Power converter with a plurality of switching power stage circuits

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10879801-B2
Application number	US-201916429193-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2019
Priority date	Jun 14, 2018
Publication date	Dec 29, 2020
Grant date	Dec 29, 2020

Abstract

A power converter can include: first and second terminals; N A-type switching power stage circuits, each having a first energy storage element, where N is a positive integer, a first terminal of a first A-type switching power stage circuit in the N A-type switching power stage circuits is coupled to the first terminal of the power converter, and a second terminal of each of the N A-type switching power stage circuits is coupled to the second terminal of the power converter; one B-type switching power stage circuit; and N second energy storage elements, each being coupled to one of the N A-type switching power stage circuits, and the B-type switching power stage circuit is coupled between a terminal of one of the N second energy storage elements corresponding to the B-type switching power stage circuit and the second terminal of the power converter.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power converter, comprising:
a) a first terminal;
b) a second terminal;
c) N A-type switching power stage circuits, each having a first energy storage element and a first magnetic element that are connected together without a switch, wherein N is a positive integer, wherein a first terminal of a first A-type switching power stage circuit in the N A-type switching power stage circuits is coupled to the first terminal of the power converter, and a second terminal of each of the N A-type switching power stage circuits is coupled to the second terminal of the power converter;
d) one B-type switching power stage circuit; and
e) N second energy storage elements, wherein each of the N second energy storage elements is directly connected to ground and coupled to one of the N A-type switching power stage circuits, and wherein the B-type switching power stage circuit is coupled between a terminal of one of the N second energy storage elements corresponding to the B-type switching power stage circuit and the second terminal of the power converter.

2. The power converter of claim 1 , wherein energy storage parameters of first energy storage elements of the N A-type switching power stage circuits and the N second energy storage elements are configured to control the N A-type switching power stage circuits to meet inductor volt-second balance.

3. The power converter of claim 1 , wherein when N is greater than 1, an n-th A-type switching power stage circuit from the N A-type switching power stage circuits is coupled between a terminal of an (n-1)-th second energy storage element among the N second energy storage elements and the second terminal of the power converter, and a j-th second energy storage element from the N second energy storage elements is coupled between a j-th A-type switching power stage circuit among the N A-type switching power stage circuits, and a ground, wherein n is a positive integer of at least two, and is a positive integer.

4. The power converter of claim 1 , further comprising N first transistors, wherein each of the N second energy storage elements is coupled to the A-type switching power stage circuit corresponding to the second energy storage element via one of the N first transistors connected in series with the second energy storage element.

5. The power converter of claim 1 , wherein:
a) the first terminal of the power converter is configured as an input terminal of the power converter to receive an input voltage; and
b) the second terminal of the power converter is configured as an output terminal of the power converter to generate an output voltage.

6. The power converter of claim 1 , wherein:
a) the second terminal of the power converter is configured as an input terminal of the power converter to receive an input voltage; and
b) the first terminal of the power converter is configured as an output terminal of the power converter to generate an output voltage.

7. The power converter of claim 4 , wherein each of the N A-type switching power stage circuits further comprises a second transistor coupled between a first terminal of the A-type switching power stage circuit and the first energy storage element.

8. The power converter of claim 7 , wherein each of the N A-type switching power stage circuits further comprises:
a) a third transistor coupled between the first energy storage element and ground; and
b) wherein the first magnetic element is connected between the first energy storage element and the second terminal of the power converter.

9. The power converter of claim 8 , wherein the B-type switching power stage circuit comprises:
a) fourth and fifth transistors coupled between the second energy storage element corresponding to the B-type switching power stage circuit and ground; and
b) a second magnetic element coupled between the second terminal of the power converter and a common node between the fourth and fifth transistors.

10. The power converter of claim 9 , wherein phase-shift control is performed on operation states of the N A-type switching power stage circuits and the B-type switching power stage circuit.

11. The power converter of claim 9 , wherein in-phase control is performed on operation states of the N A-type switching power stage circuits and the B-type switching power stage circuit.

12. The power converter of claim 9 , wherein each of the third and fifth transistors comprises a rectification switch.

13. The power converter of claim 9 , wherein each of the third and fifth transistors comprises a diode.

14. The power converter of claim 9 , wherein:
a) at least one of first magnetic elements of the N A-type switching power stage circuits is coupled with the second magnetic element; and
b) at least two of first magnetic elements of the N A-type switching power stage circuits are coupled with each other.

15. The power converter of claim 9 , wherein at least one of first magnetic elements of the N A-type switching power stage circuits is coupled with the second magnetic element.

16. The power converter of claim 9 , wherein at least two of first magnetic elements of the N A-type switching power stage circuits are coupled with each other.

17. The power converter of claim 10 , wherein:
a) the second transistor of each of the N A-type switching power stage circuits has a same duty cycle as the fourth transistor;
b) a switching state of the second transistor is complementary to a switching state of the third transistor;
c) a switching state of the fourth transistor is complementary to a switching state of the fifth transistor;
d) a switching state of a j-th first transistor from the N first transistors is complementary to a switching state of a third transistor of a j-th A-type switching power stage circuit from the N A-type switching power stage circuits, wherein j is a positive integer; and
e) the power converter is configured to adjust the duty cycle of the second transistor to generate a stabilized output voltage.

18. The power converter of claim 11 , wherein:
a) the second transistor of each of the N A-type switching power stage circuits has a same switching state as the fourth transistor;
b) the third transistor of each of the N A-type switching power stage circuits has a same switching state as the N first transistors and the fifth transistor, and the switching state of the third transistor is complementary to a switching state of the second transistor; and
c) the power converter is configured to adjusting a duty cycle of the second transistor to generate a stabilized output voltage.

19. The power converter of claim 17 , wherein when N is greater than 1, there is a same phase difference between conduction timings of adjacent second transistors among the N second transistors, and the same phase difference between a conduction timing of an N-th second transistor among the N second transistors and a conduction timing of the fourth transistor.

20. The power converter of claim 19 , wherein the phase difference is 360°/(N+1).

Assignees

• Silergy Semiconductor Technology Hangzhou Ltd

Inventors

• Zhang Wang
• Zhao Chen

Classifications

• H02M1/0095

  Hybrid converter topologies, e.g. NPC mixed with flying capacitor, thyristor converter mixed with MMC or charge pump mixed with buck · CPC title

• H02M3/1586

  switched with a phase shift, i.e. interleaved · CPC title

• H02M3/1584 Primary

  with a plurality of power processing stages connected in parallel · CPC title

• H02M3/07 Primary

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

• H02M1/088

  for the simultaneous control of series or parallel connected semiconductor devices · CPC title