Capacitance calculation apparatus and method thereof
AssigneeNuVolta Technologies (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
InventorsIkgyoo Song, Xiaoming Xia
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method includes providing a current flowing through a first flying capacitor of a switched-capacitor power converter, measuring a first voltage at one terminal of the first flying capacitor at a first voltage measurement time instant, measuring a second voltage at the one terminal of the first flying capacitor at a second voltage measurement time instant, and calculating a capacitance value of the first flying capacitor based on the first voltage, the second voltage, the first voltage measurement time instant and the second voltage measurement time instant.
Claims11
A power converter comprising:
- a first switch, a second switch, a third switch and a fourth switch connected in series between an input voltage bus and ground;
- a first flying capacitor connected between a common node of the first switch and the second switch, and a common node of the third switch and the fourth switch;
- a first current sink connected between the common node of the third switch and the fourth switch and ground;
- and
- a controller configured to sink a first current into the first flying capacitor and calculate a capacitance value of the first flying capacitor based on a plurality of detected voltages of the first flying capacitor and corresponding voltage measurement time instants.
A system comprising:
- a first switch, a second switch, a third switch and a fourth switch connected in series between an input voltage bus and ground;
- a first flying capacitor connected between a common node of the first switch and the second switch, and a common node of the third switch and the fourth switch;
- a fifth switch, a sixth switch, a seventh switch and an eighth switch connected in series between the input voltage bus and ground;
- a second flying capacitor connected between a common node of the fifth switch and the sixth switch, and a common node of the seventh switch and the eighth switch;
- a first current sink connected between the common node of the third switch and the fourth switch and ground;
- a second current sink connected between the common node of the seventh switch and the eighth switch and ground;
- and
- a controller configured to sink a first current into the first flying capacitor and a second current into the second flying capacitor, and calculate a capacitance value of the first flying capacitor based on a plurality of first detected voltages and corresponding first voltage measurement time instants, and a capacitance value of the second flying capacitor based on a plurality of second detected voltages and corresponding second voltage measurement time instants.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.