Patents Examined by Michael J. Sherry
  • Patent number: 7449797
    Abstract: In a power supply unit for a storage apparatus according to the present invention, it is possible to detect a power supply abnormality inside a device of another company, for which environment information is not directly acquirable. For a load device provided by a vendor that differs from the vendor of the storage apparatus, information cannot be directly exchanged with the control part. In this load device, power is supplied from a power distribution unit. Accordingly, a load device 4 power abnormality is detected by monitoring the state of the power being supplied to the load device inside a power distribution unit. The control part outputs the detected power abnormality by associating the abnormality to the configuration of the storage apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Hideaki Takahashi
  • Patent number: 7449798
    Abstract: In a co-generated power supply system for performing dispersed power supply to a load, a wind turbine generator, a solar cell and a fuel cell whose rated voltages are made equal to a rated voltage of a storage battery are used as DC power sources. These DC power sources, a commercial AC power source and the load are connected to each other via a bi-directional electronic transformer. Thus, the co-generated power supply system, in which the electric power of a natural energy system having many fluctuation factors is combined with stable electric power such as a load leveling battery or a fuel cell, allows the stable electric power to be supplied to the load via the electronic transformer commonly, thereby reducing the cost and enhancing the performance of the entire system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: I-Hits Laboratory
    Inventors: Yasunobu Suzuki, Toru Teshima
  • Patent number: 7450357
    Abstract: An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit including a detection circuit for detecting an ESD current and a bypass circuit for bypassing the ESD current is provided. The detection circuit and the bypass circuit are coupled between a first pad and a second pad. The bypass circuit comprises a transistor, a diode, and a resistor. The drain of the transistor is coupled to the first pad. The source of the transistor is coupled to the second pad and a cathode of the diode. The substrate terminal of the transistor is coupled to an anode of the diode and an output terminal of the detection circuit. The resistor is coupled between the substrate terminal and the second pad. The diode keeps the voltage of the substrate terminal sufficient for turning on the transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: United Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventor: Shiao-Shien Chen
  • Patent number: 7450362
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus are disclosed for disconnection of a fault current which has occurred in an AC power supply system. A disconnection command which is produced in a protective device is supplied to a synchronization controller in order to open a circuit breaker, in which synchronization controller a command is delayed until the circuit breaker can be opened in synchronism with the power supply system. The method includes monitoring of the disconnection command emitted from the protective device and monitoring a fault-current signal, or a status signal emitted from the circuit breaker, and formation of an emergency disconnection command if the fault-current signal or the status signal is still present following a delay time after emission of the disconnection command, which delay time is greater than a sum of a natural response time of the circuit breaker and a time for quenching of a switching arc produced on opening of the circuit breaker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: ABB Technology AG
    Inventors: Lorenz Müller, Michael Stanek
  • Patent number: 7450354
    Abstract: A linear voltage regulator has a regulating transistor with a first channel electrode receiving an input voltage source and a second electrode providing an output voltage. A control electrode of the regulating transistor is controlled by an error amplifying circuit based on comparison between a feedback signal of the output voltage and a reference voltage. An event detecting circuit is coupled to the input voltage source for detecting occurrence of a transient in the input voltage source. In response to the detected transient event, an enable controlling circuit generates an enable signal for determining an effective operation time of a voltage clamping circuit. During such effective operation time, a potential difference between the first channel electrode and the control electrode is limited within a predetermined clamp voltage for preventing the regulating transistor from being dramatically changed in operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: Aimtron Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Ya-Der Tain, Yung-Chih Chen
  • Patent number: 7450359
    Abstract: A system and a method are disclosed for providing a temperature compensated under-voltage-lockout circuit that has a trip point voltage that is not sensitive to temperature variation. The under-voltage-lockout circuit of the invention comprises (1) an inverter circuit that is coupled to a supply voltage and (2) a temperature compensation circuit that is coupled to the supply voltage and to the inverter circuit. The temperature compensation circuit and the inverter circuit temperature compensate a trip point voltage of the inverter circuit by driving an input of the inverter circuit with a voltage that has a same temperature coefficient as the trip point voltage of the inverter circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Tawen Mei, Thomas Yang
  • Patent number: 7450364
    Abstract: A grounding device for a roll-out electrical component is provided. The grounding device includes an actuation assembly, a static grounding contact assembly, and a biasing device. The actuation assembly structured to be engaged/disengaged by a roll-out electrical component. The static grounding contact assembly has at least one static grounding contact member that is structured to move between a first position, wherein the static grounding contact member does not contact a roll-out electrical component at least one contact, and a second position, wherein the static grounding contact member contacts, and is in electrical communication with, the roll-out electrical component at least one contact. The static grounding contact assembly is coupled to the actuation assembly and responsive to the position of the roll-out electrical component. The biasing device is structured to bias the actuation assembly and the static grounding contact member to their respective first positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: Eaton Corporation
    Inventors: Paul Kimball Parker, James Edward Smith, Paul Anthony Colbaugh, Ronald Alan Carder, Douglas Michael Brandt
  • Patent number: 7450361
    Abstract: In order to set with a high precision the value of rush current flowing in the power switch circuit at the time of turning “on” the power, the internal circuit Int_Cir of the LSI is supplied with the internal source voltage Vint from the output transistor MP1 of the regulator VReg of the power switch circuit PSWC. The power switch circuit PSWC includes a control circuit CNTRLR and a start-up circuit STC. During the initial period Tint following the turning “on” of the power supply, the start-up circuit STC controls the output transistor MP1 and reduces the primary rush current so that the output current Isup of the output transistor MP1 may represent an approximately constant increment as the time passes. The difference ?V between the internal current voltage due to the charge of load capacitance C with the output current Isup controlled by the start-up circuit STC and the current voltage Vint from the regulator VReg is set within the predetermined limit to reduce the secondary rush current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: Renesas Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Takayasu Ito, Mitsuru Hiraki, Satoshi Baba, Kenichi Fukui
  • Patent number: 7450363
    Abstract: An electrical connector for connecting to an electrical apparatus within a high power circuit includes an electrical contact and an enclosure. The electrical contact is configured to connect to a bushing of an electrical apparatus within a high power circuit. The electrical contact extends along a first direction from a coupling region. The enclosure extends from the coupling region in a second direction that is nonparallel to the first direction. The enclosure includes two or more electrical devices, with each electrical device being connected to the electrical contact within the coupling region and providing a current path from the electrical apparatus to at least one external coupling device within the high power circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: Cooper Technologies Company
    Inventor: David Charles Hughes
  • Patent number: 7449801
    Abstract: In the case of a semiconductor circuit arrangement for controlling a high voltage with a series circuit of semiconductor modules, the high voltage possibly being dropped between the ends of the series circuit, increased functional reliability is achieved by each semiconductor module having a parallel circuit of at least two components, at least one first component of which can be conducting or blocking, during normal operation, for that partial voltage of the high voltage which is applied to it, by the remaining component(s) of a parallel circuit blocking, during normal operation, at least when the first component blocks, and by each semiconductor module being set up in such a manner that, in the event of a functional disturbance in the first component, the remaining component(s) permanently change(s) into a conducting state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventor: Reinhold Bayerer
  • Patent number: 7449796
    Abstract: A power over Ethernet controller supporting a plurality of powering modes, the power over Ethernet controller comprising: a pair of power sourcing equipments; and a control circuit; the control circuit being operative to control each of the pair of power sourcing equipment units in one of a first mode and a second mode, the first mode comprising operating the pair of power sourcing equipments as a single power sourcing equipment operable to power a single powered device over communication cabling, and the second mode comprising operating each of the power sourcing equipments of the pair independently so as to each be operable to power an associated powered device over communication cabling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: Microsemi Corp. - Analog Mixed Signal Group Ltd.
    Inventors: Shimon Elkayam, Eli Ohana, Dror Korcharz
  • Patent number: 7446992
    Abstract: A connector which can reduce electrostatic surges without deteriorating high-speed signals is provided. The connector in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention comprises a first terminal, a second terminal connected to the first terminal, and a surge absorbing circuit provided between the first and second terminals. The surge absorbing circuit comprises (a) a first inductor having one end connected to the first terminal; (b) a second inductor, electromagnetically coupled to the first inductor, having one end connected to the other end of the first inductor and the other end connected to the second terminal; and (c) a surge absorbing element having one end connected to the other end of the first inductor and the one end of the second inductor and the other end connected to a ground terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Yuji Terada, Koichi Ishii, Takeshi Yanata
  • Patent number: 7446990
    Abstract: An ESD protection system for I/O cells of an integrated circuit. The I/O cells of a bank of cells include a first type of I/O cells having ESD trigger circuits and a second type of I/O cells having ESD clamp devices. In one embodiment, the ESD trigger circuits of the first type are located at the same area of an active circuitry floor plan as the area in the floor plan for the ESD clamp devices of the I/O cells of the second type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: James W. Miller, Michael G. Khazhinsky, Michael Stockinger, James C. Weldon
  • Patent number: 7446432
    Abstract: An electronic device operable from one of an external power supply and a battery. The electronic device includes a display part, a power converter, an inverter generating an operating voltage for the display part, a system part generating information to be displayed on the display part and operable from an output of the power converter, a battery, an input power detector, and a switching controller. The switching controller controls power to the inverter so that where the input power detector detects availability of an external power, the switching controller supplies the external power to the power converter and the power converter supplies power to the inverter to generate the operating voltage for the display part; and where the input power detector detects the external power is not available, the switching system supplies battery power to the power converter and the inverter independently.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jae-deok Cha
  • Patent number: 7446429
    Abstract: A vehicular illuminator having a design board, behind which a sensing electrode having an aperture is located. Arranged between the design board and the sensing electrode is an LED serving as a light source and a light guide plate to defuse light from the LED. The sensing electrode is connected to an electrostatic capacity detector contained in a controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: Fujikura Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Togura, Nobumasa Misaki
  • Patent number: 7446988
    Abstract: A circuit protects a power conversion system with a feedback control loop from a fault condition. The circuit has an oscillator having an input for generating a signal with a frequency and a timer connected to the oscillator input and to the feedback control loop. The timer disables the oscillator after a period following the opening of the feedback control loop to protect the power conversion system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: Power Integrations, Inc.
    Inventors: Balu Balakrishnan, Alex Djenguerian, Leif Lund
  • Patent number: 7446438
    Abstract: A power control circuit includes an electronic switch (20) interposed between a power unit (10) and an electronic device (30), a driving circuit (40) and a mechanical switch (50). The driving circuit receives a power-on signal from the mechanical switch, and signals the electronic switch to turn on and supply power to the electronic device in accordance with the power-on signal. The electronic device controls the driving circuit to maintain the electronic switch to be on and continue the power supply to the electronic device. The electronic device further receives a power-off signal from the mechanical switch, and signals the driving circuit to turn off the electronic switch and discontinues the power supply to the electronic device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shin-Hong Chung, Han-Che Wang, Kuan-Hong Hsieh
  • Patent number: 7446993
    Abstract: An alumina sintered body comprises an alumina substrate having a first main surface and a second main surface opposing each other, an embedded film electrode made of a metal and embedded in the alumina substrate at a depth HD of 0.4 mm or less from a first main surface SF1, and an embedded terminal formed of a metal, embedded in the alumina substrate nearer a second main surface SF2 side than the embedded electrode. The embedded terminal is in contact with the embedded electrode and a film thickness HE of the embedded electrode is 25 ?m or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akiyoshi Hattori, Yutaka Mori, Kazuhiro Nobori
  • Patent number: 7446437
    Abstract: At least one aspect is directed to a transfer switch including a first input to couple a first multiphase low voltage electrical supply to the transfer switch, and a second input to couple a second multiphase low voltage electrical supply to the transfer switch. The transfer switch also includes a first set of switches in electrical communication with the first input and a second set of switches in electrical communication with the second input. A control module monitors and controls operation of both the first set of switches and the second set of switches to detect a malfunction of any switches included in at least one of the first set of switches and the second set of switches and prevent the first input from being placed in electrical communication with the second input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: American Power Conversion Corporation
    Inventors: Namwook Paik, Jamie Donalds, Emanuel Landsman, Vishwas Deokar, Fred Rodenhiser, Steve Williams
  • Patent number: 7443055
    Abstract: Systems and methods for providing redundant voltage regulation are provided. A representative method incorporates: providing a first voltage regulator and a second voltage regulator, the second voltage regulator having output rectifiers; electrically connecting the first voltage regulator to a load such that the first voltage regulator independently powers the load; disabling the output rectifiers of the second voltage regulator; detecting a fault of the first voltage regulator; responsive to the fault, enabling the output rectifiers of the second voltage regulator such that the second voltage regulator independently powers the load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2008
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Kelly Jean Pracht, Jack Lavier, Samuel M. Babb