Back to results
US 12,463,536 B2Granted
Switched-capacitor power converters
AssigneepSemi Corporation
InventorsDavid Giuliano, Gregory Szczeszynski
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for providing electric power to a load includes a power converter that accepts electric power in a first form and provides electric power in a second form. The power converter comprises a control system, a first stage, and a second stage in series. The first stage accepts electric power in the first form. The control system controls operation of the first and second stage. The first stage is either a switching network or a regulating network. The second stage is a regulating circuit when the first stage is a switching network, and a switching network otherwise.
Claims30
A power conversion apparatus, comprising:
- a switched-capacitor circuit configured to receive an input voltage and generate a switched-capacitor output voltage at a first node based on the input voltage such that the switched-capacitor output voltage has a different voltage value than that of the input voltage;
- a regulating circuit comprising:
- a first switch coupled between the first node and an intermediate node;
- a second switch coupled between a second node and the intermediate node;
- a third switch coupled between a third node and the intermediate node;
- and
- an inductor coupled between the intermediate node and an output node,
- wherein the regulating circuit is configured to:
- selectively connect the intermediate node to the switched-capacitor output voltage at the first node via the first switch, the input voltage at the second node via the second switch, or a reference voltage at the third node via the third switch;
- and
- generate a regulating output voltage at the output node based on a voltage at the intermediate node by alternating between two different switching configurations of the first switch, the second switch, and the third switch.
8 more elements
A power conversion method, comprising:
- receiving, by a switched-capacitor circuit, an input voltage;
- generating, by the switched-capacitor circuit, a switched-capacitor output voltage at a first node based on the input voltage and having a different voltage value than the input voltage;
- selectively electrically connecting, by a regulating circuit, an intermediate node of the regulating circuit to the switched-capacitor output voltage at the first node via a first switch of the regulating circuit coupled between the first node and the intermediate node, the input voltage at a second node via a second switch of the regulating circuit coupled between the second node and the intermediate node, or a reference voltage at a third node via a third switch of the regulating circuit coupled between the third node and the intermediate node, and wherein an inductor of the regulating circuit is coupled between the intermediate node and an output node of the regulating circuit;
- and
- generating, by the regulating circuit, a regulating output voltage at the output node of the regulating circuit based on a voltage at the intermediate node by alternating between two different switching configurations of the first switch, the second switch, and the third switch.
2 more elements
A power conversion apparatus, comprising:
- a switched-capacitor circuit comprising a plurality of switches interconnected with a plurality of capacitors, wherein the switched-capacitor circuit is configured to receive an input voltage and cycle the plurality of switches between ON and OFF states to generate a switched-capacitor output voltage at a first node based on the input voltage, wherein the switched-capacitor output voltage has a different voltage value than that of the input voltage;
- and
- a regulating circuit comprising:
- an intermediate node;
- a first switch coupled between the first node and the intermediate node, wherein the first switch is configured to operate in an ON state to connect the switched-capacitor output voltage at the first node to the intermediate node;
- a second switch coupled between a second node and the intermediate node, wherein the second switch is configured to operate in an ON state to connect the input voltage at the second node to the intermediate node;
- a third switch coupled between a third node and the intermediate node, wherein the third switch is configured to operate in an ON state to connect a reference voltage at the third node to the intermediate node;
- and
- an inductor coupled between the intermediate node and an output node of the regulating circuit;
- wherein the regulating circuit is configured to selectively connect the intermediate node to the switched-capacitor output voltage at the first node via the first switch, the input voltage at the second node via the second switch, or the reference voltage at the third node via the third switch;
- and
- wherein the regulating circuit is configured to operate in at least one mode of a plurality of modes to generate a regulating output voltage at the output node of the regulating circuit based on a voltage at the intermediate node, wherein each mode of the plurality of modes is associated with alternating between two different switching configurations of the first switch, the second switch, and the third switch.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.