Patents by Inventor Kazuki Sasao
Kazuki Sasao 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).
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Patent number: 12009750Abstract: A DC/DC converter includes N inductors and N power modules which correspond to N phases. At least one of the N power modules is mounted on a sub-mounting surface that is opposite to a main mounting surface of a printed circuit board.Type: GrantFiled: October 18, 2019Date of Patent: June 11, 2024Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.Inventors: Kazuki Sasao, Etsuji Kaneko, Hideki Ito
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Patent number: 11824429Abstract: A DC/DC converter includes N inductors and N power modules which correspond to N phases. The N inductors each include a plurality of inductor chips that are electrically connected in parallel to each other. The plurality of inductor chips are mounted separately on a main mounting surface and a sub-mounting surface of a printed circuit board. The sub-mounting surface is opposite to the main mounting surface.Type: GrantFiled: October 18, 2019Date of Patent: November 21, 2023Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.Inventors: Kazuki Sasao, Masanori Hayashibara, Hideki Ito
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Patent number: 11647593Abstract: A printed circuit board has an in-pad via. In a first step, a component is mounted on a first surface of a printed circuit board. A screen to be used in a second step has openings at positions corresponding to those of a plurality of pads on a second surface and has a recess positioned to overlap an in-pad via. Solder cream is applied from above the screen, and the screen is removed. Then, a component is mounted on the second surface.Type: GrantFiled: October 18, 2019Date of Patent: May 9, 2023Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.Inventors: Kazuki Sasao, Katsushi Wada
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Publication number: 20210345496Abstract: A printed circuit board has an in-pad via. In a first step, a component is mounted on a first surface of a printed circuit board. A screen to be used in a second step has openings at positions corresponding to those of a plurality of pads on a second surface and has a recess positioned to overlap an in-pad via. Solder cream is applied from above the screen, and the screen is removed. Then, a component is mounted on the second surface.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 18, 2019Publication date: November 4, 2021Applicant: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.Inventors: Kazuki Sasao, Katsushi Wada
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Publication number: 20210328515Abstract: A DC/DC converter includes N inductors and N power modules which correspond to N phases. At least one of the N power modules is mounted on a sub-mounting surface that is opposite to a main mounting surface of a printed circuit board.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 18, 2019Publication date: October 21, 2021Applicant: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.Inventors: Kazuki Sasao, Etsuji Kaneko, Hideki Ito
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Publication number: 20210328513Abstract: A DC/DC converter includes N inductors and N power modules which correspond to N phases. The N inductors each include a plurality of inductor chips that are electrically connected in parallel to each other. The plurality of inductor chips are mounted separately on a main mounting surface and a sub-mounting surface of a printed circuit board. The sub-mounting surface is opposite to the main mounting surface.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 18, 2019Publication date: October 21, 2021Applicant: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.Inventors: Kazuki Sasao, Masanori Hayashibara, Hideki Ito
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Patent number: 11018588Abstract: There is provided a DC/DC converter that can eliminate the necessity of current sense resistors to thereby reduce the mounting area, improve the efficiency, and realize favorable transient characteristics. A multi-phase DC/DC converter with N phases (N is an integer equal to or greater than 2) is provided. A high-side transistor MH, a low-side transistor ML, and an inductor L are provided for each phase ?. Output power supply wiring connects a load side end of each of N inductors L1 to LN and a load. The output power supply wiring is branched from the load toward the load side ends of the N inductors L1 to LN. A coil current flowing through an inductor Li of an ith phase ?i (i=1, 2, . . . N) is detected based on a voltage drop Vsi of a branch portion bri corresponding to the phase ?i of the output power supply wiring.Type: GrantFiled: June 7, 2016Date of Patent: May 25, 2021Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.Inventor: Kazuki Sasao
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Publication number: 20200099304Abstract: There is provided a DC/DC converter that can eliminate the necessity of current sense resistors to thereby reduce the mounting area, improve the efficiency, and realize favorable transient characteristics. A multi-phase DC/DC converter with N phases (N is an integer equal to or greater than 2) is provided. A high-side transistor MH, a low-side transistor ML, and an inductor L are provided for each phase ?. Output power supply wiring connects a load side end of each of N inductors L1 to LN and a load. The output power supply wiring is branched from the load toward the load side ends of the N inductors L1 to LN. A coil current flowing through an inductor Li of an ith phase ?i (i=1, 2, . . . N) is detected based on a voltage drop Vsi of a branch portion bri corresponding to the phase ?i of the output power supply wiring.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 7, 2016Publication date: March 26, 2020Applicant: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.Inventor: Kazuki Sasao
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Patent number: 10027228Abstract: An input smoothing circuit is provided between an input line and a ground line. A high-side transistor and a low-side transistor are provided in series between the two ends of the input smoothing circuit. The high-side transistor and the low-side transistor are arranged side by side in a first direction on a circuit board. Two current loops that run through the smoothing circuit, the high-side transistor, and the low-side transistor are formed to be substantially linearly symmetrical with respect to an axis of symmetry that extends in the first direction.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2015Date of Patent: July 17, 2018Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.Inventor: Kazuki Sasao
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Publication number: 20170093285Abstract: An input smoothing circuit is provided between an input line and a ground line. A high-side transistor and a low-side transistor are provided in series between the two ends of the input smoothing circuit. The high-side transistor and the low-side transistor are arranged side by side in a first direction on a circuit board. Two current loops that run through the smoothing circuit, the high-side transistor, and the low-side transistor are formed to be substantially linearly symmetrical with respect to an axis of symmetry that extends in the first direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 25, 2015Publication date: March 30, 2017Applicant: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.Inventor: Kazuki SASAO
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Patent number: 9231478Abstract: An M-channel (M is an integer of at least two) synchronous rectification type step-down DC/DC converter is provided. A controller in the converter (i) calculates a load current on a basis of currents flowing through M inductors, (ii) dynamically changes the number K of driving phases (K is an integer of up to M) on the basis of the calculated load current, (iii) generates a pulse signal adjusted in duty ratio such that an output voltage of an output line coincides with a predetermined reference voltage, (iv) selects K drivers among M drivers, and distributes the pulse signal with a phase difference of (360/K) degrees to each of the selected K drivers, and (v) monotonically increases an amplitude control signal indicating the amplitude of a gate driving voltage with respect to the calculated load current in a range determined in advance for each number K of driving phases.Type: GrantFiled: June 25, 2014Date of Patent: January 5, 2016Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.Inventors: Kazuki Sasao, Kazuaki Mitsui
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Patent number: 8963525Abstract: The present disclosure is to provide a DC/DC converter capable of suppressing increase in the ripple amount of the output voltage in association with switching of the number of drive phases. N (N is an integer equal to or larger than 2) switching circuits each generate a switching voltage at the switching node according to an input pulse signal. A phase controller dynamically switches the number K (K is an integer equal to or smaller than N) of drive phases according to the state of a DC/DC converter at the time. A pulse modulator generates a pulse signal whose frequency changes according to the number K of drive phases. A distributor selects K switching circuits among the N switching circuits and distributes the pulse signal to each of the selected K switching circuits with a phase difference of (360/K) degrees.Type: GrantFiled: October 8, 2013Date of Patent: February 24, 2015Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.Inventors: Kazuki Sasao, Kazuaki Mitsui
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Publication number: 20150008890Abstract: An M-channel (M is an integer of at least two) synchronous rectification type step-down DC/DC converter is provided. A controller in the converter (i) calculates a load current on a basis of currents flowing through M inductors, (ii) dynamically changes the number K of driving phases (K is an integer of up to M) on the basis of the calculated load current, (iii) generates a pulse signal adjusted in duty ratio such that an output voltage of an output line coincides with a predetermined reference voltage, (iv) selects K drivers among M drivers, and distributes the pulse signal with a phase difference of (360/K) degrees to each of the selected K drivers, and (vi) monotonically increases an amplitude control signal indicating the amplitude of a gate driving voltage with respect to the calculated load current in a range determined in advance for each number K of driving phases.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 25, 2014Publication date: January 8, 2015Inventors: Kazuki Sasao, Kazuaki Mitsui
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Patent number: 8836305Abstract: Based upon a detection voltage VL that develops between ISEN+ and ISEN? terminals, a current detection circuit detects a coil current IL that flows through an inductor. A measurement circuit is connected to an inductor, and measures an inductance value L and a DC resistance value RDC of the inductor in a calibration operation before normal operation of a DC/DC converter. Based upon the inductance value L and the DC resistance value RDC thus measured, the current detection circuit detects the coil current IL using the detection voltage VL.Type: GrantFiled: January 28, 2013Date of Patent: September 16, 2014Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.Inventors: Kazuki Sasao, Kazuaki Mitsui
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Publication number: 20140111172Abstract: The present disclosure is to provide a DC/DC converter capable of suppressing increase in the ripple amount of the output voltage in association with switching of the number of drive phases. N (N is an integer equal to or larger than 2) switching circuits each generate a switching voltage at the switching node according to an input pulse signal. A phase controller dynamically switches the number K (K is an integer equal to or smaller than N) of drive phases according to the state of a DC/DC converter at the time. A pulse modulator generates a pulse signal whose frequency changes according to the number K of drive phases. A distributor selects K switching circuits among the N switching circuits and distributes the pulse signal to each of the selected K switching circuits with a phase difference of (360/K) degrees.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 8, 2013Publication date: April 24, 2014Applicant: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.Inventors: Kazuki Sasao, Kazuaki Mitsui