# US 2014/0153294 A1 · AC/DC Power Converter Arrangement > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0153294 A1 - Document ID: US20140153294A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/706,137 - Filed: 2012-12-05 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-12-05 - Assignees: Infineon Technologies Austria AG - Applicants: Infineon Technologies Austria AG - Inventors: Gerald Deboy; Yi Tang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140153294A1 ## CPC - H02M 3/33569: {having several active switching elements (H02M3/3353 takes precedence)} - H02M 3/33571: {Half-bridge at primary side of an isolation transformer} - H02M 3/33573: {Full-bridge at primary side of an isolation transformer} - H02M 7/217: using semiconductor devices only - H02M 1/0074: {Plural converter units whose inputs are connected in series} - H02M 3/01: {Resonant DC/DC converters} - 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) ## Abstract A converter arrangement, includes a DC/DC stage comprising a plurality of DC/DC converters. Each of the plurality of DC/DC converters is operable to receive one of a plurality of direct input voltages. The DC/DC stage is configured to generate an output voltage from the plurality of direct input voltages. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A converter arrangement, comprising: a DC/DC stage comprising a plurality of DC/DC converters, wherein each of the plurality of DC/DC converters is operable to receive one of a plurality of direct input voltages, and wherein the DC/DC stage is configured to generate an output voltage from the plurality of direct input voltages. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The converter arrangement of claim 1, wherein the plurality of DC/DC converters of the DC/DC stage generate, in combination, the output voltage of the DC/DC stage. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The converter arrangement of claim 1, wherein the plurality of DC/DC converters each receive one of the plurality of direct input voltages that are based on a portion of an input voltage of the converter arrangement. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The converter arrangement of claim 1, wherein the plurality of direct input voltages comprise one or more of a plurality of substantially direct current (DC) input voltages and a plurality of substantially direct voltage input voltages. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The converter arrangement of claim 1, further comprising an AC/DC stage configured to receive an alternating input voltage and to output the plurality of direct input voltages based on the received alternating input voltage. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The converter arrangement of claim 5, wherein the AC/DC stage comprises: an AC/DC converter configured to receive the alternating input voltage and to output a substantially direct intermediate voltage; and a series circuit comprising a plurality of capacitive storage elements and configured to receive the direct intermediate voltage, wherein each of the plurality of capacitive storage elements is configured to output one of the plurality of direct input voltages. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The converter arrangement of claim 6, wherein the AC/DC converter is further configured to receive an input current and is operable to control a phase difference between the input current and the alternating input voltage. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The converter arrangement of claim 7, wherein the AC/DC converter is configured to control the phase difference to be substantially constant. ### Claim 9 (depends on 5) The converter arrangement of claim 5, wherein the AC/DC stage further comprises: a rectifier configured to receive the alternating input voltage and to output a rectified input voltage; and a series circuit comprising a plurality of voltage converters connected in series, wherein the series circuit is configured to receive the rectified input voltage, and wherein each voltage converter is configured to output one of the plurality of direct input voltages. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The converter arrangement of claim 9, wherein the plurality of voltage converters comprises AC/DC converters. ### Claim 11 (depends on 5) The converter arrangement of claim 5, wherein the AC/DC stage further comprises a series circuit comprising a plurality of AC/DC converters connected in series, wherein the series circuit is configured to receive the alternating input voltage, and wherein each of the plurality of AC/DC converters is configured to output one of the plurality of direct input voltages. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The converter arrangement of claim 11, wherein one of the plurality of AC/DC converters is configured to operate as a master AC/DC converter operable to receive an input current and control a phase difference between the input current and the alternating input voltage; and wherein the other AC/DC converters of the plurality of AC/DC converters are each configured to operate as a slave AC/DC converter operable to receive one of the plurality of direct input voltages and control a voltage level of the respective received direct input voltage. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The converter arrangement of claim 12, wherein the master AC/DC converter is operable to control the phase difference to be substantially constant. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The converter arrangement of claim 1, wherein each DC/DC converter of the plurality of DC/DC converters comprises: a switching circuit operable to receive the one of the plurality of direct input voltages; a transformer comprising a primary winding coupled to the switching circuit and a secondary winding; and a rectifier circuit coupled to the secondary winding and comprising an output coupled to an output of the converter arrangement. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The converter arrangement of claim 14, wherein one of the plurality of DC/DC converters is configured to operate as a master DC/DC converter operable to control a voltage level at the output of the converter arrangement. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The converter arrangement of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of DC/DC converters is implemented with at least one topology selected from the group consisting of: a phase-shift ZVS converter topology; a TTF converter topology; and an LLC converter topology. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The converter arrangement of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of DC/DC converters comprises a switching circuit operable to receive the one of the plurality of direct input voltages and a primary winding coupled to the switching circuit; and wherein the converter arrangement further comprises a secondary winding inductively coupled with each of the primary windings of each of the plurality of DC/DC converters and a rectifier circuit coupled to the secondary winding and configured to generate the output voltage of the converter arrangement. ### Claim 18 A method, comprising: receiving one of a plurality of direct input voltages by each of a plurality of DC/DC converters of a DC/DC stage; and generating, by the DC/DC stage, an output voltage from the plurality of direct input voltages. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein generating the output voltage comprises generating, in combination by the plurality of DC/DC converters, the output voltage of the DC/DC stage. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein receiving one of a plurality of substantially direct input voltages comprises receiving, by each of the plurality of DC/DC converters, the direct input voltages that are based on a portion of an input voltage of a converter arrangement that comprises the DC/DC stage. ### Claim 21 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the plurality of direct input voltages comprise one or more of a plurality of substantially direct current (DC) input voltages and a plurality of substantially direct voltage input voltages. ### Claim 22 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, further comprising: receiving an alternating input voltage by an AC/DC stage; and outputting the plurality of direct input voltages by the AC/DC stage based on the received alternating input voltage. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, further comprising: receiving the alternating input voltage by an AC/DC converter of the AC/DC stage; outputting a substantially direct intermediate voltage by the AC/DC converter; receiving the direct intermediate voltage by a series circuit comprising a plurality of capacitive storage elements connected in series; and outputting one of the plurality of direct input voltages by each of the plurality of capacitive storage elements. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The method of claim 23, further comprising: receiving an input current by the AC/DC converter; and controlling a phase difference between the input current and the alternating input voltage. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, wherein the phase difference is controlled to be substantially constant. ### Claim 26 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, further comprising: receiving the alternating input voltage by a rectifier of the AC/DC stage; outputting a rectified input voltage by the rectifier; receiving the rectified input voltage by a series circuit comprising a plurality of voltage converters connected in series; and outputting one of the plurality of direct input voltages by each of the voltage converters. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The method of claim 26, wherein the plurality of voltage converters comprise AC/DC converters. ### Claim 28 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, further comprising: receiving the alternating input voltage by a series circuit comprising a plurality of AC/DC converters connected in series; and outputting one of the plurality of direct input voltages by each of the plurality of AC/DC converters. ### Claim 29 (depends on 28) The method of claim 28, further comprising: operating one of the plurality of AC/DC converters as a master AC/DC converter such that the master AC/DC converter receives an input current and controls a phase difference between the input current and the alternating input voltage; and operating each of the other AC/DC converters of the plurality of AC/DC converters as slave AC/DC converters that are configured to receive one of the plurality of direct input voltages by each of the slave AC/DC converters, and control a voltage level of the respective received direct input voltage. ### Claim 30 (depends on 29) The method of claim 29, further comprising controlling, by the master AC/DC converter, the phase difference between the input current and the alternating input voltage to be substantially constant. ### Claim 31 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, further comprising receiving the one of the plurality of direct input voltages by a switching circuit of each of the plurality of DC/DC converters coupled to a primary winding of a transformer, wherein a secondary winding of the transformer is coupled to a rectifier circuit with an output coupled to an output of a converter arrangement comprising the DC/DC stage. ### Claim 32 (depends on 31) The method of claim 31, further comprising: operating one of the plurality of DC/DC converters a master DC/DC converter; and controlling, with the master DC/DC converter, a voltage level at the output of the converter arrangement. ### Claim 33 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein each of the plurality of DC/DC converters is implemented with at least one topology selected from the group consisting of: a phase-shift ZVS converter topology; a TTF converter topology; and an LLC converter topology. ### Claim 34 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the plurality of DC/DC converters each comprise a switching circuit operable to receive the one of the plurality of direct input voltages and a primary winding coupled to the switching circuit; and wherein the DC/DC converters are coupled such that a secondary winding is inductively coupled with each of the primary windings of each of the plurality of DC/DC converters; and wherein the method further comprises using a rectifier circuit that is coupled to the secondary winding to generate the output voltage of the converter arrangement. ### Claim 35 A converter arrangement, comprising: means for receiving one of a plurality of substantially direct input voltages by each of a plurality of DC/DC converters of a DC/DC stage; and means for generating, by the DC/DC stage, an output voltage from the plurality of direct input voltages.