Transistor Patents (Class 363/127)
  • Patent number: 10998830
    Abstract: A power conversion device includes: power conversion cells; and a controller to control the cells. Each cell includes: a transformer; a primary conversion unit on a primary side of the transformer; a secondary conversion unit on a secondary side; a primary bypass device for short-circuiting between input terminals of the cell; and a secondary bypass device for short-circuiting between output terminals of the cell. The input terminals and/or the output terminals of the cells are connected in series. When the primary conversion unit(s) of a part of the cells is stopped, the controller turns on the primary bypass device and sets secondary DC link voltages to prescribed values; and when the secondary conversion unit(s) of a part of the cells is stopped, the controller turns on the secondary bypass device and controls the primary conversions units to set primary DC link voltages to prescribed values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsuhiro Kadota, Takae Shimada
  • Patent number: 10992175
    Abstract: A circuit for stealing power from an external system without interfering with a communication protocol includes a plurality of wiring connectors configured to receive a plurality of wires, where the plurality of wiring connectors receive a plurality of current levels set by the external system according to the communication protocol; a first voltage regulator to regulate a voltage on the plurality of wiring connectors at a plurality of voltage levels according to the communication protocol; a current monitor to measure the plurality of current levels received through the plurality of wiring connectors; a second voltage regulator that provides a current-limiting output; and a power converter that optimizes an amount of power stolen from the plurality of wiring connectors based on the current-limiting output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Daniel Adam Warren, Eric Marschalkowski, Nathan Lentz, Timothy Lai
  • Patent number: 10944338
    Abstract: A power apparatus applied in an SST structure includes a first AC-to-DC conversion unit, a first DC bus, an isolated transformer, a DC-to-AC conversion unit, a second AC-to-DC conversion unit, and a second DC bus. The first AC-to-DC conversion unit has a first three-level bridge arm and a second three-level bridge arm. The first DC bus provides a first DC voltage. The isolated transformer has a primary side and a secondary side. The DC-to-AC conversion unit has a third three-level bridge arm and a fourth three-level bridge arm. The second AC-to-DC conversion unit has a fifth three-level bridge arm and a sixth three-level bridge arm. The second DC bus provides a second DC voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: DELTA ELECTRONICS, INC.
    Inventors: Wen-Lung Huang, Sheng-Hua Li
  • Patent number: 10938309
    Abstract: An example voltage converter includes a transformer having a primary winding, a first secondary winding, and a second secondary winding; a first transistor connected between a first terminal of the first secondary winding and electrical ground; a second transistor connected between a second terminal of the second secondary winding and electrical ground; an inductor connected to a center tap of the transformer between the first secondary winding and the second secondary winding; and a capacitor that is connectable along a current path to the transformer that includes the inductor via at least one of the first transistor or the second transistor. A control system generates, based on characteristics of current through the inductor, pulse-width modulated control signals to control operation of the first transistor and the second transistor to produce voltage at the primary winding based on a voltage across the capacitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventor: Steven Mark Malechek
  • Patent number: 10923920
    Abstract: A solid state power controller configured to supply electric power from a power supply to at least one load, comprises: a solid state switching device having a first terminal (D) connected to the power supply, and a second terminal (S) connected to the load, the solid state switching device configured to switch between an OFF operation mode in which the second terminal (S) is electrically disconnected from the power supply, and an ON operation mode in which the second terminal (S) is electrically connected to the power supply, and a load current detection unit configured to detect a load current through the solid state switching device; wherein the load current detection unit comprises a first load current amplifier and a second load current amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: HS ELEKTRONIK SYSTEM GMBH
    Inventor: Bernd Loefflad
  • Patent number: 10903753
    Abstract: A converter circuit includes a primary side having a resonator and a first control circuit configured to control the resonator. The converter circuit also includes a secondary side having a resonant rectifier and a second control circuit configured to control the resonant rectifier. The converter circuit further includes a transformer configured to electrically isolate the primary side from the secondary side. The second control circuit is configured to turn the resonant rectifier on and off. The first control circuit may be configured to detect when the resonant rectifier is off and, in response, turn the resonator off without using a feedback signal from the secondary side. The first control circuit may be configured to detect when the resonant rectifier is off by detecting when input power to the primary side decreases. The resonant rectifier could be turned on and off by detuning the resonant rectifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Giovanni Frattini, Roberto G. Massolini, Maurizio Granato, David I. Anderson
  • Patent number: 10887117
    Abstract: A powered device (PD) used for power over Ethernet (PoE), where the PD includes an Ethernet port and a rectifier circuit. The rectifier circuit includes a first control circuit and a second control circuit, where the first control circuit is configured to control a first metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) and a second MOSFET, avoid turning on the first MOSFET and the second MOSFET at a PoE detection stage, and turn on at least one of the first MOSFET or the second MOSFET at a PoE power supply stage. The second control circuit is configured to control a third MOSFET and a fourth MOSFET, turn on at least one of the third MOSFET or the fourth MOSFET at the PoE power supply stage, and avoid turning on the third MOSFET and the fourth MOSFET at the PoE detection stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jincan Cao, Yonghuan Ding
  • Patent number: 10884036
    Abstract: An alternating current load detection circuit comprises a first resistor connected in parallel to a load circuit, a diode full bridge circuit connected in series to the load circuit and the first resistor, a filter capacitor connected in parallel to the diode full bridge circuit, a second resistor, and a photoelectric coupler connected in parallel to the diode full bridge circuit. The photoelectric coupler and the diode full bridge circuit are connected in series and in parallel to the second resistor, respectively. The diode full bridge circuit includes a first diode, a second diode having a positive electrode electrically connected to a negative electrode of the first diode, a third diode having a negative electrode electrically connected to a positive electrode of the first diode, and a fourth diode having a positive electrode electrically connected to a negative electrode of the second diode and a negative electrode electrically connected to a positive electrode of the third diode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Minjie Chen, Mingjie Fan
  • Patent number: 10848072
    Abstract: A power supply control device according to one or more embodiments may be provided, in which a power conversion device has a configuration in which a resonant circuit is provided on an output side of a matrix converter using switching circuits including snubber elements so as to perform AC-AC conversion of output from a multi-phase AC power supply. The power conversion device is controlled to make an amplitude of an output current, a phase of the output current and an instantaneous reactive power as close to a control target as possible. The amplitude and the phase of the output current and the instantaneous reactive power are derived based on: an input voltage and a phase of a multi-phase current input to the power conversion device; and characteristics of the resonant circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignees: OMRON Corporation, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CORPORATION HOKKAIDO UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Tokusaki, Takashi Hyodo, Satoshi Ogasawara, Wataru Kodaka
  • Patent number: 10819152
    Abstract: The present application provides a wireless power transfer system including a transmitter and at least one receiver, and also provides transmitters and receivers for such systems. The transmitter includes a driver coil and a transmitter coil magnetically coupled to each other and arranged along a plane, the driver coil and the transmitter coil being tuned to resonate at differing frequencies. The receiver includes a load coil and a receiver coil magnetically coupled to each other and arranged along a plane, the load coil and the receiver coil being tuned to resonate at differing frequencies. The driver coil and the transmitter coil of the transmitter, and the load and the transmitter coil of the receiver are strongly magnetically coupled to each other. The transmitter and the receiver are magnetically coupled to each to effectuate wireless power transfer from the transmitter to the receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: The Research Foundation for the State University of New York
    Inventors: Patanjali V. Parimi, David E. Senior
  • Patent number: 10819240
    Abstract: A power converter including: a dual output resonant converter including a first output, a second output, a common mode control input, and a differential mode control input, wherein a voltage/current at the first output and a voltage/current at the second output are controlled in response to a common mode control signal received at the common mode control input and a differential mode control signal received at the differential mode control input; a dual output controller including a first error signal input, a second error signal input, a common mode control output, and a differential mode control output, wherein the dual output controller is configured to generate the common mode control signal and the differential mode control signal in response to a first error signal received at the first error signal input and a second error signal received at the second error signal input, wherein the first error signal is a function of the voltage/current at the first output and the second error signal is a function of
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventor: Hans Halberstadt
  • Patent number: 10819213
    Abstract: A method for detecting zero-current of a voltage converter includes resetting a comparator output during a first period when a power switch of the voltage converter is turned on, and receiving, by an offset cancellation circuit, sample signals from the comparator. The method also determines a comparator offset using the sample signals. In response to an output voltage of the voltage converter being less than a threshold voltage, the comparator output is reset during a second period when the power switch is turned off. The comparator compares a first signal from the voltage converter with a second signal representing a ground voltage to generate a ZCD signal indicative of a comparison of the first and second signals. Then, an offset cancellation signal indicative of the determined comparator offset is generated to cancel the comparator offset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: NXP USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Shenglan Bi, Bo Fan, Meng Wang
  • Patent number: 10819245
    Abstract: A method of controlling synchronous rectification transistors in a switching converter includes sensing a drain-to-source voltage across each synchronous rectification transistor each switching half-cycle of the switching converter. An average of the sensed drain-to-source voltage is calculated for each synchronous rectification transistor over N prior switching half-cycles. A load current transient in the switching converter is sensed based on the sensed drain-to-source voltage of each synchronous rectification transistor and the calculated average of the sensed drain-to-source voltage for each synchronous rectification transistor over the N prior switching half-cycles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Alberto Iorio, Emilio Volpi, Jeanpierre Vicquery
  • Patent number: 10770962
    Abstract: A converter cell includes a first terminal; a second terminal; a plurality of switching elements provided with respective gate units; an energy storage element; an clamp inductor provided to restrict a rate of change of current from the energy storage element to the switching elements; and a first energy converter provided in parallel to the clamp inductor. The first energy converter is provided to power the gate units by utilising energy from the clamp inductor when the converter cell changes state to be in a short circuit state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
    Inventors: Aneeshkumar As, Kalpesh Bhalodi, Tomas Jonsson
  • Patent number: 10763752
    Abstract: A method of controlling a flyback circuit and control circuit thereof. The flyback circuit has a transformer having a primary winding and an auxiliary winding, and the primary winding and the auxiliary winding have opposite dot orientations with each other. During a switching cycle, a primary switch coupled to the primary winding is turned off; then, an auxiliary switch coupled to the auxiliary winding is turned on when, after an elapse of a predetermined waiting time counted from a predetermined moment in an immediate preceding switching cycle, an auxiliary switch voltage signal decreases to a valley of the auxiliary switch voltage signal. The auxiliary switch is turned off when the auxiliary switch current signal increases to a reference current. The primary switch is turned on when a primary switch voltage signal decreases to a valley of the primary switch voltage signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: Chengdu Monolithic Power Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yancun Li
  • Patent number: 10756645
    Abstract: A power conversion system includes a bridge switch circuit. The bridge switch circuit includes a plurality of switch sub-circuits, each switch sub-circuit includes: a switch for controlling switching of the switch sub-circuit; and a control unit configured to perform the following control cycle: When the voltage between the switch and the cathode is less than the first voltage threshold and the switch sub-circuit is not charged, the control unit controls the switch to be turned on, and starts charging the switch sub-circuit. When the voltage between the switch and the cathode is greater than a second voltage threshold, the control unit controls the switch to be turned off. When the charging voltage of the control unit is greater than the third voltage threshold, the control unit stops charging the switch sub-circuit. The circuit structure is simple and the circuit energy loss of the bridge rectifier is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: ALPHA AND OMEGA SEMICONDUCTOR (CAYMAN) LTD.
    Inventor: Ming-Hsueh Chen
  • Patent number: 10734825
    Abstract: A respiratory device, such as a ventilator, for use in treating respiratory disorders and for preventing respiratory disorders. The respiratory device is configured to be powered from a range of different power sources including an internal battery, an external battery, AC power source or a DC power source. The device may be electrically connectable to a plurality of external batteries in a series and the power from each external battery is used sequentially along the series. A controller of the respiratory device is configured to detect the connection of the different power sources and control use of the different power sources using a power priority scheme. The controller may determine an estimate of the total available battery capacity from all the electrically connected batteries and display the total battery capacity on a user interface display of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: ResMed Paris SAS
    Inventors: Alex Crawford Wing, Christopher Kingsley Blunsden, Korn Sar, David Creusot
  • Patent number: 10727769
    Abstract: An electric power system (EPS) may comprise a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG), a high speed rectifier configured to receive a first alternating current (AC) power from the PMSG, and a low speed rectifier configured to receive a second AC power from the PMSG. The low speed rectifier may be configured to receive the first AC power in response to the PMSG rotating at a first rotational speed, and the high speed rectifier may be configured to receive the second AC power in response to the PMSG rotating at a second faster rotational speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory I. Rozman, Jacek F. Gieras, Steven J. Moss, Mohammad Shahamat
  • Patent number: 10666154
    Abstract: A DC to DC converter with intermediate conversion into AC power, including: a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding; a first DC to AC conversion circuit having its AC terminals coupled with the primary winding of the transformer; a first AC to DC conversion circuit having its AC terminals coupled across a first tap and a second tap of the secondary winding of the transformer; a second AC to DC conversion circuit having its AC terminals coupled across a third tap and a fourth tap of the secondary winding of the transformer, wherein the first tap and the second tap are arranged between the third tap and the fourth tap along the secondary winding of the transformer; and at least one first power switch, being arranged between one of DC terminals of the first AC to DC conversion circuit and one of DC terminals of the second AC to DC conversion circuit. By having the solution as above, the DC output voltage may be changed between two levels by operating only one power switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
    Inventors: Dawei Yao, Xiaobo Yang, Guoxing Fan, Sheng Zong
  • Patent number: 10658928
    Abstract: Various examples are provided related to switched-capacitor converters (SCCs) with multi resonant frequencies. In one example, a multi resonant SCC (MRSCC) includes a series of switches coupled between an input voltage and an output connection; a pair of diodes coupled across the output connection; and a resonant circuit coupled at a first end between first and second switches of the series of switches and at a second end between the pair of diodes. The resonant circuit can comprise a resonant tank including a first capacitor and a resonant inductor, and a resonant component in parallel with at least a portion of the resonant tank. The resonant component can be connected across the resonant tank or across the resonant inductor. The MRSCC topology can also be used with higher voltage conversion ratio converters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Owen Jong, Qiang Li, Fred C. Lee
  • Patent number: 10658917
    Abstract: A sense terminal is configured to sense a drain-to-source voltage of a field effect transistor and a drive terminal is configured to drive the gate terminal of the field effect transistor to alternatively turn the field effect transistor on and off to provide a rectified current flow in the field effect transistor channel. A comparator is configured to perform a comparison of the drain-to-source voltage of the field effect transistor with a reference threshold and to detect alternate downward and upward crossings of the reference threshold and the drain-to-source voltage. A PWM signal generator is configured to drive the gate terminal of the field effect transistor to turn the field effect transistor on and off as a result of the alternate downward and upward crossings of the reference threshold by the drain-to-source voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.R.L.
    Inventor: Ivan Clemente Massimiani
  • Patent number: 10622908
    Abstract: In described examples, an isolated DC-DC converter includes an input node for receiving an input voltage, and a transformer including a primary side having first and second terminals and a ground. First and second high-side switches are coupled between the input node and the first and second terminals, respectively. A first low-side switch is coupled between the first terminal and the ground, and through a first voltage limiter to be activated by a voltage at the second terminal. A second low-side switch is coupled between the second terminal and the ground, and through a second voltage limiter to be activated by a voltage at the first terminal. A switch controller controls the high-side switches so that voltages across the high-side switches are alternatingly zero, using a current through the primary side to alternatingly charge one terminal to an input voltage and discharge the other terminal to a ground voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Maurizio Granato, Giavanni Frattini, Shailendra Kumar Baranwal
  • Patent number: 10615700
    Abstract: A power converter includes a transformer, a first primary side transistor coupled to the primary winding, a primary side controller that provides a gate signal to a gate of the first primary side transistor, a first synchronous rectifier (SR) transistor, and an SR controller. The first SR transistor has a drain coupled to a secondary winding of the transformer, a gate for receiving a first SR gate signal, and a source coupled to a first output terminal of the power converter. The SR controller is coupled to the gate and drain of the first SR transistor, for activating the first SR gate signal when a voltage on the drain falls below a turn-on threshold, and deactivating the first SR gate signal when a voltage on the drain rises above a variable turn-off threshold, wherein the variable turn-off threshold increases over an expected on-time of the first SR gate signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC
    Inventors: Sangcheol Moon, JooHoon Kim, Inki Park
  • Patent number: 10615711
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for controlling an output voltage for a single-type converter and a method therefor, the apparatus including: a power input/output unit connected in parallel to both poles of the single-type converter, respectively, thereby receiving and outputting output voltages, respectively; an output voltage and current measurement unit measuring output currents and the output voltages output from the power input/output unit; a controller performing a current limit control for a protection coordination for a first pole and performing a voltage control for a second pole following a checking of a state of the first pole of the both poles of the single-type converter using the measured output currents; a switching unit being switched according to a control performed on the both poles; and a power transfer unit transferring the output voltages of the single-type converter according to switching of the switching unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: KOREA ELECTRIC POWER CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jin-Tae Cho, Ju-Yong Kim, Jae-Han Kim, Young-Pyo Cho
  • Patent number: 10608522
    Abstract: An electrical circuit comprising an n-port m-phase active bridge converter with n?2 and m?1, where each port can be operated as an input or an output port, wherein each of the n ports has m phase legs with multiple active switches with parallel connected snubber or resonant capacitors, whereby the n ports can convert a DC-voltage into an AC voltage, the n ports connected via an m-phase transformer or over m separate transformers each connected to each of the m phase legs of each of the n ports to transfer power between the ports, wherein an auxiliary circuit is connected to the transformers to convert a part of a transformer input voltage and energy via an auxiliary voltage source into a DC mid-point capacitor of a DC-link of at least one of the n-port m-phase active bridge converters to recharge the DC mid-point capacitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen
    Inventors: Rik W. De Doncker, Johannes Voss
  • Patent number: 10608570
    Abstract: A boosting operation of a converter and the intermittent energization operation of an inverter are optimally performed in accordant with input or output. The power converter includes the converter capable of boosting a DC voltage outputted by switching operation alternately performing shorting and rectification; the inverter; an inverter capable of performing intermittent energization in which switching around zero cross of a motor current is turned off upon converting the DC voltage outputted by the converter into three-phase AC power; and a controller that controls the converter to perform boosting operation and the inverter to perform the boosting operation of the converter and the intermittent energization operation of the inverter linkingly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Hitachi-Johnson Controls Air Conditioning, Inc.
    Inventors: Yoji Ogura, Kazuhiro Ueta, Kenji Tamura, Wataru Hatsuse
  • Patent number: 10601331
    Abstract: An AC-to-DC converter circuit includes DC-to-DC converter that in turn includes a secondary side circuit. The secondary side circuit includes a secondary winding, a pair of bipolar transistor-based self-driven synchronous rectifiers, a pair of current splitting inductors, and an output capacitor. Each of the synchronous rectifiers includes a bipolar transistor and a diode whose anode is coupled to the transistor collector and whose cathode is coupled to the transistor emitter. The current splitting inductors provide the necessary base current to the bipolar transistors at the appropriate times such that the bipolar transistors operate as synchronous rectifiers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: Littlefuse, Inc.
    Inventor: Kyoung Wook Seok
  • Patent number: 10594229
    Abstract: In a powered device (PD), four MOSFETs are used in a rectifier circuit. The four MOSFETs are disposed based on a premise that an electric potential of a contact pair 1-2 is lower than that of a contact pair 3-6 and an electric potential of a contact pair 7-8 is lower than that of a contact pair 4-5, so that a PoE current of each contact group passes through only two of the MOSFETs but does not pass through a diode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jincan Cao, Xuefeng Tang
  • Patent number: 10594224
    Abstract: A two-terminal rectifier includes a power MOSFET, a body diode, and a Schottky diode coupled between the first terminal and the second terminal. The two-terminal rectifier also has a power management circuit, a capacitor, a control circuit, and a driver circuit coupled between the first terminal and the second terminal. The two-terminal rectifier can be implemented in a two-pin package and can be used in a power converter for CCM operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: DIODES INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Pin-Hao Huang, Chengfu Chang, Chuante Liu
  • Patent number: 10594203
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a system for the conversion of DC electric power into three-phase electric power comprising three commutation arms (A, B, C), a modulation circuit, an electrical energy recovery module (8) and filtering means (7). The filtering means (7) comprise a capacitor (Cf) and an assembly formed from a filtering coil (Lf) connected in series with a diode (D).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: IFP Energies nouvelles
    Inventors: Marco Francessetti, Davide Bettoni, Wissam Dib
  • Patent number: 10554136
    Abstract: A secondary controller including a control circuit coupled to a secondary switch of a power converter. The control circuit is coupled to receive a secondary switch voltage signal representative of the secondary switch, and turns ON the secondary in response in response to how many times the secondary switch voltage signal crosses below a turn on threshold to a limit set in a last half period. The control circuit turns OFF the secondary switch when the secondary switch voltage signal crosses above a turn off threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: Power Integrations, Inc.
    Inventor: Igor Miletic
  • Patent number: 10547249
    Abstract: A bridge circuit includes: a first leg including a first switching device and a second switching device connected between a first node and a ground; a second leg including a third switching device and a fourth switching device connected between the first node and the ground; and a first charge recycler connected between a gate of the first switching device and a gate of the third switching device, and configured to transfer charges accumulated in the first switching device to the gate of the third switching device prior to turning on the third switching device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Youn Joong Lee, Koon Shik Cho, Ho Kwon Yoon
  • Patent number: 10536089
    Abstract: A switching power source apparatus includes: a synchronous rectifier switching element for synchronous rectification constituted of an insulated-gate field-effect transistor; and a secondary-side control circuit including a detector circuit and a timer circuit. The secondary-side control circuit performs ON/OFF control of the synchronous rectifier switching element. The detector circuit monitors a voltage of a drain terminal of the synchronous rectifier switching element, and detects an abnormal state in which the voltage of the drain terminal is undetectable. The timer circuit starts up and measures a predetermined time in response to the detector circuit detecting the abnormal state. When the detector circuit detects the abnormal state, and the predetermined time elapses according to the timer circuit, the secondary-side control circuit outputs a detection signal indicating an abnormality to outside.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: MITSUMI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takumi Hyugaji, Minoru Kado
  • Patent number: 10536091
    Abstract: An energy harvesting device includes: a rectifier circuit rectifying an AC supply voltage received between first and second input terminals thereof to generate a DC rectified voltage between first and second output terminals thereof; a converter circuit performing DC-to-DC conversion upon the DC rectified voltage based on a control signal to generate a DC output voltage; and a control circuit comparing a first to-be-compared voltage (correlated to the DC rectified voltage) and a second to-be-compared voltage (correlated to a difference voltage between one of the first and second input terminals of the rectifier circuit and one of the first and second output terminals of the rectifier circuit) to generate the control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: NATIONAL TSING HUA UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Ping-Hsuan Hsieh, Shih-Wei Wang, Yi-Wen Ke
  • Patent number: 10511232
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a current loop powered DC-DC switch mode converter for use as a local isolated low power supply for electronic circuits such as current loop transmitters where the requirements for supply efficiency and cost of the implementation is critical. It is the object of the invention to provide a simple and low cost solution for driving a synchronous rectifier thereby improving the supply efficiency, especially at low output voltages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: PR ELECTRONICS A/S
    Inventors: Stig Lindemann, Janus Honoré
  • Patent number: 10491137
    Abstract: According to one aspect, embodiments of the invention provide a power supply system comprising a power factor correction circuit coupled to an input and configured to draw input current from the input, an inverter coupled to an output and configured to provide output current to the output, a bus coupled to the power factor correction circuit and the inverter, and a switching circuit, the switching circuit configured to direct power from the power factor correction circuit to the inverter in a first mode of operation and from the bus to the inverter in a second mode of operation, wherein the switching circuit includes a neutral clamp circuit coupled to the power factor correction circuit and the inverter, the neutral clamp circuit configured to control a level of the input current drawn by the power factor correction circuit and a level of the output current provided by the inverter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC IT CORPORATION
    Inventor: Jonas Sonsby Mouridsen
  • Patent number: 10461660
    Abstract: A control device of a power converter includes first and second switching circuits. The device converts AC power supplied from an AC power supply into DC power, and supplies the DC power to the DC circuit. First converter arms are connected in series in the first switching circuit. Second converter arms are connected in series in the second switching circuit. The device further includes first and second control circuits connected to the first and the second switching circuits and control gate pulses of each of the first and the second arms respectively. A first and a second power interruption compensation circuits supply power to the first and the second control circuits for prescribed durations in power interruptions of the first and the second control circuits respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: TOSHIBA MITSUBISHI-ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Usuki, Tomohisa Ohkami
  • Patent number: 10461644
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for controlling a synchronous rectification (SR) switch within a switched-mode power converter. The SR switch rectifies an output voltage of the power converter, and incurs little power loss in doing so. An SR controller generates control signals, including a turn-off trigger, that control conductivity of the SR switch. Voltages provided to the SR controller are divided down, so that the SR controller inputs do not need to support excessively high voltage levels as may be present in the power converter. The divided voltages are integrated to create a volt-second metric that closely tracks current through a winding of the power converter and the SR switch. The volt-second metric is compared against a threshold to determine when to issue an SR switch turn-off trigger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventors: Xiaowu Gong, Andrey Malinin
  • Patent number: 10454367
    Abstract: Two versions of an isolated single stage converter AC/DC Power Factor Corrected (PFC) converter topology have been invented. One is with a full bridge rectifier at its input and the other is a True Bridgeless version. The two versions of the topology feature new configurations and circuitry including a simplified damper circuit and a clamp capacitor flipping circuit and control methods that allow them to realize improved single stage isolated power factor converters which are suitable for high power operation, features Zero Voltage Switching to maximize conversion efficiency and to minimize Electro-Magnetic Interference generation, does not need an additional circuit to limit the inrush current, achieves reasonably low input current Total Harmonic Distortion (THD), and is easy to control. The second version provides a true bridgeless single stage isolated power factor converter with even higher efficiency and lower input current THD.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Inventor: Christopher Donovan Davidson
  • Patent number: 10454383
    Abstract: A bidirectional resonant current-direct current conversion circuit and an uninterruptible power supply are provided. The bidirectional resonant current-direct current conversion circuit includes a full-bridge conversion module, a transformer, and a half-bridge conversion module. The full-bridge conversion module is coupled to the half-bridge conversion module via the transformer. The full-bridge conversion module is configured to convert two-level direct current power into alternating current power, and the half-bridge conversion module is configured to convert the alternating current power outputted by the full-bridge conversion module into three-level direct current power. The half-bridge conversion module is further configured to convert three-level direct current power into alternating current power, and the full-bridge conversion module is further configured to convert the alternating current power outputted by the half-bridge conversion module into two-level direct current power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: Vertiv Corporation
    Inventors: Shanwei Wang, Baoshan Shen, Zhihong Yao
  • Patent number: 10433379
    Abstract: Several aspects of power distribution systems are described. One aspect relates to apparatus for providing a direct current to a load comprising one or more light emitting diodes. The apparatus comprises: a rectifier operatively connectable to a secondary winding of a transformer whose primary winding is for carrying a high-frequency alternating current; a first capacitor operatively connectable to the secondary winding; and a second capacitor operatively connectable, at least partly via the rectifier, to the secondary winding. The first and second capacitors together provide a reactance referred to the primary winding which substantially compensates for the reactance of the primary winding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: Greengage Lighting Limited
    Inventor: Philip John Rimmer
  • Patent number: 10404104
    Abstract: In a wireless power supply apparatus, a first unit electrically connected to a power supply and a second unit electrically connected to an electric load. Power transmission is performed wirelessly between the first and second units using a magnetic resonance phenomenon. Each of the units has a resonant amplifier circuit provided with switching means driven by a drive signal, a resonant coil to which a high-frequency signal generated by the resonant amplifier circuit is supplied such that the resonant coil functions as a resonant inductor on the resonant amplifier circuit, and electric storage means electrically connected to the resonant amplifier circuit so as to be capable of charging and discharging power. The second unit includes current detecting means for detecting a current flowing through the storage means, and phase control means for controlling a phase of the drive signal for the switching means based on the detected current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignees: DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED, DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shigeru Takeda, Masayoshi Sugino, Hiroshi Kondo
  • Patent number: 10386214
    Abstract: An interface circuit to an electromagnetic flow sensor is described. In an example, it can provide a DC coupled signal path from the electromagnetic flow sensor to an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) circuit. Examples with differential and pseudo-differential signal paths are described. Examples providing DC offset or low frequency noise compensation or cancellation are described. High input impedance examples are described. Coil excitation circuits are described, such as can provide on-chip inductive isolation between signal inputs and signal outputs. A switched mode power supply can be used to actively manage a bias voltage of an H-Bridge, such as to boost the current provided by the H-Bridge to the sensor coil during select time periods, such as during phase shift time periods of the coil, which can help reduce or minimize transient noise during such time periods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: Analog Devices Global
    Inventor: Ke Li
  • Patent number: 10389282
    Abstract: A DC power supply unit is provided that allows for improving efficiency and reducing harmonic currents. A DC power supply unit includes: a bridge rectification circuit having diodes and MOSFETs; a reactor that is arranged between the AC power supply and the bridge rectifier circuit; a smoothing capacitor that is connected to an output side of the bridge rectifier circuit and smoothes a voltage; and a converter control unit that executes, based on predetermined threshold values, a diode rectification control that uses diodes and parasitic diodes of the MOSFETs, a synchronous rectification control that switches the MOSFETs in synchronization with a polarity of the voltage of the AC power supply, a partial switching control that repeats partially short-circuiting the reactor multiple times in a half cycle of the AC power supply, or a fast switching control that short-circuits the reactor at a predetermined frequency over a full AC cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: Hitachi-Johnson Controls Air Conditioning, Inc.
    Inventors: Koji Tsukii, Atsushi Okuyama, Tsutomu Kurokawa, Masahiro Tamura, Kenji Tamura
  • Patent number: 10389130
    Abstract: An electrical assembly includes a power converter having first and second DC terminals which are connectable to a DC electrical network. The power converter also includes converter limbs connected between the first and second DC terminals. Each converter limb includes an AC terminal that is connectable to a respective AC phase of a multi-phase AC electrical network. Each converter limb also includes limb portions, each connected between a corresponding AC terminal and a respective one of the first and second DC terminals. Each limb portion includes switching element(s). The electrical assembly includes a single grounding circuit having a reactor configured to provide a current path for alternating current with a high impedance to ground and a current path for direct current with a low impedance to ground. The grounding circuit is arranged so that only one of the AC phases is connected to ground via the grounding circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Technology GmbH
    Inventors: Robin Gupta, Robert Whitehouse
  • Patent number: 10389231
    Abstract: An apparatus and a method for preventing a reverse current in a DC-DC converter of a vehicle including a measurement portion configured to measure an output voltage of the DC-DC converter of the vehicle; a verification portion configured to verify a difference between the output voltage and a preset reference output voltage at every preset period; and a controller configured to control a switch of a synchronous rectification circuit, which is implemented at a secondary side of a main transformer of the DC-DC converter, to be in an ON or OFF state according to the difference between the output voltage and the preset reference output voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hyo Jin Bang
  • Patent number: 10381919
    Abstract: A rectifier is described herein. According to one example, the rectifier includes a semiconductor substrate and further includes an anode terminal and a cathode terminal connected by a load current path of a first MOS transistor and a diode that is connected parallel to a load current path. An alternating input voltage is operably applied between the anode terminal and the cathode terminal. Further, the rectifier includes a control circuit that is configured to switch the first MOS transistor on for an on-time period, during which the diode is forward biased. The first MOS transistor, the diode, and the control circuit are integrated in the semiconductor substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Albino Pidutti, Damiano Gadler, Herbert Gietler, Michael Lenz, Yavuz Kilic, Ioannis Pachnis
  • Patent number: 10381941
    Abstract: A switching power supply device includes a transformer including a primary winding and a secondary winding, a first transistor coupled to the primary winding, a first control circuit that outputs a first control voltage, a delay circuit that delays the first control voltage and supplies the delayed first control voltage to the first transistor, a second transistor that has a first terminal coupled to the secondary winding, a diode coupled to the secondary winding, a second control circuit that outputs a third control voltage used for controlling a switching operation of the second transistor, a control voltage generation circuit that generates the second control voltage, and a delay time control circuit that determines an ON period in which the diode is switched on and controls a delay time so that the delay time by which the delay circuit delays the first control voltage is shorter for a longer ON period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: FUJITSU LIMITED
    Inventor: Tatsuya Hirose
  • Patent number: 10355612
    Abstract: A flyback power converter circuit converting an input voltage to an output voltage includes a transformer, a power switch, a synchronous rectifier (SR) switch, and a secondary side control circuit. The secondary side control circuit controls the SR switch to be ON when the power switch is OFF. The secondary side control circuit includes a driving switch for controlling the SR switch, a synchronous control circuit powered by a voltage related to the output voltage, which controls the driving switch to operate the SR switch, and a clamping circuit including a clamping switch and a clamping switch control circuit. The clamping switch control circuit controls the clamping switch according to a current inflow terminal voltage of the clamping switch and/or the voltage related to the output voltage, such that, during a secondary side power-on period, an equivalent impedance of the current inflow terminal of the clamping switch is smaller than a predetermined clamping impedance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: RICHTEK TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chien-Fu Tang, Su-Yuan Lin, Yi-Wei Lee, Isaac Y. Chen
  • Patent number: 10352742
    Abstract: An interface circuit to an electromagnetic flow sensor is described. In an example, it can provide a DC coupled signal path from the electromagnetic flow sensor to an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) circuit. Examples with differential and pseudo-differential signal paths are described. Examples providing DC offset or low frequency noise compensation or cancellation are described. High input impedance examples are described. Coil excitation circuits are described, such as can provide on-chip inductive isolation between signal inputs and signal outputs. A switched mode power supply can be used to actively manage a bias voltage of an H-Bridge, such as to boost the current provided by the H-Bridge to the sensor coil during select time periods, such as during phase shift time periods of the coil, which can help reduce or minimize transient noise during such time periods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: Analog Devices Global
    Inventor: Ke Li