and soft stop device for a converter which controls a final output voltage to be increased or decreased with a predetermined gradient by increasing a duty at a predetermined rate or increases a frequency during a start period using an input voltage Vin and an output voltage Vo and decreasing the duty at a predetermined rate or decreases a frequency during a stop period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: Power LSI Co. ltd
    Inventors: Won Tae Lee, Won Ji Lee, Chang Sik Shin, Chuen Sik Jung, Gyu Won Lee
  • Patent number: 11728726
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a frequency modulation device, a switching power supply and a frequency modulation method thereof. The device includes: a waveform generation unit (10) configured to generate a periodic signal required for performing frequency modulation on a clock signal of a switching power supply to be controlled; a frequency modulation unit (20) configured to perform voltage-current conversion and arithmetic processing based on the periodic signal to obtain a frequency modulation current required for performing the frequency modulation on the clock signal of the switching power supply to be controlled; and an RC oscillation unit (30) configured to perform RC oscillation processing based on the frequency modulation current to obtain a frequency oscillation signal as the clock signal of the switching power supply to be controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: GREE ELECTRIC APPLIANCES, INC. OF ZHUHAI
    Inventors: Yuming Feng, Huiping Yin, Yuhua Xie, Liang Zhang, Suibiao Huang, Xinchao Peng, Yijun Xu, Jing Wang
  • Patent number: 11722061
    Abstract: A switching regulator includes a first transistor having a control input and the first transistor is coupled to an input voltage terminal. The regulator includes a second transistor having a control input. The second transistor is coupled to the first transistor at a switch terminal and to a ground terminal. The regulator also includes a controller coupled to the control inputs of the first and second transistor. The controller configured is configured to cause both the first and second transistors to be off concurrently during each of multiple switching cycles for an adaptive high impedance state. The length of time of the adaptive high impedance state is inversely related to current output by the switching regulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Hakan Oner, Tawen Mei
  • Patent number: 11716023
    Abstract: A power converter including a piezoelectric resonator. The power converter includes a first transistor coupled between an input terminal and a first plate of the piezoelectric resonator, and a second transistor coupled between the first plate of the piezoelectric resonator and an output terminal. A load may be coupled at the output terminal. Controller circuitry has inputs coupled to the input node, the output node, and to the first plate of the piezoelectric resonator, and outputs coupled to control terminals of the first and second transistors. The controller circuitry operates to turn on the first transistor responsive to a comparison of voltages at the first plate and the input terminal, turn on the second transistor responsive to a comparison of voltages at the first plate and the output terminal, and turn off one of the first and second transistors responsive to an output level at the output terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Yinglai Xia, Yogesh Ramadass, Jessica Danielle Boles
  • Patent number: 11716009
    Abstract: A three-level converter includes a switch circuit including first to fourth switch groups with n switches. A boot diode connected to a drive circuit to drive a switch on a lowest voltage side of a second switch group includes a cathode to which an anode of another boot diode of the second switch group is connected. A boot diode connected to a drive circuit to drive a switch element on a lowest voltage side of a third switch group includes a cathode to which an anode of another boot diode of the third switch group is connected. A boot diode connected to a drive circuit to drive a switch on a lowest voltage side of a fourth switch group includes a cathode to which an anode of another boot diode of the fourth switch group is connected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yuki Ishikura
  • Patent number: 11699954
    Abstract: A multi-phase switching regulator and a switching regulating method using the multi-phase switching regulator employ an interleaving circuit. The multi-phase switching regulator includes: a first regulating circuit configured to receive an input voltage and generate a first sub-output voltage with a first phase by transforming the input voltage in response to a first set signal; a second regulating circuit configured to receive the input voltage and generate a second sub-output voltage with a second phase by transforming the input voltage in response to a second set signal; and the interleaving circuit configured to repeatedly and sequentially generate the first set signal and the second set signal by comparing a reference voltage with an output voltage generated based on the first sub-output voltage and the second sub-output voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sun-Kyu Lee, Nguyen Huyhieu, Dong-Jin Keum, Je-Hyung Yoon, Hee-Seok Han
  • Patent number: 11695320
    Abstract: In some examples, a circuit includes a resistor network, a filter, a current generator, and a capacitor. The resistor network has a resistor network output and is adapted to be coupled between a switch terminal of a power converter (104) and a ground terminal. The filter has a filter input and a filter output, the filter input coupled to the resistor network output. The current generator has a current generator output and first and second current generator inputs, the first current generator input configured to receive an input voltage and the second current generator input coupled to the filter output. The capacitor is coupled between the current generator output and the ground terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Zhangyi Xie, Neil Gibson, Stefan Herzer