Lucent Technologies Inc.

Tdk-lambda Corporation

Innoveta Technologies, Inc.

Tdk-lambda Americas Inc.

Tdk Innoveta Inc.

Jin He

Mark E Jacobs

Greg P Jorgenson

Greg H Fasullo

Jeffrey John Boylan

Gordon K Y Lee

Frank H Chavez

Victor Ke-Ji Lee

Victor K Lee

Michael Duane Lawrence

Donald Bruce Rose

L Ray Albrecht, Iii

Del Hilburn

Rui Liu

Kamakshi Sridhar

Yimin Jiang

Qing Chen

Carl M Wildrick

Stephen A Ferranti

Anthony J Scocca

John A Herrmann

Francisco Higinio Chavez

Nhon D Le

Rick L Barnett

Gregory P Jorgenson

A half-bridge power converter includes a transformer dividing the half-bridge power converter into a primary side and a secondary side. Disposed on the first side is a first capacitor bank and a second capacitor bank in series with the first capacitor hank, and also a bootstrap capacitor configured to be charged by current flowing through a charging current flowpath. The charging current flowpath extends at least through a pre-charging circuit located on the primary side, the pre-charging circuit being configured to reduce a voltage imbalance between the first capacitor bank and the second capacitor bank. The half-bridge power converter also includes a discharging current flowpath that extends at least through a primary winding of the transformer and the pre-charging circuit.

Half-bridge power converter with pre-charging circuit

A multi-level voltage regulator system/method providing discrete regulation of a DC-DC intermediate bus converter (IBC) output voltage (Vout) is disclosed. The disclosed system/method allows IBC Vout to be regulated in discrete steps during periods where IBC input voltage (Vin) falls below nominal operating values. Rather than shutting down or degrading IBC Vout in an unpredictable non-linear fashion based on IBC input/loading, IBC Vout is regulated in fixed discrete steps, allowing IBC-connected point-of-load (POL) converters to obtain stable power input that is well-defined over IBC Vin. IBC operating parameters may define multi-dimensional operational state spaces of IBC Vout regulation that ensure optimum power flow to attached POLs while maintaining operational stability within the IBC regulator. Instabilities in IBC/POL performance across variations in IBC Vin, load transients, POL loading, and environmental variables may be prevented using Vin voltage step hysteresis.

State space-based multi-level voltage regulator system

Multi-level voltage regulator system

A thermal management system/method allowing efficient electrical/thermal attachment of heat sourcing PCBs to heat sinking PCBs using reflow/wave/hand soldering is disclosed. The disclosed system/method may incorporate a combination of support pins, spacer pads, and/or contact paste that mechanically attaches a heat sourcing PCB (and its associated components) to a heat sinking PCB such that thermal conductivity between the two PCBs can be optimized while simultaneously allowing controlled electrical conductivity between the two PCBs. Controlled electrical isolation between the two PCBs is provided for using spacer pads that may also be thermally conductive. Contact paste incorporated in some embodiments permits enhanced conductivity paths between the heat sourcing PCB, a thermally conductive plate mounted over the heat sourcing PCB, and the heat sinking PCB. The use of self-centering support pins incorporating out-gassing vents in some embodiments allows reflow/wave/hand soldering as desired.

Thermal management system and method

A thermal management system/method allowing efficient electrical/thermal attachment of heat sourcing PCBs to heat sinking PCBs using reflow/wave/hand soldering is disclosed. The disclosed system/method may incorporate a combination of support pins, spacer pads, and/or contact paste that mechanically attaches a heat sourcing PCB (and its associated components) to a heat sinking PCB such that thermal conductivity between the two PCBs can be optimized while simultaneously allowing controlled electrical conductivity between the two PCBs. Controlled electrical isolation between the two PCBs is provided for using spacer pads that may also be thermal conductive. Contact paste incorporated in some embodiments permits enhanced conductivity paths between the heat sourcing PCB, a thermally conductive plate mounted over the heat sourcing PCB, and the heat sinking PCB. The use of self-centering support pins incorporating out-gassing vents in some embodiments allows reflow/wave/hand soldering as desired.

The improved DC-DC converter apparatus includes a primary side circuit and a secondary side circuit that is galvanically isolated from the primary. The primary side induces a voltage in the secondary side that provides an output voltage for driving POLs. A controller in the primary senses a reflected output voltage signal that is coupled from the secondary and is proportional to the secondary output voltage with respect to a voltage regulation point determined by either a voltage divider circuit or the zener voltage in the secondary. The voltage regulation point is established by wide-tolerance electrical components, such as a zener diode, a resistor, or a combination, connected in the coupling device circuit.

Loosely regulated feedback control for high efficiency isolated DC-DC converters

The magnetic device consists of a planar winding board, which contains the windings for both the inductor and the transformer. Thus, this invention centers on integrating the windings of multiple magnetic devices, not integrating the cores. By connecting the transformer secondary winding directly to the output inductor winding without using any intermediate headers and/or termination pins or conductive copper traces, both electrical path and the termination resistance will be minimized. Furthermore, the number of headers or termination pins required will also be reduced, which helps to not only alleviate the issue associated with co-planarity of the termination pins, but also reduce the cost of the material and manufacturing.

Planar transformer and output inductor structure with single planar winding board and two magnetic cores

Converter

A control scheme for a synchronous rectifier converter that avoids disabling the synchronous rectifiers entirely. Rather than disable the synchronous rectifier altogether to stop the flow of reverse current in light-load, startup, or shutdown conditions, the duty cycle of the synchronous rectifier is modified such that forward current is always allowed to flow through the synchronous rectifier, but the synchronous rectifier is turned off before the reverse current flow reaches a pre-determined level. This is accomplished by operating the converter in a partially synchronous mode of operation during light-load, startup, or shutdown conditions. Whether the circuit is in a light-load, startup, or shutdown condition is determined by a circuit characteristic of the converter that is sensed by the controller, such as average output current. The desired changeover point from fully-synchronous mode to the partially synchronous mode is set to a predetermined level of output current for the converter. The predetermined level is set based on the particular power system in which the invention is implemented. For example, this level can be based on the amount of reverse current that would disrupt the bus to which the converter output is connected, or it could be based on the heat created by the reverse current flow in the power converter when heat dissipation is a concern. The control scheme of the present invention effectively limits reverse current flow while also improving efficiency by eliminating the need for discrete diodes, yet retaining the benefits of synchronous rectification throughout the operating range of the converter.

Synchronous rectifier controller to eliminate reverse current flow in a DC/DC converter output

A housing for a power supply rectifier includes an enclosure having front and rear panels, top and bottom walls, and side walls. A bracket is attached to the enclosure and includes a plurality of projections for mating with a plurality of apertures contained in one or more of the walls of the enclosure. The projections are larger than the apertures, such that when pressure is applied to the bracket, the projections are forced into the apertures to form a seal to minimize EMI emissions from the enclosure. The bracket removably mounts a fan to the housing.

Bracket assembly with enhanced EMI containment

A pulse detection circuit, a method of operation and a fan assembly test circuit employing the same. In one embodiment, the pulse detection circuit includes a charge pump that receives an input signal and varies a charge in a charge storage device based on the input signal. The pulse detection circuit further includes a level detector, coupled to the charge pump, that compares a voltage across the charge storage device with first and second reference voltages, and a signaling circuit, coupled to the level detector, that generates an output signal based on the comparison and indicating an existence of the pulse. The pulse detection circuit may be a part of a fan assembly test circuit adapted to receive an input signal from a cooling fan under test.

Pulse detection circuit, method of operation thereof and fan assembly test circuit employing the same

A controller for a full bridge power converter having controllable switches, a method of operating the controller and a power supply employing the controller or the method. In one embodiment, the controller includes (1) a signal generator circuit designed to drive the controllable switches in a phase-shifted mode and (2) a switching network, coupled to the signal generator circuit, adapted to enable the signal generator circuit to operate the converter in an alternative one of (2a) the phase-shifted mode, wherein the controllable switches in each of first and second legs of the converter are complementarily switched, the signal generator circuit capable of adjusting a relative phase between the first and second legs and (2b) a normal mode, wherein diagonal pairs of the controllable switches are switched substantially simultaneously and at a substantially full duty cycle.

Controller for power supply and method of operation thereof

For use in a power converter having an inverter coupled to an output rectifier, a post-regulator, a method of operating the same and a power converter incorporating the post-regulator or the method. In one embodiment: (1) a switching circuit, having at least one controllable switch and coupled an output of the power converter, that receives an output voltage from the power converter and produces a phase-shifted waveform therefrom and (2) a transformer, having a primary winding coupled to the switching circuit and a secondary winding coupled to the rectifier, that delivers the phase-shifted waveform to the rectifier to regulate the power converter, thereby allowing the inverter to be unregulated.

Phase-shifted post-regulator, method of operation thereof and power converter employing the same

For use with a power supply having first and second circuit protection devices, a detection circuit, a method of monitoring the protection devices and a power supply employing the circuit or the method. In one embodiment, the detection circuit includes (1) a bridge circuit coupled to the first and second circuit protection devices, (2) a resistor parallel-coupled across one of the first and second circuit protection devices and (3) a sensing circuit, coupled to the bridge circuit and the resistor, that senses an imbalance in the bridge circuit and develops therefrom a failure signal when at least one of the first and second circuit protection devices becomes inoperable.

Detection circuit for circuit protection devices of a power supply and method of operation thereof

A filter for an inrush relay, the relay having a relay coil having first and second leads includes a common-mode inductor connected to the relay coil leads across the relay coil. A first capacitor is connected to the first relay coil lead and a chassis ground potential. A second capacitor is connected to the second relay coil lead and the chassis ground potential. A third capacitor is connected to the relay coil leads across the relay coil. A first resistor is connected to the first relay lead, and a second resistor is connected to the second relay coil lead. The inductor and first and second capacitors form a high frequency common-mode filter. The third capacitor and first and second resistors form a high frequency differential mode filter.

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Plano, TX, United States of America

Jin He