Patents Examined by Nusrat Quddus
  • Patent number: 10802521
    Abstract: A voltage regulation system has a voltage regulator, a current-limiting circuit, and a feed-forward circuit. The voltage regulator regulates an output voltage to a desired voltage level. The current-limiting circuit controls an output current of the voltage regulator to a desired current level. The feed-forward circuit, which has a fast response time, controls an inrush current in the output current caused by a decrease in an output voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: NXP USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Liang Qiu, Meng Wang, John Pigott
  • Patent number: 10795391
    Abstract: A system includes a voltage regulator having an output voltage; a power management system, coupled to the voltage regulator, operable to continuously monitor the output voltage to determine whether the output voltage is within a range; and the power management system is operable to set the range to a normal range during normal operation, and is operable to increase the range beyond the normal range during a low power mode and during a wake-up period from a low power mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Ruchi Shankar, Somshubhra Paul, Gaurang Helekar
  • Patent number: 10797689
    Abstract: An apparatus includes an output transistor device configured to control an output voltage of an output node in response to a control signal and an input voltage. A current sensor is configured to sense an output current supplied from the output node. A feedback converter is configured to convert the sensed output current to a feedback signal that tracks the output voltage of the output node. The feedback converter is further configured to set a clamping threshold. A gate control circuit is configured to generate the control signal in response to the feedback signal. The gate control circuit is configured to clamp the output voltage of the output node via the control signal based on the clamping threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Subrato Roy, Dattatreya Baragur Suryanarayana
  • Patent number: 10797609
    Abstract: Systems and methods for transferring power across an isolation barrier using an active self-synchronized rectifier are described. A rectifier as described herein may provide DC to DC power conversion with high efficiency. Furthermore, by using a microfabricated transformer or microfabricated capacitor as an isolation component, an isolation component and rectifier may be microfabricated and implemented on chip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Analog Devices International Unlimited Company
    Inventor: Ricardo Zaplana
  • Patent number: 10797606
    Abstract: A power converter controller includes a control loop clock generator that generates a switching frequency signal in response to a sense signal representative of a characteristic of the power converter, a load signal responsive to an output load, and a limit signal representative of a maximum length of a current half cycle of the switching frequency signal. A comparator generates an enable signal in response to the load signal and a load threshold. A limit control generates the limit signal in response to the enable signal and the switching frequency signal. A rate of change of half cycles of the switching frequency signal is controlled in response to the limit signal. A request transmitter generates a request signal in response to the switching frequency signal to control switching of a switching circuit coupled to the energy transfer element and an input of the power converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Power Integrations, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert J. Mayell, Roger Colbeck, Hartley Fred Horwitz, Igor Miletic
  • Patent number: 10797614
    Abstract: A system that may include, plural inverters connected to a common bus and at least one capacitor, the inverters configured to convert a direct current (DC) through the common bus to an alternating current (AC) by alternating different switches of the inverters between open and closed states in a respective switching cycle for each of the inverters, and a controller circuit configured to reduce a ripple current conducted onto the common bus to the inverters, by controlling the inverters to apply a frequency shift to the respective switching cycle of one or more of the inverters to spread a harmonic current spectrum along the common bus. The controller circuit is configured to apply the frequency shift to at least a first inverter and a second inverter of the plural inverters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: GE Global Sourcing
    Inventors: Ajith Kuttannair Kumar, Subhas Chandra Das
  • Patent number: 10797583
    Abstract: A controller for use in a power converter includes a control loop clock generator that is coupled to generate a switching frequency signal in response to a sense signal representative of a characteristic of the power converter, a load signal responsive to an output load of the power converter, and a hard switch sense output. A hard switch sense circuit is coupled to generate the hard switch sense output in response to the switching frequency signal and a rectifier conduction signal that is representative of a polarity of an energy transfer element of the power converter. A request transmitter circuit is coupled to generate a request signal in response to the switching frequency signal to control switching of a switching circuit coupled to an input of the energy transfer element of the power converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Power Integrations, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert J. Mayell, Hartley Fred Horwitz, Igor Miletic, Roger Colbeck
  • Patent number: 10788850
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relates to a method and device for balancing a supply current. In one embodiment, a current supply current for a load is detected. A first signal representing the current supply current is transmitted to a digital logic module. A second signal representing a maximum supply current and a third signal representing a minimum supply current are received from the digital logic module. A subsequent supply current for the load is determined based on the current supply current, the maximum supply current and the minimum supply current. By using the method and device according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the supply currents of a plurality of power supply units for the load can be balanced a simple way with a low hardware cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: EMC IP Holding Company LLC
    Inventors: Sean Xu Chen, Jesse Xizhi Cui, Tao Yang, Haifang Zhai, Alice Aiqin Liu
  • Patent number: 10790754
    Abstract: Systems and methods for transferring power across an isolation barrier using an active self-synchronized resonator are described. A resonator may use the isolation barrier to resonate with active devices arranged on both sides of the barrier, to provide DC to DC power conversion with high efficiency. Furthermore, by using a microfabricated transformer or microfabricated capacitor as an isolator, the entire resonator may be microfabricated and implemented on chip. The resonator is also bidirectional, allowing power transfer in either direction across the isolation barrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: Analog Devices International Unlimited Company
    Inventor: Ricardo Zaplana
  • Patent number: 10790763
    Abstract: A system includes a bus, and a variable voltage converter (VVC) having a switch in series with a capacitor, and an inductor in parallel with the capacitor and switch, and configured such that operation of the switch in boost mode over a duty cycle range from 0 to less than 0.5 results in a corresponding voltage output to the bus from 0 to a maximum of the VVC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Baoming Ge, Lihua Chen
  • Patent number: 10790750
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides an isolated DC-DC converter and a driving method thereof. The isolated DC-DC converter includes: a switching unit connected to terminals of a power supply, comprising three pairs of switches connected in parallel, and configured to switch on and off the three pairs of switches; a transformer unit comprising a first through third transformers, each having a primary winding connected to the switching unit and a secondary winding that are wound in a predetermined turns ratio and transforming a voltage applied to the primary winding according to the turns ratio; a post-processing unit connected to the secondary winding of each of the first through third transformers and configured to rectify and filter a voltage induced in the secondary winding to generate and output an output voltage; and a control unit connected to the switching unit and configured to control switching operation of the switching unit by providing the switching unit with carriers and reference voltages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: Korea Electronics Technology Institute
    Inventors: Jin-Hong Kim, Joon-Sung Park, Jun-Hyuk Choi, Byong-Jo Hyon, Yong-Su Noh
  • Patent number: 10784710
    Abstract: A DC to AC converter is described in which DC power presented as a set of relatively floating DC power sources of differing DC voltage values is converted to a desired AC power waveform by combining the DC voltage values with sequential sets of associated ternary-valued multiplicative weights of +1, ?1, or 0, and summing the weighted voltage values, so as to produce voltage points on the desired waveform at appropriate time instants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: Koolbridge Solar, Inc.
    Inventor: Paul Wilkinson Dent
  • Patent number: 10784784
    Abstract: A power supply includes a controller integrated circuit that controls a switching operation of a primary switch based on a feedback voltage indicative of an output voltage of the power supply. The controller integrated circuit starts the switching of the primary switch when the feedback voltage reaches a first threshold voltage and stops the switching of the primary switch when the feedback voltage reaches a second threshold voltage. The controller integrated circuit adjusts the feedback voltage relative to the first threshold voltage to reduce the delay time to start switching the primary switch to increase the output voltage in response to changing load conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC
    Inventors: Bonggeun Chung, Taesung Kim, Gwanbon Koo
  • Patent number: 10784774
    Abstract: An electronic device includes a power converter and a current detector that is disposed at at least one position out of a primary-side position and a secondary-side position for the power converter and detects a current flowing at the at least one position. A snubber circuit including a capacitor is directly connected in parallel to both ends of the current detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: TDK CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tomokazu Ikarashi
  • Patent number: 10778108
    Abstract: A frequency doubling resonant converter can include a dual half bridge resonant converter configured to receive an input DC voltage and convert it to an frequency doubled AC voltage having a frequency twice the switching frequency of the dual half bridge resonant converter. The converter can further include a step down transformer configured to reduce the frequency doubled AC voltage to a stepped down AC voltage. The converter can further include a rectifier configured to convert the stepped down AC voltage into a DC output voltage for delivery to a load. The converter may optionally include an interphase transformer coupled between the step down transformer and the rectifier and configured to increase an output current of the converter. The frequency doubling resonant converter may be configured, for example, to double an output current received from the step down transformer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: InHwan Oh
  • Patent number: 10778087
    Abstract: A switching half-bridge has two field-effect transistors and a supplementary circuit arranged upstream of a gate terminal of a first field-effect transistor and formed of a first circuit branch having a damping resistor and an inductor connected in series with the damping resistor and a second circuit branch being connected in parallel with the first circuit branch and having a series resistor and an auxiliary switch connected in series with the series resistor. The half-bridge can be switched from a first switching state to a second switching state, wherein while the auxiliary switch is open, a change in the control voltage causes the first circuit branch to temporarily change the gate-source voltage of the first field-effect transistor from the switch-on level to a second switch-off level greater than a first switch-off level, with the gate-source voltage thereafter returning to the first switch-off level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Andreas März, Mark-Matthias Bakran
  • Patent number: 10778110
    Abstract: A power converter is basically provided with at least three switching circuits, at least one power source, at least one load, and a resonant circuit. Input terminals of the switching circuits are connected to either the at least one power source or the at least one load, and output terminals of the switching circuits are electrically serially connected to the resonant circuit to form a closed circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignees: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Shigeharu Yamagami, Khai Doan The Ngo
  • Patent number: 10778101
    Abstract: A controller for a multi-phase switching regulator includes an error amplifier configured to generate an error signal indicative of the difference between a feedback voltage and a reference voltage; a loop calculator configured to generate control signals in response to the error signal to drive the power stages; and a dynamic phase management control circuit configured to generate a power efficiency value in response to the input current, the input voltage, the output current, and the output voltage. The dynamic phase management control circuit generates a phase selection signal indicating a first number of power stages to be activated in response to the first current signal and the power efficiency value. The phase selection signal is provided to the loop calculator to activate the first number of power stages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: ALPHA AND OMEGA SEMICONDUCTOR (CAYMAN) LTD.
    Inventor: Richard Schmitz
  • Patent number: 10770972
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides an asymmetric switching capacitor regulator that is capable of providing an output voltage, covering a wide voltage range, with a high efficiency. The disclosed switching capacitor regulator is configured to generate a wide range of an output voltage by differentiating a voltage across one or more switching capacitors from a voltage across the rest of the switching capacitors in the switching capacitor regulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Lion Semiconductor Inc.
    Inventors: John Crossley, Hanh-Phuc Le, Alberto Alessandro Angelo Puggelli
  • Patent number: 10763751
    Abstract: A device and method for controlling a power converter. The device includes an activation terminal configured to obtain a first voltage based on the input voltage; a controlling terminal configured to obtain a second voltage based on the output voltage; and a digital controller configured to obtain a driving power based on the first voltage and/or the second voltage; the digital controller is configured to obtain the driving power at least based on the first voltage when the power converter is stopped. Therefore, a sufficient driving power can be provided for the digital controller even when the power converter is stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: Sanken Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Junichi Takada, Mitsutomo Yoshinaga, Toshihiro Nakano, Koichi Shiotsu, Satoshi Funakoshi