Pietro Scalia

Title: Pietro Scalia and Digital Control for Synchronous Rectification

Introduction

Pietro Scalia is an inventor associated with Palermo, Italy, and STMicroelectronics S.r.l. His work includes a patent on digitally controlling the turn-off timing of synchronous rectifiers in isolated switched-mode power supplies.

Latest Patents

Scalia is credited with 1 patent: “Method and Apparatus to Digitally Control Turn-Off Time of Synchronous Rectifiers in Isolated Topologies for Switched Mode Power Supplies.”

The invention describes a digital circuit and method for controlling the switching of one or two MOSFETs used as rectifiers. A controller receives a fixed-frequency square-wave clock and produces one or two square-wave outputs, in phase or opposite in phase with the clock. The outputs can be timed to transition from high to low ahead of the corresponding clock transitions, with secondary inputs setting the amount of anticipation.

For isolated power-supply topologies where the PWM controller is on the primary side, the clock can be derived from the isolation transformer’s secondary output. The generated signals drive the MOSFET gates, providing a way to manage synchronous rectification in these systems.

Career Highlights

Scalia’s patent focuses on precise digital timing for synchronous rectifiers, addressing the control requirements of MOSFETs in isolated switched-mode power supplies. The disclosed approach combines a clock input, adjustable timing inputs, and gate-drive outputs in a circuit implementation.

Collaborations

Scalia’s listed coworkers include Franco Lentini and Fabrizio Librizzi. The patent information provided identifies STMicroelectronics S.r.l. as his company.

Conclusion

Pietro Scalia’s patent presents a digital timing technique for controlling synchronous-rectifier MOSFETs in isolated power supplies, reflecting his work in power-electronics innovation.