The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 15, 2026
Filed:
Oct. 16, 2024
Stmicroelectronics International N.v., Geneva, CH;
Fabio Cacciotto, Catania, IT;
STMicroelectronics S.r.l., Agrate Brianza, IT;
Abstract
According to an embodiment, a flyback converter includes a transformer, a power switch coupled to the primary winding of the transformer, and a controller. The controller comprises a voltage-dependent current source, a reference capacitor, comparators, and logic circuitry. The controller estimates the primary inductance of the transformer based on the voltage across the reference capacitor, detects a saturation condition based on the estimated inductance and primary current, and implements a protection mechanism in response. The controller can distinguish between genuine overload conditions and potential magnetic tampering attempts. The protection mechanism may involve increasing the switching frequency. The controller may include an adjustable transconductance to set the saturation detection threshold and implement a delay before activating protection. This allows for more targeted protection against core saturation and magnetic interference while maintaining normal operation under high-load conditions.