Hybrid inverting PWM power converters

A hybrid power converter, comprising:

• an LC circuit comprising a capacitor and an inductor connected in series;
• a primary switching circuit comprising three or more switching transistors connected in series;
• at least one secondary switching circuit coupled to a node linking two adjacent switching transistors of the three or more switching transistors of the primary switching circuit and to the LC circuit and configured to provide a first voltage to the LC circuit;
• and
• a control circuit coupled to the primary switching circuit and the at least one secondary switching circuit and configured to generate a switching signal that is applied to the three or more switching transistors and the at least one secondary switching circuit to switch the three or more switching transistors and switching transistors of the at least one secondary switching circuit on or off according to a switching cycle configured to provide one or more duty cycles for the switching transistors,
• wherein modifying the one or more duty cycles modifies an amplitude of the first voltage, and wherein the LC circuit is coupled across a switching transistor of the at least one secondary switching circuit and is configured to receive the first voltage from the at least one secondary switching circuit and to generate, based on the first voltage, an essentially constant output voltage across the capacitor, the output voltage having a reverse polarity with respect to an input voltage that is coupled to the primary switching circuit.

A method of operating a hybrid power converter, comprising:

• pre-charging one or more first capacitors of a primary switching circuit and one or more second capacitors of one or more secondary switching circuits to predefined respective voltages;
• after pre-charging, applying the switching signal according to a switching cycle to three or more switching transistors of the primary switching circuit and to one or more switching transistors of the one or more secondary switching circuits to turn the three or more switching transistors of the primary switching circuit and the one or more switching transistors of the one or more secondary switching circuits on or off, the switching cycle comprising two or more duty cycles for the switching signal;
• providing a series of pulses by the primary switching circuit based on the two or more duty cycles of the switching signal and through the one or more secondary switching circuits to an LC circuit comprising a capacitor and an inductor connected in series;
• adjusting at least one duty cycle of the two or more duty cycles of the switching signal to adjust the series of pulses to set an output voltage across the capacitor of the LC circuit at a predefined and essentially constant amplitude;
• and
• providing the output voltage across the capacitor of the LC circuit as an output voltage of the hybrid power converter, wherein the output voltage has a reverse polarity with respect to an input voltage that is coupled to the primary switching circuit.

A hybrid power converter, comprising:

• means for applying a switching signal to a primary switching circuit and a secondary switching circuit according to a duty cycle for the switching signal;
• means for applying an input voltage to the primary switching circuit;
• means for providing a series of pulses to an LC circuit from the primary switching circuit based on the duty cycle of the switching signal;
• and
• means for adjusting the series of pulses via the secondary switching circuit by adjusting the duty cycle of the series of pulses to set an output voltage across the LC circuit at a predefined and essentially constant output value, wherein the output voltage has a reverse polarity with respect to the input voltage.