# US 10,374,508 B2 · Capacitor discharging > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,374,508 B2 - Document ID: US10374508B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/980,985 - Filed: 2015-12-28 - Published: 2017-06-29 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2015-12-28 - Assignees: Infineon Technologies Austria AG - Applicants: Infineon Technologies Austria AG - Inventors: Xiaowu Gong; Siu Kam Kok; Yong Siang Teo - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10374508B2 ## CPC - H02M 1/126: {using passive filters} - G01R 19/155: Indicating the presence of voltage - H02M 1/322: {Means for rapidly discharging a capacitor of the converter for protecting electrical components or for preventing electrical shock} - H02M 7/06: using discharge tubes without control electrode or semiconductor devices without control electrode - H02M: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF (transformers H01F; dynamo-electric converters H02K47/00; controlling transformers, reactors or choke coils, control or regulation of electric motors, generators or dynamo-electric converters H02P) - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) ## Abstract An example method includes storing a peak voltage level, a valley voltage level, and a frequency of a signal that corresponds to an alternating current (AC) signal across a capacitor; periodically determining whether a current peak voltage level of the signal is different than the stored peak voltage level of the signal or a current valley voltage level of the signal is different than the stored valley voltage level of the signal; determining, based on whether the current peak voltage level of the signal is different than the stored peak voltage level or the current valley voltage level of the signal is different than the stored valley voltage level, whether the AC signal has been removed from the capacitor; and in response to determining that the AC signal has been removed from the capacitor, discharging the capacitor. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: storing, by a device, a peak voltage level, a valley voltage level, and a frequency of a signal that corresponds to an alternating current (AC) signal across a capacitor, wherein the peak voltage level is stored in a first register and the valley voltage level is stored in a second register; periodically determining, by the device and at a frequency determined based on the stored frequency of the signal, whether a current peak voltage level of the signal is different than the stored peak voltage level of the signal and whether a current valley voltage level of the signal is different than the stored valley voltage level of the signal; determining, based on whether the current peak voltage level of the signal is different than the stored peak voltage level or the current valley voltage level of the signal is different than the stored valley voltage level, whether the AC signal has been removed from the capacitor; and in response to determining, by the device, that the AC signal has been removed from the capacitor, discharging the capacitor. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the frequency determined based on the determined frequency of the signal comprises a quarter of the stored frequency of the signal. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein periodically determining whether the current peak voltage level of the signal is different than the stored peak voltage level of the signal or the current valley voltage level of the signal is different than the stored valley voltage level of the signal comprises sampling the voltage level of the signal at the frequency and comparing the samples to one or both of the stored peak voltage level and the stored valley voltage level; and determining whether the AC signal has been removed from the capacitor comprises determining that the AC signal has been removed from the capacitor where twelve consecutive samples are less than the stored peak voltage level and greater than the valley voltage level. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein: determining that the current peak voltage level of the signal is different than the stored peak voltage level of the signal or the current valley voltage level of the signal is different than the stored valley voltage level of the signal comprises determining that the current peak voltage level of the signal is different than the stored peak voltage level of the signal or the current valley voltage level of the signal is different than the stored valley voltage level of the signal at a first time; discharging the capacitor comprises triggering the discharge of the capacitor before a second time; and a time difference between the first time and the second time is less than or equal to a length of four cycles at the stored frequency of the signal. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein determining whether the AC signal has been removed from the capacitor comprises: determining that the AC signal has not been removed from the capacitor in response to determining that a line voltage of the AC signal has changed; and determining that the AC signal has not been removed from the capacitor in response to determining that the AC signal dropped-out at or before the first time and recovered from the drop-out at or before a third time that is between the first time and the second time. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein a time difference between the first time and the third time is equal to a length of two cycles at the stored frequency of the signal, and wherein a time difference between the third time and the second time is equal to a length of one cycle at the stored frequency of the signal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein determining that the line voltage of the AC signal has changed comprises determining whether the line voltage of the AC signal has changed based on whether the current peak voltage level of the signal is different than the stored peak voltage level of the signal or the current valley voltage level of the signal is different than the stored valley voltage level of the signal, the method further comprising: in response to determining that the line voltage of the AC signal has changed, respectively updating, by the device, the stored peak voltage level, the stored valley voltage level, and the stored frequency of the signal with the current peak voltage level, the current valley voltage level, and a current frequency of the signal. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the valley voltage of the AC signal is non-zero. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the capacitor is an x-capacitor. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein: determining whether a current peak voltage level of the signal is different than the stored peak voltage level of the signal or a current valley voltage level of the signal is different than the stored valley voltage level of the signal comprises sampling the voltage level of the signal with a relatively high resistance between the capacitor and ground; and discharging the capacitor comprises discharging the capacitor with a relatively low resistance, as compared to the relatively high resistance, between the capacitor and ground. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein a level of the stored peak voltage level of the signal is different than a level of the stored valley voltage level of the signal. ### Claim 12 A device comprising: one or more components configured to discharge a capacitor; an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to generate samples that represent voltage levels of a signal that corresponds to an alternating current (AC) signal across the capacitor; and one or more processors configured to: store, based on samples generated by the ADC, a peak voltage level, a valley voltage level, and a frequency of the signal, wherein the peak voltage level is stored in a first register and the valley voltage level is stored in a second register; periodically determine, based on samples generated at a frequency determined based on the stored frequency of the signal, whether a current peak voltage level of the signal is different than the stored peak voltage level of the signal and whether a current valley voltage level of the signal is different than the stored valley voltage level of the signal; determine, based on whether the current peak voltage level of the signal is different than the stored peak voltage level or the current valley voltage level of the signal is different than the stored valley voltage level, whether the AC signal has been removed from the capacitor; and in response to determining that the AC signal has been removed from the capacitor, cause the one or more components to discharge the capacitor. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The device of claim 12, wherein the frequency determined based on the determined frequency of the signal comprises a quarter of the stored frequency of the signal. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The device of claim 13, wherein: the ADC is configured to sample the voltage level of the signal at the frequency, to periodically determine whether the current peak voltage level of the signal is different than the stored peak voltage level of the signal or the current valley voltage level of the signal is different than the stored valley voltage level of the signal, the one or more processors are configured to compare the samples to one or both of the stored peak voltage level and the stored valley voltage level; and the one or more processors are configured to determine that the AC signal has been removed from the capacitor where twelve consecutive samples are less than the stored peak voltage level and greater than the valley voltage level. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The device of claim 12, wherein: the one or more processors are configured to determine that the current peak voltage level of the signal is different than the stored peak voltage level of the signal or the current valley voltage level of the signal is different than the stored valley voltage level of the signal at a first time; the one or more processors are configured to cause the one or more components to discharge the capacitor before a second time; and wherein a time difference between the first time and the second time is less than or equal to a length of four cycles at the stored frequency of the signal. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The device of claim 15, wherein, to determine whether the AC signal has been removed from the capacitor, the one or more processors are configured to: determine that the AC signal has not been removed from the capacitor in response to determining that a line voltage of the AC signal has changed; and determine that the AC signal has not been removed from the capacitor in response to determining that the AC signal dropped-out at or before the first time and recovered from the drop-out at or before a third time that is between the first time and the second time. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The device of claim 16, wherein a time difference between the first time and the third time is equal to a length of two cycles at the stored frequency of the signal, and wherein a time difference between the third time and the second time is equal to a length of one cycle at the stored frequency of the signal. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The device of claim 16, wherein: the one or more processors are configured to determine whether the line voltage of the AC signal has changed based on whether the current peak voltage level of the signal is different than the stored peak voltage level of the signal or the current valley voltage level of the signal is different than the stored valley voltage level of the signal; and in response to determining that the line voltage of the AC signal has changed, the one or more processors are further configured to respectively update, by the device, the stored peak voltage level, the stored valley voltage level, and the stored frequency of the signal with the current peak voltage level, the current valley voltage level, and a current frequency of the signal. ### Claim 19 (depends on 12) The device of claim 12, wherein the capacitor is an x-capacitor. ### Claim 20 A device comprising: means for storing a peak voltage level, a valley voltage level, and a frequency of a signal that corresponds to an alternating current (AC) signal across a capacitor, wherein the peak voltage level is stored in a first register and the valley voltage level is stored in a second register; means for periodically determining, at a frequency determined based on the stored frequency of the signal, whether a current peak voltage level of the signal is different than the stored peak voltage level of the signal and whether a current valley voltage level of the signal is different than the stored valley voltage level of the signal; means for determining, based on whether the current peak voltage level of the signal is different than the stored peak voltage level or the current valley voltage level of the signal is different than the stored valley voltage level, whether the AC signal has been removed from the x-capacitor; and means for discharging the capacitor in response to determining that the AC signal has been removed from the x-capacitor.