Using Inductor Patents (Class 323/232)
  • Patent number: 10181804
    Abstract: A switched resonant power converter includes multiple switching transistors, a resonant circuit comprising a capacitor and an inductor, and an auxiliary soft-start bypass circuit that bypasses a default switching path that includes a first switching transistor of the switching transistors, and provides an alternative path through an impedance element. A corresponding control circuit is configured to switch between an operational mode in which the default switching path is periodically activated while the alternative path is deactivated to provide a first frequency-responsive power through the resonant circuit, and a soft-start mode in which the alternative path is periodically activated while the default switching path is deactivated to provide a second frequency-responsive power through the resonant circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: Linear Technology Holding LLC
    Inventors: Jian Li, Jindong (Henry) Zhang
  • Patent number: 10062502
    Abstract: A circuit arrangement for compensation of a DC component in a transformer, wherein the transformer includes a winding arrangement connected via connecting lines to a power system for transporting electrical energy, and includes a neutral point connected to earth, where the circuit arrangement includes a transductor circuit arranged in a current path that connects a connection point situated on a node-free portion of the connection line to earth, a control and regulation device that controls the transductor circuit via a control signal and to which is fed, on the input side, a signal provided by a detection device with respect to a size and direction of the DC component to be compensated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: Siemens AG Österreich
    Inventor: Peter Hamberger
  • Patent number: 8928248
    Abstract: Provided is a step up/down converter, in which the inductor current can be easily detected by a simple configuration in any connecting mode of the switches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Takuya Ishii, Takeshi Azuma
  • Patent number: 8907645
    Abstract: A safe electric power regulating circuit is connected between a power supply and a voltage boost/buck circuit to regulate the output voltage by the power supply to have a target voltage through the voltage boost/buck circuit. A switching device includes a switch unit, a first diode, and a first capacitor. The switch unit includes a first end, a second end, and a third end. The first end is connected to the power supply, and the second end is connected to the voltage boost/buck circuit. The switch unit is controlled to connect the third end to the first end or the second end. The first diode has an anode connected to the first end of the switch unit. The first capacitor has one end connected to the third end of the switch unit and the other end connected to circuit ground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Invention Element Inc.
    Inventors: Hsiang-Yu Lee, Ping-Tsun Lin
  • Patent number: 8860390
    Abstract: A switching power supply circuit has a controller, a power switch, and an inductor circuit that is coupled to a power node of the power switch and to a capacitor. The inductor circuit has several discrete component conductors that are connected to each other in parallel and laid out side-by-side and wired such that each of the inductors is oriented with opposite polarity relative to another adjacent one of the inductors. Each inductor has associated first and second traces that are used to wire it to the power node and the capacitor. These traces for one inductor have matched characteristics with those of an adjacent inductor. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Ching Yu John Tam
  • Patent number: 8699238
    Abstract: A modified power converter circuit utilizes an RLC circuit tuned to the frequency of any instability in the power converter circuit in order to remove the instability in the circuit output. In one embodiment, a pair of RLC circuits are connected in parallel across the input capacitor and output capacitor of the power circuit topology, respectively. The capacitor and inductor of each RLC circuit act as filters having a period with the same value as the instability created by interaction of the respective input or output capacitor with the isolation transformer inductance and expose the resistor within each the RLC circuit to only the frequency of instability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Sedona International, Inc.
    Inventors: Arthur Tong, Paul Clouser
  • Patent number: 8682168
    Abstract: A portable electronic device with an IrDA transmitter LED is used to transmit both IrDA signals and remote control infrared signals. The device transmits remote control infrared signals with reduced power consumption. During a relatively longer remote control signal pulse, an inductor saturates and stores energy when a drive current flows from a power supply, through the inductor and then through the LED. An energy-transferring circuit transfers a portion of the energy stored in the inductor to the power supply. Energy is transferred when the drive current is cut and the voltage across the inductor surges, which causes an overflow current to flow through a diode in the energy-transferring circuit and to the power supply. The inductor is a planar coil of traces on a printed circuit board and therefore costs less to manufacture than does a toroidal coil of wires.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: IXYS CH GmbH
    Inventor: Alan Grace
  • Patent number: 8664923
    Abstract: A buck converter comprising a controller arranged to monitor an output voltage of the converter, the controller comprising: a comparator arranged to compare an output voltage at an output of the buck converter with a reference voltage, and a modification circuit within the comparator or connected to a modification signal input of the comparator and arranged to produce a correction signal to modify the operation of the comparator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.
    Inventors: Guillaume De Cremoux, Sergei Slavnov
  • Patent number: 8638578
    Abstract: A power converter including a charge pump employable in a power adapter. In one embodiment, the charge pump includes a voltage divider with a first diode having a terminal coupled to a terminal of a first capacitor and a second diode having a terminal coupled to a terminal of a second capacitor and another terminal coupled to another terminal of the first capacitor. The charge pump also includes a third diode coupled across the second diode and the second capacitor, and a charge pump power switch coupled across the first capacitor and the second diode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2014
    Assignee: Power System Technologies, Ltd.
    Inventor: Xiaoyang Zhang
  • Patent number: 8368364
    Abstract: In order to achieve an object to reduce a surge voltage and suppress noise generation, the present invention provides a DC-DC converter with a snubber circuit, which boosts a voltage Vi of a DC power supply. The snubber circuit includes: a series circuit connected to both ends of a smoothing capacitor Co and including a snubber capacitor Cs and a snubber resistor Rs; a snubber diode Ds1 connected to a node at which the snubber capacitor Cs and the snubber resistor Rs are connected, and to a node at which a reactor Lr1 and an additional winding 1b of a transformer T1 are connected; and a snubber diode Ds2 connected to the node at which the snubber capacitor Cs and the snubber resistor Rs are connected, and to a node at which a reactor Lr2 and an additional winding 2b of a transformer T2 are connected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignees: Sanken Electric Co., Ltd., National University Corporation Shimane University
    Inventors: Hideki Asuke, Hideharu Takano, Mamoru Tsuruya, Masayoshi Yamamoto, Takahiro Kawashima, Shigeyuki Funabiki
  • Patent number: 8350540
    Abstract: A storageless DC-DC converter is provided having simultaneously ultra high efficiency of 99.5% in an ultra compact size leading to 1 kW/inch3 power density, while also providing a regulation over the wide input DC voltage range. In addition to fixed 2 to 1 step-down voltage conversion the continuous output voltage reduction is obtained by use of a new method of the modulation of the freewheeling time of one of the two current rectifiers. This provides a simple regulation of the output voltage via a standard duty ratio control, despite the wide range of the input voltage change and simultaneous wide range of the load current change. An alternative control method customarily used in classical resonant converters to control output voltage by change of the switching frequency with a fixed duty ratio control is also demonstrated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Cuks, LLC
    Inventor: Slobodan Cuk
  • Patent number: 8222874
    Abstract: A boost converter circuit that includes a power supply, an inductor coupled to the power supply to receive current from the power supply, a diode coupled to receive current from the inductor and coupled to provide current to a load as an output, an inductor switch coupled to a node between the inductor and the diode for selectively switching current from the inductor anyway from the diode, and a ramp circuit. The ramp circuit is coupled to the node between the inductor and the diode, and is configured to selectively sample a voltage at the node between the inductor and the diode via a sampling switch and use the sampled signal to produce a stabilization ramp to stabilize the output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Vishay-Siliconix
    Inventors: Yaron Slezak, Roy Shoshani
  • Patent number: 8053997
    Abstract: A two-wire load control device, such as a dimmer, is operable to control the amount of power delivered to an electrical load, such as a magnetic low-voltage (MLV) load, and comprises a bidirectional semiconductor switch, a timing circuit, a trigger circuit having a variable voltage threshold, and a clamp circuit. When a timing voltage signal of the timing circuit exceeds an initial magnitude of the variable voltage threshold, the trigger circuit is operable to render the semiconductor switch conductive, reduce the timing voltage signal to a predetermined magnitude less than the initial magnitude, and to increase the variable voltage threshold to a second magnitude greater than the first magnitude. The clamp circuit limits the magnitude of the timing voltage signal to a clamp magnitude between the initial magnitude and the second magnitude, thereby preventing the timing voltage signal from exceeding the second magnitude.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher James Salvestrini
  • Patent number: 7948201
    Abstract: An induction motor control device includes an inverter circuit for driving an induction motor by outputting a command voltage, a current detector for detecting an output current, a magnetic flux estimation observer for generating an estimated magnetic flux, an estimated current, and a phase command for the motor using the command voltage and the output current, a primary angular speed estimator for estimating a primary angular speed using the estimated magnetic flux, a slip compensator for calculating a slip angular frequency using the output current, a first angular speed estimator for estimating a first angular speed using the primary angular speed and the output current, a second angular speed estimator for estimating a second angular speed using the output current, the estimated magnetic flux, and the estimated current, and a resistance estimator for estimating a secondary resistance value of the motor using the first and second angular speeds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Yaskawa Denki
    Inventor: Masanobu Inazumi
  • Patent number: 7901547
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an electrical device for impeding corrosion of a metal body. The electrical device includes a driver circuit including at least one inductive component. The driver circuit is suitable for driving one or more pads coupled to the metal body so that corrosion of the metal body is impeded. A control circuit is provided for controlling the operation of the driver circuit. A feedback circuit provides feedback from the driver circuit to the control circuit. The driver circuit can operate as a resonant circuit, owing to the at least one inductive component, and ballast energy applied to the pads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Couplertec Pty Ltd
    Inventor: Robin Richardson
  • Patent number: 7852050
    Abstract: A device for control of power flow in a three-phase ac transmission line. The device includes a series transformer unit, a shunt transformer unit, and a reactance unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: ABB Research Ltd.
    Inventors: Bertil Berggren, Mojtaba Noroozian
  • Patent number: 7812575
    Abstract: A bidirectional DC-DC converter 10 has smoothing capacitors Cs1 and Cs2, a smoothing reactor Ls, resonant reactors Lr1 and Lr2, and a resonant capacitor Cr, as well as insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) Q1, Q2, and Q3 to which buffer capacitors C1, C2, and C3 are connected in parallel and diodes D1, D2, and D3 are connected in a back-to-back configuration. After part of the energy stored in the smoothing reactor Ls and/or resonant reactors Lr1 and Lr2 draws charges in the buffer capacitor C3 and is stored in the resonant capacitor Cr, the energy is stored in the resonant reactors Lr1 and Lr2. The energy is used to draw charges in the buffer capacitors C1 and C2, achieving soft switching of IGBTs Q1, Q2, and Q3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi Computer Peripherals Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takae Shimada, Hiroyuki Shoji, Masahiro Hamaogi, Kimiaki Taniguchi
  • Patent number: 7777458
    Abstract: A Single Ended Primary Inductance Converter (SEPIC) fed BUCK converter includes: a first switch configured to open or close according to a first signal; a SEPIC portion coupled to the first switch and coupled to an energy source, the SEPIC portion comprising a first set of one or more passive components; a BUCK converter portion coupled to the first switch, the BUCK converter portion comprising a second set of one or more passive components. While the first switch is closed, the SEPIC portion is configured to store energy from an energy source in at least some of the first set of passive components and deliver energy to the BUCK portion, and the BUCK converter portion is configured to deliver energy to a load and to store energy in at least some of the second set of passive components. While the first switch is open, the SEPIC portion is configured to deliver at least some of its stored energy to the load, and the BUCK converter portion is configured to deliver at least some of its stored energy to the load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Inventor: Fred O. Barthold
  • Publication number: 20100102784
    Abstract: An information handling system may comprise a direct-current to direct-current step-down power converter, a memory, and a processor. The step-down power converter may include a first inductive unit, a first switching unit connected between a voltage source and the first inductive unit, a second switching unit connected to ground, a capacitance unit connected between the second switching unit and the first inductive unit, and a second inductive unit connected between the second switching unit and the first inductive unit. The capacitance unit is configured to delay a change in voltage across the first or second switching units, and the second inductive unit is configured to delay a change in current in the first or second switching units.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2008
    Publication date: April 29, 2010
    Applicant: DELL PORDUCTS L. P.
    Inventors: Brent A. McDonald, Constantin Darius Livescu
  • Publication number: 20090212748
    Abstract: A voltage sag generator device (30) for use in an electrical generator machine (2) such as a wind turbine, connected to an electrical network (1) including one to three parallel transformers (3, 4, 5) connected on one side to the wind turbine (2) via a coupling switch (7) and circuit breakers (13, 11, 10), and earthed on the other side via circuit breakers (18, 17, 16) and a control switch (6); means for causing short-circuits when the coupling switch (7) and the control switch (6) are actuated in such a way that a voltage sag having the required duration and type is generated; and means for protecting the transformers (3, 4, 5) during voltage sag generation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2006
    Publication date: August 27, 2009
    Inventors: Jose Ignacio Llorente Gonzalez, Miguel Linares Fano
  • Patent number: 7486055
    Abstract: There is provided a DC-DC converter including: a main switching element to perform an on-off operation; a first choke coil; an output capacitor; and a diode module. The diode module includes a first series circuit which includes an auxiliary switching element and a resonant capacitor, and a second series circuit which includes a flywheel diode and a resonant coil, wherein the first series circuit and the second series circuit are connected in parallel to each other. The DC-DC converter reduces the switching loss, deals with an extensive range of input and output voltage variation, and accommodates easy modifications from conventional circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: Mineba Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masaya Yamashita
  • Patent number: 7474857
    Abstract: A portable electronic device with an IrDA transmitter LED is used to transmit both IrDA signals and remote control infrared signals. The device transmits remote control infrared signals with reduced power consumption. During a relatively longer remote control signal pulse, an inductor saturates and stores energy when a drive current flows from a power supply, through the inductor and then through the LED. An energy-transferring circuit transfers a portion of the energy stored in the inductor to the power supply. Energy is transferred when the drive current is cut and the voltage across the inductor surges, which causes an overflow current to flow through a diode in the energy-transferring circuit and to the power supply. The inductor is a planar coil of traces on a printed circuit board and therefore costs less to manufacture than does a toroidal coil of wires.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2009
    Assignee: ZiLOG, Inc.
    Inventor: Alan Grace
  • Publication number: 20090001943
    Abstract: A boost converter circuit that includes a power supply, an inductor coupled to the power supply to receive current from the power supply, a diode coupled to receive current from the inductor and coupled to provide current to a load as an output, an inductor switch coupled to a node between the inductor and the diode for selectively switching current from the inductor anyway from the diode, and a ramp circuit. The ramp circuit is coupled to the node between the inductor and the diode, and is configured to selectively sample a voltage at the node between the inductor and the diode via a sampling switch and use the sampled signal to produce a stabilization ramp to stabilize the output.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2007
    Publication date: January 1, 2009
    Inventors: Yaron Slezak, Roy Shoshani
  • Patent number: 7208920
    Abstract: A buck/boost converter having an input and an output, a switching cell with a switch between the input and the output, and a selector selectively configuring the switching cell into at least two configurations from among the following: a parallel chopper configuration, a series chopper configuration, or an inductive-storage chopper configuration, the cell using the same switch in all the configurations. The converter has a single switch for various modes of operation of the converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2007
    Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC
    Inventor: Hugo Jorquera Fuentes
  • Patent number: 7078883
    Abstract: A startup circuit for starting a power converter for converting an input voltage to an output voltage includes a switch connected in series with a resistive element. The startup circuit is connected in parallel with a trigger switch in the power converter for enabling the power converter to generate the output voltage. When closed or activated, the switch in the startup circuit charges an energy storing device in the power converter. The energy storing device activates the trigger switch as the charge is released.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2006
    Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
    Inventors: Patrick Chapman, Philip T. Krein, Jonathan Kimball, Theresa L. Flowers
  • Patent number: 6756774
    Abstract: A constant voltage source includes a constant voltage supplying circuit including an operational amplifier for supplying an output voltage to a load and a feedback circuit for feeding back the output voltage to the operational amplifier; a first inductance unit disposed between the constant voltage supplying circuit and the load; and a first bypass capacitor of which one terminal is coupled between the first inductance unit and the load and the other terminal is coupled to a constant voltage unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2004
    Assignee: Advantest Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshihiro Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 6472852
    Abstract: A swinging inductor is used to achieve zero-current switching in a resonant buck-type voltage converter. The swinging inductor exhibits the property of a relatively high inductance at zero current and low current, but it swings back to the original resonant inductance value at high current. In this way the high and medium regions of the current sine wave remain effectively unchanged. Upon circuit power application, the current rises slowly due to the high swinging inductance value, but this is an innocuous parasitic effect. Using the swinging inductance placed in series with a switching device to control the transfer of energy from the input source to the output load allows for a very efficient transfer of energy and it also prevents the current from becoming negative. Moreover, the efficiency level is sustainable over a wide range of input and output voltage requirements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2002
    Assignee: Semtech Corporation
    Inventor: Patrice Lethellier
  • Patent number: 5675244
    Abstract: Power-supply apparatus for powering a control circuit for controlling a power switch component, the apparatus powering said circuit from the voltage across the terminals of the component in the off state, and including an energy-storage capacitor, said apparatus further including means for charging said energy-storage capacitor during the periods in which said component is on.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 7, 1997
    Assignee: Gec Alsthom Transport SA
    Inventor: Michel Piton
  • Patent number: 5659464
    Abstract: A filter for a pulse width modulating inverter comprises a first inductor coupled to a phase connection of the pulse width modulating inverter, a second inductor coupled between the first inductor at a first-second coupling junction and a load, and a series configuration comprising a resistor and a capacitor coupled in series. The series configuration has one end coupled to the first-second coupling junction. If desired, the first inductor can be coupled between a phase connection of the pulse width modulating inverter and directly to the load, and the series configuration can have one end coupled to the load. The series configuration can further include a third inductor. Furthermore, the series configuration can be replaced by a parallel configuration comprising a resistor and a capacitor coupled in parallel, and the parallel configuration can further include a third inductor coupled in series to the resistor and the capacitor coupled in parallel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 19, 1997
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Albert Andreas Maria Esser
  • Patent number: 4786854
    Abstract: An AC voltage regulator includes an output voltage sensing and regulating device having a suitable filter characteristic to attenuate AC components therein occurring in the frequency ranges corresponding to the almost periodic oscillations or abnormal oscillations, or high frequency components of distorted waves which appear in the AC output voltage and are causes for such abnormal oscillations. The AC voltage regulator does not need to use a dummy load to suppress almost periodic oscillations even when the load is extremely small. The output voltage of the AC voltage regulator is free from abnormal oscillation components such as almost periodic oscillations and low frequency oscillations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1987
    Date of Patent: November 22, 1988
    Assignee: Nishimu Electronics Industries, Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kosuke Harada, Takazi Nakamizo, Cheng-Jen Chen
  • Patent number: 4532582
    Abstract: A voltage regulator system for receiving relatively high frequency electrical energy from a source and providing a regulated relatively low frequency electrical energy output wherein a passive device sensing means comprising only electrically passive elements senses the output voltage of the outputted relatively low frequency electrical energy and provides at least one output control signal proportional to the sensed output voltage, and at least one magnetic controller for receiving the control signal provided by the passive device sensing means and controllingly varying the relatively high frequency electrical energy in response to the received control signal to controllingly vary the voltage of the outputted relatively low frequency electrical energy to maintain the outputted relatively low frequency energy voltage at substantially a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 1983
    Date of Patent: July 30, 1985
    Assignee: Power Technology Partners, Ltd.
    Inventor: Charles C. Freeny, Jr.