Nmb, U.s.a. Inc.

Arian M Jansen

A variable inductor with a saturable core having three legs, including a center leg and two outer legs. A control winding is wound on the center leg and two outer windings are connected in parallel and wound on the outer legs. The inductances of the windings on the outer legs vary with the current through the control winding. The current through the control winding varies the saturation level of the outer legs. In one embodiment, the inductance of the control winding is substantially constant with a change in current in the control winding. In another embodiment, the outer legs are saturated and the center leg is not saturated. Portions of the core connecting the three legs are tapered down from the cross-section of the center leg to the cross-sections of the outer legs. The invention further includes methods of varying the inductance of an inductive circuit element in accordance with a control current.

Variable inductor

A power regulator is provided which employs a resonant circuit and permits regulation between a certain maximum value and zero. A series resonant circuit is adjusted to regulate power by adjusting the correspondence between the resonance frequency and the frequency of the voltage source such as an AC source delivering a sine wave or a square wave. Further, the output voltage is regulated to be lower than the voltage of the AC source when output current is zero. A capacitance is connected in parallel with the output of the power regulator to form a second resonant circuit with the inductance of the series resonant circuit. A method of power regulation is also contemplated.

Power regulator

A system and a method may use variable-frequency power sources for supplying power to a load. The system and method use phase detection in order to automatically and substantially equalize the currents supplied to a load by each of the variable-frequency power sources, and to cancel a ripple component of the input current drawn by the system. First and second power sources supply power to the load. The power sources have a similar relationship between their respective variable switching frequencies and the power that they supply to the load. First and second switching frequencies of, respectively, the first and second power sources are locked to one another using phase detection to substantially equalize the power supplied to the load by each power source. The system and method are advantageously utilized to provide a power factor correction front-end for a switch-mode power supply. Power sources with non-linear and/or inverse relationships between power supplied and switching frequency can be used. In alternate embodiments power from series power sources is equalized by equalizing voltages supplied by each power source to a load.

System and method using phase detection to equalize power from multiple

A circuit simulating the function of a diode in the sense that it conducts current in one direction and blocks current in the opposite direction, but which has a low forward voltage drop. A voltage comparator and a three terminal switch are connected so that the intrinsic reverse diode associated with the switch is harnessed to conduct current in the direction in which it is desired to conduct current and to block current in the direction in which it is desired to block current. A voltage comparator controls the control terminal of the three terminal switch to turn on the switch to conduct current from a terminal A to a terminal K when the voltage at terminal A is higher than the voltage at terminal K and to interrupt current from terminal K to terminal A when the voltage at terminal K is higher than the voltage at terminal A. The switch terminal (source or drain) that is typically connected to the higher voltage of two voltage terminals is instead connected to the lower voltage of the two voltage terminals. The switch may be a MOSFET, p- or n-channel, depletion or enhancement. Alternatively, a bipolar transistor may be connected to a voltage comparator to simulate the function of a diode. Detection of a malfunctioning transistor is detected and indicated. Alternate embodiments of voltage comparators are disclosed. The invention further includes a method of conducting, current in one direction and blocking current in a second direction which reduces power losses.

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Thousand Oaks, CA, United States of America

Arian M Jansen