Patents by Inventor Wenkai Wu

Wenkai Wu 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: 10666279
    Abstract: A circuit includes a phase control logic, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and digital logic. The phase control logic is configured to couple to a plurality of power phases of a multi-phase power supply. The digital logic is configured to couple to the phase control logic and the ADC, to receive an instruction to operate in a self-calibration mode of operation, receive a first message including a value associated with a calibrated load configured to couple to the plurality of power phases, perform a self-calibration sub-routine for each power phase of the plurality of power phases based at least partially on the received instruction, the received first message, and a signal received from the ADC, and receive a second message instructing the digital logic to store a result of the self-calibration in a memory of the circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Matthew John Ascher Schurmann, Mayank Jain, Wenkai Wu, Preetam Charan Anand Tadeparthy, Kuang-Yao Cheng
  • Patent number: 10651741
    Abstract: An apparatus includes first and second power converter stages, each stage having a primary side and a secondary side. The primary side of the first stage includes a switch T1A coupled to a voltage source and a switch T3A coupled to the switch T1A. The primary side of the second stage includes a switch T2A coupled to the switch T3A and a switch T4A coupled to the switch T3A and to the voltage source. The apparatus includes a control circuit to control an on/off time of the switches. The control circuit includes four gate driver controllers to control the on/off time of the switches and a current sharing control section to increase or decrease the on time of a switch based on a comparison of a current through one of multiple output inductors to an average current through the multiple output inductors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Wenkai Wu, Shishuo Zhao, Weidong Zhu
  • Publication number: 20200144922
    Abstract: A circuit for a multi-phase power regulator including a power stage with a first phase and a second phase, the circuit including phase management circuitry coupled to the first phase and the second phase to control the first phase and the second phase, a first comparator coupled to an output of the multi-phase power regulator to compare a value of the output of the multi-phase power regulator to a first threshold value to produce a first comparison result, and phase shedding circuitry coupled to the first comparator and the phase management circuitry to control the phase management circuitry to activate or deactivate the second phase based at least partially on the first comparison result.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2020
    Publication date: May 7, 2020
    Inventors: Kuang-Yao Cheng, Wenkai Wu, Preetam Tadeparthy, Nancy Zhang, Dattatreya Baragur Suryanarayana, Naga Venkata Prasadu Mangina
  • Patent number: 10560023
    Abstract: A circuit for a multi-phase power regulator including a power stage with a first phase and a second phase, the circuit including phase management circuitry coupled to the first phase and the second phase to control the first phase and the second phase, a first comparator coupled to an output of the multi-phase power regulator to compare a value of the output of the multi-phase power regulator to a first threshold value to produce a first comparison result, and phase shedding circuitry coupled to the first comparator and the phase management circuitry to control the phase management circuitry to activate or deactivate the second phase based at least partially on the first comparison result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Kuang-Yao Cheng, Wenkai Wu, Preetam Tadeparthy, Nancy Zhang, Dattatreya Baragur Suryanarayana, Naga Venkata Prasadu Mangina
  • Patent number: 10432093
    Abstract: A multiphase DC-DC converter includes a first phase circuit including a higher inductance inductor and a second phase circuit including a lower inductance inductor. An output of the inductors are tied together providing a Vout. A phase manager and current sharing (PMCS) block receives a feedback signal from a feedback network coupled between Vout and the PMCS block that receives current feedback from phase circuits. The PMCS block generates driver control signals at a first time when a load is requesting a lower load current for controlling the phase circuits to operate with a first current sharing ratio to provide the lower load current, and at a second time when the load is requesting a higher load current controls the phase circuits to operate at a second current sharing ratio that is different from the first current sharing ratio having a higher average second phase circuit current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Kuang-Yao Cheng, Wenkai Wu, Yipeng Su
  • Publication number: 20190190386
    Abstract: A circuit for a multi-phase power regulator including a power stage with a first phase and a second phase, the circuit including phase management circuitry coupled to the first phase and the second phase to control the first phase and the second phase, a first comparator coupled to an output of the multi-phase power regulator to compare a value of the output of the multi-phase power regulator to a first threshold value to produce a first comparison result, and phase shedding circuitry coupled to the first comparator and the phase management circuitry to control the phase management circuitry to activate or deactivate the second phase based at least partially on the first comparison result.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Publication date: June 20, 2019
    Inventors: Kuang-Yao CHENG, Wenkai WU, Preetam TADEPARTHY, Nancy ZHANG, Dattatreya Baragur SURYANARAYANA, Naga Venkata Prasadu MANGINA
  • Publication number: 20190109539
    Abstract: An apparatus includes first and second power converter stages, each stage having a primary side and a secondary side. The primary side of the first stage includes a switch T1 A coupled to a voltage source and a switch T3A coupled to the switch T1 A. The primary side of the second stage includes a switch T2A coupled to the switch T3A and a switch T4A coupled to the switch T3A and to the voltage source. The apparatus includes a control circuit to control an on/off time of the switches. The control circuit includes four gate driver controllers to control the on/off time of the switches and a current sharing control section to increase or decrease the on time of a switch based on a comparison of a current through one of multiple output inductors to an average current through the multiple output inductors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2018
    Publication date: April 11, 2019
    Inventors: Wenkai WU, Shishuo ZHAO, Weidong ZHU
  • Publication number: 20190090694
    Abstract: A food processor for processing food stuffs having a base assembly, a jar assembly, and a blade assembly that can be rotated from a use position to a stored position is disclosed. The food processor includes a lid that is connected to the jar assembly by a hinge and closed by use of a latch. The jar assembly is connected to the base assembly by the use of push pins on the base assembly which engage corresponding holes on the jar assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2018
    Publication date: March 28, 2019
    Applicant: WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Wenkai Wu, John McConnell, David Gushwa, Andria R. Bauman
  • Publication number: 20180254706
    Abstract: A multiphase DC-DC converter includes a first phase circuit including a higher inductance inductor and a second phase circuit including a lower inductance inductor. An output of the inductors are tied together providing a Vout. A phase manager and current sharing (PMCS) block receives a feedback signal from a feedback network coupled between Vout and the PMCS block that receives current feedback from phase circuits. The PMCS block generates driver control signals at a first time when a load is requesting a lower load current for controlling the phase circuits to operate with a first current sharing ratio to provide the lower load current, and at a second time when the load is requesting a higher load current controls the phase circuits to operate at a second current sharing ratio that is different from the first current sharing ratio having a higher average second phase circuit current.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2017
    Publication date: September 6, 2018
    Inventors: KUANG-YAO CHENG, WENKAI WU, YIPENG SU
  • Patent number: D776492
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Bryan Keyes, Gregory Owens Raklovits, Wenkai Wu
  • Patent number: D776493
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: John W. McConnell, Leif A. Norland, Wenkai Wu
  • Patent number: D831421
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: John W. McConnell, Wenkai Wu
  • Patent number: D841386
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: John W. McConnell, Ben C. Shao, Wenkai Wu
  • Patent number: D853177
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: John W. McConnell, Wenkai Wu
  • Patent number: D861425
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: John W. McConnell, Wenkai Wu
  • Patent number: D869227
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: John W. McConnell, Wenkai Wu
  • Patent number: D873072
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: John W. McConnell, Ben C. Shao, Wenkai Wu
  • Patent number: D874219
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: John W. McConnell, Wenkai Wu
  • Patent number: D891855
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: John W. McConnell, Yifan Wang, Wenkai Wu
  • Patent number: D891862
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: John W. McConnell, Wenkai Wu