Patents by Inventor Kazuhito Ayukawa

Kazuhito Ayukawa 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: 9755543
    Abstract: Switching loss is reduced by decreasing the switching frequency of a PFC power supply in light load condition, whereas the switching frequency is maintained high in heavy load operation. Efficiency in light load operation is thus improved without enlarging a boosting inductor and an output smoothing capacitor. A capacitor is provided in a triangular wave generating circuit and the triangular wave generating circuit outputs a triangular wave by charging and discharging this capacitor. Charging and discharging of the capacitor are controlled by an oscillation frequency control circuit output current which is input to a comparator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhito Ayukawa, Nobutoshi Kasai, Daisuke Iijima
  • Publication number: 20160111891
    Abstract: The present invention realizes stabler output voltage variable control in a power supply unit. A power supply unit capable of changing dynamic output voltage has: a first regulator for dropping down voltage by a switching method and outputting the resultant voltage to a first node; and a second regulator for dropping down the input voltage by a voltage drop and outputting the resultant voltage to the first node. In the case where a target voltage instructed by first information is larger than a predetermined threshold voltage, the power supply unit controls so that the voltage of the first node becomes the target voltage and stops supply of voltage from the second regulator. In the case where the target voltage is smaller than the predetermined threshold voltage, the power supply unit controls the second regulator so that the voltage of the first node becomes the target voltage and stops output of voltage from the first regulator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2015
    Publication date: April 21, 2016
    Inventor: Kazuhito Ayukawa
  • Patent number: 9164521
    Abstract: The present invention realizes stabler output voltage variable control in a power supply unit. A power supply unit capable of changing dynamic output voltage has: a first regulator for dropping down voltage, by a switching method and outputting the resultant voltage to a first node; and a second regulator for dropping down the input voltage by a voltage drop and outputting the resultant voltage to the first node. In the case where a target voltage instructed by first information is larger than a predetermined threshold voltage, the power supply unit controls so that the voltage of the first node becomes the target voltage and stops supply of voltage from the second regulator. In the case where the target voltage is smaller than the predetermined threshold voltage, the power supply unit controls the second regulator so that the voltage of the first node becomes the target voltage and stops output of voltage from the first regulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kazuhito Ayukawa
  • Publication number: 20150070940
    Abstract: A multi-phase transformer type DC-DC converter. In one embodiment, the multi-phase transformer type DC-DC converter includes a plurality of DC-DC converters comprising a plurality of transformers, respectively, wherein the plurality of DC-DC converters are coupled in parallel between an input and an output. A circuit is coupled to the plurality of DC-DC converters and configured to generate a plurality of clock signals for use by the plurality of DC-DC converters, respectively, wherein the plurality of clock signals are phase shifted with respect to each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2014
    Publication date: March 12, 2015
    Inventors: Tetsuo Sato, Kazuhito Ayukawa, Hiroshi Murakami
  • Publication number: 20140321174
    Abstract: Switching loss is reduced by decreasing the switching frequency of a PFC power supply in light load condition, whereas the switching frequency is maintained high in heavy load operation. Efficiency in light load operation is thus improved without enlarging a boosting inductor and an output smoothing capacitor. A capacitor is provided in a triangular wave generating circuit and the triangular wave generating circuit outputs a triangular wave by charging and discharging this capacitor. Charging and discharging of the capacitor are controlled by an oscillation frequency control circuit output current which is input to a comparator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2014
    Publication date: October 30, 2014
    Inventors: Kazuhito AYUKAWA, Nobutoshi KASAI, Daisuke IIJIMA
  • Patent number: 8810230
    Abstract: Switching loss is reduced by decreasing the switching frequency of a PFC power supply in light load condition, whereas the switching frequency is maintained high in heavy load operation. Efficiency in light load operation is thus improved without enlarging a boosting inductor and an output smoothing capacitor. A capacitor is provided in a triangular wave generating circuit and the triangular wave generating circuit outputs a triangular wave by charging and discharging this capacitor. Charging and discharging of the capacitor are controlled by an oscillation frequency control circuit output current which is input to a comparator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhito Ayukawa, Nobutoshi Kasai, Daisuke Iijima
  • Publication number: 20140057575
    Abstract: The present invention realizes stabler output voltage variable control in a power supply unit. A power supply unit capable of changing dynamic output voltage has: a first regulator for dropping down voltage, by a switching method and outputting the resultant voltage to a first node; and a second regulator for dropping down the input voltage by a voltage drop and outputting the resultant voltage to the first node. In the case where a target voltage instructed by first information is larger than a predetermined threshold voltage, the power supply unit controls so that the voltage of the first node becomes the target voltage and stops supply of voltage from the second regulator. In the case where the target voltage is smaller than the predetermined threshold voltage, the power supply unit controls the second regulator so that the voltage of the first node becomes the target voltage and stops output of voltage from the first regulator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2013
    Publication date: February 27, 2014
    Applicant: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Kazuhito Ayukawa
  • Patent number: 8130520
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to largely improve the efficiency at the time of light load of a power supply apparatus using a power factor correction (PFC) controller. A PFC controller is provided with a voltage-current converter. The voltage-current converter converts voltage of a signal output from an error amplifier for detecting voltage level of output voltage to an arbitrary current value and outputs the current value as a correction current. The voltage-current converter outputs a correction current of a large current value when the error amplifier detects that the load is light, and the PFC controller performs control to decrease the output voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhito Ayukawa, Nobutoshi Kasai
  • Patent number: 8125203
    Abstract: A PFC counter which controls a switching element of voltage step-up chopper circuits arranged in parallel has a circuit (SLOG) generating a switch signal (GD_S) whose phase is shifted from that of a switch signal of one of the switching elements. This circuit has a first counter (COUNTM) which counts clock signals by a cycle unit of one of the switch signals; a second counter (COUNTS) which counts clock signals by a cycle unit having a predetermined phase difference with respect to one of the switch signals; and a first register (REG1) which holds a value counted by the first counter corresponding to a high-level period of one of the switch signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhito Ayukawa, Tomohiro Tazawa
  • Publication number: 20110255319
    Abstract: Switching loss is reduced by decreasing the switching frequency of a PFC power supply in light load condition, whereas the switching frequency is maintained high in heavy load operation. Efficiency in light load operation is thus improved without enlarging a boosting inductor and an output smoothing capacitor. A capacitor is provided in a triangular wave generating circuit and the triangular wave generating circuit outputs a triangular wave by charging and discharging this capacitor. Charging and discharging of the capacitor are controlled by an oscillation frequency control circuit output current which is input to a comparator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2011
    Publication date: October 20, 2011
    Applicant: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhito AYUKAWA, Nobutoshi KASAI, Daisuke IIJIMA
  • Publication number: 20110242861
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method of improving efficiency in a full load region in a PFC power source of an active filter method by controlling a switch circuit of the PFC power source in association with an output power of the PFC power source. A pair of two switches controlling charging/discharging an inductor is provided. A MOSFET switch having a small current capacity is used as one of the switches, and an IGBT switch of a large current capacity is used as the other switch. When an output of a voltage dividing circuit for dividing voltage of an output terminal of the PFC power source is smaller than a threshold voltage, only the MOSFET switch is operated. When the output exceeds a threshold voltage, the IGBT switch is also operated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2011
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Applicant: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhito AYUKAWA, Nobutoshi KASAI, Kenya YAMAUCHI, Takamitsu KANAZAWA, Daisuke IIJIMA, Mamoru KITAMURA, Makoto NAKAMURA
  • Publication number: 20100097041
    Abstract: A PFC counter which controls a switching element of voltage step-up chopper circuits arranged in parallel has a circuit (SLOG) generating a switch signal (GD_S) whose phase is shifted from that of a switch signal of one of the switching elements. This circuit has a first counter (COUNTM) which counts clock signals by a cycle unit of one of the switch signals; a second counter (COUNTS) which counts clock signals by a cycle unit having a predetermined phase difference with respect to one of the switch signals; and a first register (REG1) which holds a value counted by the first counter corresponding to a high-level period of one of the switch signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2007
    Publication date: April 22, 2010
    Applicant: RENESAS TECHNOLOGY CORP.
    Inventors: Kazuhito Ayukawa, Tomohiro Tazawa
  • Publication number: 20090257258
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to largely improve the efficiency at the time of light load of a power supply apparatus using a PFC controller. A PFC controller is provided with a voltage-current converter. The voltage-current converter converts voltage of a signal output from an error amplifier for detecting voltage level of output voltage to an arbitrary current value and outputs the current value as a correction current. The voltage-current converter outputs a correction current of a large current value when the error amplifier detects that the load is light, and the PFC controller performs control to decrease the output voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2009
    Publication date: October 15, 2009
    Inventors: Kazuhito AYUKAWA, Nobutoshi Kasai