Stmicroelectronics International N.v.

Bohumil Janik

Matthieu Thomas

Ondrej Tlaskal

An electronic device includes first and second transistors coupled in series between first and second source voltage levels. An inductor is coupled between a node coupling the first and second transistors and a load. Control logic is operative to generate control pulses operative to switch the first and second transistors. The controller generates the control pulses as a continuous stream of control pulses in a continuous conduction mode, and skips generation of some control pulses in a discontinuous conduction mode in response to a pulse skipping signal. A pulse skipping circuit is operative to generate a sense voltage as a function of an inductor current in the inductor, compare the sense voltage to ground, and generate a pulse skipping signal to the control logic when the sense voltage is below ground.

DC-DC switching converter with enhanced switching between CCM and DCM operating modes

A method supplies power from a power source to a load. The method includes, in a first mode, electrically coupling a step-down converter node of a step-down converter alternately to the power source via a conductive bypass path that bypasses a step-up converter and to ground. The step-up converter has an input electrically coupled to the power source and the step-down converter has an output electrically coupled to the load. The method further includes, in a second mode, coupling the step-down converter node alternately to the power source via the bypass path and to an output of the step-up converter.

Electrical power supply

A DC-DC converter transitions between continuous conduction mode (CCM) and discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) without causing any overshoot or undershoot deviation output voltage. The DC-DC converter operates in a PWM mode in CCM. During DCM, it skips PWM pulses when a sustained negative current is detected in an output inductor. The current sensing is achieved by sampling and integrating a voltage, the sign of which is inverse to current direction. The sample and hold and integrator circuits are small, simple, and scale to high frequencies. The pulse skipping circuit automatically adjusts the duty cycle of power pulses to force a zero inductor current at the end of each pulse.

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Cesky Brod, Czechia

Bohumil Janik