SMALL FORM FACTOR POWER CONVERSION SYSTEM

• US 20170149347A1
• Filed: 10/28/2016
• Published: 05/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Core Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Core Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Reiter, Andrew, Wittenbreder, Ernest
• Granted Patent: US 11,211,724 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/716 Coupling device provided on the PCB
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6205 Two-part coupling devices held in engagement by a magnet
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 31/065 with built-in electric apparatus

Abstract

An apparatus including a substrate, a power conversion circuit coupled to the substrate, a power prong coupled to the power conversion circuit, a device connector to couple to a device, and a device connector cable to couple the device connector to the power conversion circuit is disclosed.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a substrate having a substrate surface, a substrate thickness, and an edge, the substrate surface including a power prong recess, and the substrate thickness being between about three-tenths of a millimeter and about five millimeters;

a power conversion circuit including an alternating current port and a direct current port, the power conversion circuit coupled to the substrate, and the power conversion circuit having a power conversion circuit thickness less than the substrate thickness;

a power prong coupled to the alternating current port, the power prong when folded into the power prong recess oriented substantially parallel to the substrate surface and when unfolded oriented substantially perpendicular to the substrate surface;

a device connector to couple to a device; and

a device connector cable to couple the device connector to the direct current port and to fit into a device connector cable recess.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the device connector cable recess includes a ferromagnetic material and the device connector cable includes one or more magnets to couple the device connector cable to the device connector cable recess.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power conversion circuit has a power factor of at least about 0.8.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the power prong recess includes a finger recess to assist in unfolding the power prong.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a rotatable mount coupled to the surface, the rotatable mount to receive the power prong.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a spring and a sliding wedge, the spring to hold the power prong in a substantially horizontal position with respect to the surface while the power prong rests in the power prong recess and the sliding wedge to substantially lock the power prong in a vertical position with respect to the surface.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a sliding member coupled to the surface and a gear coupled to the power prong, the sliding member including a plurality of teeth and grooves, the teeth to engage the gear to enable movement of the power prong between a substantially horizontal position with respect to the substrate surface and a substantially vertical position with respect to the substrate surface.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a tracker coupled to the substrate.

2. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the substrate surface has a substantially quadrilateral perimeter including two internal angles of about 90 degrees each, one internal angle of less than about 90 degrees and one internal angle of more than about 90 degrees.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a circuit board;

a power conversion circuit mounted on the circuit board, the power conversion circuit including an alternating current input port, a toroid, an alternating current rectifier, a plurality of capacitors, a power circuit, a transformer, a direct current output port, and a feedback controller, the transformer coupled to the direct current output port and the direct current output port to provide a substantially stable voltage, the power conversion circuit having a power factor of at least about 0.8 and the power conversion circuit to operate using a high frequency switching signal, the toroid to couple the alternating current input port to the alternating current rectifier, and the plurality of capacitors to couple the alternating current rectifier to the power circuit, and the transformer to couple the power circuit to the direct current output port, and the feedback controller to couple the direct current output port and the transformer to the power circuit, each of the plurality of capacitors having a capacitor height of less than about 2.8 millimeters.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a toroid mounting board mounted on the circuit board and the toroid mounting board having a hole with the toroid mounted in the hole.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the high frequency switching signal has a frequency of about one megahertz.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the transformer has a transformer height of between about 1.0 millimeter and about 3.2 millimeters.

14. An apparatus comprising:

a substrate having a substrate surface, a substrate thickness, and an edge, the substrate surface including a power prong recess, and the substrate thickness being between about three-tenths of a millimeter and about five millimeters;

a circuit board;

a power conversion circuit mounted on the circuit board, the power conversion circuit including an alternating current input port, an alternating current rectifier, a power circuit, a transformer, a feedback controller, and a direct current output port, the transformer coupled to the direct current port and the direct current output port to provide a substantially stable voltage, the power conversion circuit having a power factor of at least about 0.8 and the power conversion circuit to operate using a high frequency switching signal;

a toroid to couple the alternating current input port to the alternating current rectifier;

a plurality of capacitors to couple the alternating current rectifier to the power circuit, the transformer to couple the power circuit to the direct current output port, and a feedback controller to couple the direct current output port and the transformer to the power circuit, each of the plurality of capacitors having a height of less than about 2.8 millimeters;

a power prong coupled to the alternating current port, the power prong when folded into the power prong recess oriented substantially parallel to the surface and when unfolded oriented substantially perpendicular to the surface;

a device connector to couple to a device; and

a device connector cable to couple the device connector to the direct current port and to fit into a device connector cable recess.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the substrate has a length of about 85.60 millimeters and a width of about 53.98 millimeters.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the substrate surface has a substantially quadrilateral shape including two internal angles of about 90 degrees each, a first internal angle of less than about 90 degrees and a second internal angle of more than about 90 degrees.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, the power conversion circuit to receive a signal of between about 120 volts and 240 volts and to provide a signal of about five volts and about two amperes.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the printed circuit board has a substantially quadrilateral printed circuit board shape including two internal angles of about 90 degrees each, a first internal angle of less than about 90 degrees and a second internal angle of more than about 90 degrees.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the edge includes the device connector cable recess including a clamp.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the edge includes a plurality of edge mounted cable connectors.