Condor D.c. Power Supplies Inc.

Condor, Inc.

Thomas M Ingman

Charles E Mullett

John W Beecroft

There is disclosed a power converter having limited inrush current and an inrush current limiter circuit. The inrush limiting circuit may be a self-oscillating switching-mode average current regulator tp provide a relatively constant average charging current to a bulk capacitor until the bulk capacitor is fully charged. A bypass switch may be used to route current around the inrush current limiter circuit once the bulk capacitor is fully charged.

Self oscillating inrush current limiting converter

A circuit and method provides a regulated dc&mdash;dc power conversion. Active switches, saturable core inductors, and a diode are used in a quasi-synchronous circuit. During a part of the cycle (the &ldquo;blocking interval&rdquo;) free-wheeling current is routed through free-wheeling diode while a saturable core inductor is in a high-impedance, blocking state. During other parts of the cycle an ac inverter voltage is rectified by active switching devices, preferably field effect transistors (FETs). The circuit provides regulated, low voltage outputs with low conversion losses.

Quasi-synchronous, magnetic amplifier regulated dc-dc converter

An output voltage regulation system allows independent output regulation of multi-output dc-dc switched-mode power converters. The channel resistance of MOSFET synchronous output rectifiers are controlled to obtain the voltage drop required to keep the respective output between predetermined limits concurrent with wide excursions in output load. A typical circuit has a transformer with an input winding coupled to a dc source. A transformer has at least a first and second output winding. A switched-mode regulator means samples a portion of the first output voltage and provides at least a first pulse-width modulated drive voltage having a first state and a second state to a first input semiconductor switch control terminal. The drive voltage first state turns the input semiconductor switch on and the drive voltage second state turns the input semiconductor switch off. The switched-mode regulator means is further characterized to adjust the ratio of the switch's on time to the switch's off time to control the first output voltage to remain within a predetermined range that is proportional to a precision reference voltage. A gate drive means is responsive to at least the first pulse-width modulated drive voltage for providing a first gate drive signal having a peak voltage swing to the synchronous rectifier control terminal. A control means samples a portion of the second dc output voltage and controls the peak voltage swing of the first gate drive signal to control the second output voltage to remain within a predetermined range.

Converter output regulation via channel resistance modulation of synchronous rectifiers

A multi-output, multi-directional power converter has an input bi-directional switch and at least a first output bi-directional switch, a coupled inductor having an input winding and at least one output winding. The coupled inductor input winding is connected in series with the input voltage source and an input bi-directional switch. Each coupled inductor output winding is connected in series with a corresponding output voltage source such as a capacitor and its respective output bi-directional switch. A clock circuit provides a first and second control signal. Each control signal has a first and second state. The second control signal has a state that is the complement of the first control signal. The first control signal is connected to the input bi-directional switch control terminal and the second control signal is connected to each respective output bi-directional switch control terminal. The input bi-directional switch is driven into a conductive state in response to the first control signal being in a first state and into a non-conductive state in response to the second control signal being in a second state. Each respective output bi-directional switch conduction channel is driven into a conductive state in response to the second control signal being in a first state and into a non-conductive state in response to the second control signal being in a second state. In an alternative embodiment, a resonant transition control means senses the coupled inductor input and output winding currents and the output voltage and adjusts the clock frequency to provide operation in a resonant transition mode.

Bi-directional dc-to-dc power converter

An AC line filter having a balun coupled to an AC voltage input and an AC voltage output. The balun includes a first and a second set of windings with a first and a second tap on the first and second set of windings, respectively. A first Y capacitor is connected to a ground and the first tap of the first set of windings of the balun, and a second Y capacitor is connected to the ground and a second tap of the second set of windings of the balun.

AC line filter with tapped balun winding

A circuit for automatically operating a switching power supply is capable of operating from first and second input voltage ranges. The circuit changes the switching power supply from a full-wave rectifier circuit to a voltage doubler rectifier circuit by electrically connecting first and second nodes. The circuit includes a rectifier circuit and a voltage level sensing device for generating an output voltage to trigger a triac, which connects the first and second nodes.

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Somis, CA, United States of America

Thomas M Ingman