Patents Examined by Rafael O. De León Domenech
  • Patent number: 11411502
    Abstract: According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a single-stage converter includes a rectifying circuit and a buck-boost circuit. The buck-boost circuit includes an inductor with a center tap configured to supply an output of the buck-boost circuit to the rectifying circuit. The buck-boost circuit also includes first and second interleaved arms arranged in parallel with a voltage input of the single-stage converter. The first and second interleaved arms are each coupled to the inductor and include a plurality of switches operable to control the output of the buck-boost circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: ABB Power Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Yuxiang Shi, Liming Liu, Jing Xu
  • Patent number: 11404956
    Abstract: A power conversion device which includes an input terminal that receives a rectified AC power, an active power factor correction circuit including a switching element that turns on or off and boosts an input voltage to correspond to a turn on time, an output terminal connected to an output of the active power factor correction circuit. The power conversion device includes a comparator that compares an output voltage of the output terminal with a reference voltage and outputs a signal having a different magnitude depending on the comparison result, a control circuit that adjusts a duty cycle of the control signal depending on an output signal of the comparator, and a discharge circuit electrically connected between the input terminal and an output of the comparator, and when the input voltage is equal to or greater than a first specified voltage, that discharges the output of the comparator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Sungyong Joo, Jeongil Kang
  • Patent number: 11404962
    Abstract: Disclosed is a power converter circuit and a method for operating the power converter circuit. The power converter circuit includes at least one converter stage and a control circuit. The at least one converter stage includes an input configured to receive an input power, an output configured to supply an output power, a first electronic switch, and a first inductor coupled to the first electronic switch. The control circuit includes a hysteresis controller configured to drive the first electronic switch based on a current measurement signal representing a current through the inductor, a first threshold signal, and a second threshold signal, and an operating point controller configured to detect an operating point of the converter stage to generate the first threshold signal and the second threshold signal based on the detected operating point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventors: Dominik Neumayr, Dominik Bortis, Gerald Deboy, Marc Fahlenkamp, Johann Kolar, Martin Krueger, Anthony Sanders
  • Patent number: 11387741
    Abstract: Apparatus and associated methods relate to a Meissner Engine Regulator (MER) that includes a superconducting inductive element (SCIE) supplying a secondary winding coupled to recirculate excess energy from the SCIE core to a feedback winding controlled to regulate the SCIE magnetic field strength to be substantially at or below a critical magnetic field strength (HC). In an illustrative example, Hc may be the maximum field strength to obtain the Meissner effect in the SCIE. In some examples, the SCIE may be wound with n-filar windings. The SCIE may further include a first primary electrically coupled to and powered by a DC-to-AC power inverter, for example. The secondary winding may operate to remove excess energy from the magnetic field in the SCIE, for example, and store it in a capacitor. The SCIE may be supercooled, with liquid nitrogen, for example, such that the MER reaches electrical efficiencies approaching 100%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Inventor: Chauncey Bigelow Sayre
  • Patent number: 11381160
    Abstract: A method for controlling a switched tank converter (STC) includes (a) driving a first resonant tank circuit of the STC at a first frequency and with a first fixed on-time, to obtain a first fixed ratio of output voltage of the STC to input voltage of the STC, while the STC is powering a load having a first magnitude and (b) driving the first resonant tank circuit of the STC at a second frequency and with the first fixed on-time, to obtain the first fixed ratio of output voltage of the STC to input voltage of the STC while the STC is powering a load having a second magnitude. The second frequency is smaller than the first frequency, and the second magnitude is smaller than the first magnitude.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Salvatore G. Pastorina, Tonio Gaetano Biondi, Thurein Soe Paing, Andrea Pizzutelli, Michael D. McJimsey, Andrew J. Burstein
  • Patent number: 11374493
    Abstract: A circuit to control the peak current of a single inductor multiple output (SIMO) power converter operating in continuous current mode (CCM) is disclosed. The circuit generates a peak-current threshold signal that can be raised or lowered based on an error signal generated by comparing output voltages to their respective regulated levels. Additionally, the circuit can lower the peak-current threshold signal when an energy storage element of the SIMO power converter is in a freewheeling state. The lowering can occur at a rate that continues as long at the freewheeling state persists. The disclosed circuits and methods allow the peak-current threshold to converge on a level that facilitates the sufficient charging of the energy storage element to provide enough energy to the outputs but not excessive charging so as to increase ohmic loss associated with the freewheeling state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC
    Inventor: Gabriel Eirea
  • Patent number: 11368084
    Abstract: A current converter unit for a high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) transmission contains a first converter and a second converter. A first direct-current terminal of the first converter is connected to a first conductor terminal point for a first HVDC transmission conductor. A second direct-current terminal of the first converter is connected to a first direct-current terminal of the second converter such that a connection point is formed. A second direct-current terminal of the second converter is connected to a second conductor terminal point for a second HVDC transmission conductor. The connection point is connected to ground potential by a current-damping electric component, and the connection point is connected to the ground potential by a direct-current switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: SIEMENS ENERGY GLOBAL GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventors: Dominik Ergin, Matthias Burkhardt
  • Patent number: 11362588
    Abstract: A power conversion circuit includes a first switch branch, a second switch branch, a third switch branch, a filter branch, and a first capacitor. A first terminal of the first capacitor is connected to a power source through the first switch branch, and a second terminal of the first capacitor is grounded through the second switch branch. The filter branch includes a filter inductor and a filter capacitor. A first terminal of the filter inductor is connected to the first terminal of the first capacitor, and a second terminal of the filter inductor is connected to a first terminal of the filter capacitor. A second terminal of the filter capacitor is grounded, and the filter capacitor is connected in parallel with the load. The third switch branch is connected between the second terminal of the first capacitor and the second terminal of the filter inductor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jun Song, Pengfei Wang
  • Patent number: 11362590
    Abstract: One or more embodiments relate to a current limit mode control circuit for a buck-boost converter which can provide a stable switching of the converter by operating the converter in a current limit mode during an overcurrent condition, performing fewer state transitions while in the current limit mode, and/or by clamping (reducing to a lower value) the output of an error amplifier in the current limit mode for controlling a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal that drives the switching transistors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: RENESAS ELECTRONICS AMERICA INC.
    Inventors: Michael Jason Houston, Allan Warrington
  • Patent number: 11356022
    Abstract: An inductor current detecting circuit is provided. A current supplying circuit supplies a first current signal to an energy storage circuit having a zero voltage during a high-side conduction time, and a second current signal to the energy storage circuit having the zero voltage during a low-side conduction time. A voltage comparator circuit subtracts a valley voltage of a low-side switch from a peak voltage of a high-side switch to obtain a reference voltage, and outputs a comparison signal according to a voltage of the energy storage circuit and a reference voltage. A current modulation controller circuit modulates currents of the first and second current signals according to the comparison signal. A synthesizing circuit synthesizes the first and the second current signals, each of which charges the voltage of the energy storage circuit to be equal to the reference voltage from zero, to obtain an inductor current signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: ANPEC ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Chih-Yuan Chen
  • Patent number: 11353900
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided, where the apparatus includes a first domain including first one or more circuitries, and a second domain including second one or more circuitries. The apparatus may further include a first voltage regulator (VR) to supply power to the first domain from a power bus, a second VR to supply power to the second domain from the power bus, and a third VR coupled between the first and second domains. The third VR may at least one of: transmit power to at least one of the first or second domains, or receive power from at least one of the first or second domains.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Beomseok Choi, Siddharth Kulasekaran, Krishna Bharath
  • Patent number: 11349396
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for operating a DC-DC converter in an interleaved (or rotating) pulse frequency modulation (PFM) mode is disclosed. A DC-DC converter includes a number of inductor pairs, with each inductor coupled to a corresponding pulse control circuit. During a cycle in which one of the pulse control circuits sources a current pulse through its respectively coupled inductor, a second pulse control circuit coupled to the other inductor of the pair determines if a voltage on its output node (e.g., where it is coupled to its inductor) is less than a threshold voltage. Responsive to determining that the voltage on its output node is less than the threshold, the second pulse control circuit activates a current path through the other inductor of the pair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Couleur, Shawn Searles, Nikola Jovanovic
  • Patent number: 11349383
    Abstract: A fault protection method used in a multiphase switching converter which includes a plurality of switching circuits coupled in parallel and a plurality of control circuits configured in a daisy chain. Each control circuit has a first terminal coupled to a phase control signal, a second terminal coupled to a previous control circuit in the daisy chain to receive a phase input signal, and a third terminal coupled to a latter control circuit in the daisy chain to provide a phase output signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: Chengdu Monolithic Power Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Lijie Jiang, Yongheng Sun
  • Patent number: 11342837
    Abstract: A short-circuit determination device is provided in a switching power supply device. The switching power supply device converts a power supply voltage applied between an upper power supply line and a lower power supply line and outputs the power supply voltage to a load through an intermediate node. The switching power supply device includes a plurality of upper switching elements and a lower switching element. Each of the plurality of upper switching elements has an electrical conduction terminal and a control terminal. The electrical conduction terminals are connected in series between the upper power supply line and the intermediate node. The control terminals are driven at a same level as each other. The lower switching element has an electrical conduction terminal connected between the lower power supply line and the intermediate node. The lower switching element and the plurality of upper switching elements are connected in series.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shigeki Otsuka
  • Patent number: 11342862
    Abstract: A method of operating a multilevel converter having multiple phase modules, each with three phase module branches. In a first switching position, a switching device of each phase module connects an alternating voltage connection of the phase module to a first connection point between a first phase module branch and a third phase module branch. In a second switching position, the switching device connects the alternating voltage connection to a second connection point between the third phase module branch and a second phase module branch. In the method, circulating currents of the multilevel converter are controlled in accordance with total energy variables and differential energy variables of the phase modules to balance the energy between the phase module branches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: Siemens Energy Global GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Sanad Al-Areqi, Adnan Chaudhry, Volker Hussennether
  • Patent number: 11329548
    Abstract: A voltage clamp circuit comprises an input portion arranged to receive an input voltage at an input terminal. The input portion comprises a clamp diode having an anode connected to the input terminal. A first terminal of a switching element is connected to a cathode of the clamp diode and a control terminal of the switching element is connected to a reference node (Vref). A resonant tank portion comprises an inductor and a capacitor connected in series at a resonance node (Vres). The resonance node is connected to a second terminal of the switching element. The capacitor is connected between the resonance node and the first terminal of the switching element. The inductor is connected between the resonance node and an output terminal of the voltage clamp. When a voltage at the first terminal of the switching element is greater than a threshold value the switching element is turned on.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventor: Andrew F. McLean
  • Patent number: 11323040
    Abstract: The purpose of the present disclosure is to protect a power circuit of a base station in a wireless communication system, the base station comprising: at least one module for processing a signal; and the power circuit for supplying power to the at least one module. The power circuit comprises a transformer, a rectifier circuit and a smoothing circuit, and the power circuit reduces the ratio of an on-section of the rectifier circuit if a reverse current from the at least one module is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jeonggyu Park
  • Patent number: 11303200
    Abstract: A power supply device according to the present disclosure includes a first resistor and a second resistor connected in series between an output terminal and a reference potential; a power converter connected to the output terminal and a reference point between the first resistor and the second resistor, configured to supply a first voltage to the output terminal, and configured to control the first voltage to cause a second voltage generated at the reference point, to have a predetermined value; a protective current output circuit configured to output a protective current depending on an output current supplied to the output terminal and a limit current; and a control circuit to which the protective current is input, the control circuit being configured to draw in, from the reference point, a drawn-in current obtained by subtracting the protective current from a set current depending on a set value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takahiro Hayakawa, Satoshi Azuhata
  • Patent number: 11296595
    Abstract: A multiphase interleaved forward power converter includes an inductor and first and second subconverter comprising respective transformers. The converter also includes first and second drives configured to respectively operate the first and second subconverters with cycling periods comprising a conduction period, a reset period, and an idle period. The first and second drives are also configured to phase shift the cycling periods in each subconverter such that the conduction period of the subconverter is at least partially complementary to the idle period of the other subconverter. The second drive also clamps a voltage across a winding of the transformer of the first subconverter to substantially prevent a first resonance voltage from propagating in the first subconverter during the idle period of the first subconverter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: Astec International Limited
    Inventors: John Faustino Boqueo Begino, III, Nathaniel Franco Neri
  • Patent number: 11289996
    Abstract: A converter assembly has multi-phase multi-stage converters which are connected to parallel-connected transformers. The converter assembly contains series-connected partial converters, each having three parallel-connected bipolar phase modules, which are formed of two series-connected converter modules. The connection points of the converter modules form the phase connections for the transformers. The phase modules of a first partial converter consist only of unipolar sub-modules and those of a second partial converter consists only of bipolar sub-modules. A controller respectively reduces at least the partial DC voltage of the second partial converter, wherein the partial DC voltage thereof can be inverted at least until compensating the partial DC voltage of the first partial converter if the direct current exceeds a target value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: Siemens Energy Global GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Andre Schoen