Patents by Inventor Heiko Rettinger

Heiko Rettinger has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11611332
    Abstract: A gate driver includes: an input pin for receiving switching control information from a controller; an output pin for driving a control terminal of a power transistor; a power supply pin for receiving power from an external supply; an input side electrically connected to the input pin; an output side electrically connected to the output pin and the power supply pin; and an isolation structure galvanically isolating the input side and the output side from one another. The output side is configured to transfer a fraction of the power received at the power supply pin to the input side over the isolation structure for powering the input side. The input side is configured to convey the switching control information received at the input pin to the output side over the isolation structure. A power electronic system that includes the gate driver is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventor: Heiko Rettinger
  • Patent number: 9923482
    Abstract: A system and method for a power inverter with controllable clamps comprises a first voltage swing path, the first voltage swing path including a first plurality of power transistors, the first voltage swing path producing portions of a positive half-wave of an output signal when active; a second voltage swing path, the second voltage swing path including a second plurality of power transistors, the second voltage swing path producing portions of a negative half-wave of the output signal when active; a first clamping component coupled to the first voltage swing path, the first clamping component forming a freewheeling path for the first voltage swing path, the first clamping component comprising a control terminal, the first clamping component having a first stored charge when the control terminal is in a first state and a second stored charge when the control terminal is in a second state, the first stored charge being greater than the second stored charge; and a second clamping component coupled to the secon
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AG
    Inventors: Johannes Georg Laven, Heiko Rettinger, Roman Baburske, Uwe Jansen, Thomas Basler
  • Publication number: 20180026548
    Abstract: A system and method for a power inverter with controllable clamps comprises a first voltage swing path, the first voltage swing path including a first plurality of power transistors, the first voltage swing path producing portions of a positive half-wave of an output signal when active; a second voltage swing path, the second voltage swing path including a second plurality of power transistors, the second voltage swing path producing portions of a negative half-wave of the output signal when active; a first clamping component coupled to the first voltage swing path, the first clamping component forming a freewheeling path for the first voltage swing path, the first clamping component comprising a control terminal, the first clamping component having a first stored charge when the control terminal is in a first state and a second stored charge when the control terminal is in a second state, the first stored charge being greater than the second stored charge; and a second clamping component coupled to the secon
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2016
    Publication date: January 25, 2018
    Inventors: Johannes Georg Laven, Heiko Rettinger, Roman Baburske, Uwe Jansen, Thomas Basler
  • Patent number: 9641168
    Abstract: A method for controlling a first switch and a second switch is suggested, wherein each switch is an RC-IGBT and wherein both switches are arranged as a half-bridge circuit. The method includes: controlling the first switch in an IGBT-mode; controlling the second switch such that it becomes desaturated when being in a DIODE-mode; wherein controlling the second switch starts before and lasts at least as long as the first switch changes its IGBT-mode from blocking state to conducting state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Johannes Georg Laven, Heiko Rettinger, Roman Baburske
  • Patent number: 9627971
    Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods for monitoring overcurrent and zero voltage are disclosed. These devices, systems, and methods monitor an input/output pin of an electronic device to determine a period of time when monitoring for an overcurrent of the input/output pin of the electronic device is not performed and compare a first input voltage to a first reference voltage during the period of time when monitoring for the overcurrent of the input/output pin of the electronic device is not performed so as to determine when a diode is conducting current, the diode being located across a switch being monitored for a zero voltage state, wherein the diode conducting current indicates that the switch is at the zero voltage state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventors: Martin Pavlovsky, Heiko Rettinger
  • Publication number: 20160352326
    Abstract: A method for controlling a first switch and a second switch is suggested, wherein each switch is an RC-IGBT and wherein both switches are arranged as a half-bridge circuit. The method includes: controlling the first switch in an IGBT-mode; controlling the second switch such that it becomes desaturated when being in a DIODE-mode; wherein controlling the second switch starts before and lasts at least as long as the first switch changes its IGBT-mode from blocking state to conducting state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2015
    Publication date: December 1, 2016
    Inventors: Johannes Georg Laven, Heiko Rettinger, Roman Baburske
  • Publication number: 20160181919
    Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods for monitoring overcurrent and zero voltage are disclosed. These devices, systems, and methods monitor an input/output pin of an electronic device to determine a period of time when monitoring for an overcurrent of the input/output pin of the electronic device is not performed and compare a first input voltage to a first reference voltage during the period of time when monitoring for the overcurrent of the input/output pin of the electronic device is not performed so as to determine when a diode is conducting current, the diode being located across a switch being monitored for a zero voltage state, wherein the diode conducting current indicates that the switch is at the zero voltage state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2014
    Publication date: June 23, 2016
    Inventors: Martin Pavlovsky, Heiko Rettinger