Abstract: An apparatus for providing synchronous rectifier gate drive timing is described. The apparatus includes circuitry to receive a first signal. The apparatus also includes circuitry to generate a second signal by modifying the first signal to delay a transition from high to low for a non-zero overlap duration. An output to apply an inverse of the first signal as a gate drive timing of at least a first transistor and to apply the second signal as a gate drive timing of at least a second transistor, where the first transistor is a part of a primary side of a full-bridge synchronous rectifier and the second transistor is a part of a secondary side of the full-bridge synchronous rectifier is also included. The second signal and the inverse of the first signal are high during the overlap duration. Methods and program storage devices are also disclosed.

Abstract: A touch sensor employing capacitive sensing technology in which a series of conductive pads enabling the detection of levels of capacitance imparted to each of the conductive pads as a result of the close proximity of a tip of a digit of a user, in which adjacent pairs of the conductive pads form slider controls, in which one of the conductive pads is a corner-type conductive pad at which two adjacent slider controls formed by the corner-type conductive pad and each of two adjacent conductive pads forms a corner in the series of slider controls, and in which the series of slider controls perhaps forms a rectangular ring shape loop of slider controls in which there are four of the corner-type conductive pads at which four different pairs of slider controls meet at right angles.

Abstract: An apparatus in which an outer conductive ring surrounds the periphery of a touch-sensitive surface of a touch sensor serving as a manually-operable control, wherein a portion of the outer conductive ring is also between the touch-sensitive surface and another manually-operable control that lacks the ability to sense the mere touch of a tip of a digit of a user. A processing device causes the level of capacitance of the outer conductive ring to be measured on a recurring basis for instances of an amount of additional capacitance above a minimum capacitance threshold, and employs such amounts of additional capacitance in a comparison to distinguish between the user interacting with a control surface defined on the touch-sensitive surface of the touch sensor or the other manually-operable control.

Abstract: A system and method for providing the self-drive of synchronous rectifiers used in isolated power converters is provided. A transformer having a primary winding, a secondary winding and a drive winding is used between a front end connected to a source and a back end coupled to a load. The primary winding is coupled to the source and the secondary winding is coupled to the back end which in turn is coupled to the load. The drive winding is magnetically coupled to the primary winding by way of a turns ratio. The output of the drive winding is used to reliably control the gates of MOSFETs used in the back end. The drive winding can be configured to output voltages sufficient to reliably turn the MOSFETs on over the entire operating range of the power converter. In addition, use of a drive winding simplifies construction of the back end by reducing the number of electronic components needed in the back end.

Abstract: A transformer has a primary winding made from a first conducting trace formed on a first multilayer printed circuit board, and a secondary winding made from a second conducting trace formed on a second multilayer printed circuit board. The primary winding is magnetically coupled to the secondary winding. The windings are etched as traces in copper layers of the PC boards as spirals. The spiral of one copper layer is connected to the spiral of a different copper layer by a via, or vias, formed through the insulating layer of the PC board. The vias are drilled, cleaned, and plated with conducting material, for example copper. By using multiple layers, and by connecting spiral windings of each layer to the windings of the next layer by use of vias, any number of turns can be built into a primary winding, or into a secondary winding.

Abstract: The invention is a transformer having one winding, for example the secondary, built as tracings in a first multilayer PC board. The primary windings are made as a separate second PC board. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the second PC board containing the primary windings is attached to the first PC board by attachment tabs built into the second PC board, and the tabs are soldered to receiving attachment pads of the first PC board. In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the first PC board has various other components mounted thereon. For example, the secondary windings of a power transformer along with the power supply circuits are all built into a first single PC board. In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the windings are etched as traces in copper layers of the PC boards as spirals. The spiral of one copper layer is connected to the spiral of a different copper layer by a via, or vias, formed through the insulating layer of the PC board.

Abstract: A synch FET power supply uses a plurality of electronic switches to periodically connect the primary of a transformer to a direct current input source of power to generate a time varying magnetic field. The time varying magnetic field is coupled to two secondary windings. An electronic switch connected to each secondary winding periodically connects its secondary to the other output terminal. A reference voltage is applied to the control circuits, and the control circuits adjust the switches so that the output voltage tracks the reference voltage. Logic AND gates control the “turn on” signals to the electronic switches in the secondary circuits so that the secondary windings are not connected to an output terminal until a “synch FET enable” signal is applied to the AND gates.

Abstract: An inductor is formed by two traces on a multilayer PC board passing through a ferromagnetic “E” shaped core. The first trace is the positive output bus of the DC power supply, and the second trace is the negative output bus of the DC power supply. Sense lines used to sense voltage levels in the load are put through the same opening in the ferromagnetic “E” core as an output bus trace. The sense lines are traces in a level of the multilevel PC board.

Abstract: The invention replaces a snubber resistor with a two diodes and a load. The electric charge stored in the snubber capacitor on each cycle of the switch is then caused by a first diode to flow through the load, rather than to flow through a snubber resistor. A second diode provides a charging path for the snubber capacitor. The load uses the electric power which would be wasted in the snubber resistor.

Abstract: A full bridge and half bridge dc-dc converter including a primary side having switching devices connected to a transformer, and a primary side controller, a secondary side including switching devices connected to a secondary side of the transformer, an inductor, and secondary side controller, a central control synchronizing the primary side controller and the secondary side controller, and a set of rules for controlling the primary side and secondary side switches such that a utilization rate exceeds fifty percent.