Patents by Inventor Kwan-Jen Chu

Kwan-Jen Chu 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).

  • Publication number: 20210143730
    Abstract: A flyback power converter includes: a transformer, a primary side switch, a snubber capacitor and an active clamp snubber. The snubber capacitor is charged by a leakage inductance current of a primary winding fora snubber period following after a time point when the primary side switch is turned OFF. The active clamp snubber includes a snubber control switch which is connected in series to the snubber capacitor. The series circuit of the snubber control switch and the snubber capacitor is connected in parallel to the primary winding. The leakage inductance current charges the snubber capacitor through the snubber control switch during the snubber period. The snubber capacitor provides a capacitor voltage as electrical power of the active clamp snubber. A voltage level of a reference node between the snubber control switch and the snubber capacitor serves as a snubber ground level of the active clamp snubber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2020
    Publication date: May 13, 2021
    Inventors: Ta-Yung Yang, Kwan-Jen Chu
  • Patent number: 10079549
    Abstract: A power conversion apparatus and a synchronous rectification (SR) controller thereof are provided. The SR controller includes a first control circuit, a second control circuit, a pull-up circuit and a pull-down circuit. The first control circuit generates a pull-up control signal and a first pull-down signal according to a drain voltage of an SR transistor and a first voltage. The second control circuit compares the drain voltage with a second voltage to generate a second pull-down signal, and selects one of the first pull-down signal and the second pull-down signal as a pull-down control signal. The pull-up circuit and the pull-down circuit regulate a driving voltage on a gate terminal of the SR transistor in response to the pull-up control signal and the pull-down control signal respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: Power Forest Technology Corporation
    Inventor: Kwan-Jen Chu
  • Patent number: 10056845
    Abstract: A power conversion apparatus and a synchronous rectification (SR) controller thereof are provided. The SR controller includes a first control circuit, a second control circuit and a third control circuit. The first control circuit compares a drain voltage on a drain terminal of a SR transistor with a first voltage. When the drain voltage is lower than the first voltage, the first control circuit outputs a driving voltage to turn on the SR transistor. The second control circuit generates the driving voltage according to the drain voltage and a second voltage so as to control the SR transistor. The third control circuit compares the drain voltage with a third voltage. When the drain voltage is higher than the third voltage, the third control circuit outputs the driving voltage to turn off the SR transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Power Forest Technology Corporation
    Inventor: Kwan-Jen Chu
  • Patent number: 9350251
    Abstract: A power conversion apparatus and an over power protection method thereof are provided. A number of times a sensing voltage exceeding a reference voltage is counted, so as to determine whether to disable a power switch in the power conversion apparatus according to the number of times the sensing voltage exceeding the reference voltage, in which the sensing voltage corresponds to a current flowing through the power switch on a resistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: Power Forest Technology Corporation
    Inventor: Kwan-Jen Chu
  • Patent number: 9343977
    Abstract: A power conversion apparatus and an over power protection method thereof are provided. A number of times a detection voltage being greater than a first reference voltage and a number of times the detection voltage being greater than a second reference voltage are counted, so as to obtain a first count value and a second count value, in which the detection voltage is a voltage on a resistor in response to a current flowing through a power switch. Stop switching the power switch when the first count value is greater than or equal to a first threshold value or when the second count value is greater than or equal to a second threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: Power Forest Technology Corporation
    Inventor: Kwan-Jen Chu
  • Patent number: 9343976
    Abstract: A power supply apparatus is provided. The power supply apparatus includes a power conversion circuit, an AC safety capacitor and a control unit. An AC input voltage is received by an input side of the power converting circuit, and is converted to a DC output voltage. The AC safety capacitor is connected across the input side. The control unit controls the operation of the power converting circuit, where the control unit samples and holds a voltage between two terminals of the AC safety capacitor to obtain a holding voltage, and compares the holding voltage and the AC input voltage during each period of a clock signal, so as to decide to discharge electric energy stored by the AC safety capacitor according to a comparison result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: Power Forest Technology Corporation
    Inventor: Kwan-Jen Chu
  • Publication number: 20160099648
    Abstract: A power conversion apparatus and an over power protection method thereof are provided. A number of times a detection voltage being greater than a first reference voltage and a number of times the detection voltage being greater than a second reference voltage are counted, so as to obtain a first count value and a second count value, in which the detection voltage is a voltage on a resistor in response to a current flowing through a power switch. Stop switching the power switch when the first count value is greater than or equal to a first threshold value or when the second count value is greater than or equal to a second threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2014
    Publication date: April 7, 2016
    Inventor: Kwan-Jen Chu
  • Publication number: 20160043645
    Abstract: A power conversion apparatus and an over power protection method thereof are provided. A number of times a sensing voltage exceeding a reference voltage is counted, so as to determine whether to disable a power switch in the power conversion apparatus according to the number of times the sensing voltage exceeding the reference voltage, in which the sensing voltage corresponds to a current flowing through the power switch on a resistor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2014
    Publication date: February 11, 2016
    Inventor: Kwan-Jen Chu
  • Publication number: 20150288286
    Abstract: A power supply apparatus is provided. The power supply apparatus includes a power conversion circuit, an AC safety capacitor and a control unit. An AC input voltage is received by an input side of the power converting circuit, and is converted to a DC output voltage. The AC safety capacitor is connected across the input side. The control unit controls the operation of the power converting circuit, where the control unit samples and holds a voltage between two terminals of the AC safety capacitor to obtain a holding voltage, and compares the holding voltage and the AC input voltage during each period of a clock signal, so as to decide to discharge electric energy stored by the AC safety capacitor according to a comparison result.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2014
    Publication date: October 8, 2015
    Inventor: Kwan-Jen Chu
  • Patent number: 9059635
    Abstract: Disclosed is a power converter control circuit, comprising at least a power converter circuit and a control circuit. The power converter circuit is able to boost up an input voltage into a greater driving voltage and supply it to the driven device. Moreover, the power converter circuit is also able to generate a voltage signal and a current-sense signal separately, and then combine them into a joint voltage/current-sense signal. The control circuit receives the joint voltage/current-sense signal and resolves it into an over-voltage signal and a current-sense signal with the aid of a modulation signal. The two signals are separately fed into an over-voltage protection device and an over-current protection device for comparison; the outcomes are utilized to execute the over-voltage protection and the over-current protection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignee: POWER FOREST TECHNOLOGY
    Inventor: Kwan-Jen Chu
  • Patent number: 8890485
    Abstract: A charger circuit comprising: a charging path coupled between an input voltage and a battery; a power switch on the charging path; a switch control circuit controlling the power switch; a timer counting a charging period; and a low current control circuit issuing a signal to the switch control circuit to control the power switch such that a charging current is maintained to be a predetermined low current when the timer counts to a predetermined maximum charging period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Richtek Technology Corporation, R.O.C.
    Inventors: Nien-Hui Kung, Kwan-Jen Chu
  • Patent number: 8762763
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a single-wire transmission interface, and a method of transmission through single-wire. The method comprises: providing a single-wire signal through a single-wire; and transmitting information only in a transmission period defined by a fixed first time period starting from one of a rising or a falling edge of the single-wire signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Richtek Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Kwan-Jen Chu, Tsung-Wei Huang, Jien-Sheng Chen, Pao-Hsun Yu
  • Patent number: 8742689
    Abstract: A light emitting diode (LED) driving apparatus is provided, and which includes a first operational amplifier (OPA) having a positive input terminal receiving a predetermined voltage related to a current flowing through an LED string; a first resistor having a first end coupled to a negative input terminal of the first OPA and a second end coupled to a ground; a power transistor having a gate coupled to an output of the first OPA, a drain coupled to a cathode of the LED string and a source coupled to the first end of the first resistor; an error amplifier having a first input terminal coupled to the gate of the power transistor, a second input terminal receiving a reference voltage and an output terminal outputting a control voltage; and a power conversion stage providing a DC voltage to an anode of the LED string according to the outputted control voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Power Forest Technology Corporation
    Inventor: Kwan-Jen Chu
  • Publication number: 20140145635
    Abstract: Disclosed is a power converter control circuit, comprising at least a power converter circuit and a control circuit. The power converter circuit is able to boost up an input voltage into a greater driving voltage and supply it to the driven device. Moreover, the power converter circuit is also able to generate a voltage signal and a current-sense signal separately, and then combine them into a joint voltage/current-sense signal. The control circuit receives the joint voltage/current-sense signal and resolves it into an over-voltage signal and a current-sense signal with the aid of a modulation signal. The two signals are separately fed into an over-voltage protection device and an over-current protection device for comparison; the outcomes are utilized to execute the over-voltage protection and the over-current protection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: May 29, 2014
    Applicant: POWER FOREST TECHNOLOGY
    Inventor: KWAN-JEN CHU
  • Patent number: 8698449
    Abstract: A charger for a portable device includes a USB detector connected to a data pin to detect the effective resistance on the data pin before a USB transceiver is enabled, to identify USB or adapter plug in and control a charging current for a battery accordingly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Richtek Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Li-Wei Lee, Nien-Hui Kung, Kwan-Jen Chu, Ying-Hsin Hsing
  • Patent number: 8648573
    Abstract: A charger for a portable device includes a USB detector connected to a data pin to detect the effective resistance on the data pin before a USB transceiver is enabled, to identify USB or adapter plug in and control a charging current for a battery accordingly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Richtek Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Li-Wei Lee, Nien-Hui Kung, Kwan-Jen Chu, Ying-Hsin Hsing
  • Patent number: 8547078
    Abstract: Methods are proposed for a buck boost voltage regulator to monitor the output voltage or both the inductor current and the output voltage of the buck boost voltage regulator to control the buck boost voltage regulator to reduce the switching times of the power switches of the buck boost voltage regulator to improve the light load efficiency of the buck boost voltage regulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Richtek Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Tzu-Huan Chiu, Kwan-Jen Chu, Chien-Ping Lu, Wei-Hsin Wei
  • Patent number: 8525484
    Abstract: A charger for a portable device includes a USB detector connected to a data pin to detect the effective resistance on the data pin before a USB transceiver is enabled, to identify USB or adapter plug in and control a charging current for a battery accordingly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Richtek Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Li-Wei Lee, Nien-Hui Kung, Kwan-Jen Chu, Ying-Hsin Hsing
  • Patent number: 8400133
    Abstract: For output current detection of a voltage regulator, a sensing circuit is coupled to a high-side element of the regulator and detects the current therein to generate a sensing current. A simulation circuit is coupled to the sensing circuit and generates a summed current by simulation with the sensing current. A setting resistor is coupled to the simulation circuit and receives the summed current to provide an output for feedback control of the voltage regulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Richtek Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Nien-Hui Kung, Kwan-Jen Chu
  • Patent number: 8378640
    Abstract: A charging circuit with an application system thereof provides an error amplifier to control a transistor switch for controlling the charging power source to charges the battery. When the voltage difference between the power source and load terminals of the transistor switch drops along with the transistor switch being turned on, the output voltage of the error amplifier changes as well to increase the turning-on resistance of the transistor switch such that the voltage difference between the power source and load terminals is capable of maintaining at a value above a certain reference level for avoiding the unstable state resulting from the charging circuit being turned on and off frequently.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Richtek Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Li-Wei Lee, Nien-Hui Kung, Kwan-Jen Chu, Hsuan-Kai Wang