Psemi Corporation

Arctic Sand Technologies, Inc.

Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.

Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation

Artic Sand Technologies, Inc.

Oscar Blyde

Gregory Szczeszynski

David M Giuliano

Aichen Low

Jeff Summit

Rui Liu

Brett A Miwa

David Harrington

Mark Anthony Belch

Sean Lai

Kevin Wendell Dowdy

David Stearns

An apparatus for converting a first voltage into a second voltage includes a reconfigurable switched capacitor power converter having a selectable conversion gain. The power converter has switch elements configured to electrically interconnect capacitors to one another and/or to the first or second voltage in successive states. The switch elements are configured to interconnect at least some capacitors to one another through the switch elements. A controller causes the reconfigurable switched capacitor power converter to transition between first and second operation modes. The controller minimizes electrical transients arising from transition between modes. In the first operating mode, the power converter operates with a first conversion gain. In the second operating mode, it operates with a second conversion gain.

Charge adjustment techniques for switched capacitor power converter

Transient or fault conditions for a switched capacitor power converter are detected by measuring one or more of internal voltages and/or currents associated with switching elements (e.g., transistors) or phase nodes, or voltages or currents at terminals of the converter, and based on these measurements detect that a condition has occurred when the measurements deviate from a predetermined range. Upon detection of the condition fault control circuitry alters operation of the converter, for example, by using a high voltage switch to electrically disconnect at least some of the switching elements from one or more terminals of the converter, or by altering timing characteristics of the phase signals.

Protection of switched capacitor power converter

A step-up power-converter has stack nodes, each of which connects to a stack switch and to a pump capacitor to form a switched-capacitor network. Among the stack nodes are first and second stack-nodes. The second stack-node drives a particular stack switch from the plurality of stack switches. When all of the stack switches are open, the first voltage causes the first stack-node to have a first stack-node voltage and causes the second stack-node to have a second stack-node voltage that is less than the first stack-node voltage. During the first state, the second stack-node voltage is insufficient to drive the particular stack-switch. During the second state, the second stack-node voltage is sufficient to drive the particular stack-switch. Causing the switched-capacitor network to transition from the first state to the second state includes, among other things, causing the second stack-node voltage to become sufficient to drive the particular stack-switch.

Start-up of step-up power converter with switched-capacitor network

Operation of a charge pump is controlled to optimize power conversion efficiency by using an adiabatic mode with some operating characteristics and a non-adiabatic mode with other characteristics. The control is implemented by controlling a configurable circuit at the output of the charge pump.

Charge pump with temporally-varying adiabaticity

Various embodiments of charge adjustment techniques for a switched capacitor power converter are described. In one example embodiment, briefly, charge adjustment techniques may include a technique to operate a charge pump so as to reduce electrical transient effects that may occur during charge pump transition operation between a first steady state charge pump operation with respect to a first configuration gain mode and a second steady state charge pump operation with respect to a second configuration gain mode. In some instances, electrical transient effects may occur during charge pump transition operation, at least in part, from a selectable adjustment of charge pump configuration gain with respect to a configuration gain mode.

Various embodiments of charge adjustment techniques for a switched capacitor power converter are described. In one example embodiment, briefly, charge adjustment techniques may include a technique to control operation of a charge pump for a switched capacitor power converter so that the charge pump is able to adjust the charge of a selected one or more of the two or more charge pump capacitors along a charge transfer path, independent of the charge of other charge pump capacitors of the two or more charge pump capacitors. Likewise, in some instances, a charge may be adjusted in a manner that is to include at least one of the following: a current source, a voltage regulator, an adjustment of switching frequency of a charge pump, a time-based charge operation, a bypass switch with respect to at least one charge pump capacitor, on-resistance modulation for one or more switches of the charge pump, or any combination thereof.

Various embodiments of a fault detector for a voltage converter are described. In one example embodiment, briefly, the fault detector is capable to detect one or more fault events during operation of a voltage converter. Likewise, the fault detector is capable to generate one or more fault signals with respect to the one or more to be detected fault events. The one or more fault signals, in the example embodiment, to signal a disconnect switch of the voltage converter to electrically disconnect or otherwise via a high impedance state to limit current flow through at least one switch of a set of switches of the voltage converter. In another example embodiment, the fault detector, responsive to the one or more fault signals, capable to generate a bus interrupt signal on a pin out, such as of an integrated circuit (IC) for use with the voltage converter, or capable to toggle a fault indicator pin out of the IC. Other additional embodiments are also described.

Fault detector for voltage converter

Reconfigurable switched capacitor power converter techniques

Various embodiments of a fault detector for a voltage converter are described. In one example embodiment, briefly, the fault detector is capable to detect one or more fault events during operation of a voltage converter. Likewise, the fault detector is capable to generate one or more fault signals with respect to the one or more to be detected fault events.

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Melrose, MA, United States of America

Oscar Blyde