Method and apparatus for transferring energy in a power converter circuit
Granted: January 30, 2007
Patent Number:
7170383
A reduced cost energy transfer element for power converter circuits. In one embodiment, an energy transfer element according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a magnetic element having an external surface with at least a first winding and a second winding wound around the external surface of the magnetic element without a bobbin. As such, energy to be received from a power converter circuit input is to be transferred from the first winding to the second winding through a…
Trimming electrical parameters in a power supply switching regulator electrical circuit
Granted: January 30, 2007
Patent Number:
7170756
Electrical circuit trimming methods. In one aspect of the invention, a trimming method includes assembling one or more components of an electrical circuit onto a printed circuit board having one or more electrical connections coupled to the said one or more components. An electrical parameter of the electrical circuit is then trimmed. The trimming of the electrical parameter of the electrical circuit includes removing a portion of the printed circuit board to break the electrical…
Method and apparatus for transferring energy in a power converter circuit
Granted: January 30, 2007
Patent Number:
7170381
A reduced cost energy transfer element for power converter circuits. In one embodiment, an energy transfer element according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a magnetic element having an external surface with at least a first winding and a second winding wound around the external surface of the magnetic element without a bobbin. As such, energy to be received from a power converter circuit input is to be transferred from the first winding to the second winding through a…
Method and apparatus for substantially reducing electrical earth displacement current flow generated by wound components
Granted: January 16, 2007
Patent Number:
7164338
An energy transfer element having an energy transfer element input winding and an energy transfer element output winding. In one aspect, the energy transfer element input winding is capacitively coupled to the energy transfer element output winding. The energy transfer element is capacitively coupled to electrical earth. One or more additional windings are introduced as part of the energy transfer element. The one or more additional windings substantially reduce capacitive displacement…
Method and apparatus for mode selection for high voltage integrated circuits
Granted: January 2, 2007
Patent Number:
7157813
A method is disclosed to add functionality to a terminal of a high voltage integrated circuit without the penalty of additional high voltage circuitry. The benefit is that alternative modes of operation can be selected for testing, trimming parameters of the integrated circuit, or any other purpose without the cost of an additional terminal. In one embodiment, ordinary low voltage circuitry monitors the voltage on the terminal that normally is exposed to high voltage. The configuration…
Method and apparatus for maintaining an approximate constant current output characteristic in a switched mode power supply
Granted: December 12, 2006
Patent Number:
7148671
A regulator circuit maintaining an approximate constant current output characteristic. In one aspect, a disclosed regulator controls a switch that has a current limit threshold. A supply terminal and feedback terminal of the regulator are connected together as a control terminal such that a shunt regulator current is the control terminal current in excess of the internal supply current consumed by the regulator. The current limit threshold of the switch is changed as a function of the…
Method and apparatus for output voltage regulation in primary control switched mode power supplies
Granted: November 28, 2006
Patent Number:
7142437
A voltage sense circuit and power supply regulation technique. In one aspect, a voltage sense circuit utilized in a power supply regulator includes a transformer including a sense winding and an output winding. A first diode is coupled to the sense winding, a first resistor is coupled to the first diode and a first capacitor coupled to the first resistor and the first diode. A second diode coupled to the first capacitor, the first resistor and the first diode. A second capacitor coupled…
Integrated circuit with multi-length output transistor segment
Granted: November 14, 2006
Patent Number:
7135748
A monolithic integrated circuit fabricated on a semiconductor die includes a control circuit and a first output transistor having segments substantially equal to a first length. A second output transistor has segments substantially equal to a second length. The first and second output transistors occupy an L-shaped area of the semiconductor die, the L-shaped area having first and second inner sides that are respectively disposed adjacent first and second sides of the control circuit. At…
Method and apparatus for balancing active capacitor leakage current
Granted: November 7, 2006
Patent Number:
7133301
A circuit that provides a method and apparatus to actively balance capacitor leakage current from series stacked capacitors and disconnects itself when stacked capacitors are configured for doubler operation. In one embodiment, the active circuit includes high voltage low current transistors, such as for example a PNP bipolar transistor and an NPN bipolar transistor, that are configured in a sink-source voltage follower arrangement with the bases of the transistors connected to a voltage…
Method and apparatus for substantially reducing electrical displacement current flow between input and output windings of an energy transfer element
Granted: October 17, 2006
Patent Number:
7123121
An energy transfer element with substantially reduced electrical displacement current flow between an input circuit coupled to the energy transfer element input winding and an output circuit coupled to the energy transfer element output winding. In one aspect, an energy transfer element includes an input winding, an output winding, an electrically conductive shield coupled to the input winding and a first cancellation winding coupled to the input winding. The electrically conductive…
Method and apparatus for substantially reducing electrical earth displacement current flow generated by wound components without requiring additional windings
Granted: October 10, 2006
Patent Number:
7119647
An energy transfer element having an energy transfer element input winding and an energy transfer element output winding. In one aspect, the energy transfer element input winding is capacitively coupled to the energy transfer element output winding. The energy transfer element is capacitively coupled to electrical earth. Capacitive displacement current between the energy transfer element input winding and energy transfer element output winding is substantially reduced by balancing the…
Lateral power MOSFET for high switching speeds
Granted: October 3, 2006
Patent Number:
7115958
A lateral power metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) having a gate structure in which the insulated gate is coupled to the gate electrode through contacts at a plurality of locations. The source electrode includes first and second segments. The first segment is interposed between the drain electrode and the gate electrode and acts as a field plate.
Method and apparatus for trimming current limit and frequency to maintain a constant maximum power
Granted: September 19, 2006
Patent Number:
7109696
Methods and apparatuses to trim current limit (Ip) and frequency (f) to maintain a constant maximum power. In one aspect of the invention, a power supply regulator having a peak current limit detection threshold and an operating frequency is disclosed. The peak current limit threshold or the operating frequency are adjusted specifically to maintain the Ipm·fn product substantially constant from one power supply controller to another where m is substantially equal to 2 and n is…
Method and apparatus for substantially reducing electrical earth displacement current flow generated by wound components without requiring additional windings
Granted: September 19, 2006
Patent Number:
7109836
An energy transfer element having an energy transfer element input winding and an energy transfer element output winding. In one aspect, the energy transfer element input winding is capacitively coupled to the energy transfer element output winding. The energy transfer element is capacitively coupled to electrical earth. Capacitive displacement current between the energy transfer element input winding and energy transfer element output winding is substantially reduced by balancing the…
Method and apparatus for maintaining a constant load current with line voltage in a switch mode power supply
Granted: September 19, 2006
Patent Number:
7110270
A power supply including a regulation circuit that maintains an approximately constant load current with line voltage. In one embodiment, a regulation circuit includes a semiconductor switch and current sense circuitry to sense the current in the semiconductor switch. The current sense circuitry has a current limit threshold. The regulation circuit current limit threshold is varied from a first level to a second level during the time when the semiconductor switch is on. One embodiment of…
Electronic circuit control element with tap element
Granted: September 5, 2006
Patent Number:
7102900
A technique for controlling a power supply with power supply control element with a tap element. In one embodiment, a power supply regulator includes a power transistor having first, second, third and fourth terminals. A control circuit is included, which is coupled to the third and fourth terminals of the power transistor. The power transistor is configured to switch a current between the first and second terminals in response a control signal received from the control circuit at the…
Fault condition protection
Granted: August 29, 2006
Patent Number:
7099128
A circuit protects a power conversion system with a feedback control loop from a fault condition. The circuit has an oscillator having an input for generating a signal with a frequency and a timer connected to the oscillator input and to the feedback control loop. The timer disables the oscillator after a period following the opening of the feedback control loop to protect the power conversion system.
Method and apparatus for simplifying the control of a switch
Granted: August 15, 2006
Patent Number:
7091752
A technique for simplifying the control of a switch is presented. In one embodiment, a method of controlling a switch as a function of the voltage across the switch is presented. In one embodiment a method of controlling a switch as a function of the slope of the voltage across the switch is present. In one embodiment a switching is switched on for an on time period that is substantially fixed in response to a voltage across the switch while the switch is off. In one embodiment a switch…
Method and apparatus for a switch mode power supply that generates a high pulse width modulation gain while maintaining low noise sensitivity
Granted: June 27, 2006
Patent Number:
7068022
A power supply with high pulse width modulation gain and low noise sensitivity has been disclosed. In one embodiment, a power supply includes a regulator circuit controlling a power switch. The regulator circuit includes a control input that receives a current, which is the sum of a consumption current of the regulator and a feedback current. The consumption current of the regulator is varied as a function of the duty cycle of the power switch. The feedback current is the current in a…
Method and apparatus switching a semiconductor switch with a multi-state drive circuit
Granted: June 13, 2006
Patent Number:
7061301
A method and an apparatus for implementing a semiconductor switch multi-stage drive circuit. The disclosed method and an apparatus reduce losses in a semiconductor switch when it is turned from an off state to an on state or from an on state to an off state. The reduction in losses is achieved without influencing the dv/dt across the semiconductor switch during a first time period while the semiconductor switch is switching. This reduction in losses is therefore achieved with very little…
