# US 2018/0323702 A1 · Power converter, inductor element and control method of phase shedding > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0323702 A1 - Document ID: US20180323702A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/928,129 - Filed: 2018-03-22 - Published: 2018-11-08 - Earliest claimed: 2017-05-05 - Assignees: Delta Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Delta Electronics (Shanghai) CO., LTD - Inventors: Jinping ZHOU; Min ZHOU; Zhangnan XIN; Xinjian ZOU - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180323702A1 ## CPC - H02M 3/04: by static converters - H01F 3/14: Constrictions; Gaps, e.g. air-gaps (in magnetic shunt paths H01F3/12) - H01F 27/306: {Fastening or mounting coils or windings on core, casing or other support} - H01F 27/38: Auxiliary core members; Auxiliary coils or windings - H01F 37/00: Fixed inductances not covered by group H01F17/00 - H02M 3/1584: {with a plurality of power processing stages connected in parallel} - H01F 27/24: Magnetic cores - H01F 27/28: Coils; Windings; Conductive connections - H02M 1/0038: {Circuits or arrangements for suppressing, e.g. by masking incorrect turn-on or turn-off signals, e.g. due to current spikes in current mode control} - H02M 1/0048: {Circuits or arrangements for reducing losses (using snubbers H02M1/34)} - H02M 1/0064: {Magnetic structures combining different functions, e.g. storage, filtering or transformation} - H02M 1/14: Arrangements for reducing ripples from DC input or output - H02M 3/003: {Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections} - H02M 3/1586: {switched with a phase shift, i.e. interleaved} - Y02B 70/10: Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes - 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) - H01F: MAGNETS; INDUCTANCES; TRANSFORMERS; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR MAGNETIC PROPERTIES - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS ## Abstract An N-phase power converter has N phases with outputs connected in parallel and outputs connected in parallel. The converter comprises: N switch units, wherein each phase of the N-phase power converter comprises one of the N switch units; and an integrated inductor unit, comprising M inductor subunits, wherein M is a natural number greater than or equal to 2, each inductor subunit comprises i inductors, i is a natural number greater than or equal to 2, N>M×i or N=M×i, M×i of the inductors in the integrated inductor unit are respectively coupled to M×i of the N switch units, wherein: the i inductors of each of the inductor subunit are inverse-coupled to each other, the coupling coefficient between the M inductor subunits is less than the coupling coefficient between the i inductors in each of the inductor subunits. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An N-phase power converter, wherein N is a natural number greater than 3, inputs of each phase of the N-phase power converter are connected in parallel, outputs of each phase of the N-phase power converter are connected in parallel, and the N-phase power converter comprises: N switch units, wherein each phase of the N-phase power converter comprises one of the N switch units; and an integrated inductor unit, comprising M inductor subunits, wherein M is a natural number greater than or equal to 2, each of the M inductor subunit comprises i inductors, i is a natural number greater than or equal to 2, N>M×i or N=M×i, and the M×i inductors in the integrated inductor unit are respectively coupled to M×i of the N switch units, wherein: the i inductors of the same inductor subunit are inverse-coupled to each other, and a coupling coefficient between the M inductor subunits is less than a coupling coefficient between the i inductors in the same inductor subunit. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The N-phase power converter of claim 1, wherein the coupling coefficient between the M inductor subunits is less than 0.2. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The N-phase power converter of claim 1, wherein magnetic fluxes generated by the i inductors of any one of the inductor subunits do not flow through the i inductors of the other inductor subunits. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The N-phase power converter of claim 1, wherein any one of the inductor subunits shares a common magnetic column with at least another one of the inductor subunits, and the common magnetic column has no air gap. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The N-phase power converter of claim 1, wherein the M inductor subunits are arranged in a row, two adjacent inductor subunits of the M inductor subunits share one common magnetic column, magnetic fluxes generated by the 2×i inductors in the two adjacent inductor subunits all flow through the common magnetic column, and the common magnetic column has no air gap. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The N-phase power converter of claim 1, wherein the inductor subunit comprises: i first magnetic columns, each of the i first magnetic columns is coupled to at least one common magnetic column, and i air gaps are respectively formed in the i first magnetic columns, and the common magnetic column has no air gap; and i windings, respectively wound around the i first magnetic columns for forming the i inductors. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The N-phase power converter of claim 6, wherein when the M×i switch units are respectively operated, a direction of direct current magnetic flux generated by an xth winding of the i windings in an xth first magnetic column where the xth winding is wounded on is opposite to a direction of direct current magnetic fluxes generated by other i−1 windings of the same inductor subunit in the xth first magnetic column. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The N-phase power converter of claim 6, wherein the i windings respectively cover the i air gaps. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The N-phase power converter of claim 6, wherein the inductor subunit further comprises a second magnetic column having an air gap, the second magnetic column is coupled with at least one of the common magnetic columns, and no winding is provided on the second magnetic column. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The N-phase power converter of claim 1, wherein each of the inductor subunits comprises: a third magnetic column, having an air gap; and a first winding and a second winding, the first winding and the second winding being wound around the third magnetic column to form two of the i inductors; wherein when the M×i switch units are respectively operated, a direction of direct current flux generated by the first winding in the third magnetic column is opposite to a direction of direct current flux generated by the second winding in the third magnetic column. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The N-phase power converter of claim 10, wherein the third magnetic column is coupled to at least one of the common magnetic columns, the number i equals to 2. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The N-phase power converter of claim 10, wherein the third magnetic column and the common magnetic column are arranged parallel to each other and alternately, and the number i equals to 2. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The N-phase power converter of claim 1, wherein, a direct current magnetic flux generated by an xth one of the i inductors of any one of the inductor subunits flows through the other i−1 inductors of the same inductor subunit, a direction of the direct current flux flowing through the xth inductor generated by the xth one of the i inductors is opposite to a direction of direct current fluxes flowing through the xth inductor generated by other i−1 inductors of the same inductor subunit, and a direct current flux generated by the xth inductor does not flow through the other inductor subunits. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The N-phase power converter of claim 1, wherein the integrated inductor unit is composed of the M inductor subunits, each of the inductor subunits is composed of the i inductors, the M×i inductors of the integrated inductor unit are phase difference with each other by 360°/(M×i), and the i inductors of any one of the inductor subunits are phase difference with each other by 360°/i. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The N-phase power converter of claim 1, wherein a number of the integrated inductor units is k, wherein k is a natural number greater than 1, and N=k×M×i. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The N-phase power converter of claim 10, wherein the third magnetic columns of the M inductors subunits are arranged in parallel to each other, wherein the integrated inductor unit further comprises at least one decoupling magnetic column, the decoupling magnetic column has no air gap, the decoupling magnetic column does not have winding, the decoupling magnetic columns are arranged in parallel with the third magnetic columns. ### Claim 17 An N-phase integrated inductor element, wherein N is a natural number greater than 3, the integrated inductor element comprises M inductor subunits, M is a natural number greater than or equal to 2, each of the M inductor subunit comprises at least i inductors, i is a natural number greater than or equal to 2, and N>M×i or N=M×i, wherein: the i inductors of the same inductor subunit are coupled to each other, a coupling coefficient between the M inductor subunits is less than a coupling coefficient between the i inductors within the same inductor subunit. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The N-phase integrated inductor element of claim 17, wherein the inductors in different inductor subunits are not coupled. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The N-phase integrated inductor element of claim 18, wherein any one of the inductor subunits shares a common magnetic column with at least another one of the inductor subunits, and the common magnetic column has no air gap. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The N-phase integrated inductor element of claim 18, wherein the M inductor subunits are arranged in a row and two adjacent inductor subunits of the M inductor subunits share one common magnetic column, magnetic fluxes generated by 2×i inductors in the two adjacent inductor subunits all flow through the common magnetic column, and the common magnetic column has no air gap. ### Claim 21 (depends on 18) The N-phase integrated inductor element of claim 18, wherein the inductor subunit comprises: i first magnetic columns, each of which is coupled to at least one common magnetic column, and i air gaps are respectively formed in the i first magnetic columns, and the common magnetic column has no air gap; and i windings, respectively wound around the i first magnetic columns for forming the i inductors. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The N-phase integrated inductor element of claim 21, wherein the i windings respectively cover the i air gaps. ### Claim 23 (depends on 21) The N-phase integrated inductor element of claim 21, wherein at least one of the windings is a U-shaped winding and has two terminal surfaces on a same plane. ### Claim 24 (depends on 21) The N-phase integrated inductor element of claim 21, wherein the inductor subunit further comprises a second magnetic column, the second magnetic column is coupled with at least one of the common magnetic columns, the second magnetic column has an air gap, and the second magnetic column has no winding. ### Claim 25 (depends on 21) The N-phase integrated inductor element of claim 21, wherein an end of the common magnetic column is extended beyond the i first magnetic columns to form at least one protrusion. ### Claim 26 (depends on 18) The N-phase integrated inductor element of claim 18, wherein the inductor subunit comprises: a third magnetic column which is coupled to at least one common magnetic column and has an air gap; and a first winding and a second winding wound around the third magnetic column to form the i inductors; wherein the number i equals to 2. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The N-phase integrated inductor element of claim 26, wherein a thickness of the third magnetic column is smaller than a thickness of the common magnetic column, and both the first winding and the second winding are U-shaped windings and each have two terminal surfaces on a same plane. ### Claim 28 (depends on 19) The N-phase integrated inductor element of claim 19, wherein the inductor subunit comprises: a third magnetic column which is parallel to the common magnetic column and has an air gap; and a first winding and a second winding wound around the third magnetic column to form the i inductors; wherein the third magnetic column and the common magnetic column are parallel to each other and alternately arranged, and the number i equals to 2. ### Claim 29 (depends on 17) The N-phase integrated inductor element of claim 17, wherein each of the M inductor subunits comprises a third magnetic column, a third winding and a fourth winding, the third magnetic column has an air gap, the third winding and the fourth winding are wound around the third magnetic column to form the i inductors in the inductor subunit, wherein i equals to 2, the third magnetic columns of the M inductor subunits are arranged in parallel with each other, wherein the integrated inductor unit further comprises at least one decoupling magnetic column, the decoupling magnetic column has no air gap, the decoupling magnetic column does not have winding, the decoupling magnetic column is arranged in parallel with the third magnetic columns. ### Claim 30 (depends on 1) A control method of phase shedding for an N-phase power converter of claim 1, the control method of phase shedding comprising: controlling y×i switch units coupled with y×i inductors of y inductor subunits in the M inductor subunits to be turned off, wherein 0