Including Short Protection Across A Series-connected Pair Of Transistors (e.g., Shoot-through Protection, Etc.) Patents (Class 363/56.04)
  • Patent number: 11005363
    Abstract: A resonant power converter and a current synthesizing method therefor are provided. The resonant power converter includes a switch circuit, a resonant tank, a transformer, a rectifier circuit, and a current synthesizing module. The switch circuit receives an input voltage from an input source, and the rectifier circuit outputs an output voltage to a load. The current synthesizing module includes a sensing circuit, a peak hold circuit, and a calculation unit. The sensing circuit is configured to sense a resonant capacitor voltage on a resonant capacitor of the resonant tank. The peak hold circuit is configured to receive the resonant capacitor voltage and acquires a peak value thereof. The calculation unit is configured to receive the peak value, a switching frequency, the input voltage, the output voltage, and a resonant capacitance of the resonant power converter and generate a synthesized output current accordingly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: DELTA ELECTRONICS (THAILAND) PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventors: Jakrapong Wongsasulux, Savit Tipprecha, Kamolnut Benjanarasut
  • Patent number: 10676100
    Abstract: A control system and diagnostic method for a hybrid vehicle having a hybrid powertrain each utilize a controller comprising (i) a hybrid control processor (HCP) and (ii) a motor control processor (MCP), a monitoring circuit that is distinct from the controller and is configured to monitor operation of the HCP and the MCP, and a gate drive circuit that is distinct from the controller and the monitoring circuit and is configured to enable/disable torque output by the hybrid powertrain based on first, second, and third independent shutoff signals. A diagnostic method performs a shutoff line integrity verification routine by performing six steps corresponding to different combinations of shutoff signals in a predetermined test sequence. These shutoff signals are provided to three independent shutoff lines, which are connected between (i) the gate drive circuit and (ii) the HCP, the MCP, and the monitoring circuit, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: FCA US LLC
    Inventors: Mayuresh Karandikar, Shawn X Duan, Feisel Weslati
  • Patent number: 8902617
    Abstract: A switching delay controller is configured to control a switching delay between the switching of first and second switching elements in a switched mode power supply. The switched mode power supply generates a feedback signal indicative of a difference between an output of the switched mode power supply and a reference for the output, and switches the first and second switching elements to convert an input voltage into an output voltage based on the feedback signal. The switching delay controller includes a switching delay calculator operable to cause a change of the switching delay for at least one switching cycle of the switched mode power supply, and a feedback signal monitor operable to monitor the feedback signal and determine a change in the feedback signal in response to the change of the switching delay by the switching delay calculator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson (publ)
    Inventors: Fredrik Wahledow, Henrik Borgengren, Magnus Karlsson, Anders Kullman, Jonas Malmberg
  • Patent number: 8878460
    Abstract: A protection circuit of a DC-DC converter is disclosed. An input terminal of the DC-DC converter receives an input voltage and an output terminal of the DC-DC converter provides an output voltage. The DC-DC converter includes an output stage between the input terminal and the output terminal. The protection circuit includes a current sensor, a comparator, a determining circuit, and a protection control circuit. The current sensor provides a sensing signal. The comparator compares a default over-voltage with the sensing signal to provide an over-current control signal. The determining circuit provides a determining control signal. The protection control circuit determines whether to enable a short protection according to the over-current control signal and the determining control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: UPI Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventor: Wen-Fu Lu
  • Patent number: 8873257
    Abstract: A control circuit performs at least one of detecting whether the resonance current detected by the current detection unit is beyond a first detection level over a predetermined time period, and detecting, when detecting that the resonance current is beyond the first detection level over the predetermined time period, that the resonance current falls below a second detection level, and detecting whether the resonance current detected by the current detection unit is below a first detection level over a predetermined time period, and detecting, when detecting that the resonance current is below the first detection level over the predetermined time period, that the resonance current exceeds a second detection level, and inverts, when detecting that the resonance current falls below or exceeds the second detection level, the levels of the drive control signal at which the first switching element and the second switching element are turned on or off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Tomonori Tsuchiyama
  • Patent number: 8873258
    Abstract: A method for inhibiting a converter having at least two phase modules is disclosed. Each phase module has an upper and a lower valve branch, with each upper and lower valve branch having a plurality of two-pole submodules which are electrically connected in series and each have a unipolar energy storage capacitor, with a series connection of two turn-off semiconductor switches each being connected in parallel with an antiparallel connected diode. With the method, the submodules in an upper and a lower valve branch in each phase module in the converter are controlled to a switching state III, staggered in time. This considerably reduces the voltage load for the converter and a connected polyphase motor, or a connected power supply system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Marc Hiller, Dietmar Krug, Rainer Sommer
  • Patent number: 8823354
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a power semiconductor switch series circuit. The power semiconductor switch series circuit includes a plurality of series modules and a system control module. Each series module has a power semiconductor switch; a drive module for driving each power semiconductor switch to be turned on or turned off; a short-circuit detection unit for outputting at least one detection signal; an equalizer circuit; a comparison module for comparing the detection signal with a predetermined threshold, and outputting a short-circuit signal when the detection signal exceeds the predetermined threshold; and a soft turn-off module for receiving the short-circuit signal and outputting a second control signal. The system control module receives the short-circuit signal and outputs a first control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Delta Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hong-Jian Gan, Jian-Ping Ying, Jie Fu, Wei-Liang Fu, Ming Wang
  • Patent number: 8824182
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a switch controller and a converter including the same. The switch controller generates an oscillating voltage determining a switching frequency alternately switching a high-side switch and a low-side switch, senses a power source voltage supplied to the switch controller, and maintains the high-side switch and the low-side switch in the turn-off state in a case that the change of the power source voltage is not generated after one of the high-side switch and the low-side switch is turned off according to the oscillating voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Fairchild Korea Semiconductor Ltd.
    Inventors: Hyun-Chul Eom, Jin-Tae Kim, Gyoung-Soo Park
  • Patent number: 8797768
    Abstract: Provided is a power conversion device capable of detecting a short circuit failure and protecting from the same securely. The power conversion device includes: a three-phase bridge type power conversion circuit including a semiconductor switch including a first main terminal, a second main terminal, and a control terminal; a control circuit for controlling an operation of the semiconductor switch; and a voltage detection circuit for monitoring a voltage between DC terminals of the power conversion circuit, in which the control circuit has a protection function of turning off the semiconductor switch if the voltage between the DC terminals of the power conversion circuit, which is detected by the voltage detection circuit, is lower than a predetermined value for a predetermined period of time or longer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Takamasa Asai
  • Patent number: 8781637
    Abstract: A power distribution system (that can detect an unsafe fault condition where an individual or object has come in contact with the power conductors) regulates the transfer of energy from a source to a load. Periodically, the source controller opens an S1 disconnect switch, a and load controller opens an S2 disconnect switch. A capacitor represents the capacitance across the load terminals. If the capacitor discharges at a rate higher or lower than predetermined values after the S1 and S2 disconnect switches are opened, then a fault condition is registered, and the S1 and S2 switches will not be commanded to return to a closed position, thus isolating the fault from both the source and the load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: VoltServer Inc.
    Inventor: Stephen S. Eaves
  • Patent number: 8760891
    Abstract: A deadtime optimization apparatus and method may determine when it is safe to turn a switch ON, eliminating the need to have a switch controller purposely insert a deadtime period in the algorithm (i.e., it can go back to producing ideal PWM). Since the decision of when it is safe to turn ON the switch may be achieved through measurement, it is expected that the length of time may change for each pulse as the operating conditions change. Therefore, the apparatus and methods of the present invention may take on a dynamic characteristic because the safe to turn ON (STTO) time may vary for each pulse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Sonny Lloyd, Nicolae Morcov, Michael Andreou, Dikran Yaldizciyan
  • Patent number: 8737101
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a switch driving circuit and a driving method thereof that are capable of preventing hard switching. The present invention includes: a dead time controller generating an high-side switching driver controlling signal and a low-side switching driver controlling signal controlling the switching operation of the high-side switch and the low-side switch according to a dead time controlling signal; and a phase detector detecting a phase of a resonance current flowing into the second power voltage terminal to generate a phase information signal, wherein one of the high-side switch driver controlling signal and a signal corresponding thereto, and the phase information signal are compared, and if the turn-on time of the high-side switch is later than the phase change of the resonance current, the dead time is controlled for the turn-on time of the high-side switch to advance the phase change of the resonance current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Fairchild Korea Semiconductor Ltd.
    Inventors: Gye-Hyun Cho, In-Kuk Baek
  • Patent number: 8687390
    Abstract: An active clamp DC-DC converter includes a transformer having a primary coil and a secondary coil, a main switching device connected in series to the primary coil of the transformer so that the main switching device and the primary coil are connected in parallel to a DC power source, a reset capacitor, a reset switching device connected in series to the reset capacitor so that the reset switching device and the reset capacitor are connected in parallel to the primary coil of the transformer, a rectifying circuit connected to the secondary coil of the transformer, a smoothing circuit connected to the rectifying circuit, and a control circuit adjusting a dead time that elapses from the time when the reset switching device is turned off until the time when the main switching device is turned on, based on a voltage across the main switching device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Koike, Sergey Moiseev, Masanori Tsuzaka
  • Patent number: 8638577
    Abstract: In a non-isolated DC/DC converter, a reference potential for a low-side pre-driver which drives a gate of a low-side MOSFET is applied from a portion except for a main circuit passing through a high-side MOSFET and the low-side MOSFET so that a parasitic inductance between a source of the low-side MOSFET and the pre-driver is increased without increasing the sum of parasitic inductances in the main circuit and negative potential driving of the gate of the low-side MOSFET can be performed and a self turn-on phenomenon can be prevented without adding any member and changing drive system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2014
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Masaki Shiraishi, Takayuki Hashimoto, Noboru Akiyama
  • Patent number: 8599585
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an electronic device includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a first terminal, a second terminal, a first plurality of switching elements and anti-parallel diodes coupled between the positive electrode and the first terminal and the second terminal, a second plurality of switching elements and anti-parallel diodes coupled between the negative electrode and the first terminal and the second terminal and a PiN diode coupled between the positive electrode and the negative electrode with reverse polarity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Toshiba Corporation
    Inventors: Ikuo Yasuoka, Shinichi Toda, Mitsuhiro Numazaki, Yosuke Nakazawa, Makoto Takeda, Takahiko Minami, Takashi Takagi
  • Patent number: 8575885
    Abstract: To make it possible to avoid an unstable state with a simple configuration even one of the phases of the motor fails. A motor drive system in accordance with the present invention includes a motor to which a plurality of phase coils of five phases or more are connected in a star connection, an inverter connected to one end of each of the phase coils, the inverter being configured to convert a DC power into an AC power and supply the AC power to each phase of the motor, a power relay disposed at another end of each of the phase coils, the power relay being configured so as to be able to cut off a supply power to at least one phase coil among the plurality of phase coils of the motor by using a plurality of contact points interposed between the star-connected coils, and a control unit that generates a control signal for the inverter and thereby controls driving of the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshihiro Okumatsu
  • Patent number: 8547714
    Abstract: There are provided an output inverter for single phase which can detect a current with high precision through a smaller number of components, and an output current detecting method thereof. A first current detector (6) is disposed between a positive electrode P side of a DC power supply and a parallel connector (1) in a first arm (8), a second current detector (7) is disposed between a negative electrode N side of the DC power supply and a parallel connector (4) in a second arm (9), a current in a first convection mode is detected by the first current detector (6), a current in a second convection mode is detected by the second current detector (7), and an output current is detected from signals output from the first current detector (6) and the second current detector (7).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Yaskawa Denki
    Inventor: Masato Higuchi
  • Patent number: 8520420
    Abstract: A power converter employing a controller configured to increase a dead time between conduction periods of first and second power switches therein and method of operating the same. In one embodiment, the power converter includes first and second power switches coupled to an input thereof, and a sensor configured to provide a sensed signal representative of at least one of a current level and a power level of the power converter. The power converter also includes a controller configured to increase a dead time between conduction periods of the first and second power switches when the sensed signal indicates a decrease of at least one of the current level and the power level of the power converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Power Systems Technologies, Ltd.
    Inventors: Aaron Jungreis, Antony Brinlee, Paul Garrity
  • Patent number: 8508957
    Abstract: A power conversion device includes an inverter for converting DC power to AC power to supply the AC power to a load, a converter for converting AC power from an AC power supply to DC power to supply the DC power to the inverter, a DC voltage converter for converting a voltage value of power stored in a storage battery to supply DC power from the storage battery to the inverter when power supply by the AC power supply is abnormal, and a filter which includes a reactor and a capacitor and removes harmonics generated by the inverter. The inverter includes a three-level circuit constituted of an arm and an AC switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Toshiba Mitsubishi-Electric Industrial Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhide Eduardo Sato, Masahiro Kinoshita, Yushin Yamamoto, Tatsuaki Amboh
  • Patent number: 8462530
    Abstract: A device for inverting an electric current has at least one phase module which has an alternating current connection and at least one direct current connection. Semiconductor valves having semiconductor modules are connected in series and are provided for switching the electric current between the alternating current connection and each direct current connection. At least one power storage device is provided for storing electrical power. In order to provide such a device, with which the adverse effects of a bridging short circuit are reliably and effectively reduced, it is proposed that each semiconductor module has semiconductor groups connected in parallel to each other, wherein each semiconductor group of the semiconductor module is connected via its own separate semiconductor current path to at least one of the power storage devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Mike Dommaschk, Jörg Dorn, Ingo Euler, Jörg Lang, Quoc-Buu Tu, Klaus Würflinger
  • Patent number: 8406018
    Abstract: The present invention is to provide a series resonant converter with an overload delay and short-circuit protection mechanism, which includes a voltage sensing circuit for sensing a voltage ripple level on a primary side of a transformer thereof, that corresponds to a load on a secondary side of the transformer, and generating and sending a DC detection level to an overload delay circuit and a short-circuit protection circuit thereof accordingly. The overload delay circuit and the short-circuit protection circuit are able control the converter through a resonant controller chip to output different currents according to magnitude of the load on the secondary side and maintain stable operation for a predetermined delay time even if the secondary side is overloaded, however, once the secondary side is short-circuited, the converter is turned off instantly. Thus, the converter is effectively prevented from damage which may otherwise result from sustained overload or short circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Skynet Electronic Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jim-Hung Liang
  • Patent number: 8385092
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method is provided for a power converter system comprising a switching circuit having a plurality of switches operable to be turned on and off to cause current to flow to deliver power to a load. The method includes the following: generating PWM control signals for turning on and off the switches in the switching circuit; sensing the direction of current flow, wherein the direction of current flow is related to a likelihood of shoot-through in the switching circuit; providing a current vector signal indicative of the direction of current flow; and enabling or disabling introduction of a dead time into the PWM control signals for the switches in the switching circuit in response the current vector signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventor: Sampat Shekhawat
  • Patent number: 8368433
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a transistor driving module, coupling to a converting controller, to driving a high side transistor and a low side transistor connected in series, wherein one end of the high side transistor is coupled to an input voltage and one end of the low side transistor is grounded. The transistor driving module comprises a high side driving unit, a low side driving unit, a current limiting unit and an anti-short through unit. The high side driving unit generates a high side driving signal to turn the high side transistor on according to a duty cycle signal, and the low side driving unit generates a low side driving signal turn the low side transistor on according to the high side driving signal. The current limiting unit is coupled to the high side transistor and the high side driving unit, and generates a current limiting signal when a current flowing through the high side transistor higher than a current limiting value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Green Solution Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Li-Min Lee, Shian-Sung Shiu, Chung-Che Yu, Si-Min Wu
  • Patent number: 8295020
    Abstract: Provided is an electronic circuit including an upper control unit and a lower control unit. The upper control unit performs a logic transition of a gate signal so as to off-latch an upper switch by using the fall edge of a drive signal as a trigger and release the off-latch of the upper switch by using the rise edge of a monitor signal as a trigger. The lower control unit performs a logic transition of the gate signal so as to off-latch a lower switch by using the rise edge of the drive signal as a trigger and release the off-latch of the lower switch by using the rise edge of a monitor signal as a trigger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Rohm Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hirokazu Oki
  • Patent number: 8223465
    Abstract: An embodiment of the invention provides a surge current protection circuit. The surge current protection circuit comprises a peak current detector and a current sensing device. When the peak current detector detects when a surge current has occurred, by monitoring a change in duty cycle on a node of a HS (high side) switch, a LS (low side) switch is activated. The current sensing device senses the current drawn through the LS switch. When the current sensing device senses a current that exceeds a current limit, the HS switch is turned off for a period of time such that the surge current is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Tom C. Truong
  • Patent number: 8106640
    Abstract: A power supply control circuit detects a reference voltage VD corresponding to an intermediate voltage of a Hi Side FET and a Lo Side FET, when a short-circuit fault of the Lo Side FET is generated, and compares a threshold value VIN?VrefH and the reference voltage VD using a comparator COMP. The power supply control circuit determines that the short-circuit fault is generated, when the reference voltage VD is less than the threshold value VIN?VrefH and a switching control signal (HiDr) is in an ON state. Likewise, the power supply control circuit detects the reference voltage VD of the Hi Side FET and the Lo Side FET, when a short-circuit fault of the Hi Side FET is generated, and compares a threshold value VrefL and the reference voltage VD using the comparator COMP. The power supply control circuit determines that the short-circuit fault is generated, when the reference voltage VD is more than the threshold value VrefL and a switching control signal (LoDr) is in an ON state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Kazuhiko Itakura
  • Patent number: 8063597
    Abstract: An electric circuit for supplying power to a DC application is disclosed. The electric circuit comprises a DC power source (1) connectable to an alternator charging circuit (2), an FET (T7), and a capacitor (8) connected across the gate terminal and the source terminal of the FET (T7). The drain terminal of the FET (T7) is connected to a negative terminal of the DC source (1). The FET (T7) protects the circuit against accidental connection of the alternator charging circuit (2) to the DC power source (1) with reversed polarity, by opening a switch (6) of the FET (T7) when this occurs. The capacitor (8) protects the FET (T7) from being pushed into avalanche in case a load-dump transient occurs. This is because the capacitor (8) in this case will charge and discharge, thereby introducing a time delay before the switch (6) is opened. Protection against load-dump transients is thereby obtained by means of a small component with low energy dissipation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Secop GmbH
    Inventor: Rune Thomsen
  • Patent number: 8049479
    Abstract: In a non-isolated DC/DC converter, a reference potential for a low-side pre-driver which drives a gate of a low-side MOSFET is applied from a portion except for a main circuit passing through a high-side MOSFET and the low-side MOSFET so that a parasitic inductance between a source of the low-side MOSFET and the pre-driver is increased without increasing the sum of parasitic inductances in the main circuit and negative potential driving of the gate of the low-side MOSFET can be performed and a self turn-on phenomenon can be prevented without adding any member and changing drive system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Masaki Shiraishi, Takayuki Hashimoto, Noboru Akiyama
  • Patent number: 8045301
    Abstract: When an upper arm of U-phase has failed because of short-circuit, lower arms of V-phase and W-phase as the opposite arms are switching-operated. When only the lower arm of V-phase is turned on, a route of motor current passing through an IGBT element from a V-phase coil is formed, and therefore, the motor current returning to the short-circuited phase decreases. Further, by the switching operation of the arm opposite to the short-circuited arm, an AC current is induced in a motor generator. Therefore, it is possible to continuously drive the motor generator while preventing increase in the current passing through the short-circuited phase, without adding a new device structure. This ensures running of the vehicle in the limp mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenjiro Shiba, Takashi Tanaka, Nobutaka Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8040096
    Abstract: In a rotary electric system, a switch member includes at least one of a first switch and a second switch. The first switch is connected between a neutral point of multiphase stator windings and a high-side electrode of a direct current power source. The second switch is connected between the neutral point and a low-side electrode of the direct current power source. A controller works to turn the switch member off and on thereby switching control of the multiphase inverter between full-wave driving mode and half-wave driving mode. The full-wave driving mode allows the controller to drive all of the high-side and low-side switching elements per phase of the multiphase stator windings. The half-wave driving mode allows the controller to drive any one of the high-side switching element and the low-side switching element per phase of the multiphase stator windings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Makoto Taniguchi
  • Patent number: 7940535
    Abstract: A transformer 6 and a photocoupler 5 are provided to ensure insulation between a primary side circuit section 10 connected to an alternating current power supply 2, and a secondary side circuit section 20 for applying a voltage to a lamp 4. A detection circuit section 22E, provided in the secondary side circuit section 20, detects an output voltage and an output current of the lamp 4 to detect a deviation from a predetermined power. A signal corresponding to the deviation, which has been detected by the detection circuit section 22E, is transmitted to the primary side circuit section 10 via the photocoupler 5 provided between the primary side circuit section 10 and the secondary side circuit section 20. A switching control section 13, provided in the primary side circuit section 10, carries out switching control for constant power lighting based on the signal transmitted from the photocoupler 5.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Itoh, Sakae Saitoh, Mitsuyoshi Seo, Akinobu Takeda
  • Patent number: 7843711
    Abstract: Of a pair of switching transistors connected in series between a high voltage power source and the ground, when the switching transistor on the high potential side is controlled by an RS flip-flop in response to an input signal, in order to prevent a malfunction caused by the influence of dv/dt transient phenomena of an output terminal for driving a load, a latch circuit is reset using an input signal from a low side input terminal LIN in a period during which the voltage of the output terminal for driving the load abruptly decreases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Shinichiro Kataoka
  • Patent number: 7821243
    Abstract: In a non-isolated DC/DC converter, a reference potential for a low-side pre-driver which drives a gate of a low-side MOSFET is applied from a portion except for a main circuit passing through a high-side MOSFET and the low-side MOSFET so that a parasitic inductance between a source of the low-side MOSFET and the pre-driver is increased without increasing the sum of parasitic inductances in the main circuit and negative potential driving of the gate of the low-side MOSFET can be performed and a self turn-on phenomenon can be prevented without adding any member and changing drive system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2010
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corp.
    Inventors: Masaki Shiraishi, Takayuki Hashimoto, Noboru Akiyama
  • Patent number: 7808763
    Abstract: A protection scheme to protect pulse width modulated drives is described. The scheme is implantable in both hardware and software and combinations thereof. The semiconductor devices of the drive are protected from transient signals such as power line spikes and loss of line. The present scheme uses an adaptive technique to determine the normal or steady state distortion (transients and harmonics) value in an unfiltered power signal. The present distortion value is compared to the normal distortion. If the present distortion exceeds the steady state value by a given amount, then the drive is placed in freewheel mode to protect the semiconductor devices in the drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Jason Cornelius Wiseman
  • Patent number: 7791912
    Abstract: Among many embodiments, a power converter and a method for operating a power converter are disclosed. The power converter may include a pair of switches connected in series, an output transformer connected to a common node between the switches and a protection apparatus for protecting each switch from being hard driven, each switch being enabled by a gate signal and turning ON in alternating half cycles so as to drive transformer current in alternate directions through the transformer. The protection apparatus may include: a detector configured to detect whether an intrinsic diode in a first switch is conducting the transformer current; and a gate signal disabler configured in response to the detector blocking an ON gate pulse from reaching a second switch in the pair of switches so that the second switch is not turned ON while the intrinsic diode of the first switch is conducting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: Advanced Energy Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Hendrik V. Walde
  • Patent number: 7750614
    Abstract: A switching regulator for inputting a power source, supplying output power to an external circuit, and adjusting the output voltage to a target voltage, the switching regulator has a switching regulator circuit having first and second transistors, a feedback circuit that receives the output voltage, and outputs a control pulse signal at a frequency in accordance with the received output voltage; a PLL circuit unit having a PLL circuit, and a first control signal generating circuit that outputs the first control signal for controlling the first transistor; and a drive circuit that outputs a second control signal that controls the second transistor; and a control circuit that monitors the period of the PLL output pulse and the control pulse signal, and controls the ON and OFF timing of the second transistor when a difference of monitored periods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited
    Inventor: Motoki Komiya
  • Patent number: 7733616
    Abstract: Each of three-phase arm of an inverter has first and second switching elements connected in series together at a connection point to the corresponding phase coil of the three-phase motor. Control device turns on the first switching element of the i-th (i is a natural number smaller than four) for a predetermined time period, and determines that the second switching element of the i-th arm has a short fault, when an overcurrent exceeding a predetermined threshold is detected within the predetermined time period. The predetermined time period is shorter than a time period from a time point of turning on the first switching element of the i-th arm to a time point of attaining the predetermined threshold by a current flowing through a path extending from a power supply line through the second switching element of the remaining arm other than the i-th arm to a ground line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kenji Yamada
  • Patent number: 7626838
    Abstract: In an inverter circuit including switching devices and diodes connected in parallel with the switching devices which are provided in pairs of upper and lower arms, and also including resistances for detecting phase currents in a motor connected to the lower arms, during dead time periods when both a switching device in an upper arm and a switching device in a lower arm are off, a voltage across a phase-current detection resistance induced by a phase current flowing through a diode is sampled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2009
    Assignee: OMRON Corporation
    Inventor: Keita Gunji
  • Patent number: 7511461
    Abstract: In a maximum duty control state of a switching regulator control circuit, a period of time during which any one of a step-up switching circuit and a synchronous rectification switching circuit is always off is ensured, thereby preventing the switching efficiency from being remarkably deteriorated. In a maximum duty control state, a voltage difference is provided between a limiter voltage that is inputted to a comparator that controls the switching operation of the step-up switching circuit and a limiter voltage that is inputted to a comparator that controls the switching operation of the synchronous rectification switching circuit, to thereby ensure the period of time during which any one of the step-up switching circuit and the synchronous rectification switching circuit is always off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2009
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventor: Michiyasu Deguchi
  • Patent number: 7492618
    Abstract: An inverter device includes an inverter circuit, an inverter driving unit, and a clamp diode. The inverter circuit includes an upper arm unit and a lower arm unit connected in series. The upper arm unit and the lower arm unit include switching elements that drive a load. The inverter driving unit includes a high-withstand-voltage IC that drives the switching elements of the upper arm unit and the lower arm unit. The high-withstand-voltage IC has a first terminal for supplying a reference voltage to the lower arm unit and a second terminal for supplying a high-voltage to the upper arm unit. The clamp diode clamps a potential difference between the first terminal and the second terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2009
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kensaku Matsuda, Shinzou Tomonaga
  • Patent number: 7489531
    Abstract: An inverter (100) comprises first and second input terminals (102,104), an inverter output terminal (106), a series arrangement of a first inverter transistor (110) and a second inverter transistor (120), a driver circuit (130), a primary current sensing circuit (150,154,156), and an auxiliary current sensing circuit (160). Primary current sensing circuit (150,154,156) is coupled between second inverter transistor (120) and a current-sense input (132) of driver circuit (130). Auxiliary current sensing circuit (160) is coupled between second inverter transistor (120) and a frequency control input (134) of driver circuit (130). During operation, if the current flow through inverter transistors (110,120) exceeds a predetermined peak limit, auxiliary current sensing circuit (160) provides an auxiliary signal to frequency control input (134) of driver circuit (130), thereby increasing a drive frequency at which driver circuit (130) commutates inverter transistors (110,120).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2009
    Assignee: Osram Sylvania, Inc.
    Inventor: Bhadresh Mehta
  • Patent number: 7397675
    Abstract: Inverter-filter non-linearity blanking time and zero current clamping compensation is accomplished by comparing the average output current with the discontinuous current mode threshold values to determine when the average output current is entering a discontinuous current mode and introducing a compensation voltage to the inverter drive voltage in response to the average output current entering a discontinuous current mode to compensate for discontinuous current mode distortion of the inverter output voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignee: Azure Dynamics, Inc.
    Inventor: Dorin O. Neacsu
  • Patent number: 7313006
    Abstract: A shoot-through prevention circuit is used in a power conversion circuit that uses a passive level-shifter to drive a P-type transistor in a switching network. The shoot-through prevention circuit is coupled between a controller output that provides a driving signal to control the P-type transistor and the passive level-shifter coupled to a control terminal of the P-type transistor. The shoot-through prevention circuit couples the controller output to the passive level-shifter when the driving signal has a first logic level associated with turning on the P-type transistor and isolates the controller output from the passive level-shifter when the driving signal has a second logic level associated with turning off the P-type transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2007
    Assignee: Microsemi Corporation
    Inventor: Hwangsoo Choi
  • Patent number: 7110272
    Abstract: A fault handling system for short circuit recovery in three-phase multiple-level inverter bridges, used to drive inductive loads, which waits for either desaturation of switches or expiration of a delay period based upon an amount of time before saturated switches are damaged before commanding off switches that are saturated, and which artificially creates a dead-short across the three-phase output to force switches conducting a fault current to desaturate. By delaying the switching-off of the inverter bridge during a fault, waiting for desaturation to occur, the statistical likelihood of switch survival is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2006
    Assignee: SMC Electrical Products, Inc.
    Inventor: Geraldo Nojima
  • Patent number: 7054174
    Abstract: A series power switch bridge having the ability of automatic voltage-sharing, which belongs to the field of electric controlling equipments. It consists of a power switch bridge and a dynamic-static voltage-sharing absorption circuit (DRwC) bridge. The very power switch bridge is constituted of several power switches in series. The number of DRwC circuits in the dynamic-static voltage-sharing absorption circuit bridge is correspondence with the number of power switches. The positive terminal and the negative terminal of every DRwC circuit and the corresponding power switch are connected respectively. The very DRwC circuit consists of a diode (D), a capacitance (C) and a voltage regulator (Rw), and the diode (D) is connected in series with the circuit of the voltage regulator (Rw) and the capacitance (C) which are in parallel. The serial DRwC circuit can deal the serial power switch with static voltage-sharing, dynamic voltage-sharing and absorption of the bounce voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2006
    Inventor: Jialin Wu
  • Patent number: 7034479
    Abstract: A digital interface for driving at least one complementary pair of first and second power elements connected in an inverter configuration between first and second voltage references is provided. The digital interface includes a first input terminal for receiving a PWM input signal, a first counter stage connected to the first input terminal, and a second counter stage connected to an output of the first counter stage. A toggle stage is connected to the first input terminal and to an output of the second counter stage. A first output terminal is connected to an output of the toggle stage, and is to be connected to a control terminal of the first power element. A second output terminal is connected to the output of the first counter stage for receiving a delayed PWM output signal therefrom, and is to be connected to a control terminal of the second power element. The toggle stage generates a second PWM output signal for the first output terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2006
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Francesco Bombaci, Alessandro Inglese
  • Patent number: 6927988
    Abstract: A method for diagnosing faults using a load. In the method IGBTs are controlled such that certain currents are expected. If the currents are not as expected, a fault may be diagnosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2005
    Assignee: Ballard Power Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Bing Cheng, Kent M. Harmon
  • Patent number: 6909619
    Abstract: There are disclosed a synchronous rectifying type of DC—DC converter, a DC—DC converter control circuit constituting such a type of DC—DC converter, a monitor circuit for monitoring an operation of a DC—DC converter, and an electronic equipment having a DC—DC converter, considering a conduction current. A DC—DC converter has a main switch and a synchronous rectifying switch, in which said main switch and said synchronous rectifying switch are alternately turned on so that a voltage of a DC electric power is transformed and outputted. A state that said main switch and said synchronous rectifying switch are simultaneously turned on is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2005
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Mitsuo Saeki, Shigeaki Nakazawa, Kouichi Matsuda
  • Patent number: 6909620
    Abstract: An inverter phase leg with shoot-through protection that may be used in inverters includes a high side semiconductor switch and a low side semiconductor switch which are connected across DC supply lines and which have an output node between them. A series diode or connector switch is connected between the output node and the low side switch, and the junction between the diode or connector switch and the low side switch is electrically connected directly to the gate of the high side switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2005
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventors: Shihong Park, Thomas M. Jahns
  • Patent number: 6842352
    Abstract: An inverter module for an electric railcar includes an inverter composed of three 2 in 1 IGBTs, a breaker composed of semiconductor line breaker, and a dry filter capacitor, wherein one inverter corresponds to a single motor. The inverter is a snubberless inverter omitting a snubber capacitor, and a main circuit connecting the output of the inverter to the motor is a coaxial cable. The main circuit and the interior of the inverter is connected via a connector instead of a conventional terminal block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2005
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazushi Naito, Nobuaki Mizuguchi, Hiroyuki Ozawa