Series stacked phase dc-dc converters with stable operation
AssigneeEmpower Semiconductor, Inc.
InventorsRichard NICHOLSON, Xiaogang FENG
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A power converter circuit is disclosed. In one aspect, the power converter circuit includes a first top buck converter circuit coupled in parallel to a second top buck converter circuit at a first connection node and at a second connection node, and a bottom buck converter circuit coupled in series to each of the first and second top buck converter circuits at the second connection node, a power input terminal coupled to the first and second top buck converter circuits, and a power output terminal coupled to the bottom buck converter circuit and to the first connection node.
Claims20
A circuit comprising:
- a first high-side switch coupled to a first low-side switch at a first switch node;
- a second high-side switch coupled to a second low-side switch at a second switch node, the first switch node coupled to the second switch node;
- a power input terminal coupled to the first and second high-side switches;
- a third high-side switch coupled to a third low-side switch at a third switch node, the third low-side switch coupled to a ground, wherein the third high-side switch is coupled to the first low-side switch and to the second low-side switch;
- and
- a power output terminal coupled to the first switch node and to the third switch node.
A method of operating a circuit, the method comprising:
- providing a first top buck converter circuit coupled to an input terminal;
- providing a second top buck converter circuit coupled to the input terminal, the first top buck converter circuit coupled to the second top buck converter circuit at first and second connection nodes, wherein the input terminal is not directly connected to the first connection node;
- providing a bottom buck converter circuit coupled to the first top buck converter circuit and to the second top buck converter circuit at the second connection node;
- and
- providing an output terminal coupled to the bottom buck converter circuit and to the first connection node, wherein the output terminal is coupled to the first connection node through only a first inductor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.