Augmented multi-stage boost converter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10917013-B2
Application number	US-201916692072-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2019
Priority date	Dec 21, 2018
Publication date	Feb 9, 2021
Grant date	Feb 9, 2021

Abstract

A boost converter may include a first stage comprising a first dual anti-wound inductor constructed such that its windings generate opposing magnetic fields in its magnetic core, and a second stage comprising a second dual anti-wound inductor constructed such that its windings generate opposing magnetic fields in its magnetic core. The boost converter may also include control circuitry for controlling the first stage and the second stage to have a plurality of phases comprising a first phase wherein a first coil of the first dual anti-wound inductor and a second coil of the second dual anti-wound inductor are coupled in parallel between a power supply and a ground voltage and a second phase wherein the first coil of the first dual anti-wound inductor and the second coil of the second dual anti-wound inductor are coupled in series between the power supply and the ground voltage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A boost converter comprising:
a first stage comprising a first dual anti-wound inductor constructed such that its windings generate opposing magnetic fields in its magnetic core;
a second stage comprising a second dual anti-wound inductor constructed such that its windings generate opposing magnetic fields in its magnetic core; and
control circuitry for controlling the first stage and the second stage to have a plurality of phases comprising:
a first phase wherein a first coil of the first dual anti-wound inductor and a second coil of the second dual anti-wound inductor are coupled in parallel between a power supply and a ground voltage; and
a second phase wherein the first coil of the first dual anti-wound inductor and the second coil of the second dual anti-wound inductor are coupled in series between the power supply and the ground voltage.

2. The boost converter of claim 1 , the plurality of phases further comprising:
a third phase wherein a third coil of the first dual anti-wound inductor and a fourth coil of the second dual anti-wound inductor are coupled in parallel between the power supply and the ground voltage; and
a fourth phase wherein the third coil of the first dual anti-wound inductor and the fourth coil of the second dual anti-wound inductor are coupled in series between the power supply and the ground voltage.

3. The boost converter of claim 1 , further comprising a capacitor and a plurality of switches, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to offload excess current between the first dual anti-wound inductor and the second dual anti-wound inductor onto the capacitor to balance the first dual anti-wound inductor and the second dual anti-wound inductor and prevent excess voltage build up in the first dual anti-wound inductor and the second dual anti-wound inductor.

4. The boost converter of claim 1 , further comprising a third stage comprising a third dual anti-wound inductor constructed such that its windings generate opposing magnetic fields in its magnetic core and wherein the control circuit is further configured to control the first stage, the second stage, and the third stage such that:
in the first phase, the first coil of the first dual anti-wound inductor, the second coil of the second dual anti-wound inductor, and a third coil of the third dual anti-wound inductor are coupled in parallel between the power supply and the ground voltage; and
in the second phase, the first coil of the first dual anti-wound inductor, the second coil of the second dual anti-wound inductor, and the third coil of the third dual anti-wound inductor are coupled in series between the power supply and the ground voltage.

5. The boost converter of claim 1 , further comprising a copy of the first stage in parallel with the first stage such that respective inputs of the first stage and the copy of the first stage are coupled to one another and such that respective outputs of the first stage and the copy of the first stage are coupled to one another.

6. An electronic device comprising:
at least one circuit configured to receive a boosted voltage as a supply voltage to the at least one circuit; and
a boost converter comprising:
a first stage comprising a first dual anti-wound inductor constructed such that its windings generate opposing magnetic fields in its magnetic core;
a second stage comprising a second dual anti-wound inductor constructed such that its windings generate opposing magnetic fields in its magnetic core; and
control circuitry for controlling the first stage and the second stage to have a plurality of phases comprising:
a first phase wherein a first coil of the first dual anti-wound inductor and a second coil of the second dual anti-wound inductor are coupled in parallel between a power supply and a ground voltage; and
a second phase wherein the first coil of the first dual anti-wound inductor and the second coil of the second dual anti-wound inductor are coupled in series between the power supply and the ground voltage.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 , the plurality of phases further comprising:
a third phase wherein a third coil of the first dual anti-wound inductor and a fourth coil of the second dual anti-wound inductor are coupled in parallel between the power supply and the ground voltage; and
a fourth phase wherein the third coil of the first dual anti-wound inductor and the fourth coil of the second dual anti-wound inductor are coupled in series between the power supply and the ground voltage.

8. The electronic device of claim 6 , the boost converter further comprising a capacitor and a plurality of switches, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to offload excess current between the first dual anti-wound inductor and the second dual anti-wound inductor onto the capacitor to balance the first dual anti-wound inductor and the second dual anti-wound inductor and prevent excess voltage build up in the first dual anti-wound inductor and the second dual anti-wound inductor.

9. The electronic device of claim 6 , the boost converter further comprising a third stage comprising a third dual anti-wound inductor constructed such that its windings generate opposing magnetic fields in its magnetic core and wherein the control circuit is further configured to control the first stage, the second stage, and the third stage such that:
in the first phase, the first coil of the first dual anti-wound inductor, the second coil of the second dual anti-wound inductor, and a third coil of the third dual anti-wound inductor are coupled in parallel between the power supply and the ground voltage; and
in the second phase, the first coil of the first dual anti-wound inductor, the second coil of the second dual anti-wound inductor, and the third coil of the third dual anti-wound inductor are coupled in series between the power supply and the ground voltage.

10. The electronic device of claim 6 , the boost converter further comprising a copy of the first stage in parallel with the first stage such that respective inputs of the first stage and the copy of the first stage are coupled to one another and such that respective outputs of the first stage and the copy of the first stage are coupled to one another.

11. A method comprising, in a boost converter having a first stage comprising a first dual anti-wound inductor constructed such that its windings generate opposing magnetic fields in its magnetic core and a second stage comprising a second dual anti-wound inductor constructed such that its windings generate opposing magnetic fields in its magnetic core:
controlling the first stage and the second stage to have a plurality of phases comprising:
a first phase wherein a first coil of the first dual anti-wound inductor and a second coil of the second dual anti-wound inductor are coupled in parallel between a power supply and a ground voltage; and
a second phase wherein the first coil of the first dual anti-wound inductor and the second coil of the second dual anti-wound inductor are coupled in series between the power supply and the ground voltage.

12. The method of claim 11 , the plurality of phases further comprising:
a third phase wherein a third coil of the first dual anti-wound inductor and a fourth coil of the second dual anti-wound inductor are coupled in parallel between the power supply and the ground voltage; and
a fourth phase wherein the third coil of the first dual anti-wound inductor and the fourth coil of the second dual anti-wound inductor are coupled in series between the power supply and the ground voltage.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the boost converter furth

Assignees

• Cirrus Logic Int Semiconductor Ltd
• Cirrus Logic Inc

Inventors

• Melanson John L
• King Eric J
• Lawrence Jason W

Classifications

• H02M3/1584 Primary

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

• H02M1/44

  Circuits or arrangements for compensating for electromagnetic interference in converters or inverters · CPC title

• H02M1/40

  Means for preventing magnetic saturation · CPC title

• H02M1/15

  using active elements · CPC title

• H02M1/007

  Plural converter units in cascade (push-pull DC/DC converters with pre-regulator H02M3/3374; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC stage including a high frequency transformer H02M7/4807; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC conversion stage generating periodically varying voltages H02M7/4826) · CPC title