Analog Devices,inc.

Solarbridge Technologies, Inc.

Sunpower Corporation

Vincenzo DiTommaso

Ravindranath Naiknaware

Henry Frazier Pruett

Triet Tu Le

Kenneth J Stern

Robert Batten

Jorell A Olson

Gary Baker

William Louis Walter

Edward B Hilton

Thomas Alan Gaiser

Farhad Vazehgoo

Keith Robert Slavin

Edward C Gee

Terri Shreeve Fiez

Adam Heiberg

In some embodiments, a system includes a power system coupled to a power bus, and a power line communication (PLC) gateway coupled in series with the power bus. In other embodiments, a system includes first and second power circuits coupled in series with a power bus, and first and second power-line communication circuits coupled in series with the power bus. In additional embodiments, a system includes a power converter coupled to a power bus and having one or more switching frequencies, and a power-line communication circuit coupled to the power bus and having one or more communication frequencies, where at least one of the switching frequencies is substantially greater than at least one of the communication frequencies.

Power-line communication coupling

A local power converter may include a controller to manipulate the operating point of a local power converter to cause the power point tracking feature of a central power converter to operate at a point determined by the controller. In some embodiments, the controller can manipulate the operating point of the local power converter by alternating between at least two modes. In some other embodiments, the controller can manipulate the operating point of the local power converter to provide a substantially constant slope. In some other embodiments, the controller can maintain a substantially constant impedance ratio. In some other embodiments, the controller enables perturbations from the power point tracking feature of the central power converter to reach the power source.

Power point tracking

A power converter may include a first power path having no energy storage and a second power path having substantial energy storage. The first and second power paths have first and second input waveforms that are complementary with respect to a source waveform. The first power path, which may be more efficient than the second path, may transfer as much power as possible from the input to the output. The energy storage enables the second power path to make up the difference between the power available from the source and the power drawn by the first power path, and to make up the difference between the power demanded by a load and the power supplied by the first path.

Parallel power converter topology

In one embodiment, a power conversion system includes a controller to provide power control to a converter, and a distortion mitigation circuit. In another embodiment, a system includes a converter to transfer power between a power source and a load having fluctuating power demand, and a controller to provide power control, where the controller may selectively disable the power control. In another embodiment, a power conversion system includes a controller to generate a drive signal to provide power control to a power path in response to a sense signal from the power path, where the sense signal is taken from other than the input of the power path, or the drive signal is applied to the power path at other than a first power stage.

Energy conversion systems with power control

An input signal is applied to a ratiometric gain/attenuator circuit. A nulling circuit is arranged to null the input signal with an output from the ratiometric gain/attenuator circuit. The ratiometric gain/attenuator circuit may include a gain stage in series with a ratiometric attenuator. By implementing the attenuator ratiometrically, the gain may be compensated with reference to a ratio of component values. A limiting stage with an absolute reference may precede the gain stage, and a pair of detector cells may arranged at the inputs to the nulling circuit.

Compensation with ratiometric attenuation

A detector circuit includes a main path having a first detector to generate an output signal in response to an input signal, and a reference path having a second detector matched to the first detector to generate a reference signal in response to the input signal. The reference signal may be used to compensate the output signal for variations in operating frequency, temperature, or the like. The reference path may be arranged to reuse a signal available in the main path so that the signal applied to the second detector experiences the same operating effects as that applied to the first detector.

Signal dependent compensation with matched detectors

The intercept of a logarithmic amplifier is temperature stabilized by generating a signal having the form H log H where H is a function of temperature such as T/T. The first H factor is cancelled, thereby generating a correction signal having the form Y log H. The cancellation may be implemented with a transconductance cell having a hyperbolic tangent function. The H log H function may be generated by a pair of junctions biased by one temperature-stable current and one temperature-dependent current. The pair of junctions and the transconductance cell may be coupled together in a translinear loop. A user-accessible terminal may allow adjustment of the correction signal for different operating frequencies.

Logarithmic temperature compensation for detectors

Compensation for an RF detector includes components having different order temperature functions. The components are combined and may be adjusted by various numbers of user-accessible terminals to provide individual adjustment for factors such as operating frequency. In some embodiments, first and second-order temperature functions are generated independently and combined to provide a polynomial function of temperature with coefficients that may be adjusted. In other embodiments, the outputs of the function generators may be more complex functions of temperature with various adjustable parameters.

Temperature compensation for RF detectors

An interpolated variable gain amplifier (VGA) utilizes multiple active feedback cells. The active feedback cells may be implemented as transconductance (gm) cells that replicate gm cells in the interpolated input stages.

Interpolated variable gain amplifier with multiple active feedback cells

A logarithmic amplifier is compensated by a feedback loop. The feedback loop may control a series of detector cells in response to an output from one or more of the detector cells. The feedback loop may be used to provide frequency compensation to the log amp by adjusting the bias currents to the detector cells. One detector cell may be arranged to generate a limiting signal while another detector cell is arranged to generate a zero signal. By arranging the feedback loop to adjust the bias cell so as to maintain the difference between the limit signal and the zero signal at a constant value, the output swing of the detector cells is held constant, thereby stabilizing the slope of the log amp.

Feedback compensation for logarithmic amplifiers

Methods and apparatus for correcting for circuit self-heating replicate a thermal characteristic of a component that may be coupled to a bias circuit. A bias circuit may include replication component coupled to a reference cell. The replication component may be included in a feedback loop with the reference cell to improve accuracy.

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Beaverton, OR, United States of America

Vincenzo DiTommaso