Implementation of high-voltage direct-charging 2:1 switched-capacitor converter for battery charging of electronic devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10312724-B2
Application number	US-201715600244-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 19, 2017
Priority date	May 19, 2017
Publication date	Jun 4, 2019
Grant date	Jun 4, 2019

Abstract

A power converter including a power conditioning circuit to receive input power and set operating voltages of the power converter, a current sensing circuit to determine an input current of the power converter, a voltage regulation circuit to step down a voltage level of the input power, a charge pump circuit to store charge delivered by the voltage regulation circuit and output to a load a current larger than the input current, and a power path controller to control switching and provide feedback within the power converter.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A power converter, comprising:
a power conditioning circuit configured to receive input power and set operating voltages of the power converter;
wherein the input power includes an input current and an input voltage;
a current sensing circuit to determine the input current of the power converter;
a voltage regulation circuit configured to step down the input voltage of the input power;
a charge pump circuit configured to store charge delivered by the voltage regulation circuit and to output to a load a current larger than the input current;
a power path controller configured to control switching and provide feedback within the power converter; and
a plurality of back gate transistors to block leakage current from the output current to the input current.

2. The power converter of claim 1 , wherein the voltage regulation circuit comprises a single transistor and driver circuit.

3. The power converter of claim 1 , wherein the voltage regulation circuit comprises a pair of transistors that are switched at a fifty percent duty cycle.

4. The power converter of claim 1 , wherein the charge pump circuit includes a pair of flying capacitors that are alternatively switched to provide power to a load.

5. The power converter of claim 1 , wherein the voltage regulation circuit comprises a pair of input transistors and the charge pump circuit includes a pair of back gate transistors, a pair of mid-point transistors, and a pair of grounding transistors.

6. The power converter of claim 5 , wherein an input transistor and a mid-point transistor are switched ON to charge the charge pump and are switched OFF to discharge the charge pump.

7. The power converter of claim 5 , wherein a back gate transistor and a grounding transistor are switched ON to discharge the charge pump and are switched OFF to charge the charge pump.

8. The power converter of claim 5 , wherein the back gate transistors are turned ON to prevent reverse current in the power converter from output to input.

9. The power converter of claim 5 , further comprising a pair of input drivers, a pair of back gate drivers, a pair of mid-point drivers, and a pair of grounding drivers.

10. The power converter of claim 9 , wherein the power conditioning circuit provides operating power to the input drivers, back gate drivers, mid-point drivers, and grounding drivers.

11. The power converter of claim 9 , wherein the power path controller receives current and voltage measurements and provides logic signals to the input drivers, back gate drivers, mid-point drivers, and grounding drivers.

12. A method of charging a power adapter having a power converter, comprising:
providing input power to the power converter;
wherein the input power includes an input current and an input voltage;
using the input power to provide operating power to a plurality of driver circuits within the power converter;
controlling a voltage regulation circuit and a charge pump circuit to reduce the input voltage and increase an output current to a load of the power adapter; and
switching a pair of back gate transistors to prevent reverse current from the output current to the input current in the power converter.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising switching ON a first input transistor of the voltage regulation circuit and switching ON a first mid-point transistor of the charge pump circuit to charge a first flying capacitor of the charge pump circuit in a first half cycle.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising switching ON a second input transistor of the voltage regulation circuit and switching ON a second mid-point transistor of the charge pump circuit to charge a second flying capacitor of the charge pump circuit in a second half cycle.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising switching OFF a first back gate transistor of the charge pump circuit and switching OFF a first grounding transistor of the charge pump circuit to discharge a first flying capacitor of the charge pump circuit in a first half cycle.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising switching OFF a second back gate transistor of the charge pump circuit and switching OFF a second grounding transistor of the charge pump circuit to discharge a second flying capacitor of the charge pump circuit in a second half cycle.

Assignees

• Nxp Bv

Inventors

• Christiaans Peter
• Crosby Ii Robert Glenn

Classifications

• H02J7/04 Primary

  Regulation of charging current or voltage · CPC title

• H02J7/00

  Circuit arrangements for charging or discharging batteries or for supplying loads from batteries · CPC title

• H02M3/07 Primary

  using capacitors charged and discharged alternately by semiconductor devices with control electrode {, e.g. charge pumps} · CPC title

• H02J2207/20

  Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter · CPC title

• H02M2003/077

  Electricity · mapped topic