Enphase Energy, Inc.

Te Connectivity Corporation

Flex Ltd.

Tyco Electronics Corporation

Mudhafar Hassan-Ali

Martin Fornage

Jason Larson

Tarik Hanai Omar

Mark A Bergman

Anthony Joseph Piazza

Yolita C Nugent

Tibor Bolfan

Phuocan N Nguyen

Jeffrey B Cross

Boris Golubovic

Michael James Glickman

Adam M Whiton

Connor Meehan

Danny Hon Bun Chan

Allison E Bowles

Biren Salunke

Syed Muhammad Abdullah

Dennis T Nguyen

Shane Bravard

Srinivasa Varadan Rajagopalan

Embodiments of the disclosure provide systems and methods for a garment comprising a fabric layer, a plurality of biometric sensors integrated into the fabric layer, and a connectivity layer integrated into the fabric layer. The connectivity layer can comprise signal conductors and power conductors coupled with each of the plurality of biometric sensors. The garment can further comprise a power source coupled with each of the power conductors and providing, via the power conductors of the connectivity layer, electrical power to each of the plurality of biometric sensors, a signal monitor coupled with the connectivity layer and receiving, via the signal conductors of the connectivity layer, a signal comprising biometric information from each of the plurality of biometric sensors, and a gateway coupled with the signal monitor, the gateway receiving the biometric information from the signal monitor and providing the biometric information to an external computer system.

Bio-sensing integrated garment

Embodiments of the disclosure provide systems and methods for wearable dry electrodes for collecting biometric information. According to one embodiment, a dry electrode bio-sensor can comprise one or more conductive pads comprising electrodes of the dry electrode bio-sensor and one or more connectivity traces coupled with each of the one or more conductive pads. The connectivity traces can provide electrical connections for one or more of power to the one or more conductive pads or signals comprising biometric information from the one or more conductive pads. A backing can be coupled with and can retain the one or more conductive pads and the one or more connectivity traces. The dry electrode bio-sensor can comprise an electrocardiography (ECG) sensor, a respiration sensor, a PhotoPlethysmoGram (PPG) sensor, a temperature sensor, an electromyography (EMG) sensor, or another biometric sensor.

Garment integrated dry electrode for vital signal and electromyography sensing

A seam jump connector provides connectivity over an irregular area, such as seam, in a textile. The textile is part of a textile base structure that includes one or more electrically conductive interconnects formed either directly on the textile or on intermediate substrates that are attached to the textile. The intermediate substrates can be TPU sheets having conductive interconnects printed on a surface. The conductive interconnects of the textile base structure are discontinuous at an irregular area on the textile, and the seam jump connector includes a flexible and/or stretchable substrate with conductive interconnects. The seam jump connector is aligned with and stacked onto the conductive interconnects so as to provide electrical connectivity across the irregular area. The seam jump connectors can be configured to be permanently or removably attached to the textile base structure.

Electronic conductive interconnection for bridging across irregular areas in a textile product

Flexible printed circuit (FPC) connector includes a flex circuit having first and second side surfaces and a thickness extending between the first and second side surfaces. The flex circuit includes a plurality of stacked substrate layers. The FPC connector also includes a conductive pathway extending through the flex circuit and a substrate protrusion coupled to the second side surface and projecting a distance away from the second side surface. The substrate protrusion is formed from at least one dielectric layer. The FPC connector also includes a contact pad that is directly coupled to at least one of the substrate protrusion or the second side surface of the flex circuit. The contact pad is electrically coupled to the conductive pathway.

Flexible printed circuit connector and connector assembly including the same

A power circuit for wirelessly communicating power to a receiving device includes one or more switches for coupling respective ends of different coils of a group of coils together to facilitate selectively connecting the coils in a series configuration, parallel configuration, or combination thereof. The circuit includes a controller configured to control a conduction state of each of the one or more switches, and power terminals in electrical communication with the coils through which a power signal flows.

Wireless power transfer method and circuit

Method and apparatus for converting DC input power to DC output power. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a plurality of flyback circuits, coupled in parallel, for providing DC-to-DC conversion; and a controller for automatically adjusting activation timing of each flyback circuit in said plurality of flyback circuits to achieve a balanced operation.

Method and apparatus for providing power conversion using an interleaved flyback converter with automatic balancing

Printed circuit includes a substrate body having a plurality of substrate layers stacked along a Z-axis. Each substrate layer is substantially planar and extends along an XY plane. The X-, Y-, and Z-axes are mutually perpendicular. The printed circuit also includes a Z-field coil that is coupled to the substrate body and has a conductive trace that is parallel to the XY plane. The printed circuit also includes an X-field coil having conductive trace segments that are coupled to the substrate body and parallel to the XY plane. The X-field coil includes conductive paths that extend substantially parallel to the Z-axis. The conductive paths interconnect the trace segments. The Z-field coil and the X-field coil are configured to generate respective vector components of a magnetic field or have a voltage induced therein by a magnetic field.

Printed circuit for wireless power transfer

A contactless connector includes an insulative housing having a mating interface configured to be coupled to a connector interface of an electronic device. The housing can be reversibly coupled to the connector interface in a first orientation or in a second orientation oriented 180 degrees relative to the first orientation. A communication circuit board is held within the housing that includes a first connector communication chip and a second connector communication chip configured to define wireless communication channels with corresponding device communication chips of the electronic device in either orientation. A sensor senses the orientation of the housing relative to the connector interface of the electronic device to determine if the housing is in the first orientation or in the second orientation. The mode of operation of the first and second connector communication chips is controlled based on the sensed orientation of the housing.

Contactless connector

A smart plug for coupling an electric vehicle to a power supply includes a relay including contacts, the relay configured to operate in a closed state to enable power to be supplied to the electric vehicle and an open state to prohibit power from being supplied to the electric vehicle. The smart plug also includes a microcontroller (MCU) coupled to the relay, the microcontroller outputting a control signal to operate the relay in the closed state. The smart plug further includes a zero crossing detector (ZCD) coupled to the relay, the ZCD outputting a close signal to the relay when a voltage of the power is substantially zero and outputting an open signal to the relay when a current of the power is substantially zero.

Electric vehicle support equipment having a smart plug with a relay control circuit

Techniques are described to harvest power from a single current carrying conductor to furnish power to a powered device. The techniques employ a power harvesting device that is coupled to the conductor. In implementations, the conductor has a first path and a second path. The power harvesting device includes a first switch coupled to the second path. An energy storing element is coupled to the first path and configured to store energy based upon the direct current flowing through the first path. The power harvesting device also includes a power condition and management device coupled to the energy storing element configured to switch the first switch to a closed configuration when the energy storing element is measured to have a predefined high voltage threshold, and to switch the first switch to an open configuration when the energy storing element is measured to have a predefined low voltage threshold.

Power harvesting device

Method and apparatus for converting DC input power to DC output power. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a first flyback circuit and a second flyback circuit, coupled in parallel, for providing DC-to-DC conversion; and a controller for (i) determining a first peak current, based on a predetermined peak current, for operating the first flyback circuit, (ii) determining a second peak current, based on the predetermined peak current, for operating the second flyback circuit, and (iii) operating the first and the second flyback circuits at switching frequencies dependent on the first and the second peak currents, respectively, to achieve timing synchronization for interleaved operation of the first and the second flyback circuits.

A method and apparatus for converting DC input power to DC output power. The apparatus comprises a plurality of parallel connected flyback circuits. A controller is coupled to the switches within the flyback circuits to provide accurate timing and automatic current balancing amongst the plurality of flyback circuits.

A method and apparatus for identifying an islanding condition. In one embodiment, the method comprises altering a phase error response within a phase locked loop (PLL), and determining whether the islanding condition exists based on the altered phase error response.

Method and apparatus for identifying an islanding condition

An apparatus and method for converting a DC input power to a DC output power. The apparatus comprises an energy storage module and a burst mode controller. The burst mode controller causes energy to be stored in the energy storage module during at least one storage period, and further causes the energy to be drawn from the energy storage module during at least one burst period. During the at least one burst period, the DC output power is greater than the DC input power. Additionally, the burst mode controller employs a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) technique for operating a device providing the DC input power proximate a maximum power point (MPP).

Method and apparatus for power conversion with maximum power point tracking and burst mode capability

A method and apparatus for anti-islanding of distributed power generation systems having an inverter comprising a phase locked loop (PLL), a phase shift generator for injecting a phase shift into the PLL during at least one sample period, and a phase error signature monitor for monitoring at least one phase error response of the PLL during the at least one sample period.

Growing community of inventors

Petaluma, CA, United States of America

Mudhafar Hassan-Ali