# US 11,309,791 B2 · Systems and methods for voltage conversion implementing a switched-capacitor circuit

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- Number: US 11,309,791 B2
- Document ID: US11309791B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/787,623
- Filed: 2020-02-11
- Published: 2020-08-20
- Granted: 2022-04-19
- Earliest claimed: 2019-02-15
- Assignees: Board of Trustees of Michigan State University
- Applicants: Board of Trustees of Michigan State University
- Inventors: Ameer Janabi; Bingsen Wang
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11309791B2

## CPC

- H02M 3/07: using capacitors charged and discharged alternately by semiconductor devices with control electrode {, e.g. charge pumps}
- H02M 5/4585: {having a rectifier with controlled elements}
- H02M 7/5387: in a bridge configuration
- H02P 27/06: using DC to AC converters or inverters (H02P27/05 takes precedence)
- H02M 1/007: {Plural converter units in cascade (push-pull DC/DC converters with pre-regulator H02M3/3374; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC stage including a high frequency transformer H02M7/4807; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC conversion stage generating periodically varying voltages H02M7/4826)}
- H02M 5/458: using semiconductor devices only
- H02P 2201/09: Boost converter, i.e. DC-DC step up converter increasing the voltage between the supply and the inverter driving the motor
- 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)
- H02P: CONTROL OR REGULATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, ELECTRIC GENERATORS OR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS; CONTROLLING TRANSFORMERS, REACTORS OR CHOKE COILS

## Abstract

A voltage conversion system including a source configured to supply a voltage and a switch capacitor circuit electrically coupled to the source. The switch capacitor circuit is configured to switch between a discharging state and a charging state. The switching between the discharging state and the charging state produces a boost to the supplied voltage. The voltage conversion system includes a capacitor in the switch capacitor circuit configured to store charge during the charging state and drain charge during the discharging state. The voltage conversion system includes a switching arrangement having a plurality of switch pairs configured to supply a converted voltage to a load. The switch capacitor circuit and the switching arrangement are interfaced to produce a unified circuit.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A voltage conversion system, comprising:
a switched capacitor circuit;
a voltage source configured to supply voltage to the switched capacitor circuit; and
an inverter electrically coupled between the switched capacitor circuit and a load;
wherein the switched capacitor circuit includes:
a pair of switches electrically coupled across the voltage source and arrange in series with each other;
a third switch electrically coupled between a terminal of the voltage source and the inverter; and
a capacitor electrically coupled between a first node and a second node, where the first node is disposed between the third switch and the inverter and the second node is disposed between the pair of switches.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The voltage conversion system of claim 1 wherein the switched capacitor circuit is configured to charge the capacitor with voltage from the voltage source during a charging state and discharge voltage from the capacitor during a discharging state.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The voltage conversion system of claim 1 wherein the load is a motor in a vehicle.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The voltage conversion system of claim 2 wherein the switched capacitor circuit is configured to place the capacitor is parallel with the load during the charging state and place the capacitor is series with the load during the discharging state.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The voltage conversion system of claim 4 wherein the pair of switches is comprised of a first switch electrically coupled to a high side of the voltage source and a second switch electrically coupled electrically coupled to a low side of the voltage source, such that the first switch is open and the second switch is closed during the charging state, and the first switch is closed and the second switch is open during the discharging state.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The voltage conversion system of claim 5 wherein the first switch, the second switch and the third switch are further defined as metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors.