High current switching converter for LED applications
AssigneeAdvanced Analogic Technologies, Inc.
InventorRichard Williams
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A step-up switching voltage regulator includes two or more inductors and a switching network. A control circuit drives the switching network in a repeating sequence that includes: a magnetizing phase where the inductors are connected in series between an input voltage and ground; and a charge transfer phase where the inductors are connected in parallel to provide current to an output node with at least one of the inductors is connected between ground and the output node.
Claims20
A step-up switching voltage regulator comprising:
- a first inductor coupled between an input voltage and a first node;
- a first switch connected between the first node and a second node;
- a second inductor connected between the second node and a third node;
- a second switch connected between the third node and ground;
- a third switch connected between the second node and ground;
- and
- a control circuit connected to drive the first, second, and third switches in a repeating sequence that includes a magnetizing phase in which the first and second inductors are connected in series between the input voltage and ground, and a charge transfer phase in which the first and second inductors are connected in parallel to provide current to an output node with each of the first inductor and the second inductor being connected between ground and the output node.
A step-up switching voltage regulator comprising:
- a plurality of inductors;
- a switching network, the switching network including a plurality of first switches and at least one second switch, each first switch of the plurality of first switches connecting each inductor of the plurality of inductors in a series between the input voltage and ground, each second switch of the at least one second switch coupling each inductor other than a first inductor in the series between an output node and ground;
- and
- a control circuit connected to each first switch of the plurality of first switches and to each second switch of the at least one second switch and configured to drive the switching network in a repeating sequence that includes a magnetizing phase in which each inductor of the plurality of inductors is connected in series between the input voltage and ground, and a charge transfer phase in which each inductor of the plurality of inductors is connected in parallel to provide current to the output node with at least two inductors of the plurality of inductors being connected between ground and the output node through a respective second switch of the at least one second switch.
A method for controlling a step-up switching voltage regulator that includes two or more inductors and a switching network, the switching network including a plurality of first switches and at least one second switch, the method comprising:
- configuring the two or more inductors into a magnetizing phase in which each first switch of the plurality of first switches is on and conducting, each second switch of the at least one second switch is off and not conducting, and each inductor of the two or more inductors is connected in series between an input voltage and ground;
- and
- configuring the two or more inductors into a charge transfer phase in which each first switch of the plurality of first switches is off and not conducting, each second switch of the at least one second switch is on and conducting, and each inductor of the two or more inductors is connected in parallel to provide current to an output node with at least two inductors of the two or more inductors being connected between ground and the output node through a respective second switch of the at least one second switch.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.