A three phase regulator rectifier for automotive battery charging applications of a two wheeled vehicle having a few discrete components and providing programmable feedback control for improved efficiency in battery charging applications.

A rectifying element includes a MOS transistor series-connected with a Schottky diode. A bias voltage is applied between the control terminal of the MOS transistor and the terminal of the Schottky diode opposite to the transistor. A pair of the rectifying elements are substituted for diodes of a rectifying bridge circuit. Alternatively, the control terminal bias is supplied from a cross-coupling against the Schottky diodes. In another implementation, the Schottky diodes are omitted and the bias voltage applied to control terminals of the MOS transistors is switched in response to cross-coupled divided source-drain voltages of the MOS transistors. The circuits form components of a power converter.

A rectifier includes: a rectifying circuit configured to rectify alternating current (AC) power into direct current (DC) power through a switching operation; a driver configured to apply a switching signal to the rectifying circuit; and a signal modulator configured to select a parameter from among parameters of the switching signal based on a frequency of the switching signal, and adjust the selected parameter.

The present disclosure provides a three-phase AC/DC converter aiming for low input current harmonic. The converter includes an input stage for receiving a three-phase AC input voltage, an output stage for at least one load, and one or more switching conversion stages, each stage including a plurality of half bridge modules. The switches in each module operate with a substantially fixed 50% duty cycle and are connected in a specific pattern to couple a DC-link and a neutral node of the input voltage. The AC/DC converter further includes one or more controllers adapted to vary the switching frequency of the switches in the switching conversion stages based on at least one of load voltage, load current, input voltage, and DC-link voltage. The converter can also include one or more decoupling stages, such as, inductive components adapted to decouple the output stage from the switching conversion stages.

A control circuit for a plurality of metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) in a bridge circuit for rectifying an alternating current (AC) input to generate a direct-current (DC) output includes first and second high side controls and first and second low side controls for providing gate voltage signals to respective MOSFETs in the bridge circuit. Dead time controls are provided for establishing dead time intervals between activation of complementary MOSFETs in the bridge circuit. The low side controls provide gate voltage signals having sloped edges and the dead time controls include Zener diodes having reverse bias thresholds for determining the duration of the dead time intervals.

An energy harvesting device harvests energy from an energy source, and includes an inductor and a control switch coupled in series, and a control module. The series connection of the inductor and the control switch is adapted to be coupled to the energy source in parallel or in series. The control module controls the control switch such that the control switch starts to operate in an ON state for a predetermined time period from a transition time point during each predetermined cycle starting from a start time point, and such that a time difference between the transition time point and the start time point is variable. The control module obtains an output power of the energy source, and adjusts the time difference such that the output power of the energy source is increased.

An alternator and a rectifier thereof are provided. The rectifier includes a transistor and a gate voltage control circuit. A control end of the transistor receives a gate voltage. The gate voltage control circuit generates the gate voltage according to a voltage difference between an input voltage and a rectified voltage. The gate voltage control circuit detects a first time point when the voltage difference is less than a first preset threshold voltage, provides the gate voltage during a first time interval after the first time point to turn on the transistor, and sets the voltage difference to a first reference voltage. The gate voltage control circuit regulates the gate voltage to set the voltage difference to a second reference voltage during a second time interval after the first time interval. The first time interval is independent of a cycle of the input voltage.

A first variable voltage source VS1 generates a first threshold voltage V.sub.ZC1 which is variable. A first zero current detection comparator ZC_CMP1 compares a first voltage V.sub.AC1 at a first input node AC1 with the first threshold voltage V.sub.ZC1, and generates a ZC_DET1 signal which indicates a comparison result. A first adjustment comparator ADJ_CMP1 compares the first voltage V.sub.AC1 with a first reference voltage V.sub.TH1. A first adjustment unit adjusts the first threshold voltage V.sub.ZC1 generated by the first variable voltage source VS1, based on the output VF_DET1 of the first adjustment comparator ADJ_CMP1. A control logic switches the state of a bridge circuit according to at least the first detection signal ZC_DET1.

A rectification circuit for using in all types of linear and nonlinear input and loading includes an input voltage, a bridge rectifier circuit, a loading circuit, voltage level holding driving circuits, a current phase timing detection circuit, high-voltage side and low-voltage side driving circuits, input voltage phase timing detection circuits, a monostable circuit, and a transistor conduction control circuit. The present invention detects both voltage conduction phase of an input signal and conduction phase of a current in an overall circuit to determine the conduction time of switch elements of a bridge rectifier circuit so that with a high performance being achieved, the bridge rectifier circuit can be used in various combinations of an input signal having a random waveform and linear or nonlinear circuits to further improve utilization efficiency of power supply and reduce complication of circuit design and also to prevent erroneous operation generated by the circuit.

A synchronous rectifier circuit can include: a full-bridge rectifier circuit having first, second, third, and fourth switches, where a common node of the first and fourth switches is configured as a first input terminal of the synchronous rectifier circuit, and a common node of the second and third switches is configured as a second input terminal of the synchronous rectifier circuit; a switching control circuit configured to generate a first control signal to control the first and third switches, and a second control signal to control the second and fourth switches; and the switching control circuit being configured to self-adjust the first and second control signals to control operating points of the first, second, third, and fourth switches to be approximately ideal operating points.