Multi-level converter with continuous conduction mode (CCM) and discontinuous conduction mode (DCM)
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorsOrlando Lazaro, Alvaro Aguilar, Jeffrey Morroni, Kevin Scoones, Reza Sharifi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A power converter device includes a set of switches configured to switch between at least three input-side voltage levels to provide output pulses. The power converter device also includes a control circuit for the set of switches, wherein the control circuit configured to selectively switch the power converter device between a continuous conduction mode of operation (CCM) having a first charge per pulse and a discontinuous conduction mode of operation (DCM) having a second charge per pulse, the second charge per pulse being greater than the first charge per pulse.
Claims18
A power converter device, comprising:
- an input terminal having an input voltage;
- an output terminal adapted to be coupled to an inductor, the output terminal having an output voltage, in which a duty ratio is a ratio between the output voltage and the input voltage;
- a set of switches coupled between the input terminal and the output terminal, the set of switches configured to generate inductor pulses by switching the output terminal between first, second and third levels of the input voltage, the third level being greater than the second level, and the second level being greater than the first level;
- and
- a control circuit coupled to the set of switches and configured to selectively switch the power converter device between a continuous conduction mode of operation (CCM) and a discontinuous conduction mode of operation (DCM), in which:
- in the CCM, the control circuit controls the set of switches to switch the output terminal between only the first and second levels to generate the inductor pulses at first duty ratios, or between only the second and third levels to generate the inductor pulses at second duty ratios;
- and
- in the DCM, irrespective of the duty ratio, the control circuit controls the set of switches to switch the output terminal between only the first and third levels to generate the inductor pulses or between all of the first, second and third levels to generate the inductor pulses.
A power converter device, comprising:
- an input terminal having an input voltage;
- an output terminal adapted to be coupled to an inductor, the output terminal having an output voltage, in which a duty ratio is a ratio between the output voltage and the input voltage;
- a set of transistors coupled between the input terminal and the output terminal, the set of transistors configured to generate inductor pulses by switching the output terminal between first, second and third levels of the input voltage;
- and
- a controller coupled to the set of transistors and configured to selectively control the set of transistors in a continuous conduction mode (CCM) and a discontinuous conduction mode (DCM), in which the CCM has a first charge per inductor pulse at a given duty ratio, the DCM has a second charge per inductor pulse at the given duty ratio, and the second charge per inductor pulse is greater than the first charge per inductor pulse.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.