Voltage converter inductor having a nonlinear inductance value
AssigneeVolterra Semiconductor Corporation
InventorsAlexandr Ikriannikov, Ognjen Djekic
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Single phase inductors have non-linear inductance values, and M-phase coupled inductors having non-linear leakage inductance values. Each inductor includes, for example, at least one of the following: a saturable magnetic element, a gap of non-uniform thickness, a core formed of a distributed gap material, or a non-homogeneous core. A DC-to-DC converter includes an inductor having a non-linear inductance value, a switching subsystem, and an output filer. Another DC-to-DC converter includes an output filter, a coupled inductor having non-linear leakage inductance values, and switching subsystems.
Claims18
A DC-to-DC converter, comprising:
- an output filter;
- a coupled inductor including:
- a magnetic core, and
- M windings, M being an integer greater than one, each winding having a first and a second terminal, each second terminal being electrically coupled to the output filter, each winding being wound at least partially about at least a portion of the magnetic core, each winding being magnetically coupled to each other winding, each winding having a respective leakage inductance,
- the magnetic core being configured and arranged such that a respective leakage inductance value of each winding decreases with increasing current through the winding in a range of currents through the winding anticipated during normal operation of the DC-to-DC converter and the coupled inductor;
- and
- M switching subsystems, each switching subsystem coupling the first terminal of a respective winding to an input power source, the switching subsystems for alternately charging and discharging their respective windings.
An inductor having a non-linear inductance value, comprising a magnetic core including:
- a first magnetic element formed of a first material that does not saturate during anticipated normal operation of the inductor;
- and
- a second magnetic element formed of a second material that saturates as the magnitude of current flowing through the inductor increases in a range of currents anticipated in normal operation of the inductor, the first material being different than the second material,
- the magnetic core being configured and arranged such that the inductor has an inductance value that decreases as magnitude of current through the inductor increases in the range of currents anticipated in normal operation of the inductor.
An inductor having a non-linear inductance value, comprising a magnetic core including:
- a first magnetic element formed of a first material that does not saturate during anticipated normal operation of the inductor;
- and
- a second magnetic element formed of a second material that saturates as the magnitude of current flowing through the inductor increases in a range of currents anticipated in normal operation of the inductor, the first material being different than the second material,
- the magnetic core being configured and arranged such that the inductor has an inductance value that decreases as magnitude of current through the inductor increases in the range of currents anticipated in normal operation of the inductor.
An inductor having a non-linear inductance value, comprising:
- a magnetic core forming a gap;
- and
- a saturable magnetic element bridging the gap, the saturable magnetic element configured and arranged such that the inductor has an inductance value that decreases as magnitude of current through the inductor increases in a range of currents anticipated in normal operation of the inductor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.