# US 11,451,150 B2 · Voltage converter capable of adaptively operating in one of synchronous mode and asynchronous mode > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,451,150 B2 - Document ID: US11451150B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/821,545 - Filed: 2020-03-17 - Published: 2020-10-08 - Granted: 2022-09-20 - Earliest claimed: 2019-04-02 - Assignees: Realtek Semiconductor Corp. - Applicants: Realtek Semiconductor Corporation - Inventors: Tsung-Yen Tsai - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11451150B2 ## CPC - H02M 3/1582: {Buck-boost converters (H02M3/1584 takes precedence)} - H02M 3/07: using capacitors charged and discharged alternately by semiconductor devices with control electrode {, e.g. charge pumps} - H02M 3/1588: {comprising at least one synchronous rectifier element (H02M3/1582, H02M3/1584 take precedence)} - H03K 7/06: Frequency or rate modulation, i.e. PFM or PRM - H03K 7/08: Duration or width modulation {; Duty cycle modulation} - 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) - H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M) ## Abstract Disclosed is a voltage converter capable of adaptively operating in one of a synchronous mode and an asynchronous mode according to an input voltage of an input terminal. The voltage converter includes: a voltage detector generating a detection result according to the input voltage; a switch control circuit generating a first switch control signal and a second switch control signal according to the detection result and an output voltage of an output terminal; a first switch intermittently turned on according to the first switch control signal in the synchronous and asynchronous modes; a second switch intermittently turned on/off according to the second switch control signal in the synchronous/asynchronous mode; and an energy storage circuit electrically connected to the input and output terminals to store and release energy according to the on-off states of the first and second switches. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A voltage converter capable of operating in one of a synchronous mode and an asynchronous mode according to an input voltage of an input terminal, the voltage converter comprising: a voltage detector configured to generate a detection result according to the input voltage of the input terminal; a switch control circuit configured to receive the detection result and an output voltage of an output terminal and thereby generate a first switch control signal and a second switch control signal; a first switch configured to be intermittently turned on according to the first switch control signal in the synchronous mode and the asynchronous mode; a second switch configured to be intermittently turned on according to the second switch control signal in the synchronous mode and to be turned off according to the second switch control signal in the asynchronous mode, wherein the first switch and the second switch are different kinds of transistors and are not turned on simultaneously, and the output voltage is adjusted without using the second switch in the asynchronous mode; and an energy storage circuit electrically connected to the input terminal and the output terminal, and the energy storage circuit configured to store and release energy according to on-off states of the first switch and the second switch and thereby adjust the output voltage according to the input voltage. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The voltage converter of claim 1, wherein in a first circumstance that the voltage detector determines that a difference between the input voltage and the output voltage is lower than a threshold, the voltage detector outputs the detection result having the switch control circuit generate the first switch control signal and the second switch control signal suitable for the asynchronous mode. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The voltage converter of claim 2, wherein in a second circumstance that the voltage detector determines that the difference between the input voltage and the output voltage is higher than the threshold, the voltage detector outputs the detection result having the switch control circuit generate the first switch control signal and the second switch control signal suitable for the synchronous mode. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The voltage converter of claim 1, wherein in a circumstance that the voltage detector determines that a difference between the input voltage and the output voltage is higher than a threshold, the voltage detector outputs the detection result having the switch control circuit generate the first switch control signal and the second switch control signal suitable for the synchronous mode. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The voltage converter of claim 1, wherein the voltage detector is an analog-to-digital converter. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The voltage converter of claim 1, wherein the voltage detector is a voltage comparator. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The voltage converter of claim 6, wherein the voltage comparator is configured to compare the input voltage with a reference voltage related to the output voltage. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The voltage converter of claim 1, wherein the switch control circuit is configured to execute at least one of a pulse width modulation (PWM) and a pulse frequency modulation (PFM). ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The voltage converter of claim 1, wherein each of the first switch and the second switch is a transistor, the second switch includes a parasitic diode, and the parasitic diode functions as a current path conducting current in the asynchronous mode. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The voltage converter of claim 9, wherein the first switch is a first-type transistor and the second switch is a second-type transistor. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The voltage converter of claim 1, wherein the energy storage circuit includes an inductor and a capacitor, the inductor is set between the input terminal and the output terminal, and the capacitor is set between the output terminal and a low-voltage terminal. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The voltage converter of claim 11, wherein the voltage converter is a buck converter, the first switch is set between the input terminal and a node, the second switch is set between the node and the low-voltage terminal, and the inductor is set between the node and the output terminal. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The voltage converter of claim 11, wherein the voltage converter is a boost converter, the inductor is set between the input terminal and a node, the first switch is set between the node and the low-voltage terminal, and the second switch is set between the node and the output terminal. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The voltage converter of claim 1, wherein the first switch is directly coupled to the input terminal, and the second switch is directly coupled to a ground terminal.