Infineon Technologies Austria Ag

Christian Rainer

Roberto Rizzolatti

Otto Wiedenbauer

Matthias J Kasper

Amir Babazadeh

Danny Clavette

Matteo-Alessandro Kutschak

Stefano Saggini

Benjamin L Schwabe

Darryl Galipeau

Chris Josef Notsch

Rakesh Renganathan

Mario Ursino

Matthew A Hunter

Cheng-Wei Chen

An apparatus such as a power converter includes a first flying capacitor operative to store a first flying capacitor voltage; a second flying capacitor operative to store a second flying capacitor voltage; an inductor providing coupling between the first flying capacitor and the second flying capacitor; and a network of switches operative to, in accordance with control signals, produce an output voltage via the first flying capacitor voltage and the second flying capacitor voltage.

Power conversion phases and coupling inductance

An apparatus such as a power converter includes a first flying capacitor, a second flying capacitor, etc., an inductor, and a network of switches. The network of switches controls conveyance of energy from the multiple flying capacitors to the inductor. The inductor converts the received energy into an output voltage to power a load. A magnitude of the respective voltage on each of the flying capacitors is substantially the same.

Power conversion and flying capacitor implementations

A power supply system comprises: a switched-capacitor converter, a controller, and a monitor. Via generation of control signals, the controller controls settings of switches in the switched-capacitor converter to convert a received input voltage to an output voltage that powers a load. The monitor in the power supply system at least occasionally determines an impedance associated with the switched-capacitor converter. A magnitude of the determined impedance provides an indication whether the switched-capacitor converter is operating efficiently. To ensure efficient operation of the switched-capacitor converter, based on input form the monitor, the controller adjusts the control signals controlling the switches in the switched-capacitor converter as a function of the determined impedance.

Adaptive control of a switched voltage converter

An apparatus comprises: first windings, second windings, a magnetic core, and multiple tap nodes. The first windings are primary windings of a multi-tapped autotransformer. The second windings are secondary windings of the multi-tapped autotransformer. The first windings and the second windings are wrapped around the magnetic core, the second windings disposed in a series connection between the first windings. The multiple tap nodes providing coupling of the first windings and the second windings to a power supply circuit such as a switched-capacitor converter.

Power supply multi-tapped autotransformer

An apparatus includes a first power converter and a second power converter. The first power converter converts an input voltage into a first output voltage; the second power converter converts the first output voltage into a second output voltage that powers a load. The second power converter includes a switched-capacitor converter combined with a magnetic device. The switched-capacitor converter provides capacitive energy transfer; the magnetic device provides magnetic energy transfer. Additionally, the second power converter provides unregulated conversion of the first output voltage into the second output voltage via the capacitive energy transfer and the magnetic energy transfer. To maintain the magnitude of the second output voltage within a desired range or setpoint value, the first power converter regulates a magnitude of the first output voltage based on comparison of a magnitude of the second output voltage with respect to a desired setpoint reference voltage.

Multiple-stage power conversion via regulated and unregulated conversion

This disclosure includes novel ways of implementing a power supply that powers a load. More specifically, a power supply includes a controller. The controller controls operation of a first power converter stage and a second power converter stage to convert an input voltage into an output voltage. For example, the first power converter stage is operative to receive an input voltage and convert the input voltage into an intermediate voltage. The second power converter stage such as a transformer-less switched-capacitor converter is coupled to the first power converter stage. The second power converter stage receives the intermediate voltage and converts the intermediate voltage into an output voltage to power a load.

Multi-stage power converter with transformless switched-capacitor converter and control

A power supply system comprises: a switched-capacitor converter, a monitor, and a controller. The switched-capacitor converter includes an input node to receive an input voltage and an output voltage to output an output voltage. Switching of multiple switches in the switched-capacitor converter converts the input voltage into the output voltage. As its name suggests, the monitor monitors a magnitude of the output voltage. The controller receives input indicating the magnitude of the output voltage. Depending on the magnitude of the output voltage, the controller controls states of the multiple switches during startup of the switched-capacitor converter.

Startup of a voltage converter

A power supply system comprises: a switched-capacitor converter, a transformer, and a voltage converter. The switched-capacitor converter includes multiple capacitors. The multiple capacitors are controllably switched in a circuit path including a primary winding of the transformer to convert the first voltage into a second voltage. The voltage converter converts the first voltage produced by the switched-capacitor converter into the second voltage that powers a load.

Hybrid switched-capacitor converter

A power supply system comprises: a switched-capacitor converter, a multi-tapped autotransformer, and an output stage. The multi-tapped autotransformer includes multiple primary windings. The switched-capacitor converter includes multiple circuit paths coupled to the primary windings. For example, a first circuit path includes a first capacitor; a second circuit path includes a second capacitor. The power supply further includes a controller that controllably switches an input voltage to the first circuit path and the second circuit path, conveying energy to the primary windings of the multi-tapped autotransformer. The output stage of the power supply is coupled to receive energy from a combination of the first primary winding and the second primary winding of the multi-tapped autotransformer. Via the received energy, the output stage produces an output voltage that powers a load.

Switched-capacitor converter with multi-tapped autotransformer

Circuits and methods are provided for soft switching within a switched-capacitor DC/DC converter, so as to reduce switching losses and improve efficiency. This is accomplished, in preferred converters, by coupling a compensation inductor between one half-bridge of an output rectifier and another half-bridge of the output rectifier. The compensation inductor functions to transfer charge from or to the capacitance of switches within the converter while the switches are off, such that the voltage across each switch is reduced to zero before that switch is turned on. This provides zero-voltage switching (ZVS) and its associated high efficiency. The efficiency associated with the ZVS makes ideal zero-current switching (ZCS) less important, such that high-precision capacitors and inductors forming the resonant tanks required by near-ideal ZCS are not required. The resultant circuits are physically smaller and less expensive than other converters that require near-ideal ZCS, but achieve similar or better efficiency.

Switched capacitor converter topology using a compensation inductor for charge transfer

A power supply system comprises: multiple switched-capacitor converters and a controller. The multiple switched-capacitor converters include at least a first switched-capacitor converter interleaved with a second switched-capacitor converter. During operation, the controller produces control signals. The control signals control the interleaved first switched-capacitor converter and the second switched-capacitor converter to produce an output voltage to power a load.

Zero voltage switching of interleaved switched-capacitor converters

Circuits and methods are provided for soft-starting a switched-capacitor converter (SCC), so as to limit inrush current at the start-up of the SCC. This is accomplished by using the first power switch of the SCC, i.e., the switch coupled to the input of the SCC, to reduce the voltage provided at the SCC input, such that the full input voltage is not directly applied to the SCC circuitry downstream from the first power switch during the SCC start-up. The reduced voltage provided to the SCC circuitry (other than the first power switch) serves to limit the current drawn by the remainder of the SCC circuit during the SCC start-up. This reduced voltage begins at zero and ramps to the voltage provided at the SCC input. Once the reduced voltage reaches the input voltage level, steady-state operation of the SCC may begin.

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Klagenfurt, Austria

Christian Rainer