Patents by Inventor Shenli ZOU

Shenli ZOU 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: 12283892
    Abstract: A voltage output circuit and methods for operating voltage output circuits are disclosed. In some embodiments, a voltage output circuit comprises a power converter and a power converter controller, and is configured to provide a desired output voltage for charging an output. In some embodiments, the power converter comprises a first transistor and a second transistor. By using the power converter controller to control the power converter, a current through the first transistor may be increased until it reaches a value corresponding to the desired output voltage. When the value is reached, the first transistor may be turned off to cause a drain-to-source voltage of the second transistor to become zero. When the drain-to-source voltage of the second transistor becomes zero, the second transistor turns on, and an output of the power converter is charged to the desired output voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2025
    Assignee: Rivian IP Holdings, LLC
    Inventors: Maziar Mobarrez, Shenli Zou, Lixiang Wei, Chanaka Manoj Singhabahu
  • Patent number: 12107507
    Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling a dual active bridge converter are disclosed herein. Switch control signals are provided to respective switches of at least one bridge of a dual active bridge converter. Control circuitry causes the switch control signals to switch according to a first switching sequence. After causing the switch control signals to switch according to the first switching sequence, the control circuitry causes the switch control signals to switch according to a second switching sequence, distinct from the first switching sequence, to distribute switching losses among the switches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2024
    Assignee: RIVIAN IP HOLDINGS, LLC
    Inventors: Shenli Zou, Zahra Mohajerani, Maziar Mobarrez, Lixiang Wei
  • Publication number: 20230318467
    Abstract: A voltage output circuit and methods for operating voltage output circuits are disclosed. In some embodiments, a voltage output circuit comprises a power converter and a power converter controller, and is configured to provide a desired output voltage for charging an output. In some embodiments, the power converter comprises a first transistor and a second transistor. By using the power converter controller to control the power converter, a current through the first transistor may be increased until it reaches a value corresponding to the desired output voltage. When the value is reached, the first transistor may be turned off to cause a drain-to-source voltage of the second transistor to become zero. When the drain-to-source voltage of the second transistor becomes zero, the second transistor turns on, and an output of the power converter is charged to the desired output voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2022
    Publication date: October 5, 2023
    Inventors: Maziar MOBARREZ, Shenli ZOU, Lixiang WEI, Chanaka Manoj SINGHABAHU
  • Publication number: 20230198393
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for controlling a dual active bridge converter to distribute switching losses are disclosed herein. A plurality of switch control signals are provided to a plurality of switches, respectively, of at least one bridge of a dual active bridge converter. The plurality of switches comprises top switches and bottom switches. Control circuitry causes the plurality of switch control signals to switch according to a switching sequence comprising a plurality of stages. During at least one of the plurality of stages, the top switches are enabled concurrently with one another or the bottom switches are enabled concurrently with one another.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2021
    Publication date: June 22, 2023
    Inventors: Zahra Mohajerani, Lixiang Wei, Shenli Zou
  • Publication number: 20230066489
    Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling a dual active bridge converter or other type of DC-DC converter are disclosed herein. An output voltage of the dual active bridge converter is detected. Based at least in part on the output voltage, a first target duty ratio of a primary bridge of the dual active bridge converter and a second target duty ratio of a secondary bridge of the dual active bridge converter are retrieved from a table. Based on the output voltage, a target phase shift between the primary bridge and the secondary bridge is determined. Based on the first target duty ratio, the second target duty ratio, and the target phase shift, a plurality of switch control signals is caused to be provided to respective switches of the primary bridge and the secondary bridge, to switch according to a time-based switching sequence.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2022
    Publication date: March 2, 2023
    Inventors: Shenli Zou, Maziar Mobarrez, Steven Schulz, Zahra Mohajerani
  • Publication number: 20230064783
    Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling a dual active bridge converter are disclosed herein. Switch control signals are provided to respective switches of at least one bridge of a dual active bridge converter. Control circuitry causes the switch control signals to switch according to a first switching sequence. After causing the switch control signals to switch according to the first switching sequence, the control circuitry causes the switch control signals to switch according to a second switching sequence, distinct from the first switching sequence, to distribute switching losses among the switches.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2022
    Publication date: March 2, 2023
    Inventors: Shenli Zou, Zahra Mohajerani, Maziar Mobarrez, Lixiang Wei
  • Patent number: 11491883
    Abstract: Compact light-weight on-board three-port power electronic system built in various configurations of triple-active-bridge-derived topologies, including modular implementations, with control strategies capable of bi-directional power transfer among the three ports of the power electronic system, including simultaneous charging of a high voltage (HV) battery and a low voltage (LV) battery from a single phase power grid or a three-phase power grid with minimized reactive power and active circulating current, with ensured soft-switching for MOSFET devices, and with enhanced synchronous rectification and reduced power losses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: University of Maryland, College Park
    Inventors: Alireza Khaligh, Jiangheng Lu, Ayan Mallik, Shenli Zou
  • Publication number: 20220172880
    Abstract: A set of multi-winding transformer designs that achieve leakage integration in multi-port power electronics systems is presented. The magnetic design structures are extendable to realize an N-port multi-winding transformer with or without leakage inductance integration, that interfaces different voltage levels (high-voltage and/or low-voltage) with galvanic isolation. The disclosed designs enable: (i) reduced number of discrete magnetic components (ii) high efficiency and high power density; (iii) reduced transformer parasitic capacitances. Furthermore, a global transformer optimization approach that considers magnetizing and leakage inductances, core and winding losses, and parasitic capacitances is presented to systemize the sophisticated multi-winding integrated leakage transformer design process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2021
    Publication date: June 2, 2022
    Inventors: Alireza KHALIGH, Shenli ZOU, Akshay SINGH, Chanaka SINGHABAHU
  • Publication number: 20210155100
    Abstract: Compact light-weight on-board three-port power electronic system built in various configurations of triple-active-bridge-derived topologies, including modular implementations, with control strategies capable of bi-directional power transfer among the three ports, including simultaneous charging of HV and LV batteries from a single phase or three phase power grid with minimized reactive power and active circulating current, with ensured soft-switching for MOSFET devices, and with enhanced synchronous rectification and reduced power losses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2019
    Publication date: May 27, 2021
    Inventors: Alireza KHALIGH, Jiangheng LU, Ayan MALLIK, Shenli ZOU