Dartmouth College

Jason T Stauth

Christopher Schaef

Kapil Kesarwani

Jan S Rentmeister

Eric Din

Keith Moffat

Yanqiao Li

A method for sequentially driving an electrical load includes (a) controlling N switching cells, where each of the N switching cells is electrically coupled to a respective one of N energy elements, such that the N energy elements are electrically coupled in a first topology to drive the electrical load with a first voltage, N being an integer greater than one, and (b) controlling the N switching cells such that N energy elements are electrically coupled in a second topology that is different from the first topology, to drive the electrical load with a second voltage that is different from the first voltage.

Sequential electrical driving circuits and associated methods

A method for controlling a hybrid switched capacitor (SC) converter includes (a) generating control signals for controlling switching devices of the hybrid SC converter, in a manner which regulates one or more parameters of the hybrid SC converter, (b) detecting flying capacitor voltage imbalance in the hybrid SC converter, and (c) in response to detecting flying capacitor voltage imbalance in the hybrid SC converter, generating the control signals in a manner which varies switching state duration of the hybrid SC converter, to move flying capacitor voltage towards balance.

Hybrid switched capacitor converters with real-time control of switching state duration, and associated methods

A method for characterizing electrical impedance of an energy storage device includes the following steps: (a) controlling a first switching power converter to transfer electric power between a first energy storage device and a load, (b) controlling the first switching power converter to generate a sinusoidal perturbation on electric current flowing through the first energy storage device, (c) determining an alternating current (AC) component of the electric current flowing through the first energy storage device, (d) determining an AC component of voltage across the first energy storage device, and (e) determining a complex impedance of the first energy storage device based at least in part on the AC component of the electric current flowing through the first energy storage device and the AC component of the voltage across the first energy storage device.

Systems and methods for characterizing impedance of an energy storage device

A system for reducing power loss in a switched-capacitor converter includes a first and second switched capacitor sub-converter each having a flying capacitor and a first, second, third, and fourth switching device. Each switching device is controlled by one of a first, second, third, and fourth clock signal. The first, second, third and fourth clock signals of the second switched capacitor sub-converter are inverted such that the first switched capacitor sub-converter operates during a first phase and the second switched capacitor converter operates during a second phase that is 1800 degrees out of phase from the first phase. The system also includes a resonant charge sharing portion for coupling a bottom-plate parasitic capacitance of the first switched capacitor sub-converter to a bottom-plate parasitic capacitance of the second switched capacitor converter.

System and method for reducing power loss in switched-capacitor power converters

A system and method allows for controlling a resonant switched-mode converter to provide a variable conversion ratio. The system and method operates to control the switching devices such that the impedance of the switched-mode converter is set to a plurality of configurations for a plurality of time intervals. The system and method may further include off-time modulation techniques for varying or maintaining the overall switching period of the switched-mode converter.

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Hanover, NH, United States of America

Jason T Stauth