Texas Instruments Corporation

Volterra Semiconductor Corporation

Sombuddha Chakraborty

Anthony J Stratakos

Yogesh Kumar Ramadass

Ilija Jergovic

Andrew J Burstein

Michael D McJimsey

Giovanni Garcea

Andrea Pizzutelli

Paul H Choi

Yali Xiong

Jeffrey Anthony Morroni

Alvaro Aguilar

Luigi Panseri

Yuki Sato

Aleksandar Prodic

Trey Roessig

William James McIntyre

Jingquan Chen

Farzad Sahandiesfanjani

Biljana Beronja

Jeff Lee Nilles

Theodore Vinko Burmas

Timothy McRae

Dongbin Hou

Kenji Kawano

Mervin John

Kevin Scoones

Orlando Lazaro

Patrick Michael Teterud

Laszlo Balogh

Philomena Cleopha Brady

Robert Martinez

Yan He

Hakan Oner

Yichao Tang

Dingkun Du

Raveesh Magod Ramakrishna

Michael Corry

Jeffery Lee Nilles

Theodore Ernest Yu

Jose V Formenti

Ali Motamedi

Keith Thomas Sanders, Jr

Saad Pervaiz

Patrick Teterud

A system includes a control circuit having a voltage input and a control circuit output. The control circuit produces a control voltage at the control circuit output having a magnitude inversely related to a magnitude of an input voltage at the input voltage input. A VCO has a VCO control input and a VCO clock output. The VCO control input is coupled to the control circuit output. The VCO produces a VCO clock on the VCO clock output having a frequency that is a function of the control voltage. A protection circuit has a first clock input, a second clock input, and a protection circuit output. The second clock input is coupled to the VCO clock output. The protection circuit generates a protection circuit output signal at the protection circuit output based on a difference in frequency between a clock signal at the first clock input and the VCO clock.

Switching frequency control for integrated resonant half-bridge isolated DC/DC with burst mode operation

A circuit includes first, second third, and fourth transistors coupled in series, and a control circuit coupled to the first, second, third, and fourth transistors. The control circuit includes a clock generator, a current sense circuit, and a zero current differentiation zone (ZC_DF) circuit. The clock generator is configured to generate first and second clocks. The second clock is in quadrature with the first clock. The current sense circuit is configured to sense a current flowing through the first transistor. The ZC_DF circuit is configured to define a ZC_DF interval starting at an edge of the second clock and ending at turn-on of the fourth transistor. The control circuit is configured to operate the first, second, third, and fourth transistors in a discontinuous conduction mode (DCM), and, in DCM, turn off the first transistor during the ZC_DF interval responsive to the current flowing through the first transistor being negative.

Three level switching converter and control

A method includes receiving a first indication of an inductor current provided by a voltage converter. The method also includes, responsive to a ratio of a rate of change of the first indication to a rate of change of a compensation ramp being greater than a threshold value, providing a second indication to the ramp generator. The compensation ramp is provided by a ramp generator to control the voltage converter. The second indication is configured to cause the ramp generator to increase an absolute value of the rate of change of the compensation ramp. The method also includes, responsive to the ratio being less than the threshold value, providing a third indication to the ramp generator. The third indication is configured to cause the ramp generator to decrease the absolute value of the rate of change of the compensation ramp.

Compensation slope adjustment in voltage converter

A device includes a first inductor and a second inductor reversely coupled with the first inductor. The first and second inductors have overlapping windings. The device also includes a housing for the first and second inductor. The housing is filled with a magnetic molding compound.

Module with reversely coupled inductors and magnetic molded compound (MMC)

A controller for a boost power factor correction (PFC) converter. The controller is configured to operate the boost PFC converter in multiple operating modes, including a continuous conduction mode (CCM), a transition mode (TM), and a hybrid mode in which the controller operates the converter in both CCM and TM within a same line cycle. An example controller includes a current control loop and a mode transition circuit. The current control loop is configured to compute an inductor current for each of first and second operation modes, based on a current sample taken, for example, during a boost synchronous rectifier conduction period of the converter. The mode transition circuit includes digital logic circuitry and is configured to generate a pulse indicating that one, two or all three of: zero-voltage switching (ZVS) has been achieved; the synchronous rectifier conduction period is active; and/or one of TM or hybrid mode is active.

Autonomous mode transition for multimode operation in boost PFC converters

Described systems, methods, and circuitries use an interleaved multi-level converter to convert an input signal received at an input node into an output signal at an output node. In one example, a power conversion system includes a first multi-level switching circuit, a second multi-level switching circuit, and a control circuit. The first multi-level switching circuit and the second multi-level switching circuit are coupled to a switching node, the input node, and a reference node. The control circuit is configured to generate, based on the output signal, switching control signals as pulse width modulated signals having a duty cycle to control the output signal and provide the switching control signals to the first multi-level switching circuit and the second multi-level switching circuit.

Interleaved multi-level converter

In described examples of methods and control circuitry to control a multi-level power conversion system, the control circuitry generates PWM signals having a duty cycle to control an output signal. The duty cycle is adjustable in different switching cycles. States of the system's switches are adjustable in one or more intervals within the switching cycles. In response to a voltage across a capacitor of the system being outside a non-zero voltage range, the control circuitry adjusts states of the switches in two intervals to discharge or charge the capacitor in a given switching cycle.

Hysteretic pulse modulation for charge balance of multi-level power converters

A device includes a first inductor and a second inductor reversely coupled with the first inductor, wherein the first and second inductors have overlapping windings. The device also includes a housing for the first and second inductor, wherein the housing is filled with a magnetic molding compound.

An apparatus includes: a switched capacitor (SC) converter to generate a first voltage based on a voltage source; and a direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) converter to generate a second voltage based on the voltage source of the apparatus. A difference between the first voltage and the second voltage corresponds to an output voltage.

High efficiency hybrid power converter apparatus

Described herein is a technology for implementing a scalable SCIB regulator for high conversion step down application. Particularly, the SCIB is configured to include stacked input switch circuits with parallel-connected output switch circuits. The input switch circuits are stacked with or without DC shift switch circuits in between. Furthermore, the input voltage is stepped down to a biasing voltage by input switch circuits and then is regulated to one or more output voltages having one or more independent and predetermined values by output switch circuits. The input switch circuits, output switch circuits and DC shift switch circuits can be modified for scalable power capability and ease of control and manufacturing.

Scalable switched capacitor integrated buck (SCIB) regulator for high conversion step down application

In methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture to a high efficient hybrid power converter, an example apparatus includes: a switched capacitor (SC) converter to generate a first voltage based on a voltage source; and a direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) converter to generate a second voltage based on the voltage source of the apparatus, the difference between the first voltage and the second voltage corresponding to an output voltage.

Apparatus for a high efficiency hybrid power converter and methods to control the same

In described examples, a system regulates provision of DC-DC electrical power. The system includes a DC-DC converter, an input voltage node to receive an input voltage, a current source, a voltage source node, and a ground switch. The DC-DC converter includes a flying capacitor and multiple converter switches. The current source is coupled between the input voltage node and a top plate of the flying capacitor, to provide current to the top plate when the current source is activated by an activation voltage. The voltage source node is coupled to the input voltage node and to the current source, to provide the activation voltage to the current source, such that the activation voltage is not higher than a selected voltage between: a breakdown voltage of the converter switches; and a maximum value of the input voltage minus the breakdown voltage. The ground switch is coupled between a bottom plate of the flying capacitor and a ground.

Multilevel converter using node voltage track and control

In described examples, a DC-DC converter provides electrical power. In response to an input voltage falling below a high voltage operation threshold, the converter repeatedly performs a first normal (N) phase and a second N phase. The first N phase includes delivering power through an inductor from the input voltage. The second N phase includes coupling an input terminal of the inductor to a ground. In response to the input voltage rising above a normal operation threshold, the converter performs a first high voltage (HV) phase, then a second HV phase, then a third HV phase, then the second HV phase, and then repeats from the first HV phase. The first HV phase includes delivering power through the inductor from the input voltage and charging a flying capacitor. The second HV phase includes coupling the input terminal of the inductor to the ground. The third HV phase includes delivering power through the inductor by discharging the flying capacitor through the inductor.

Converter topology with adaptive power path architecture

A method for controlling a number of phases that are active in a multiphase direct-current-to-direct-current (DC-to-DC) converter includes (a) filtering a current signal representing a magnitude of current processed by the multiphase DC-to-DC converter to generate a filtered signal, (b) comparing the filtered signal to a first threshold value, (c) deactivating one or more phases of the multiphase DC-to-DC converter in response to the filtered signal falling below the first threshold value, (d) comparing the current signal to a second threshold value, the second threshold value being greater than the first threshold value, and (e) activating one or more phases of the multiphase DC-to-DC converter in response to the current signal rising above the second threshold value.

Systems and methods for DC-to-DC converter control

A method for controlling a DC-to-DC converter includes: (a) regulating a magnitude of an output voltage of the DC-to-DC converter according to a magnitude of a reference voltage; (b) in response to a command to enter the unregulated operating mode, allowing the magnitude of the output voltage to fall; and (c) adjusting the magnitude of the reference voltage to track the magnitude of the output voltage. A controller for a DC-to-DC converter includes reference and switching modules. The reference module generates a reference voltage, such that: (a) a magnitude of the reference voltage is fixed, in a regulated operating mode, and (b) the magnitude of the reference voltage tracks a magnitude of an output voltage of the DC-to-DC converter, in the unregulated operating mode. The switching module controls a power stage of the DC-to-DC converter to regulate the magnitude of the output voltage, in the regulated operating mode.

Systems and methods for controlling DC-to-DC converters including unregulated operating modes

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Redwood City, CA, United States of America

Sombuddha Chakraborty