Load Current Proportioning Or Dividing Patents (Class 307/32)
  • Patent number: 11847005
    Abstract: A multiport universal serial bus (USB)-C based power supply device including a USB type-C port configured to supply power to a connected type-C external device, at least one USB type-A port configured to supply power to at least one connected type-A external sink device, a configurable power source and a controller operatively coupled with the configurable power source, the USB type-C port and at least one of the USB type-A port. The controller is configured to generate, based on the generated type-C and type-A power profile, at least one of a digital communication signal and a feedback control signal, which correspond to a power value to be supplied, based on the generated power profile, to the type-C port and the at least one type-A port respectively. Operation of the multiport USB-C based power supply device by a single controller facilitates compact construction of the multiport USB-C based power supply device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: SILICONCH SYSTEMS PVT LTD
    Inventors: Burle Naga Satyanarayana, Rakesh Kumar Polasa, Shubham Paliwal, Robin Chalana
  • Patent number: 11791664
    Abstract: A method includes configuring a wireless power transfer system to operate in a sleep mode to reduce a quiescent current of the wireless power transfer system, configuring the wireless power transfer system to operate in a magnetic detection mode, wherein in the magnetic detection mode, an excitation is applied to a resonant tank of the wireless power transfer system, detecting a signal having a resonant attenuation envelope, wherein the signal is generated by the resonant tank, and configuring the wireless power transfer system to operate in an active mode after finding an object is magnetically coupled to the wireless power transfer system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: NuVolta Technologies (Hefei) Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Min Yang, Zeng Li, Junxiao Chen, Wei Zheng, Zhijun Luo
  • Patent number: 11755087
    Abstract: A multi-port power supply device and an operation method thereof are provided. The multi-port power supply device includes multiple USB ports, multiple power converters, and a common control circuit. When an adjustment trend of an agreement power of a first USB port will make the agreement power greater than a rated minimum charging power of a USB device connected to the first USB port, the common control circuit dynamically changes the agreement power according to an actual output power of the first USB port. When the adjustment trend of the agreement power will make the agreement power less than the rated minimum charging power, the common control circuit does not change the agreement power, and the common control circuit dynamically transfers a power difference between the agreement power and the actual output power to other USB ports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: VIA LABS, INC.
    Inventors: Tze-Shiang Wang, Sheng-Hsien Yen, Hui-Neng Chang
  • Patent number: 11703928
    Abstract: Provided is an apparatus and method for a digital power supply that can provide independent power control for two or more electrical loads. Some disclosed embodiments provide continuous, variable power and other disclosed embodiments provide discrete power levels. Disclosed embodiments may reduce the magnitude of harmonic currents and/or flicker introduced into a power system. Embodiments include a microprocessor that delivers power to electric loads using phase-controlled AC current. In some embodiments, the microprocessor may calculate a power array corresponding to a requested power for each electric load. Logic is provided for populating the power array in a pattern that reduces the magnitude of harmonic currents and flicker. Portions of the disclosure include a band controller for delivering power to achieve and maintain a desired target temperature, and a wireless controller for controlling temperature from a remote device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: Weber-Stephen Products LLC
    Inventors: Eric Knappenberger, Julio C. Zuleta, Matthew Lerch, Jeffery C. Emmerich
  • Patent number: 11495962
    Abstract: An electronic device includes a reception coil configured to wirelessly receive power based on an externally formed magnetic field, a rectifier configured to rectify power generated from the reception coil, an over-voltage protection circuit connected with the rectifier, and an output capacitor connected with the over-voltage protection circuit, wherein the over-voltage protection circuit includes a negative temperature coefficient thermistor (NTC) selectively connected in parallel with the rectifier and the output capacitor and a switch connecting the NTC to the rectifier and the output capacitor when a voltage at an output terminal of the rectifier exceeds a designated threshold, and disconnecting the NTC from the rectifier and the output capacitor when the voltage at the output terminal of the rectifier is less than or equal to the designated threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Inventors: Beomwoo Gu, Jeongman Lee, Seogyong Jeong
  • Patent number: 11418035
    Abstract: A system includes a power source configured to provide constant-current power to a medium-voltage direct current (MVDC) bus. The system also includes a first rotating electrical machine configured to receive the power from the MVDC bus. The system further includes a plurality of second rotating electrical machines connected in series with the first rotating electrical machine, with a long distance transmission line between adjacent rotating electrical machines. In addition, the system includes a flywheel energy storage coupled to each of the rotating electrical machines, where each flywheel energy storage is configured to store inertial energy. Each of the rotating electrical machines is electrically connected to a battery or ultra-capacitor subsystem and a pulse forming network (PFN).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventor: Stephen Kuznetsov
  • Patent number: 11338684
    Abstract: A system for restricting power to a load to prevent engaging circuit protection device for an aircraft. The system includes an energy source of an aircraft. The system further includes a plurality of sensors configured to sense at least an electrical parameter of a load of the plurality of loads. The system further includes an aircraft controller configured to receive electrical parameter of a load of the plurality of loads from the plurality of sensors, compare the electrical parameter to at least a current allocation threshold, detect that the electrical parameter has reached the current allocation threshold, calculate a power reduction to the load, and reduce power from the at least an energy source to each load of the plurality of loads by the power reduction. The system further includes at least an electrical circuit of an aircraft, wherein the electrical circuit comprises a circuit protection device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: BETA AIR, LLC
    Inventor: Herman Wiegman
  • Patent number: 11325549
    Abstract: There is provided an arbitration device that arbitrates operation requests from a plurality of first power loads in a vehicle, the arbitration device including: a reception section; a memory section; a calculation section that calculates a total power consumption combining the first power consumption and the second power consumption; and a control section at which priorities of the plurality of first power loads are specified, when the total power consumption exceeds a threshold, the control section selecting which of the first power loads to approve based on the priorities and causing each operating first power load that is not approved to pause operation, and, when the total power consumption is less than or equal to the threshold, the control section allowing each operating first power load to continue operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toru Ono, Akira Umemoto, Takuya Itoh, Tomoyuki Kato, Makoto Fujii
  • Patent number: 11264839
    Abstract: Systems, methods and apparatus for wireless charging are disclosed. A charging device has a plurality of charging cells provided on a charging surface, a charging circuit and a controller. The controller may be configured to cause the charging circuit to provide a charging current to a resonant circuit when a receiving device is placed on the charging surface, detect a change or rate of change in voltage or current level associated with the resonant circuit, provide a measurement slot by terminating the charging current for a period of time, and determine that the receiving device has been removed from the charging surface by performing a passive or digital ping procedure during the measurement slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: AIRA, INC.
    Inventors: Eric Heindel Goodchild, John Winters, James Scott
  • Patent number: 11232742
    Abstract: An LED display system includes a driver chip and an LED array having m scan lines, n channels, and m scan switches. The driver chip includes an analog circuit and a digital controller that controls the analog circuit. The analog circuit has a plurality of power sources that are electrically connected to the LED array and provide a plurality of driving currents to the n channels of LEDs. Further, the n channels are divided into p groups and each group has q channels, p is an integer of 2 to n. Channels in each of the p groups receive a plurality of PWM signals. The starting times of the input PWM signals to at least two different groups among the p groups are different. Further, PMW signals to the channels in the same group may have a same starting time or may have different starting times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: SCT LTD.
    Inventors: Eric Li, Yi Zhang, Shang-Kuan Tang, Shean-Yih Chiou
  • Patent number: 11212133
    Abstract: A device management system includes: a server communicatively connected to a network; a base station for long-distance wireless communication that is communicatively connected to the network; and a device that is communicatively connected to the base station and transmits, to the server via the base station, state information indicating a state of the device. The server receives the state information from the device, generates notification information in accordance with the received state information, and transmits the generated notification information to the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Junya Suzuki, Shinya Nakai, Mitsuki Yamada, Masayuki Kozuka, Kunio Gobara, Masaya Yamamoto, Tomoki Ogawa
  • Patent number: 11063531
    Abstract: A multi-level converter includes a first multi-phase inverter and a second multi-phase inverter. The first multi-phase inverter includes a first direct current (DC) positive line, a first DC negative line, and a first plurality of alternating current (AC) lines. Each AC line of the first plurality of AC lines is configured to be connected to a single phase winding of an electric machine. Each single phase winding is connected to a common neutral connector in a Y-winding configuration or between a pair of single phase windings in a ?-winding configuration. The second multi-phase inverter includes a second DC positive line, a second DC negative line, and a second plurality of AC lines and is connected in a similar manner to the first multi-phase inverter. The first DC negative line is electrically coupled to the second DC positive line to connect the first multi-phase inverter and the second multi-phase inverter in series.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventors: Yehui Han, Jiyao Wang
  • Patent number: 11046194
    Abstract: The invention relates to a component of an inductive energy transmission apparatus, wherein the component includes an object recognition apparatus having at least a first and a second electrical inductance, wherein the first electrical inductance is formed by an energy transmission coil of the component, which can be acted upon by a predetermined measurement current, and the component comprises a measurement apparatus, an energy transmission unit and an evaluation apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: AUDI AG
    Inventors: Tobias Grassl, Reinhard Peer
  • Patent number: 10962944
    Abstract: A load control system may comprise an electrical load control device and/or a computing device. The electrical load control device may control, for example, motorized window treatments (e.g., shades), lighting controls, and/or sensors (e.g., occupancy, radio window, daylight, etc.). For example, a load control device comprising a motorized window treatment may control the position of a covering material in the window treatment. The computing device may comprise a processor and/or a graphical user interface (GUI). The computing device may be a server and/or a user device, such as a wireless user device (e.g., a cellular phone, tablet, or laptop computer). The computing device may be configured to provide graphical representations that may be displayed on a GUI based on load control information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
    Inventors: Rhodes B. Baker, John H. Bull
  • Patent number: 10953754
    Abstract: A system for restricting power to a load to prevent engaging circuit protection device for an aircraft. The system includes an energy source of an aircraft. The system further includes a plurality of sensors configured to sense at least an electrical parameter of a load of the plurality of loads. The system further includes an aircraft controller configured to receive electrical parameter of a load of the plurality of loads from the plurality of sensors, compare the electrical parameter to at least a current allocation threshold, detect that the electrical parameter has reached the current allocation threshold, calculate a power reduction to the load, and reduce power from the at least an energy source to each load of the plurality of loads by the power reduction. The system further includes at least an electrical circuit of an aircraft, wherein the electrical circuit comprises a circuit protection device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: BETA AIR, LLC
    Inventor: Herman Wiegman
  • Patent number: 10727691
    Abstract: An adaptive load control system includes: a load monitoring and control device configured to monitor operating conditions of a load connected to an electrical power grid, and transmit load operating condition data; and a head-end load controller configured to: receive the load operating condition data; obtain data from externals sources about external factors that influence the load operating conditions; and generate load control profiles based on the data from external sources that control a duty cycle for the load during a scheduled load control event. The load control profiles include instructions to increase the off time of the duty cycle for the load when the scheduled load control event overlaps a normal off time of the load, and one of the load control profiles is selected based on a comparison of the data from external sources and a forecast of external conditions during the scheduled load control event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: Landis+Gyr Innovations, Inc.
    Inventor: Mikko Niemi
  • Patent number: 10581331
    Abstract: To measure with ease an input voltage from an external power source and notify the user of the input voltage, a power source apparatus comprising a power source voltage input terminal, an insulating transformer, a power source control device, and a communication unit is provided. The power source voltage input terminal is connected to an external battery. The insulating transformer has a primary coil that is connected to the power source voltage input terminal. The power source control device is connected to the power source voltage input terminal and measures the input voltage to the power source voltage input terminal. The communication unit transmits the voltage value measured by a microcomputer to the secondary side of the insulating transformer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: Furuno Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Youhei Kinoshita, Hiroshi Yoshii, Hiroshi Nagano, Wenhai Liu
  • Patent number: 10566789
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a DC current supply circuit, which comprises a plurality of power connectors; a first and second plurality of multiplexers; a plurality of AC-DC regulators; and an OR-ing circuit. Inputs and outputs of each of the first plurality of multiplexers are connected to live wires of at least two of the plurality of power connectors and to an input of a corresponding AC-DC regulator respectively. Inputs and outputs of each of the second plurality of multiplexers are connected to neutral wires of at least two of the plurality of power connectors and to input of a corresponding AC-DC regulator respectively. Each selector pin of the first plurality of multiplexers is connected to output of a corresponding AC current sensor. Each of selector pins of the second plurality of multiplexers is connected to output of a corresponding AC current sensor. Outputs of the corresponding AC-DC regulators are connected to the OR-ing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: Pismo Labs Technology Limited
    Inventors: Chong Ming Pui, Tam Man Fai, Su Kang Yin, Zhang Jinbiao
  • Patent number: 10536024
    Abstract: One example includes a battery charging system configured to charge a battery associated with a mobile device. The battery charging system includes a transformer configured to receive an AC charging current via a charging cable at a primary inductor and to generate an AC secondary current at a secondary inductor. The battery charging system also includes a rectifier system configured to rectify and filter the AC secondary current to generate a DC charging current that is provided to charge the battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Isaac Cohen
  • Patent number: 10531536
    Abstract: An optoelectronic assembly and method for operating an optoelectronic assembly are provided. In some aspects, the optoelectronic assembly includes an organic light-emitting component, a temperature sensor configured to record a temperature value, and a driver circuit coupled to the organic light-emitting component and the temperature sensor. The driver circuit is configured to apply an AC voltage to the organic light-emitting component when the organic light-emitting component is switched on, and if the recorded temperature value is less than a predetermined temperature threshold value, where the AC voltage is, at least, temporarily less than an instantaneous threshold voltage of the organic light-emitting component. The driver circuit is also configured to apply a DC voltage to the organic light-emitting component if a measurement value is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value, where the DC voltage is greater than the instantaneous threshold voltage of the organic light-emitting component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: OSRAM OLED GMBH
    Inventors: Kilian Regau, Joerg Farrnbacher, Benjamin Hoeflinger, Thorsten Vehoff, Tobias Pohl-Zander
  • Patent number: 10527672
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is circuitry for bypassing a medium voltage regulator during testing. The circuitry includes a low voltage regulator to, in operation, generate a first voltage within a first voltage range for powering first circuitry, and a medium voltage regulator to, in operation, generate a second voltage within a second voltage range greater than the first voltage range for powering second circuitry. A low voltage regulator bypass circuit generates a low voltage regulator bypass signal that operates to selectively bypass the low voltage regulator. A medium voltage regulator bypass circuit bypasses the medium voltage regulator as a function of the low voltage regulator bypass signal and an external voltage regulator select signal, the bypass of the medium voltage regulator being such that an external voltage can be applied to the second circuitry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Venkata Narayanan Srinivasan, Srinivas Dhulipalla
  • Patent number: 10498176
    Abstract: A method for detecting a foreign object of a wireless power transmitting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: outputting ping signals periodically for sensing a wireless power receiving apparatus; sensing input current for the ping signals; comparing the sensed input current with a predetermined current value; and when the sensed input current for a plurality of the ping signals exceeds the predetermined current value, determining that there is a foreign object on a surface of the wireless power transmitting apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: LG INNOTEK CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Jay Park
  • Patent number: 10381967
    Abstract: A power conversion system for a vehicle includes a power conditioning device, a boost converter, an inverter coupled to the boost converter, a transformer, a second rectifier coupled to the transformer, an electric motor, a battery coupled to the second rectifier, a first switch configured to selectively connect the boost converter with the power conditioning device or the battery, and a second switch configured to selectively connect the inverter with the transformer or the electric motor. The first switch connects the power conditioning device with the boost converter and the second switch connects the inverter with the transformer in response to the vehicle being in a grid-connected mode, and the first switch connects the battery with the boost converter and the second switch connects the inverter with the electric motor in response to the vehicle being in a stand-alone mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Jae Seung Lee, Jongwon Shin
  • Patent number: 10348168
    Abstract: An electrical machine includes a stator core and a plurality of windings subdivided into a plurality of multiphase motor cells, each multiphase motor cell having M windings associated therewith, and having a phase shift relative to other multiphase motor cells. The electrical machine may include N inverter cells coupled in series; wherein each inverter cell is a multiphase inverter; and wherein the voltage magnitude supplied to a corresponding multiphase motor cell is VDC/N. The electrical machine may include a sensor system in communication with the plurality of inverter cells and operative to commutate each inverter cell in a sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
    Inventors: Ghanshyam Shrestha, Zhiguo Pan, Mario Schweizer, Nikoloas Oikonomou, Rajib Mikail
  • Patent number: 10298049
    Abstract: An apparatus for detecting a presence of an object is provided. The apparatus includes an inductive sensing coil that is configurable to generate a magnetic field, the inductive sensing coil configured to have an electrical characteristic that is detectable when generating the magnetic field. The apparatus includes an actuator configured to inducing relative motion between the inductive sensing coil and the object while the inductive sensing coil generates the magnetic field. The apparatus includes a controller configured to detect a change in the electrical characteristic, and determine a presence of the object based on the change in the electrical characteristic correlating with the relative motion between the inductive sensing coil and the object. The electrical characteristic includes one or more of an equivalent resistance, an equivalent inductance, an equivalent impedance, and an impulse response of the inductive sensing coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
    Inventors: Hans Peter Widmer, Andreas Daetwyler, Lukas Sieber
  • Patent number: 10277066
    Abstract: A method is provided for balancing power amongst parallel connected power converters in an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). The method includes: applying a control signal to each of the parallel connected power converters, where the control signals applied to the parallel connected power converters are derived from a common control signal output by a centralized controller; receiving measurements of current being supplied by each power converter to the load; and adjusting phase of voltage applied to at least one of the power converters based on the received current measurements, such that the phase adjustment causes same magnitude of current to flow though each filter. Advancing phase angle of the voltage increases current supplied by the at least one power converter while retarding phase angle of the voltage decreases current supplied by the at least one power converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: Vertiv Corporation
    Inventors: Terry D. Bush, Brian P. Heber
  • Patent number: 10185380
    Abstract: An electrical power supply device includes a DC-DC power convertor receiving an input voltage and producing an output voltage, a first and second port connected to the DC-DC power convertor supplying electrical power to a first and second consumer device, and a device controller connected to the DC-DC power convertor, the first and second port. The memory device controller stores instructions to command the DC-DC power convertor to produce the output voltage between a first voltage threshold and a higher second voltage threshold when only the first consumer device is connected to the first port. The memory stores additional instructions which commands the DC-DC power convertor to produce the output voltage at the first voltage threshold when the first consumer device is connected to the first port and the second consumer device is connected to the second port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Michael J. Dreon, Mohamad Elghrawi
  • Patent number: 10108749
    Abstract: Systems and methods for optimizing power flows using a harmony search, including decoupling phases in a multi-phase power generation system into individual phase agents in a multi-phase power flow model for separately controlling at least one of phase variables or parameters. One or more harmony segments from harmony memory are ranked and selected based on a utility value determined for each of the decoupled phases. A harmony search with gradient descent learning is performed to move the selected harmony segments to a better local neighborhood. A new utility value for each of the selected segments is determined based on historical performance, and the harmony memory is iteratively updated if one or more of the new utility values are higher than a utility value of a worst harmony segment stored in the harmony memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Yanyi He, Ratnesh Sharma
  • Patent number: 10103543
    Abstract: A method for controlling a load by providing a total energy consumption and a time window for the total energy consumption of the load from one or more energy sources is described. The method includes determining of energy blocks, wherein the energy blocks are based on a power interval during a time interval, the time intervals are within the time window and the energy blocks are allocated energy-source-dependent costs, sorting of the energy blocks in ascending order according to the level of the costs per energy block and subsequent summation of quantities of energy that the energy blocks contain in ascending order of sorting until the total energy consumption of the load is reached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: SMA Solar Technology AG
    Inventors: Mathias Buenemann, Matthias Groene, Bernhard Schropp
  • Patent number: 10008988
    Abstract: To prevent temperature rise of an amplifier. An AV amplifier 1 that amplifies an audio signal includes a PWM modulator 5 that controls dynamic range of the audio signal to not more than a setting value, and a microcomputer 2 sets the setting value based on consumption current. The microcomputer 2 sets the setting value to a predetermined value (?35 dB) in case that state that consumption current is not less than a predetermined threshold (4.9 A or 3.6 A) continues for a predetermined time (2 minutes or 7.5 minutes).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: Onkyo Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Takahama, Tsukasa Kato
  • Patent number: 9954376
    Abstract: A wireless power transmission controlling apparatus and method are provided. The apparatus includes a communication unit; and a controller configured to compute an amount of transmission power to be transmitted, based on information received from a wireless power receiving apparatus; output a wireless power transmission control signal corresponding to the computed amount of transmission power; filter the wireless power transmission control signal and pass a harmonic wave corresponding to a predetermined communication frequency band; and control the communication unit to transmit the wireless power transmission control signal based on the harmonic wave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Woo-Ram Lee, Joon-Il Kim, Sung-Bum Park, Young-Min Lee, Hong-Kweun Kim, Se-Ho Park, Seung-Woo Han
  • Patent number: 9866026
    Abstract: A method of managing electric power for managing power, within a group, said power is to be used by a first user with a power storage system and a second user without the power storage system, the method including: (a) collecting data regarding load power of the first user and the second user and calculating total load power within the group; (b) determining whether the total load power is equal to or greater than a peak cut power; (c) determining whether a value of [total load power?peak cut power] is smaller than the load power of the first user when determination in the step (b) is Yes; and (d) causing the power storage system to discharge at the value of [total load power?peak cut power], when determination in the step (c) is Yes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Youjirou Nomura
  • Patent number: 9859709
    Abstract: A power control apparatus is applied to a vehicle provided with a receiving port connected with an external power supply device placed outside the vehicle and on-vehicle electrical loads including a second battery which stores power supplied from the external power supply device via the receiving port. The power control apparatus for vehicles has power supply processing means that performs a power supply process for supplying desired power to the loads during a stop of the vehicle. This power supply processing means predicts cost required to supply the desired power, based on future predicted power cost information, in planning a power supply process needed during the stop of the vehicle. This planned power supply process is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akira Sakamoto, Kazuyoshi Obayashi
  • Patent number: 9837866
    Abstract: In an inductive energy transfer system, the phase of a signal that is applied to a transmitter coil to transfer energy is adjusted while energy is transferred from the transmitter device to a receiver device. The phase of the signal can be adjusted by changing a state of a DC-to-AC converter from a converting state to a non-converting state. The DC-to-AC converter outputs a signal that is applied to the transmitter coil when the DC-to-AC converter is in a converting state. A signal is not applied to the transmitter coil when the DC-to-AC converter is in a non-converting state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Todd K. Moyer, Jeffrey M. Alves, Steven G. Herbst, David W. Ritter, Jeffrey J. Terlizzi
  • Patent number: 9829905
    Abstract: A system for balancing current in a circuit is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Gary K. Mitchell, Mark B. Kearney, William Parker Whitlock
  • Patent number: 9804613
    Abstract: A method for controlling a circuit control system. Currents are sensed at outputs of transistors in the circuit control system. Levels are identified for the currents. A number of characteristics of the transistors are controlled while the currents flow out of the transistors such that the currents flowing out of the transistors have desired levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
    Inventors: Lijun Gao, Shengyi Liu, Eugene V. Solodovnik, Kamiar J. Karimi
  • Patent number: 9806542
    Abstract: A wireless power transmitting device includes a self-oscillator circuit, a detection circuit that detects at least one of an oscillation frequency of the self-oscillator circuit and an output voltage of the self-oscillator circuit, a detection resonator that outputs, to detect a position of the power receiving device, power output by the self-oscillator circuit, and a control circuit that detects a degree to which the power receiving device approaches the detection resonator, based on a result of a detection performed by the detection circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenichi Asanuma, Hiroshi Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 9800061
    Abstract: A power transmitting apparatus that transmits power to a power receiving apparatus executes intermittent wireless transmission of power. The power transmitting apparatus operates according to one of a first power transmitting method including detecting a signal load-modulated by the power receiving apparatus using an ID in response to the transmitted power during the intermittent transmission and a second power transmitting method including transmitting the power having modulated the power according to an ID determined in advance so that the power receiving apparatus detects the ID determined in advance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naoto Takahashi, Tadashi Eguchi
  • Patent number: 9769343
    Abstract: To provide a sleep mode control system restricting power consumption while an image forming apparatus (ifma) is in a sleep mode (slm) and allowing a user to deactivate the sleep mode without impairing his/her convenience. The sleep mode control system includes the imf entering the slm to reduce power consumption and a power generator provided below a passage floor on which the imf is mounted. The power generator has a power generation unit, when stepped, provides a private power generation and an electromotive force detection unit detecting an electromotive force generated at the power generation unit successively, generating a pulse signal using the resulting electromotive force, and outputting the resulting pulse signal successively. The ifma has a sleep control part deactivating the slm, while the ifma is being in the slm, based on a signal pattern of the pulse signal outputted from the electromotive force detection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Hara, Naoki Sawa, Hiroki Arakawa, Yuki Enokizono
  • Patent number: 9728985
    Abstract: A charging device of an aspect of the present disclosure includes couplers and control circuitry that controls a charging operation. If the number of one or more secondary battery-equipped devices to be charged is smaller than a set number, the control circuitry charges each of the one or more secondary battery-equipped devices to be charged with a continuous current. If the number is greater than or equal to the set number, the control circuitry intermittently repeats charging of each of the one or more secondary battery-equipped devices to be charged with a stopping interval placed between charging operations while selectively and sequentially switching the one or more secondary battery-equipped devices to which a charging current is supplied at the same time, and the control circuitry increases the charging current and shortens an application duration of the charging current per charging with an increase in the number of secondary battery-equipped devices to be charged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Honda, Yoshikazu Yamaoka, Kensuke Nakura
  • Patent number: 9716388
    Abstract: A power transmitter (101) transfers power to a power receiver (105) using a wireless power signal. The power transmitter (101) comprises an inductor (103) driven by a power signal generator (201) to provide the power signal. A calibration controller (211) determines whether a power loss calibration has been performed for the power transmitter (101) and power receiver (105) pairing. The calibration adapts an expected relationship between a received power indication provided by the power receiver (105) and a transmitted power indication for the power transmitter (101). A power limiter (205) restricts the power provided to the inductor to not exceed a threshold unless a power loss calibration has been performed for the pairing. The expected relationship may be used to detect unaccounted for power losses, e.g. due to foreign objects being present. The calibrated expected relationship may provide improved accuracy allowing accurate detection at higher power levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventor: Andries Van Wageningen
  • Patent number: 9705360
    Abstract: A system is provided. The system includes a plurality of uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs), a ring bus, at least one load electrically coupled to the plurality of UPSs and the ring bus, and a controller communicatively coupled to the plurality of UPSs. The controller is configured to calculate an output voltage frequency for each UPS of the plurality of UPSs, and control operation of each UPS based on the respective calculated output voltage frequencies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Yashomani Kolhatkar, Rajendra Naik, Viswanathan Kanakasabai, Silvio Colombi
  • Patent number: 9673625
    Abstract: An uninterruptible power supply apparatus includes a power supply unit converting AC power to generate a DC voltage to be supplied to a loading device. The uninterruptible power supply apparatus further includes a first battery unit connected to the power supply unit to receive a DC current therefrom, and stores first DC power generated from the DC voltage. The first battery unit generates a DC voltage to be supplied to the loading device from the first DC power. The uninterruptible power supply apparatus includes a second battery unit connected in parallel to the power supply unit and stores second DC power, and generates, from the second DC power stored in the second battery unit, a DC voltage to be supplied to the loading device. The uninterruptible power supply apparatus further includes a controller for controlling operation of the power supply unit, the first battery unit and the second battery unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ryuji Yamada, Kazuaki Mino, Ryuji Shimizu, Hirokazu Kadoi, Koji Kawaguchi
  • Patent number: 9531197
    Abstract: A non-contact power transmission apparatus accurately determines the kind of object that is placed on the charging deck of the non-contact power transmission apparatus, and, only when a non-contact power receiving apparatus is placed on the power transmission apparatus, allows power transmission and data communication to take place, thereby accurately determining the state of the receiver side and efficiently controlling the transmission of power. In the power transmission apparatus, the power supplied to the non-contact power receiving apparatus is measured, and the output power of the wireless power signal output from two different cores is controlled, thereby allowing the charging operation to be stably conducted even if the non-contact power receiving apparatus is moved anywhere on the power transmission apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Chun-Kil Jung, Yoon-Sang Kuk
  • Patent number: 9462724
    Abstract: Various embodiments include a combined power and IT modular system including a housing, an IT load, and a DC power generator which is electrically connected to the IT load, wherein the IT load and the DC power generator are both located in the housing. Further embodiments include a method of operating a combined power and IT module including step of providing a combined power and IT module including a housing, an IT load, and a DC power generator which is electrically connected to the IT load, wherein the IT load and the DC power generator are both located in the housing, and operating the DC power generator to supply power to the IT load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignees: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION, HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT LP
    Inventors: Kfir Godrich, William Thayer, Arne Ballantine
  • Patent number: 9276440
    Abstract: A multi-mode multi-coupling multi-protocol wireless power transmitter (WPT) and its embodiments transmit power to a wireless power receiver (WPR) in a power transfer mode (PTM) and a wireless power protocol (WPP) of the WPR. A first circuit of the WPT includes inductors or capacitors emanating power via a magnetic field or electric field PTM respectively. The WPT sequentially parses a test condition to identify a PTM, a power coupling linkage (PCL) between the WPT and the WPR, and a WPP of the WPR. The WPT identifies a match if the PTM of the first circuit and the WPP of the switch network, the variable matching circuit, a modulator/demodulator block or an out-of-band communication block, and a control logic circuit of the WPT match the PTM and the WPP of the WPR to transmit power to the WPR based on the match.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignee: WIPQTUS INC.
    Inventors: Ganapathy Sankar, Manjit Singh
  • Patent number: 9269490
    Abstract: A non-contact power transmission apparatus accurately determines the kind of object that is placed on the charging deck of the non-contact power transmission apparatus, and, only when a non-contact power receiving apparatus is placed on the power transmission apparatus, allows power transmission and data communication to take place, thereby accurately determining the state of the receiver side and efficiently controlling the transmission of power. In the power transmission apparatus, the power supplied to the non-contact power receiving apparatus is measured, and the output power of the wireless power signal output from two different cores is controlled, thereby allowing the charging operation to be stably conducted even if the non-contact power receiving apparatus is moved anywhere on the power transmission apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: INTEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chun-Kil Jung, Yoon-Sang Kuk
  • Patent number: 9201484
    Abstract: Circuitry for conserving power in a system employing multiple electronic components of which a first electronic component operates at a first frequency and is continuously powered on by a power source. The system further includes a second electronic component operating at a second frequency different than that of the first frequency of the first electric component, the second electronic component being maintained in a powered off state in which no energy whatsoever is consumed by the second electronic component until energized in response to a power enabling signal generated by the first electronic component based on demand of the particular function to be performed by the second electronic component. The first and second electronic components may be processors, wherein the frequency of the first processor is lower than that of the second processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: Codman Neuro Sciences Sárl
    Inventors: Alec Ginggen, Rocco Crivelli
  • Patent number: 9148017
    Abstract: A power demand management apparatus comprising a power demand acquiring section acquiring a predicted power demand; a consumer house information holding section that, for each of a plurality of request methods or request conditions, and for each of a plurality of consumer houses, holds a sensitivity indicating a probability that the consumer house will comply with a request; a consumer house selecting section that, when the predicted power demand exceeds a target value, selects a first consumer house whose sensitivity for a first request method or request condition is no less than a first reference value and selects a second consumer house whose sensitivity for a second request method or request condition is no less than a second reference value; and a restriction requesting section that issues requests for power demand restriction to the first and second consumer houses respectively using the first and second request methods or request conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignees: ENERES Co., Ltd., The Japan Research Institute, Limited
    Inventors: Motohide Ikeda, Ken Watanabe, Makoto Inoue
  • Patent number: 9077178
    Abstract: An electronic device may include a connector port that accommodates reversible connector plugs. The connector port may include protection circuitry that protects other components in the electronic device from undesired power supply voltages. The protection circuitry may form a first branch and a second branch opposite to the first branch. The protection circuitry may receive control signals from power polarity detection circuitry. The power polarity detection circuitry may detect the presence of power supply voltages at the first branch and the second branch. In response to detecting the presence of a power supply voltage at a given branch, the power polarity detection circuitry may disable a power supply signal path through the opposite branch and enable a power supply signal path through the given branch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Scott Mullins