Infineon Technologies Austria Ag

Infineon Technologies Ag

Renato Bessegato

Andrey B Malinin

Yong Siang Teo

Cecilia Carbonelli

Wolfgang Furtner

Sergio Rossi

Mohit Berry

Benjamim Tang

Herbert Zojer

Yiming Tang

Cristian Mitrea

A multi-phase PFC (power factor correction) system, controller, and method of controlling the multi-phase PFC system are described. The method includes operating the phases under variable frequency control to interleave current delivered by the plurality of phases to a load. During a switching cycle for the phases, a phase synchronization correction indicator is activated if a predetermined crossing point along a rising or falling slope of the current delivered by a second phase is misaligned with the same predetermined crossing point along the opposite slope of the current delivered by a first phase. During the next switching cycle, a switching period of the second phase is adjusted if the phase synchronization correction indicator was activated during the previous switching cycle.

Power factor correction system, controller and method of controlling a power factor correction system

A multi-phase PFC (power factor correction) system, controller for the multi-phase PFC system and method of controlling the multi-phase PFC system are described. The controller includes a digital circuitry configured to calculate a delay value based on a positive current slope and a negative current slope for a first phase of the plurality of phases which is enabled for all load current conditions. In response to an increase in an average current reference, the digital circuitry is configured to enable a second phase of the plurality of phases such that a current output by the second phase is out of phase with a current output by the first phase by an amount corresponding to the delay value as referenced to a beginning of a boost charging portion of a switching cycle for the first phase.

Multi-phase power factor correction system, controller and method of controlling a multiphase power factor correction system

A power supply includes a primary winding, a secondary winding, a switch, and a controller. The secondary winding is magnetically coupled to the primary winding. The switch is coupled to the secondary winding and controls a state of current through the secondary winding. The controller controls the state of the switch based on an integrator voltage derived from monitoring a voltage from the secondary winding. For example, the controller activates the switch to an ON state in response to detecting a condition in which the magnitude of the monitored voltage of the secondary winding crosses a threshold value such as a magnitude of an output voltage produced from the secondary winding.

Power supply and winding switch control via an integrator voltage

Techniques to send digital information from the secondary side to the primary side of a power converter, such as a flyback power converter, without the need for a separate, isolated communication channel. The power converter of this disclosure may send digital information from secondary side to the primary side through a power transformer while the power converter operates in a mixed mode scenario, e.g. critical conduction mode (CRCM) and discontinuous conduction mode (DCM). In CRCM, a controller circuit for the power converter may encode digital information by modulating the diode conduction time in a switching cycle. In DCM, the controller circuit may encode digital information by modulating the period of time for each switching cycle, e.g. increased period, decreased period or no change to the period.

Method of communication through a flyback power transformer using a zero voltage switching pulse in CRCM mode

A synchronous rectifier includes: an integrator configured to integrate a voltage across a secondary side winding of a transformer over an integral period having an expected zero integral value; a first comparator configured to detect an end of a demagnetization phase of the secondary side winding based on diode detection; and a digital circuit configured to adjust a channel gain of the synchronous rectifier based on an integration error at the end of the integral period, the integration error corresponding to the difference between the integrated voltage at the end of the integral period and the expected zero integral. Corresponding methods of gain tuning and a power converter are also described.

Gain tuning for synchronous rectifiers

In accordance with an embodiment, a method of measuring a gas concentration includes modulating an infrared light source according to a frequency-hopped sequence or according to a pulse sequence, receiving a microphone signal from an output of a microphone acoustically coupled to a gas exposed to infrared light produced by the infrared light source; bandpass filtering the microphone signal using a bandpass filter; and estimating the gas concentration from the filtered microphone signal.

System and method for estimating a gas concentration

A power converter, such as a flyback power converter, configured to send digital information from a secondary side to a primary side of the power converter and notify the secondary side that the communication has been received by the primary side. In this manner the secondary side may receive an acknowledgement (ACK) from the primary side, while maintaining isolation between the primary side and secondary side. To implement the ACK response to digital communication from the secondary side, the primary side may delay generating a PWM pulse to the primary side switch. The secondary side may detect the missing PWM pulse based on a change in the integrated secondary side current and determine that the primary side has sent an ACK response.

Reliable communication through a flyback power transformer using a zero voltage switching pulse

A high-speed, low-latency configurable digital interface for a voltage regulator includes a first hardwired unit, a second hardwired unit and a programmable microcontroller interfaced between the first and second hardwired units. The first hardwired unit is operable to deserialize incoming frames received over the configurable digital interface into commands and data associated with operation of a switching voltage regulator, and serialize outgoing data into new frames for transmission over the configurable digital interface. The second hardwired unit is operable to process the commands included in the incoming frames deserialized by the first hardwired unit, and provide the outgoing data to be serialized into new frames by the first hardwired unit. The programmable microcontroller is operable to change one or more of the commands and data flowing between the first and second hardwired units.

Configurable digital interface for switching voltage regulators

The disclosure describes techniques to send digital information from the secondary side to the primary side of a power converter, such as a flyback power converter. By modulating the amount of time between zero voltage switching (ZVS) pulses initiated by a synchronous rectification (SR) transistor on the secondary side, a power converter circuit of this disclosure may communicate digital information to the primary side from the secondary side. The power converter circuit of this disclosure may include stable, accurate and reliable ZVS pulse detection techniques on the primary side to determine slight changes in the period between ZVS pulses from the secondary side. A controller circuit on the secondary side may encode digital information by modulating the ZVS period, e.g. increased period, decreased period or no change to the period.

Communication through the flyback power transformer by the usage of the zero voltage switching pulse

A system and method to identify whether a removable battery pack inserted into a battery-powered device is an authorized battery pack for the device. Battery-powered devices may include a battery-powered drill, saw, flashlight or other type of device. The battery-powered device may send an authentication query to the battery pack. If the battery-powered device does not receive a valid reply from the battery pack, the battery-powered device may verify that the battery-powered device is still within a phase-out period that allows the battery-powered device to use a battery pack with an invalid authentication. If the phase-out period has expired, the battery-powered device may disable the use of the battery pack with an invalid authentication. If the phase-out period is still running, the battery-powered device may allow the use of the battery pack with an invalid authentication, but only for a limited number of battery pack recharge cycles.

Ensuring backward compatibility in battery authentication applications

A controller for a switching mode power converter is configured to drive a switching element to selectively connect a supply to a primary side winding of a transformer to generate a regulated voltage, current, or power at a secondary side winding of the transformer. The controller is configured to, for each switching cycle, select a peak current value from a plurality of peak current values calculated to drive an oscillating voltage at the switching element to correspond to a voltage valley and in response to determining a voltage valley is occurring at the oscillating voltage at the switching element, output an enabling signal to cause the switching element to generate a channel electrically connecting the supply to the primary side winding until current at the switching element is not less than the selected peak current value.

Valley mode switching with fixed frequency for switching mode power supply

Devices, systems, and methods for verifying integrity of a signal path across an isolation barrier are discloses. The devices, systems, and methods insert a marker signal into the signal path across the isolation barrier. The marker includes an analog signal. The devices, systems, and methods transmit a version of the marker signal across the isolation barrier and receiving a signal comprising the transmitted version of the marker signal. The devices, systems, and methods verify the integrity of the signal path based on the received signal.

Data integrity via galvanically isolated analog-to-digital converter for industrial systems

An integrated galvanically isolated meter devices and method for making integrated meter devices are disclosed. An embodiment of an integrated meter device includes a carrier, a control chip disposed on the carrier, a first measuring device chip disposed on the carrier, the first measuring device chip galvanically isolated from the control chip and configured to measure at least one first parameter of a first wire of a power line and a package encapsulating the control chip and the first measuring device chip.

Integrated galvanically isolated meter devices and methods for making integrated galvanically isolated meter devices

A flow meter device is coupled to at least one sensor that measures a flow speed and provides status signals from which the flow speed can be determined. The flow meter receives and processes the flow measurement data provided by the at least one sensor. The at least one sensor is enabled at defined time instances for a defined interval time. The flow meter receives at least one status signal from the sensor each time the sensor is enabled and processes the status signals to generate a trigger event when certain conditions arise. A processing unit wakes up from a sleep mode when a trigger event is generated by the flow meter device.

Growing community of inventors

Oberhaching, Germany

Renato Bessegato