# US 12,113,434 B2 · Power supply apparatus and discharge method thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,113,434 B2 - Document ID: US12113434B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/308,064 - Filed: 2021-05-05 - Published: 2022-10-06 - Granted: 2024-10-08 - Earliest claimed: 2021-03-30 - Assignees: Power Forest Technology Corporation - Applicants: Power Forest Technology Corporation - Inventors: Chia-Hsien Liu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12113434B2 ## CPC - H02M 1/322: {Means for rapidly discharging a capacitor of the converter for protecting electrical components or for preventing electrical shock} - H02J 7/82: Control of state of charge [SOC] - H02J 7/96: in response to battery voltage - H02M 3/335: using semiconductor devices only - H02M 7/06: using discharge tubes without control electrode or semiconductor devices without control electrode - H02J 7/345: {using capacitors as storage or buffering devices} - H02M 1/32: Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection - H02M 7/062: {Avoiding or suppressing excessive transient voltages or currents} - 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) - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY ## Abstract A power supply apparatus and a discharge method thereof are provided. A control unit detects a cross-voltage across two ends of an AC safety capacitor to generate a detection voltage, compares the detection voltage with a threshold voltage, counts the number of cycles of the detection voltage during a period when the detection voltage does not cross the threshold voltage according to a comparison result between the detection voltage and the threshold voltage, and performs a discharge operation when the number of cycles is greater than or equal to a predetermined value to discharge electric energy stored in the AC safety capacitor. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A power supply apparatus, comprising: a power conversion circuit receiving an AC input voltage through an input side, and converting the AC input voltage into a DC output voltage; an AC safety capacitor connected across the input side; and a control unit coupled to the power conversion circuit and the AC safety capacitor, and controlling operation of the power conversion circuit, wherein the control unit detects a cross-voltage across two ends of the AC safety capacitor to generate a detection voltage, compares the detection voltage with a threshold voltage, counts the number of cycles of the detection voltage during a period when the detection voltage does not cross the threshold voltage according to a comparison result between the detection voltage and the threshold voltage when the detection voltage is still a sine wave, and performs a discharge operation when the number of cycles is greater than or equal to a predetermined value to discharge electric energy stored in the AC safety capacitor. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The power supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit sets the threshold voltage according to a peak voltage of the detection voltage. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The power supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a peak voltage of the detection voltage and the threshold voltage have a predetermined ratio therebetween, and the control unit sets the threshold voltage according to the peak voltage of the detection voltage and the predetermined ratio. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The power supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit sets the threshold voltage corresponding to an N+1th cycle of the detection voltage according to a peak voltage of an Nth cycle of the detection voltage, where N is a positive integer. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The power supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises: a rectifier circuit coupled to the power conversion circuit and the AC safety capacitor, and rectifying the AC input voltage to generate a rectified voltage; a voltage-dividing circuit coupled to the rectifier circuit, and dividing the rectified voltage to generate the detection voltage; a comparator circuit, wherein positive and negative input terminals of the comparator circuit respectively receive the threshold voltage and the detection voltage, and the comparator circuit outputs a comparison voltage according to the detection voltage and the threshold voltage; and a counter circuit coupled to an output terminal of the comparator circuit, counting the number of cycles of the detection voltage during the period when the detection voltage does not cross the threshold voltage according to the comparison voltage to generate a count value, and outputting a discharge control signal according to the count value and the predetermined value. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The power supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises: a discharge circuit under control by a discharge control signal to provide a discharge path between the AC safety capacitor and a ground terminal to discharge the electric energy stored in the AC safety capacitor to the ground terminal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The power supply apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the discharge circuit comprises a controllable load or a voltage-controlled current source. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The power supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power conversion circuit comprises: a choke coupled to the AC safety capacitor, receiving the AC input voltage, and being configured to filter power noise in the AC input voltage; a full-bridge rectifier circuit coupled to the choke, and performing full-bridge rectification on the AC input voltage filtered by the choke to generate an input voltage; a filter capacitor coupled to the full-bridge rectifier circuit, and being configured to filter the input voltage; and a voltage conversion circuit coupled to the full-bridge rectifier circuit and the filter capacitor, and being under control by the control unit to perform voltage conversion on the received input voltage to generate the DC output voltage. ### Claim 9 A discharge method of a power supply apparatus, wherein the power supply apparatus comprises a power conversion circuit and an AC safety capacitor, the power conversion circuit receives an AC input voltage through an input side, and converts the AC input voltage into a DC output voltage, the AC safety capacitor is connected across the input side of the power conversion circuit, and the discharge method comprises: detecting a cross-voltage across two ends of the AC safety capacitor to generate a detection voltage; comparing the detection voltage with a threshold voltage; counting the number of cycles of the detection voltage during a period when the detection voltage does not cross the threshold voltage according to a comparison result between the detection voltage and the threshold voltage when the detection voltage is still a sine wave; and performing a discharge operation when the number of cycles is greater than or equal to a predetermined value to discharge electric energy stored in the AC safety capacitor. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The discharge method according to claim 9, wherein the threshold voltage is set according to a peak voltage of the detection voltage. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The discharge method according to claim 9, wherein a peak voltage of the detection voltage and the threshold voltage have a predetermined ratio therebetween, and the discharge method comprises: setting the threshold voltage according to the peak voltage of the detection voltage and the predetermined ratio. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The discharge method according to claim 9, wherein the threshold voltage corresponding to an N+1th cycle of the detection voltage is set according to a peak voltage of an Nth cycle of the detection voltage, where N is a positive integer.