# US 10,483,858 B2 · System and method for starting up a high density isolated DC-to-DC power converter > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,483,858 B2 - Document ID: US10483858B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/260,043 - Filed: 2019-01-28 - Published: 2019-07-25 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2017-09-15 - Assignees: ABB Schweiz AG - Applicants: ABB Schweiz AG - Inventors: Abhiman Ananthakrishna Hande; Jouni Timo Uusitalo - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10483858B2 ## CPC - H02M 3/33523: {with galvanic isolation between input and output of both the power stage and the feedback loop} - H02M 1/08: Circuits specially adapted for the generation of control voltages for semiconductor devices incorporated in static converters - H02M 1/36: Means for starting or stopping converters - H02M 3/33571: {Half-bridge at primary side of an isolation transformer} - H02M 3/33592: {having a synchronous rectifier circuit or a synchronous freewheeling circuit at the secondary side of an isolation transformer} - H02M 1/0006: {Arrangements for supplying an adequate voltage to the control circuit of converters} - H02M 1/0058: {by employing soft switching techniques, i.e. commutation of transistors when applied voltage is zero or when current flow is zero (using an auxiliary actively switched resonant commutation circuit connected to an intermediate DC voltage or between two push-pull branches of an inverter bridge H02M7/4811; in resonant inverters H02M7/4815; in inverters operating from a resonant DC source H02M7/4826)} - H02M 3/01: {Resonant DC/DC converters} - Y02B 70/10: Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes - H02M: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF (transformers H01F; dynamo-electric converters H02K47/00; controlling transformers, reactors or choke coils, control or regulation of electric motors, generators or dynamo-electric converters H02P) - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS ## Abstract A DC-to-DC power converter includes a transformer having a primary side and a secondary side, and a primary circuit electrically coupled to the primary side of the transformer. The primary circuit includes a primary microcontroller configured to generate a first energizing signal that energizes a portion of the primary circuit. The DC-to-DC power converter also includes a secondary circuit electrically coupled to the secondary side of the transformer. The secondary circuit includes a secondary microcontroller communicatively coupled to the primary microcontroller, wherein the secondary microcontroller is configured to provide an instruction to the primary microcontroller that causes the primary microcontroller to relinquish control of the primary circuit to the secondary microcontroller, and wherein the secondary microcontroller is further configured to provide a second energizing signal to the portion of the primary circuit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A DC-to-DC power converter comprising: a transformer comprising a primary side and a secondary side; a primary circuit electrically coupled to the primary side of the transformer, the primary circuit comprising (i) at least one gate driver, (ii) a bias voltage generator, and (iii) a primary microcontroller electrically coupled to the bias voltage generator and configured to receive a first bias voltage supplied by the bias voltage generator, the primary microcontroller configured to provide a first energizing signal to the at least one gate driver in response to the first bias voltage; and a secondary circuit electrically coupled to the secondary side of the transformer, the secondary circuit comprising a secondary microcontroller communicatively coupled to the primary microcontroller, the secondary microcontroller configured to receive a second bias voltage caused by the first energizing signal, the secondary microcontroller further configured to provide, in response to the second bias voltage, a second energizing signal to the at least one gate driver in response to the second bias voltage, the secondary microcontroller further configured to provide, in response to the second bias voltage, an instruction to the primary microcontroller that causes the primary microcontroller to relinquish control of the primary circuit to the secondary microcontroller. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The DC-to-DC power converter of claim 1, wherein the secondary circuit further comprises a step-down converter electrically coupled between at least one of (i) the secondary side of the transformer and the secondary microcontroller and (ii) an output voltage bus of the DC-to-DC power converter and the secondary microcontroller, the step-down converter arranged to generate the second bias voltage. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The DC-to-DC power converter of claim 1, further comprising a first isolation circuit coupled between the primary microcontroller and the secondary microcontroller, the secondary microcontroller configured to route the second energizing signal to the at least one gate driver through the first isolation circuit. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The DC-to-DC power converter of claim 1, further comprising a second isolation circuit coupled between the primary microcontroller and the secondary microcontroller, the secondary microcontroller configured to route the instruction to relinquish control of the primary circuit through the second isolation circuit. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The DC-to-DC power converter of claim 1, wherein the secondary circuit further comprises a rectifier circuit electrically coupled between the secondary side of the transformer and an output voltage bus. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The DC-to-DC power converter of claim 1, further comprising a bias winding coupled to the bias voltage generator. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The DC-to-DC power converter of claim 1, wherein the first energizing signal is a series of fixed frequency, constant on-time pulses, and wherein the second energizing signal is at least one of (i) pulse width modulated (PWM) signals and (ii) pulse frequency modulated (PFM) signals. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The DC-to-DC power converter of claim 1, wherein the bias voltage generator is a linear regulator selected form the group consisting of a low-dropout regulator, a fixed regulator, a variable regulator, and a series regulator. ### Claim 9 A DC-to-DC power converter comprising: a transformer comprising a primary side and a secondary side; a primary circuit electrically coupled to the primary side of the transformer, the primary circuit including a primary microcontroller configured to generate a first energizing signal that energizes a portion of the primary circuit; and a secondary circuit electrically coupled to the secondary side of the transformer, the secondary circuit including a secondary microcontroller communicatively coupled to the primary microcontroller, the secondary microcontroller configured to provide, in response to a bias voltage caused by the first energizing signal, an instruction to the primary microcontroller that causes the primary microcontroller to relinquish control of the primary circuit to the secondary microcontroller, the secondary microcontroller further configured to provide a second energizing signal to the portion of the primary circuit. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The DC-to-DC power converter of claim 9, wherein the secondary circuit further includes a step-down converter electrically coupled between the secondary side of the transformer and the secondary microcontroller, the step-down converter configured to step an output voltage induced in the secondary side of the transfer down to the bias voltage. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The DC-to-DC power converter of claim 9, further comprising a first isolation circuit coupled between the primary microcontroller and the secondary microcontroller, the secondary microcontroller configured to provide the second energizing signal to the portion of the primary circuit through the first isolation circuit. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The DC-to-DC power converter of claim 9, further comprising a second isolation circuit coupled between the primary microcontroller and the secondary microcontroller, the secondary microcontroller configured to route the instruction to relinquish control of the primary circuit through the second isolation circuit. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The DC-to-DC power converter of claim 9, wherein the secondary circuit further comprises a rectifier circuit electrically coupled between the secondary side of the transformer and an output voltage bus. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The DC-to-DC power converter of claim 9, further comprising a bias voltage generator and a bias winding, the bias voltage generator electrically coupled to the primary microcontroller through the bias winding. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The DC-to-DC power converter of claim 9, wherein the first energizing signal is a series of fixed frequency, constant on time pulses, and wherein the second energizing signal is at least one of i) pulse width modulated (PWM) signals and ii) pulse frequency modulated (PFM) signals. ### Claim 16 A method of operating a DC-to-DC power converter, the method comprising: receiving, by a primary microcontroller disposed within a primary circuit of the DC-to-DC power converter, a first bias voltage; generating, by the primary microcontroller and in response to the first bias voltage, a first energizing signal that energizes a portion of the primary circuit; sending, by a secondary microcontroller disposed within a second circuit and in response to a bias voltage caused by the first energizing signal, an instruction to the primary microcontroller to relinquish control of the primary circuit to the secondary microcontroller; receiving, by the primary microcontroller, the instruction to relinquish control of the primary circuit to the secondary microcontroller; and transmitting, by the secondary microcontroller, a second energizing signal to the portion of the primary circuit. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving, by the secondary microcontroller, the bias voltage from a non-isolated step-down converter coupled to a secondary side of a transformer, the transformer coupled between the primary circuit and the secondary circuit. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further comprising routing, by the secondary microcontroller, the second energizing signal to the portion of the primary circuit through a first digital isolator coupled between the primary circuit and the secondary circuit. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, further comprising routing, by the secondary microcontroller, the instruction to relinquish control of the primary circuit through a second digital isolator coupled between the primary circuit and the secondary circuit. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further comprising routing, by the secondary microcontroller, the second energizing signal to the portion of the primary circuit through a first optocoupler coupled between the primary circuit and the secondary circuit.