Capacitor current ramp compensation for V² converters
This technology improves the control system for switching power converters — the circuits that regulate voltage in electronics — specifically when they use modern ceramic capacitors that have very low internal resistance. The core innovation senses how much current is flowing through the output capacitor and feeds that information back into the converter's control loop, stabilizing operation that would otherwise be erratic or noisy. A clever parallel branch circuit measures capacitor current without drawing meaningful power or disrupting the capacitor's function, and the system automatically calibrates itself to match the capacitor's electrical characteristics. The result is a power converter that recovers from sudden changes in electrical load within a single switching cycle, dramatically faster than conventional designs.
What you could build
A power management IC or controller chip implementing this feedback scheme, sold to power supply designers and electronics OEMs building compact, high-efficiency DC-DC converters for computing, communications, and portable devices.
Who in Virginia should care
Defense electronics suppliers, data center power supply manufacturers, and semiconductor IP licensors operating in Northern Virginia or the broader mid-Atlantic corridor would be natural prospects.
Readiness: Prototype likely
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Yingyi Yan, Pei-Hsin Liu, Fred C. Lee
- Granted
- March 21, 2017
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 9601997
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.