DIMMING CONTROL FOR A SWITCHING POWER SUPPLY
Granted: November 8, 2012
Application Number:
20120280629
A switching power supply includes a switch and a controller for dimming control of the switching power supply. The controller includes a phase angle measurement block and a drive logic block. The phase angle measurement block is coupled to receive an input sense signal. The phase angle measurement block generates a phase angle signal representative of a phase angle of an input voltage of the power supply in response to the input sense signal. The drive logic block is coupled to control…
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR A CONTROL CIRCUIT RESPONSIVE TO AN IMPEDANCE COUPLED TO A CONTROL CIRCUIT TERMINAL
Granted: November 8, 2012
Application Number:
20120280666
A method, in a power supply controller, of responding to an increase in current through a terminal of the power supply controller, is disclosed. The method includes regulating the terminal to a first voltage level and sensing a magnitude of a first current through the terminal while the controller is regulating the terminal to the first voltage level. The method also includes providing an initial response by the power supply controller in response to the magnitude of the first current…
Gate Pullback at Ends of High-Voltage Vertical Transistor Structure
Granted: November 8, 2012
Application Number:
20120280314
In one embodiment, a transistor includes a pillar of semiconductor material arranged in a racetrack-shaped layout having a substantially linear section that extends in a first lateral direction and rounded sections at each end of the substantially linear section. First and second dielectric regions are disposed on opposite sides of the pillar. First and second field plates are respectively disposed in the first and second dielectric regions. First and second gate members respectively…
High-Voltage Transistor Structure with Reduced Gate Capacitance
Granted: November 1, 2012
Application Number:
20120273885
In one embodiment, a high voltage field-effect transistor (HVFET) includes a field oxide layer that covers a first well region, the field oxide layer having a first thickness and extending in a second lateral direction from a drain region to near a second well region. A gate oxide covers a channel region and has a second dimension in a first lateral direction. A gate extends in the second lateral direction from the source region to over a portion of the field oxide layer, the gate being…
Power Semiconductor Package With Bottom Surface Protrusions
Granted: November 1, 2012
Application Number:
20120273944
A package includes a body that encapsulates a semiconductor die, the body having a first pair of opposing lateral sides, a second pair of opposing lateral sides, a top, and a bottom. The bottom has a primary surface and a plurality of protrusions that extend outward from the primary surface. When the package is mounted to a printed circuit board (PCB) the protrusions contact the PCB and the primary surface is disposed a first distance away from the PCB. The package further includes a…
POWER FACTOR CORRECTION CONVERTER CONTROL OFFSET
Granted: November 1, 2012
Application Number:
20120274298
A power supply arrangement includes a PFC converter, an LLC converter, a control unit and an offset unit. The control unit generates a control signal to control a duty cycle of a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) signal to control the PFC converter. The control unit includes a PWM converter that generates the PWM signal to which a switching circuit is responsive to switch a current representing an input current of the PFC converter. An amplifier receives a current sense signal and provides…
LOW-COST TRANSFORMER ASSEMBLY
Granted: October 18, 2012
Application Number:
20120262895
A transformer assembly is disclosed. An example circuit board assembly includes a circuit board. A drum core inductor is also included and has a drum core, a first winding, and first and second terminals extending from a first end of the drum core inductor. A wire of the first winding is wound around an axis of the drum core. The first winding has first and second ends coupled to the first and second terminals of the drum core inductor, respectively. A bobbin has first and second…
OFF LINE RESONANT CONVERTER WITH MERGED LINE RECTIFICATION AND POWER FACTOR CORRECTION
Granted: October 18, 2012
Application Number:
20120262954
An off line resonant converter with improved power factor and merged line rectification is disclosed. An example off line resonant converter includes a boost storage inductance circuit to be coupled to receive an ac input line voltage. A switcher circuit is coupled to the boost storage inductance circuit. The switcher circuit includes stacked first and second passive switching devices coupled to the boost storage inductance circuit. The switcher circuit further includes stacked first and…
POWER SUPPLY CONTROLLER WITH INPUT VOLTAGE COMPENSATION FOR EFFICIENCY AND MAXIMUM POWER OUTPUT
Granted: October 4, 2012
Application Number:
20120250368
A controller for regulating an output of a power supply includes a logic block and an oscillator. The logic block generates the drive signal to control switching of a power switch in response to a clock signal. The clock signal has a frequency that decreases responsive to a time period of the drive signal, where a decrease in the time period of the drive signal represents an increase in an input voltage of the power supply. The oscillator is coupled to generate the clock signal in…
FLYBACK CONVERTER WITH FORWARD CONVERTER RESET CLAMP
Granted: October 4, 2012
Application Number:
20120250364
A power supply includes a first power converter having a first transformer coupled to an input of the power supply and to a first output of the power supply. A clamp reset circuit is coupled to the first transformer. The clamp reset circuit includes a capacitor coupled to the first power converter and a Zener diode coupled to the capacitor. A second power converter is coupled to the clamp reset circuit. The second power converter includes a second transformer coupled to the clamp circuit…
LLC CONTROLLER WITH PROGRAMMABLE FRACTIONAL BURST FREQUENCY
Granted: October 4, 2012
Application Number:
20120250360
A controller for use in an LLC resonant converter is disclosed. An example controller is controlled by detecting a maximum frequency signal to set a maximum switching frequency of the LLC resonant converter. A burst stop frequency and a burst start frequency are programmed in response to the maximum switching frequency. The burst stop frequency and the burst start frequency are fractions of the maximum switching frequency. The LLC resonant converter is switched in response to a feedback…
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HIGH-SIDE INPUT WINDING REGULATION
Granted: September 27, 2012
Application Number:
20120243266
A controller for use in a power converter includes a control circuit coupled to control switching of a power switch coupled between a positive input supply rail of the power converter and an energy transfer element input of the power converter. A sampling circuit is coupled to the control circuit and is coupled to receive a signal across the energy transfer element input during an off time of the power switch to provide a sampled output of the converter. The sampled output of the power…
METHOD AND APPARATUS TO REDUCE LINE CURRENT HARMONICS FROM A POWER SUPPLY
Granted: September 27, 2012
Application Number:
20120243277
In one aspect, a power converter includes a power switch, an energy storage element, a driver, a first calculator, and a second calculator. The first calculator coupled to determine an end of an on time of a power switch of the power converter by integrating an input current to output an on time signal representative of the end of the on time of the power switch. The second calculator coupled to determine an end of an off time of the power switch by integrating a difference between an…
METHOD AND APPARATUS TO AUTHENTICATE A POWER SUPPLY
Granted: September 27, 2012
Application Number:
20120246495
A power bus monitor for use in an electronic product is coupled to receive power from an external power supply. The power bus monitor includes a signal detector coupled to an output of the external power supply to receive and demodulate information encoded on the output of the external power supply into a sequence of bits. A decoder is coupled to receive the sequence of bits from the signal detector and decrypt the sequence of bits. A logical comparator is coupled to receive the sequence…
Termination and Contact Structures for a High Voltage Gan-Based Heterojunction Transistor
Granted: September 20, 2012
Application Number:
20120238063
A semiconductor device is provided that includes a substrate, a first active layer disposed over the substrate, and a second active layer disposed on the first active layer. The second active layer has a higher bandgap than the first active layer such that a two-dimensional electron gas layer arises between the first active layer and the second active layer. A termination layer, which is disposed on the second active layer, includes InGaN. Source, gate and drain contacts are disposed on…
METHOD AND APPARATUS SWITCHING A SEMICONDUCTOR SWITCH WITH A MULTI-STAGE DRIVE CIRCUIT
Granted: September 6, 2012
Application Number:
20120223746
A multi-stage drive circuit is to be coupled to a semiconductor switch having a drive terminal, a first terminal and a second terminal, to switch the semiconductor switch on and off. The multi-stage drive circuit includes a first drive circuit, a second drive circuit and a selector circuit. The first drive circuit is to be coupled to provide a first drive signal to the drive terminal of the semiconductor switch and the second drive circuit is to be coupled to provide a second drive…
SHROUD FOR BOBBIN
Granted: September 6, 2012
Application Number:
20120223795
A shroud includes a shrouding element and a window. The shrouding element is adapted to substantially cover either a first winding portion or a second winding portion of a vertical bobbin. The window, which is formed in the shrouding element, allows access to the first winding portion or the second winding portion (whichever is substantially covered by the shrouding element) through the shrouding element. The vertical bobbin has electrical terminals on a single end of its center axis and…
TRANSVERSE SHROUD AND BOBBIN ASSEMBLY
Granted: September 6, 2012
Application Number:
20120223799
A transformer assembly includes a vertical bobbin and a shrouding element. The vertical bobbin includes a first winding portion, a second winding portion, and a flange. The flange is disposed between the first winding portion and the second winding portion. The flange includes a flange edge. The shrouding element, which substantially covers the first winding portion or the second winding portion, includes a shrouding edge that is operatively coupled to the flange edge. The flange edge…
METHOD AND APPARATUS TO REDUCE AUDIO FREQUENCIES IN A SWITCHING POWER SUPPLY
Granted: September 6, 2012
Application Number:
20120224399
An example controller for use in a power supply regulator includes a switch signal generator, a modulation circuit, and a multi-cycle modulator circuit. The modulation circuit modulates the period of a modulation switching signal when an equivalent switching frequency is greater than a reference frequency and fixes the switching period when the equivalent switching frequency is less than the reference frequency. The multi-cycle modulator circuit enables the switch signal generator to…
DC CONVERTER WITH INDEPENDENTLY CONTROLLED OUTPUTS
Granted: August 30, 2012
Application Number:
20120218784
A controller for use in a power supply includes a clock coupled to output a clock signal. The clock signal determines a frequency. A modulator is coupled to receive the clock signal. The clock signal is divided into N cycles within the power supply. N is an integer greater than one. The modulator is coupled to receive N feedback signals from N output circuits during each respective one of the N cycles to control conduction times of a primary switch during each respective one of the N…
