Most electronic devices are powered by an AC-DC power supply that receives alternating current (AC) power from an AC line at a nominal voltage in the range from 100 volts to 240 volts RMS and a frequency of 50 Hz or 60 Hz and supplies direct current (DC) power at one or more voltages in a range from about 1 volt to 50 volts. Conventionally, a magnetically-coupled transformer whose primary is connected to the AC line is used to step the AC line voltage down to the voltage needed by the electronic device. The output of the transformer is rectified, filtered with a large capacitor to remove the ripple component and regulated to provide the DC power for the electronic device. Problems with this solution include the large size and weight of the transformer, the large physical size of the ˜0.1 Farad capacitor used to filter the ripple component, and the inherent one-off type process used to fabricate the power supply. The large size and weight of the transformer and the large size of the capacitor are the result of the low frequency of the AC line.
The physical size and weight of the power supply can be reduced by rectifying the AC line voltage, filtering the resulting raw DC, chopping the filtered DC at a frequency typically of the order of tens of kilohertz, and using a transformer to step the voltage of the chopped DC down to the voltage needed by the electronic device. The output of the transformer is then rectified, filtered and regulated. With this solution, the transformer and the second filter capacitor are smaller than the transformer and filter capacitor in the previous example because they operate at a much higher frequency. However, the first filter capacitor is still large because it operates at the AC line frequency. Moreover, a one-off type process is needed to fabricate at least part of such switching-mode power supply.
First rectifying circuit 110 and second rectifying circuit 120 deliver high-voltage raw DC to the DC input 22 of DC-DC converter 18. DC-DC converter 18 converts the high-voltage raw DC provided by first rectifying circuit 110 and second rectifying circuit 120 to smooth DC at a lower voltage and delivers the smooth, lower voltage DC to DC output 20. The electronic device (not shown) powered by AC-DC power converter 100 is connected to DC output 20. DC-DC converter 18 additionally provides galvanic isolation between AC input 12 and DC output 20 at voltage differences typically in the range from about 1 kV to 4 kV.
DC-DC converter 18 has a minimum input voltage. The voltage across the DC input 22 of the DC-DC converter falling below the minimum input voltage of causes undesirable periodic dips in the DC voltage delivered by the DC-DC converter to DC output 20. Accordingly, the minimum voltage provided to DC input 22 under maximum load conditions should remain greater than the minimum input voltage of DC-DC converter 18.
In the embodiment shown in
In
In a practical example in which the AC line voltage and frequency are 120V and 60 Hz, respectively, and the minimum input voltage of DC-DC converter 18 is 10 V, the peak output voltage of first rectifying circuit 110 and second rectifying circuit 120 is about 120√2 volts, i.e., about 170 V. The period corresponding to the AC line frequency of 60 Hz is 16.7 milliseconds (ms). This means that the output voltage of each of the first rectifying circuit and the second rectifying circuit falls to zero every 8.3 ms. The time τ during which the output of each of the first rectifying circuit and the second rectifying circuit falls below the minimum input voltage of the DC-DC converter is given by:
Thus, the output voltage of first rectifying circuit 110 falls below the minimum input voltage of DC-DC converter 18 for a time 0.31 ms every half cycle of the AC line voltage. This time will be referred to as the dead time of first rectifying circuit 110. However, the output voltage of second rectifying circuit falls to zero later than that of first rectifying circuit 110 due to the phase lag between the output voltage of the first rectifying circuit and the output voltage second rectifying circuit. The phase lag is determined by phase shifting element 123. Phase shifting element 123 is specified such that the output voltage of the second rectifying circuit remains greater than the minimum input voltage of DC-DC converter 18 during the dead time (i.e., 0.31 ms in this example). This allows the voltage across the DC input 22 of DC-DC converter 18 to remain above the minimum input voltage of DC-DC converter 18 without the need for an energy storage element, such as a large capacitance, high working voltage electrolytic capacitor.
In an example in which DC-DC converter 18 has an input impedance equivalent to 1 ohm, i.e., DC-DC converter 18 draws about ten amperes from first rectifying circuit 110 and second rectifying circuit 120, phase shifting element 123 is designed to provide a phase shift of 6.6 degrees with an effective load resistance of 1 ohm, i.e., phase shifting element 123 is an inductor with a reactance of j*0.058 ohms. An inductor of about 380 microhenries (μH) has this reactance at 60 Hz.
Phase shifting element 123 may alternatively constitute part of first rectifying circuit 110. In such an embodiment, phase shifting element 123 is connected between AC input 12 and one input of bridge rectifier 114, and second rectifying circuit 120 comprises no phase shifting element.
In the embodiment shown in
In
In an example similar to that described above but in which the phase shifting element is a capacitor, a capacitance of about 33 millifarads (33 mF) has the above-stated reactance of −j*0.058 ohms. The maximum voltage across the capacitor is small, so the capacitor need have only a small working voltage.
Phase shifting element 223 may alternatively constitute part of first rectifying circuit 110. In such an embodiment, phase shifting element 223 is connected between AC input 12 and one input of bridge rectifier 114, and second rectifying circuit 220 comprises no phase shifting element.
In the embodiment shown in
In
In an example similar to that described above but in which phase shifting element 313 is a capacitor and phase shifting element 323 is an inductor, each phase shifting element provides approximately one half of the total phase shift between the output voltages of first rectifying circuit 310 and second rectifying circuit 320. Consequently, phase shifting element 313 has a capacitance of about one half of that of phase shifting element 223 described above with reference to
In first rectifying circuit 310, phase shifting element 313 may alternatively be an inductor that imposes a phase lag on the AC line current. In second rectifying circuit 320, phase shifting element 323 may alternatively be a capacitor that imposes a phase lead on the AC line current.
A filter capacitor may be located in parallel with the DC input 22 of DC-DC converter 18. A relatively small filter capacitor will principally remove switching transients and AC line glitches from the raw DC provided to DC-DC converter 18. A substantially larger filter capacitor will principally decrease the dynamic range and increase the minimum voltage of the raw DC provided to the DC-DC converter.
The output voltage of first rectifying circuit 110 continues to increase to a peak value, then begins to fall as the output voltage of second rectifying circuit 120 continues to rise. Filter capacitor also discharges as the output voltage of first rectifying circuit 110 falls. At time t2, the output voltage of first rectifying circuit 110 falls below that of second rectifying circuit 120, and second rectifying circuit 120 becomes the sole supplier of current to DC-DC converter 18. Additionally, second rectifying circuit 120 supplies current to filter capacitor 416, so that the voltage on the filter capacitor follows the output voltage of second rectifying circuit 120. As time advances from time t2, the output voltage of second rectifying circuit 120 falls, eventually falling faster than the voltage on filter capacitor 416. At time t3, the diodes of second rectifying circuit 120 become reverse biased, second rectifying circuit 120 stops supplying current to DC-DC converter 18, and filter capacitor 416 takes over as the sole supplier of current to DC-DC converter 18. Filter capacitor 416 remains the sole supplier of current to DC-DC converter 18 until time t1 of the next half cycle of the AC line voltage.
The process just described then repeats every half cycle of the AC line voltage, with the task of sole supplier of current to DC-DC converter 18 rotating in round-robin fashion among first rectifying circuit 110, second rectifying circuit 120 and filter capacitor 416 at times t1, t2 and t3.
In
Minimum voltage level 436 depends on the phase shift provided by phase shifting element 123 and the capacitance of filter capacitor 416. Phase shifting element 123 and filter capacitor 416 are specified such that minimum voltage level 436 is greater than or equal to the minimum input voltage of DC-DC converter 18 at its maximum output current. For a given minimum input voltage, phase shifting element 123 in AC-DC power converter 400 can be specified to give less phase shift than in AC-DC power converter 100 described above with reference to
Many different types of DC-DC converters that provide galvanic isolation are known in the art and may be used as DC-DC converter 18. Some examples of DC-DC converters suitable for use as DC-DC converter 18 will be described next with reference to
Inverter 502 receives the raw DC power output by first rectifying circuit 110 and second rectifying circuit 120 and generates AC power from the raw DC. The AC power is typically a sine-wave or square wave at a frequency in the order of 100 MHz. Acoustically-coupled transformer 504 passes the AC power but blocks DC and extraneous AC up to the specified breakdown voltage of AC-DC power converter 100 (
Two examples of a closed-loop DC-DC converter that can be used as DC-DC converter 18 will be described next with reference to
Feedback circuit 560 is composed of a comparator 562, a galvanic isolator 564 and a controller 566 connected in series. Comparator 562 receives the DC voltage across DC output 24, compares this voltage with a reference voltage VREF and generates an error signal representing the difference between the DC voltage and the reference voltage. The comparator passes the error signal to galvanic isolator 564. Galvanic isolator 564 passes the error signal to controller 566 but blocks DC and extraneous AC up to the specified breakdown voltage of AC-DC power converter 100 (
The control signal output by controller 566 controls the output of inverter 552 in a manner that tends to correct the error represented by the error signal. In particular, the control signal operates to hold the DC voltage across DC output 24 constant notwithstanding the large voltage range of the raw DC power received at DC input 22. This removes most of the AC component at twice the line frequency from the DC power output by the rectifier and allows filtering to be performed by a filter capacitor having a capacitance of the order of nanofarads. Such a capacitor has is substantially smaller in physical size than the filter capacitor that constitutes part of rectifier and filter circuit 506 described above with reference to
In other embodiments, controller 566 constitutes part of inverter 552, and inverter receives the error signal from galvanic isolator 564.
Galvanic isolators based on optical coupling or magnetic coupling are known in the art and may be used galvanic isolator 564. An acoustic galvanic isolator may also be used as galvanic isolator 564. For example, acoustic galvanic isolators based on film bulk acoustic resonators (FBARs) may be used, such as those disclosed by Larson et al. in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/253,464, entitled Acoustic Galvanic Isolator, assigned to the assignee of this disclosure and incorporated by reference.
In the example shown in
Feedback circuit 580 is composed of a modulator 582, galvanic isolator 564 and a controller 586 connected in series. Modulator 582 receives the DC voltage output by first rectifying circuit 556 and a sample of the AC voltage output by acoustically-coupled transformer 504 to generate an RF voltage signal representing the DC voltage output by DC-DC converter 570. The modulator passes the RF voltage signal to galvanic isolator 564. Galvanic isolator 564 passes the RF voltage signal to controller 566 but blocks DC and extraneous AC up to the specified breakdown voltage of AC-DC power converter 100 (
Resonant structure 621 is composed of an insulating substrate 630, a first electro-acoustic transducer 640 and a second electro-acoustic transducer 650. Substrate 630 has a first major surface 632 and a second major surface 634 opposite first major surface 632. First electro-acoustic transducer 640 is mechanically coupled to the first major surface 632 of the substrate 630. Second electro-acoustic transducer 650 is mechanically coupled to the second major surface 634 of substrate 630.
Examples of the material of insulating substrate 630 include alumina, glass, ceramic, sapphire and one or more other electrically-insulating materials having a high resistivity and a high electrical breakdown field. In other embodiments, insulating substrate 630 is composed of one or more layers of an at least partially electrically-conducting material, such as silicon, and one or more layers of electrically-insulating material having a high resistivity and a high electrical breakdown field. Insulating substrate 630 electrically isolates first electro-acoustic transducer 640 from second electro-acoustic transducer 650 at voltages up to the specified breakdown voltage of AC-DC power converter 100 (
Electro-acoustic transducers 640 and 650 are located on the opposed major surfaces of substrate 630. Each of the transducers 640 and 650 is operable to convert input AC electrical power to acoustic energy and to convert acoustic energy to output AC electrical power.
Resonant structure 621, including substrate 630 and electro-acoustic transducers 640 and 650, is structured to resonate mechanically at least one resonant frequency in the operating frequency range of acoustically-coupled transformer 600. Typically, resonant structure 621 has more than one resonant frequency in the operating frequency range, as will be described in more detail with reference to
In the embodiment of acoustically-coupled transformer 600 shown, first electro-acoustic transducer 640 has a first electrode 642 located adjacent substrate 630, a second electrode 644 opposite first electrode 642, and a piezoelectric element 646 between first electrode 642 and second electrode 644. Examples of the material of electrodes 642 and 644 include gold (Au), platinum (Pt), iridium (Ir), ruthenium (Ru), palladium (Pd), and one or more other electrically-conducting materials. Electrodes 642 and 644 are electrically connected to AC input terminals 613 of the acoustically-coupled transformer 600. Examples of the material of piezoelectric element 646 include lead zirconium titanate Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT), barium titanate (BaTiO3), potassium niobate (KNbO3) and any other piezoelectric material having high electro-acoustic coupling and a high dielectric constant. The dimensions and total mass of first electro-acoustic transducer 640, for example its thickness 641, depend on factors such as the operating frequency.
Second electro-acoustic transducer 650 has a first electrode 652 adjacent substrate 630, a second electrode 654 opposite first electrode 652, and a piezoelectric element 656 between first electrode 652 and second electrode 654. Examples of the material of electrodes 652 and 654 include gold (Au), platinum (Pt), iridium (Ir), ruthenium (Ru), palladium (Pd), and one or more other electrically-conducting materials. Electrodes 652 and 654 are electrically connected to the AC output terminals 615 of acoustically-coupled transformer 600. Examples of the material of piezoelectric element 656 include lead zirconium titanate Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT), barium titanate (BaTiO3), potassium niobate (KNbO3) and any other piezoelectric material having high electro-acoustic coupling and a high dielectric constant. The dimensions and total mass of second electro-acoustic transducer 650, for example its thickness, depend on factors such as the operating frequency.
First electro-acoustic transducer 640 and second electro-acoustic transducer 650 are typically structured to have a mechanical resonance at a frequency nominally equal to the operating frequency. However, as will be described in more detail below with reference to
(4.5×103 m·s−1)/(1.5×108 s−1)
To achieve an overall thickness 641 that is an integral multiple of one-half of the wavelength in first electro-acoustic transducer 640 of an acoustic wave nominally equal in frequency to the operating frequency, the first electro-acoustic transducer is fabricated with piezoelectric element 646 having a thickness of, for example, somewhat less than 15 μm. Typically, the overall thickness 641 of first electro-acoustic transducer 640 is, for example, approximately 15 μm to 40 μm. Lateral dimensions 643 of first electro-acoustic transducer 640 are in the range from a few hundred micrometers to a few thousand micrometers, for example, 300 μm to 3,000 μm. Second electro-acoustic transducer 650 is similar in dimensions.
Inverter 552 (
The operating frequency range of inverter 552 (
(11×103 m·s−1)/(1.5×108 s−1)
Accordingly, in an exemplary embodiment, substrate 630 has a thickness 31 that is an integral multiple of (73/2) μm, e.g., 290 μm, corresponding to eight half wavelengths. Typically, substrate 630 has a thickness 631 in the order of one hundred micrometers.
The acoustic energy generated by first electro-acoustic transducer 640 is coupled to substrate 630 and causes resonant structure 621 to resonate, i.e., to vibrate mechanically. Continued application of AC power to first electro-acoustic transducer 640 causes resonant structure 621 to accumulate acoustic energy. The mechanical vibration of resonant structure 621 is coupled to second electro-acoustic transducer 650. Second electro-acoustic transducer 650 absorbs acoustic energy from resonant structure 621, converts the acoustic energy to electrical energy, and delivers the electrical energy to output terminals 615 as output AC power.
The output AC power generated by acoustically-coupled transformer 600 depends on various factors including the frequency of the input AC power relative to the resonant frequency of resonant mechanical structure 621.
Acoustically-coupled transformer 600 is described in much more detail, including practical embodiments and fabrication techniques, by John D. Larson III et al. in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/971,169 assigned to the assignee of this disclosure and incorporated by reference.
DC-DC converter 570 receives the raw DC power output by first rectifying circuit 110 and second rectifying circuit 120 at its DC input 22. In DC-DC converter 570, inverter 552 is composed of a variable-frequency clock signal generator 522 and switching transistors 524, 525, 526 and 527. Switching transistors 524, 525, 526 and 527 are connected as a bridge circuit between DC input 22 and the electrodes 642 and 644 of electro-acoustic transducer 640 that forms part of acoustically-coupled transformer 600. Specifically, switching transistor 524 is connected between one terminal of DC input 22 and electrode 642, switching transistor 525 is connected between the one terminal of DC input 22 and electrode 644, switching transistor 526 is connected between the other terminal of DC input 22 and electrode 642 and switching transistor 527 is connected between the other terminal of DC input 22 and electrode 644.
Acoustically-coupled transformer 600 presents a substantially capacitative load. The bridge configuration of switching transistors 524, 525, 526 and 527 allows the raw DC at DC input 22 both to drive electrical charge into, and to remove electrical charge from, first electro-acoustic transducer 640.
Clock signal generator 522 generates a clock signal in the operating frequency range of acoustically-coupled transformer 600. In one embodiment the operating frequency range extends from about 144 MHz to about 155 MHz. Other frequency ranges are possible. Clock signal generator incorporates driver circuits (not shown) that generate antiphase drive signals suitable for driving switching transistors 524, 525, 526 and 527. The gates of switching transistors 524, 525, 526 and 527 are connected to receive respective drive signals clock signal generator 522. The drive signals received by switching transistors 524 and 527 are in antiphase with the drive signals received by switching transistors 525 and 526. In response to clock signal generator 522, switching transistors 524, 525, 526 and 527 alternate the sense in which electro-acoustic transducer 640 is connected to DC input 22 at the frequency of clock signal generator 522, i.e., at about 150 MHz.
Acoustically-coupled transformer 504 is embodied as acoustically-coupled transformer 600 substantially as described above with reference to
Rectifier and filter circuit 556 is composed of bridge rectifier 530 and filter capacitor 532. The inputs of bridge rectifier 530 are connected to the electrodes 652 and 654 of second electro-acoustic transducer 650. The outputs of bridge rectifier 530 are connected to DC output 24. Filter capacitor 532 is connected in parallel with DC output 24. As noted above, the high operational frequency of acoustically-coupled transformer 504 allows filter capacitor 532 to have a low capacitance, typically of the order of nanofarads. Low-voltage capacitors of this capacitance are physically small.
DC output 24 is connected to the information signal input of modulator 582. Electrodes 652 and 654 of second electro-acoustic transducer 650 are connected to the carrier signal input of modulator 582. Modulator 582 modulates the carrier signal provided by electro-acoustic transducer 650 in accordance with the DC voltage across DC output 24 to generate an RF voltage signal that the modulator applies between the electrodes 752 and 754 of the second electro-acoustic transducer 750 of acoustically-coupled transformer 700. Any suitable analog or digital modulation scheme compatible with the properties of the transmission path through acoustically-coupled transformer 700 may be used. For example, an FM modulation scheme, in which the frequency of the carrier signal is modulated in accordance with the DC voltage on DC output 24, may be used. Alternatively, the DC voltage across DC output 24 may be digitized by an analog-to-digital converter. The amplitude of the carrier signal is then modulated using the output of the analog-to-digital converter.
Acoustically-coupled transformer 700 is similar in structure to acoustically-coupled transformer 600 and shares substrate 630 with acoustically-coupled transformer 600. Acoustically-coupled transformer 700 is composed of a first electro-acoustic transducer 740 and a second electro-acoustic transducer 750 located opposite one another on the opposed major surfaces of substrate 630 on the same sides of insulating substrate 630 as first electro-acoustic transducer 640 and second electro-acoustic transducer 650, respectively. Electro-acoustic transducer 740, electro-acoustic transducer 750 and substrate 630 collectively constitute a resonant structure 721 that has a frequency response similar to that of resonant structure 621 described above with reference to
First electro-acoustic transducer 740 is composed of a first electrode 742 adjacent substrate 630, a second electrode 744 opposite first electrode 742, and a piezoelectric element 746 between electrodes 742 and 744. Second electro-acoustic transducer 750 is composed of a first electrode 752 adjacent substrate 630, a second electrode 754 opposite first electrode 752 and a piezoelectric element 756 between electrodes 752 and 754. First electro-acoustic transducer 740 and first electro-acoustic transducer 640 are typically fabricated on the same major surface of substrate 630 by common process steps. Second electro-acoustic transducer 750 and second electro-acoustic transducer 650 are typically fabricated on the same major surface of substrate 630 by common process steps. Consequently, the incremental cost of providing acoustically-coupled transformer 700 is very small.
Acoustically-coupled transformer 700 couples the RF voltage signal from modulator 582 to controller 586 but blocks DC and extraneous AC at voltages up to the specified breakdown voltage of AC-DC power converter 100 (
Controller 586 is composed of demodulator 536 and comparator 538. The signal input of demodulator 536 is connected to second electrode 744 of first electro-acoustic transducer 740. First electrode 742 is connected to one of the terminals of DC input 22. The clock input of demodulator 536 is connected to one of the outputs of clock signal generator 522. The output of demodulator 536 is connected to one input of comparator 538. The other input of comparator 538 is connected to reference voltage VREF. The output of comparator 538 is connected to the frequency control input 528 of variable-frequency clock signal generator 522.
In controller 586, demodulator 536 demodulates the RF voltage signal output by acoustically-coupled transformer 700 to recover the voltage signal that represents the DC voltage across DC output 24. Comparator 538 receives the voltage signal from demodulator 536 and compares the voltage signal with the voltage reference signal VRFF to generate an error signal Comparator 538 feeds the error signal to the control input 528 of variable-frequency clock signal generator 522. The error signal controls the frequency of variable-frequency clock signal generator 522 in a sense that reduces the error signal to zero. In an example in which the operating frequency range of clock signal generator 522 is from 144 MHz to 155 MHz, and acoustically-coupled transformer 600 has the frequency response shown in
In other embodiments, the error signal modifies the duty cycle of switching transistors 524-527 in addition to or instead of changing the frequency of variable-frequency clock signal generator 522.
DC-DC converter 570 additionally includes a line-side power supply that provides a low-voltage, low-current DC power supply for clock signal generator 522 and controller 586. In the example shown, a capacitative divider composed of diode 592, small capacitance capacitor 594 and large-capacitance capacitor 594 in series is used to divide down and filter the high voltage of the raw DC voltage received at DC input 22. The capacitative divider reduces the voltage received at DC input 22 to a few volts suitable for feeding regulator 598 without dissipating significant power. Other ways may be used to power the AC line-side circuitry. Modulator 582 is powered directly from DC output 24.
In an embodiment, the superposed first raw DC power and the second raw DC power are converted to the non-electrical power in a manner that maintains the voltage of the DC electrical power constant.
This disclosure describes the invention in detail using illustrative embodiments. However, the invention defined by the appended claims is not limited to the precise embodiments described.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
3174122 | Fowler et al. | Mar 1965 | A |
3189851 | Fowler | Jun 1965 | A |
3321648 | Kolm | May 1967 | A |
3422371 | Poirier et al. | Jan 1969 | A |
3568108 | Poirier et al. | Mar 1971 | A |
3582839 | Pim et al. | Jun 1971 | A |
3590287 | Berlincourt et al. | Jun 1971 | A |
3610969 | Clawson et al. | Oct 1971 | A |
3826931 | Hammond | Jul 1974 | A |
3845402 | Nupp | Oct 1974 | A |
4084217 | Brandli et al. | Apr 1978 | A |
4172277 | Pinson | Oct 1979 | A |
4272742 | Lewis | Jun 1981 | A |
4281299 | Newbold | Jul 1981 | A |
4320365 | Black et al. | Mar 1982 | A |
4355408 | Scarrott | Oct 1982 | A |
4456850 | Inoue et al. | Jun 1984 | A |
4529904 | Hattersley | Jul 1985 | A |
4608541 | Moriwaki et al. | Aug 1986 | A |
4625138 | Ballato | Nov 1986 | A |
4640756 | Wang et al. | Feb 1987 | A |
4719383 | Wang et al. | Jan 1988 | A |
4798990 | Henoch | Jan 1989 | A |
4819215 | Yokoyama et al. | Apr 1989 | A |
4836882 | Ballato | Jun 1989 | A |
4841429 | McClanahan et al. | Jun 1989 | A |
4906840 | Zdeblick et al. | Mar 1990 | A |
5048036 | Scifres et al. | Sep 1991 | A |
5048038 | Brennan et al. | Sep 1991 | A |
5066925 | Freitag | Nov 1991 | A |
5075641 | Weber et al. | Dec 1991 | A |
5111157 | Komiak | May 1992 | A |
5118982 | Inoue et al. | Jun 1992 | A |
5129132 | Zdeblick et al. | Jul 1992 | A |
5162691 | Mariani et al. | Nov 1992 | A |
5214392 | Kobayashi et al. | May 1993 | A |
5233259 | Krishnaswamy et al. | Aug 1993 | A |
5241209 | Sasaki | Aug 1993 | A |
5241456 | Marcinkiewicz et al. | Aug 1993 | A |
5270492 | Fukui | Dec 1993 | A |
5294898 | Dworsky et al. | Mar 1994 | A |
5329200 | Zaitsu | Jul 1994 | A |
5361077 | Weber | Nov 1994 | A |
5382930 | Stokes et al. | Jan 1995 | A |
5384808 | Van Brunt et al. | Jan 1995 | A |
5448014 | Kong et al. | Sep 1995 | A |
5465725 | Seyed-Boloforosh | Nov 1995 | A |
5475351 | Uematsu | Dec 1995 | A |
5548189 | Williams | Aug 1996 | A |
5587620 | Ruby et al. | Dec 1996 | A |
5589858 | Kadowaki et al. | Dec 1996 | A |
5594705 | Connor et al. | Jan 1997 | A |
5633574 | Sage | May 1997 | A |
5671242 | Takiguchi et al. | Sep 1997 | A |
5692279 | Mang et al. | Dec 1997 | A |
5705877 | Shimada | Jan 1998 | A |
5714917 | Ella | Feb 1998 | A |
5789845 | Wadaka et al. | Aug 1998 | A |
5828562 | Rivet | Oct 1998 | A |
5831846 | Jiang | Nov 1998 | A |
5853601 | Krishaswamy et al. | Dec 1998 | A |
5864261 | Weber | Jan 1999 | A |
5866969 | Shimada et al. | Feb 1999 | A |
5872493 | Ella | Feb 1999 | A |
5873153 | Ruby et al. | Feb 1999 | A |
5873154 | Ylilammi et al. | Feb 1999 | A |
5894184 | Furuhashi et al. | Apr 1999 | A |
5894647 | Lakin | Apr 1999 | A |
5910756 | Ella | Jun 1999 | A |
5932953 | Drees et al. | Aug 1999 | A |
5936150 | Kobrin et al. | Aug 1999 | A |
5953479 | Zhou et al. | Sep 1999 | A |
5955926 | Uda et al. | Sep 1999 | A |
5962787 | Okada et al. | Oct 1999 | A |
5969463 | Tomita | Oct 1999 | A |
5969954 | Zaitsu | Oct 1999 | A |
5982297 | Welle | Nov 1999 | A |
6001664 | Swirhun et al. | Dec 1999 | A |
6016052 | Vaughn | Jan 2000 | A |
6040962 | Kanazawa et al. | Mar 2000 | A |
6060818 | Ruby et al. | May 2000 | A |
6087198 | Panasik | Jul 2000 | A |
6107721 | Lakin | Aug 2000 | A |
6111341 | Hirama | Aug 2000 | A |
6111480 | Iyama et al. | Aug 2000 | A |
6124678 | Bishop et al. | Sep 2000 | A |
6124756 | Yaklin et al. | Sep 2000 | A |
6131256 | Dydyk | Oct 2000 | A |
6150703 | Cushman et al. | Nov 2000 | A |
6187513 | Katakura | Feb 2001 | B1 |
6215375 | Larson, III et al. | Apr 2001 | B1 |
6219263 | Wuidart | Apr 2001 | B1 |
6228675 | Ruby et al. | May 2001 | B1 |
6229247 | Bishop | May 2001 | B1 |
6252229 | Hays et al. | Jun 2001 | B1 |
6262600 | Haigh et al. | Jul 2001 | B1 |
6262637 | Bradley et al. | Jul 2001 | B1 |
6263735 | Nakatani et al. | Jul 2001 | B1 |
6265246 | Ruby et al. | Jul 2001 | B1 |
6278342 | Ella | Aug 2001 | B1 |
6292336 | Horng et al. | Sep 2001 | B1 |
6307447 | Barber et al. | Oct 2001 | B1 |
6307761 | Nakagawa | Oct 2001 | B1 |
6335548 | Roberts et al. | Jan 2002 | B1 |
6355498 | Chan et al. | Mar 2002 | B1 |
6366006 | Boyd | Apr 2002 | B1 |
6376280 | Ruby et al. | Apr 2002 | B1 |
6377137 | Ruby | Apr 2002 | B1 |
6384697 | Ruby | May 2002 | B1 |
6396200 | Misu et al. | May 2002 | B2 |
6407649 | Tikka et al. | Jun 2002 | B1 |
6414569 | Nakafuku | Jul 2002 | B1 |
6420820 | Larson, III | Jul 2002 | B1 |
6424237 | Ruby et al. | Jul 2002 | B1 |
6429511 | Ruby et al. | Aug 2002 | B2 |
6434030 | Rehm et al. | Aug 2002 | B1 |
6437482 | Shibata | Aug 2002 | B1 |
6441539 | Kitamura et al. | Aug 2002 | B1 |
6441702 | Ella et al. | Aug 2002 | B1 |
6462631 | Bradley et al. | Oct 2002 | B2 |
6466105 | Lobl et al. | Oct 2002 | B1 |
6466418 | Horng et al. | Oct 2002 | B1 |
6469597 | Ruby et al. | Oct 2002 | B2 |
6472954 | Ruby et al. | Oct 2002 | B1 |
6476536 | Pensala | Nov 2002 | B1 |
6479320 | Gooch | Nov 2002 | B1 |
6483229 | Larson, III et al. | Nov 2002 | B2 |
6486751 | Barber et al. | Nov 2002 | B1 |
6489688 | Baumann et al. | Dec 2002 | B1 |
6492883 | Liang et al. | Dec 2002 | B2 |
6496085 | Ella et al. | Dec 2002 | B2 |
6507983 | Ruby et al. | Jan 2003 | B1 |
6515558 | Ylilammi | Feb 2003 | B1 |
6518860 | Ella et al. | Feb 2003 | B2 |
6525996 | Miyazawa | Feb 2003 | B1 |
6530515 | Glenn et al. | Mar 2003 | B1 |
6534900 | Aigner et al. | Mar 2003 | B2 |
6542055 | Frank et al. | Apr 2003 | B1 |
6548942 | Panaski | Apr 2003 | B1 |
6548943 | Kaitila et al. | Apr 2003 | B2 |
6550664 | Bradley et al. | Apr 2003 | B2 |
6559487 | Kang et al. | May 2003 | B1 |
6564448 | Oura et al. | May 2003 | B1 |
6566956 | Ohnishi et al. | May 2003 | B2 |
6566979 | Larson, III et al. | May 2003 | B2 |
6583374 | Knieser et al. | Jun 2003 | B2 |
6583688 | Klee et al. | Jun 2003 | B2 |
6593870 | Dummermuth et al. | Jul 2003 | B2 |
6594165 | Duerbaum et al. | Jul 2003 | B2 |
6600390 | Frank | Jul 2003 | B2 |
6601276 | Barber | Aug 2003 | B2 |
6617249 | Ruby et al. | Sep 2003 | B2 |
6617750 | Dummermuth et al. | Sep 2003 | B2 |
6630753 | Malik et al. | Oct 2003 | B2 |
6635509 | Ouellet | Oct 2003 | B1 |
6639872 | Rein | Oct 2003 | B1 |
6651488 | Larson, III et al. | Nov 2003 | B2 |
6657363 | Aigner | Dec 2003 | B1 |
6668618 | Larson, III et al. | Dec 2003 | B2 |
6670866 | Ella et al. | Dec 2003 | B2 |
6693500 | Yang et al. | Feb 2004 | B2 |
6710508 | Ruby et al. | Mar 2004 | B2 |
6710681 | Figueredo et al. | Mar 2004 | B2 |
6714102 | Ruby et al. | Mar 2004 | B2 |
6720844 | Lakin | Apr 2004 | B1 |
6720846 | Iwashita et al. | Apr 2004 | B2 |
6724266 | Plazza et al. | Apr 2004 | B2 |
6738267 | Navas Sabater et al. | May 2004 | B1 |
6774746 | Whatmore et al. | Aug 2004 | B2 |
6777263 | Gan et al. | Aug 2004 | B1 |
6787048 | Bradley et al. | Sep 2004 | B2 |
6788170 | Kaitila et al. | Sep 2004 | B1 |
6803835 | Frank | Oct 2004 | B2 |
6812619 | Kaitila et al. | Nov 2004 | B1 |
6828713 | Bradley et al. | Dec 2004 | B2 |
6842088 | Yamada et al. | Jan 2005 | B2 |
6842089 | Lee | Jan 2005 | B2 |
6873065 | Haigh et al. | Mar 2005 | B2 |
6873529 | Ikuta | Mar 2005 | B2 |
6874211 | Bradley et al. | Apr 2005 | B2 |
6874212 | Larson, III | Apr 2005 | B2 |
6888424 | Takeuchi et al. | May 2005 | B2 |
6900705 | Nakamura et al. | May 2005 | B2 |
6903452 | Ma et al. | Jun 2005 | B2 |
6906451 | Yamada et al. | Jun 2005 | B2 |
6911708 | Park | Jun 2005 | B2 |
6917261 | Unterberger | Jul 2005 | B2 |
6924583 | Lin et al. | Aug 2005 | B2 |
6924717 | Ginsburg et al. | Aug 2005 | B2 |
6927651 | Larson, III et al. | Aug 2005 | B2 |
6936928 | Hedler et al. | Aug 2005 | B2 |
6936954 | Peczalski | Aug 2005 | B2 |
6943648 | Maiz et al. | Sep 2005 | B2 |
6946928 | Larson et al. | Sep 2005 | B2 |
6954121 | Bradley et al. | Oct 2005 | B2 |
6963257 | Ella et al. | Nov 2005 | B2 |
6970365 | Turchi | Nov 2005 | B2 |
6975183 | Aigner et al. | Dec 2005 | B2 |
6977563 | Komuro et al. | Dec 2005 | B2 |
6985052 | Tikka | Jan 2006 | B2 |
6987433 | Larson et al. | Jan 2006 | B2 |
6989723 | Komuro et al. | Jan 2006 | B2 |
6998940 | Metzger | Feb 2006 | B2 |
7019604 | Gotoh et al. | Mar 2006 | B2 |
7019605 | Larson, III et al. | Mar 2006 | B2 |
7026876 | Esfandiari et al. | Apr 2006 | B1 |
7057476 | Hwu | Jun 2006 | B2 |
7064606 | Louis | Jun 2006 | B2 |
7084553 | Ludwiczak | Aug 2006 | B2 |
7091649 | Larson, III et al. | Aug 2006 | B2 |
7098758 | Wang et al. | Aug 2006 | B2 |
7128941 | Lee | Oct 2006 | B2 |
7138889 | Lakin | Nov 2006 | B2 |
7161448 | Feng et al. | Jan 2007 | B2 |
7170215 | Namba et al. | Jan 2007 | B2 |
7173504 | Larson | Feb 2007 | B2 |
7187254 | Su et al. | Mar 2007 | B2 |
7209374 | Noro | Apr 2007 | B2 |
7230509 | Stoemmer | Jun 2007 | B2 |
7230511 | Onishi et al. | Jun 2007 | B2 |
7259498 | Nakatsuka et al. | Aug 2007 | B2 |
7281304 | Kim et al. | Oct 2007 | B2 |
7310861 | Aigner et al. | Dec 2007 | B2 |
7332985 | Laqrson et al. | Feb 2008 | B2 |
7367095 | Larson, III et al. | May 2008 | B2 |
7369013 | Fazzio et al. | May 2008 | B2 |
7388318 | Yamada et al. | Jun 2008 | B2 |
7388454 | Ruby et al. | Jun 2008 | B2 |
7388455 | Larson, III | Jun 2008 | B2 |
7408428 | Larson, III | Aug 2008 | B2 |
7414349 | Sasaki | Aug 2008 | B2 |
7425787 | Larson, III | Sep 2008 | B2 |
7439824 | Aigner | Oct 2008 | B2 |
20020000646 | Gooch et al. | Jan 2002 | A1 |
20020030424 | Iwata | Mar 2002 | A1 |
20020063497 | Panasik | May 2002 | A1 |
20020121944 | Larson, III et al. | Sep 2002 | A1 |
20020121945 | Ruby et al. | Sep 2002 | A1 |
20020126517 | Matsukawa et al. | Sep 2002 | A1 |
20020152803 | Larson, III et al. | Oct 2002 | A1 |
20020190814 | Yamada et al. | Dec 2002 | A1 |
20030001251 | Cheever et al. | Jan 2003 | A1 |
20030006502 | Karpman | Jan 2003 | A1 |
20030051550 | Nguyen et al. | Mar 2003 | A1 |
20030087469 | Ma | May 2003 | A1 |
20030102776 | Takeda et al. | Jun 2003 | A1 |
20030111439 | Fetter et al. | Jun 2003 | A1 |
20030128081 | Ella et al. | Jul 2003 | A1 |
20030132493 | Kang et al. | Jul 2003 | A1 |
20030141946 | Ruby et al. | Jul 2003 | A1 |
20030179053 | Aigner et al. | Sep 2003 | A1 |
20040016995 | Kuo et al. | Jan 2004 | A1 |
20040092234 | Pohjonen | May 2004 | A1 |
20040124952 | Tikka | Jul 2004 | A1 |
20040150293 | Unterberger | Aug 2004 | A1 |
20040150296 | Park et al. | Aug 2004 | A1 |
20040195937 | Matsubara et al. | Oct 2004 | A1 |
20040212458 | Lee | Oct 2004 | A1 |
20040257171 | Park et al. | Dec 2004 | A1 |
20040257172 | Schmidhammer et al. | Dec 2004 | A1 |
20040263287 | Ginsburg et al. | Dec 2004 | A1 |
20050012570 | Korden et al. | Jan 2005 | A1 |
20050023931 | Bouche et al. | Feb 2005 | A1 |
20050030126 | Inoue et al. | Feb 2005 | A1 |
20050036604 | Scott et al. | Feb 2005 | A1 |
20050057117 | Nakatsuka et al. | Mar 2005 | A1 |
20050057324 | Onishi et al. | Mar 2005 | A1 |
20050068124 | Stoemmer | Mar 2005 | A1 |
20050093396 | Larson, III et al. | May 2005 | A1 |
20050093653 | Larson, III | May 2005 | A1 |
20050093654 | Larson, III et al. | May 2005 | A1 |
20050093655 | Larson, III et al. | May 2005 | A1 |
20050093657 | Larson, III et al. | May 2005 | A1 |
20050093658 | Larson, III et al. | May 2005 | A1 |
20050093659 | Larson, III et al. | May 2005 | A1 |
20050104690 | Larson | May 2005 | A1 |
20050110598 | Larson, III | May 2005 | A1 |
20050128030 | Larson, III et al. | Jun 2005 | A1 |
20050140466 | Larson, III et al. | Jun 2005 | A1 |
20050167795 | Higashi | Aug 2005 | A1 |
20050193507 | Ludwiczak | Sep 2005 | A1 |
20050206271 | Higuchi et al. | Sep 2005 | A1 |
20050218488 | Matsuo | Oct 2005 | A1 |
20060081048 | Mikado et al. | Apr 2006 | A1 |
20060087199 | Larson, III et al. | Apr 2006 | A1 |
20060103492 | Feng et al. | May 2006 | A1 |
20060125489 | Feucht et al. | Jun 2006 | A1 |
20060132262 | Fazzio et al. | Jun 2006 | A1 |
20060164183 | Tikka | Jul 2006 | A1 |
20060185139 | Larson, III et al. | Aug 2006 | A1 |
20060197411 | Hoen et al. | Sep 2006 | A1 |
20060238070 | Costa et al. | Oct 2006 | A1 |
20070085447 | Larson, III | Apr 2007 | A1 |
20070085631 | Larson, III et al. | Apr 2007 | A1 |
20070085632 | Larson, III et al. | Apr 2007 | A1 |
20070086080 | Larson, III et al. | Apr 2007 | A1 |
20070086274 | Nishimura et al. | Apr 2007 | A1 |
20070090892 | Larson, III | Apr 2007 | A1 |
20070170815 | Unkrich | Jul 2007 | A1 |
20070171002 | Unkrich | Jul 2007 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
10160617 | Jun 2003 | DE |
231892 | Aug 1987 | EP |
637875 | Feb 1995 | EP |
0637875 | Feb 1995 | EP |
689254 | Dec 1995 | EP |
0231892 | Aug 1997 | EP |
0865157 | Sep 1998 | EP |
880227 | Nov 1998 | EP |
973256 | Jan 2000 | EP |
1047189 | Oct 2000 | EP |
1096259 | May 2001 | EP |
1100196 | May 2001 | EP |
1180494 | Feb 2002 | EP |
1249932 | Oct 2002 | EP |
1258989 | Nov 2002 | EP |
1258990 | Nov 2002 | EP |
1517443 | Mar 2005 | EP |
1517444 | Mar 2005 | EP |
1528674 | May 2005 | EP |
1528675 | May 2005 | EP |
1528676 | May 2005 | EP |
1528677 | May 2005 | EP |
1542362 | Jun 2005 | EP |
1557945 | Jul 2005 | EP |
1575165 | Sep 2005 | EP |
1207974 | Oct 1970 | GB |
2013343 | Aug 1979 | GB |
2411239 | Aug 2005 | GB |
2418791 | Apr 2006 | GB |
2427773 | Jan 2007 | GB |
61054686 | Mar 1986 | JP |
2002217676 | Aug 2002 | JP |
WO-9816957 | Apr 1998 | WO |
WO-0106647 | Jan 2001 | WO |
WO-0199276 | Dec 2001 | WO |
WO-02103900 | Dec 2002 | WO |
WO-03030358 | Apr 2003 | WO |
WO-03043188 | May 2003 | WO |
WO-03050950 | Jun 2003 | WO |
WO-03058809 | Jul 2003 | WO |
WO-2004034579 | Apr 2004 | WO |
WO-2004051744 | Jun 2004 | WO |
WO-2004102688 | Nov 2004 | WO |
WO-2005043752 | May 2005 | WO |
WO-2005043753 | May 2005 | WO |
WO-2005043756 | May 2005 | WO |
WO-2006018788 | Feb 2006 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20090073730 A1 | Mar 2009 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 11263874 | Oct 2005 | US |
Child | 12272742 | US |