Volterra Semiconductor Corporation

Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.

Versatile Power, Inc.

Stryker Corporation

Alexandr Ikriannikov

Anthony J Stratakos

Ognjen Djekic

Ilija Jergovic

David B Lidsky

Michael D McJimsey

Marco A Zuniga

Kaiwei Yao

Artin Der Minassians

Ana Borisavljevic

David Hoffman

Di Yao

Charles Roger Sullivan

Andrew J Burstein

Aaron M Schultz

Jieli Li

Brett A Miwa

Noah A Wilson

Andrea Pizzutelli

Michael Warren Baker

Alberto Giovanni Viviani

Thurein Soe Paing

Jizheng Qiu

Ion E Opris

Laszlo Lipcsei

Budong You

Trey Roessig

Andrew J Hamel

Angelo Genova

Serhii Mikhailovich Zhak

Biljana Beronja

Xin Zhou

Michael D Baycura

Justin Michael Burkhart

David I Brubaker

Milan Dragojevic

Sean Philip Gold

Chris Earley

A method for operating a switching power converter to reduce ripple current magnitude includes (1) controlling duty cycle of a plurality power stages of the switching power converter to regulate at least one parameter of the switching power converter, each power stage including a respective power transfer winding, and (2) controlling an injection stage of the switching power converter to reduce voltage across leakage inductance of each power transfer winding, the injection stage of the switching power converter including a boost winding forming at least one turn around a respective leakage magnetic flux path of each power transfer winding.

Switching power converters including boosted coupled inductors and injection stages, and associated methods

An inductor includes a magnetic core, a first winding, a first electrically conductive standoff, and a second electrically conductive standoff. The magnetic core includes opposing first and second outer surfaces separated from each other in a first direction. The first winding has first and second ends, and the first winding is wound around at least a portion of the magnetic core. The first electrically conductive standoff is connected to the first end of the first winding, and the first electrically conductive standoff extends along the magnetic core in the first direction from the first outer surface to the second outer surface. The second electrically conductive standoff is connected to the second end of the first winding, and the second electrically conductive standoff extends along the magnetic core in the first direction from the first outer surface to the second outer surface.

Inductors including electrically conductive standoffs

A switching power converter includes an integrated inductor assembly, a first switching stage, and a second switching stage. The integrated inductor assembly includes a magnetic core and first and second windings disposed at least partially in the magnetic core. The second winding is separated from the first winding by a separation portion of the magnetic core. The first switching stage is configured such that a first current flowing from the first switching stage to the first winding induces first magnetic flux flowing through the separation portion of the magnetic core. The second switching stage is configured such that a second current flowing from the second switching stage to the second winding induces second magnetic flux flowing through the separation portion of the magnetic core that opposes the first magnetic flux in the separation portion of the magnetic core.

Integrated inductor assemblies and associated systems and methods

A circuit assembly includes a first substrate including a first outer surface, a first capacitor disposed on the first outer surface, and a first metallic bar. The first capacitor has a first capacitor thickness in a first direction orthogonal to the first outer surface. The first metallic bar has a first bar thickness in the first direction, the first bar thickness being greater than the first capacitor thickness. An electrical load is optionally disposed on a second outer surface of the first substrate over the first metallic bar, in the first direction. The electrical load may be electrically coupled to the first metallic bar.

Circuit assemblies including metallic bars

A method for operating a switching power converter to reduce ripple current magnitude includes controlling duty cycle of a plurality power stages of the switching power converter to regulate at least one parameter of the switching power converter. Each power stage includes a respective power transfer winding that is magnetically coupled to the respective power transfer winding of each other power stage. The method further includes controlling an injection stage of the switching power converter to reduce voltage across a respective leakage inductance of each power transfer winding. The injection stage includes an injection winding that is magnetically coupled to each power transfer winding.

Switching power converters including injection stages, and associated methods

A coupled inductor includes first and second magnetic rails, a plurality of connecting magnetic elements, and a plurality of windings. The first and second magnetic rails are separated from each other in a first direction, and the first magnetic rail has a first cross-sectional area A1 as seen when viewed in the first direction. Each connecting magnetic element is disposed between the first and second magnetic rails in the first direction. The plurality of connecting magnetic elements collectively have a second cross-sectional area A2 as seen when viewed in the first direction, and a ratio of A2/(A1−A2) is at least 1.5. A respective winding is wound at least partially around each connecting magnetic element.

Switching power converter assemblies including coupled inductors, and associated methods

A magnetic device includes a magnetic core, a plurality of first windings forming respective first winding turns, and a second winding forming a second winding turn. Each first winding turn is within the second winding turn, as seen when the magnetic device is viewed cross-sectionally in a first direction. Yet another magnetic device includes a magnetic core, one or more first windings, and one or more second windings magnetically isolated from the one or more first windings.

Magnetic devices for power converters with light load enhancers

A switching power converter includes a first switching stage, a second switching stage, a coupled inductor, and a boost winding. The coupled inductor includes a first phase winding, a second phase winding, and a magnetic core. The first phase winding is wound at least partially around a first portion of the magnetic core, and the first phase winding is electrically coupled to the first switching stage. The second phase winding is wound at least partially around a second portion of the magnetic core, and the second phase winding is electrically coupled to the second switching stage. The boost winding forms at least one turn such that mutual magnetic flux associated with each of the first and second phase windings flows through the at least one turn.

Boosted coupled inductors and associated systems and methods

A resonant power converter includes a capacitive divider circuit, a coupled inductor, and N switching stages, where N is an integer greater than two. The coupled inductor includes N windings, and total leakage inductance of the coupled inductor and equivalent capacitance of the capacitive divider circuit collectively form a resonant tank circuit of the resonant power converter. Each switching stage is electrically coupled between a respective one of the N windings of the coupled inductor and the capacitive divider circuit. The capacitive divider circuit may include one or more resonant capacitors.

Resonant power converters including coupled inductors

A coupled inductor includes a ladder magnetic core including (a) a first rail and a second rail separated from each other in a first direction and (b) a plurality of rungs separated from each other in a second direction. The second direction is orthogonal to the first direction, and each rung of the plurality of rungs is disposed between the first rail and the second rail in the first direction. The coupled inductor further includes a plurality of windings, where each winding of the plurality of windings is partially wound around a respective one of the plurality of rungs such that each winding of the plurality of windings does not overlap with itself when the coupled inductor is viewed cross-sectionally in a third direction. The third direction is orthogonal to each of the first direction and the second direction.

Low-height coupled inductors

A coupled inductor for low electromagnetic interference includes a plurality of windings and a composite magnetic core including a coupling magnetic structure formed of a first magnetic material and a leakage magnetic structure formed of a second magnetic material having a distributed gap. The coupling magnetic structure magnetically couples together the plurality of windings, and the leakage magnetic structure provides leakage magnetic flux paths for the plurality of windings.

Coupled inductors for low electromagnetic interference

A switching power converter includes a first and second switching device, an air core coupled inductor, and a controller. The air core coupled inductor includes a first winding electrically coupled to the first switching device and a second winding electrically coupled to the second switching device. The first and second windings are magnetically coupled. The controller is operable to cause the first and second switching devices to repeatedly switch between their conductive and non-conductive states at a frequency of at least 100 kilohertz to cause current through the first and second windings to repeatedly cycle, thereby providing power to an output port. The switching power converter may have a topology including, but not limited to, a buck converter topology, a boost converter topology, and a buck-boost converter topology.

Air core coupled inductors and associated systems and methods

Disclosed are systems, devices, circuits, components, mechanisms, and processes in which a switching mechanism can be coupled between components. The switching mechanism is configured to have an on state or an off state, where the on state allows current to pass along a current path. A monitoring mechanism has one or more sensing inputs coupled to sense an electrical characteristic at the current path. The electrical characteristic can be a current, voltage, and/or power by way of example. The monitoring mechanism is configured to output a reporting signal indicating the sensed electrical characteristic. The monitoring mechanism can be integrated with the switching mechanism on a chip.

Integrated protection devices with monitoring of electrical characteristics

A switching power converter includes an integrated transformer and coupled inductor, first and second primary switching circuits, and a master controller. The integrated transformer and coupled inductor includes (a) first and second primary windings electrically coupled in series and (b) first and second secondary windings. The first and second primary switching circuits are electrically coupled to an end of the first primary winding and an end of the second primary winding, respectively. The master controller is configured to determine a magnitude of magnetizing current of the integrated transformer and coupled inductor from a difference between magnitude of current flowing through the first secondary winding and magnitude of current flowing through the second secondary winding, when the first and second primary switching circuits are in their respective off-states.

Integrated transformers and coupled inductors and associated systems and methods

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Castro Valley, CA, United States of America

Alexandr Ikriannikov