Multi-output switched-mode power supply for multi-cell-in-series battery charging

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12199458-B2
Application number	US-202117448306-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 21, 2021
Priority date	Jan 19, 2021
Publication date	Jan 14, 2025
Grant date	Jan 14, 2025

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for converting power using a multi-output switched-mode power supply (SMPS) coupled to a multi-cell-in-series battery, such as charging a two-cell-in-series (2S) battery using a dual-output three-level buck converter coupled thereto, or using a multi-input SMPS circuit receiving power from a multi-cell-in-series battery. One example power supply circuit generally includes a switched-mode power supply circuit having an input node and an output node, a battery comprising multiple cells connected in series, a charge pump circuit having a first terminal and a second terminal, the second terminal of the charge pump circuit being coupled to the battery, a first switch coupled between the output node of the switched-mode power supply circuit and the first terminal of the charge pump circuit, and a second switch coupled between the output node of the switched-mode power supply circuit and the second terminal of the charge pump circuit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power supply circuit comprising:
a switched-mode power supply circuit having an input node and an output node;
a charge pump circuit having a first terminal and a second terminal;
a first switch coupled between the output node of the switched-mode power supply circuit and the first terminal of the charge pump circuit; and
a second switch coupled between the output node of the switched-mode power supply circuit and the second terminal of the charge pump circuit.

2. The power supply circuit of claim 1 , further comprising a battery comprising multiple cells connected in series, wherein the second terminal of the charge pump circuit is coupled to the battery.

3. The power supply circuit of claim 2 , wherein the first switch is configured to be closed and the second switch is configured to be open when an input voltage at the input node is less than a battery voltage of the battery.

4. The power supply circuit of claim 3 , wherein the charge pump circuit is configured as a multiply-by-two charge pump from the first terminal to the second terminal of the charge pump circuit when the input voltage at the input node is less than the battery voltage of the battery.

5. The power supply circuit of claim 2 , wherein the first switch is configured to be open and the second switch is configured to be closed when an input voltage at the input node is more than a battery voltage of the battery.

6. The power supply circuit of claim 5 , wherein the charge pump circuit is configured as a divide-by-two charge pump from the second terminal to the first terminal of the charge pump circuit when the input voltage at the input node is more than the battery voltage of the battery.

7. The power supply circuit of claim 1 , wherein the power supply circuit is configured to be operated in a reverse mode and wherein the first switch is configured to be closed and the second switch is configured to be open in the reverse mode.

8. The power supply circuit of claim 1 , wherein the power supply circuit is configured to be operated in a reverse mode and wherein the first switch is configured to be open and the second switch is configured to be closed in the reverse mode.

9. The power supply circuit of claim 1 , wherein the first switch and the second switch comprise n-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS) transistors.

10. The power supply circuit of claim 1 , wherein the switched-mode power supply circuit comprises:
a first transistor coupled to the input node;
a second transistor coupled to the first transistor via a first node;
a third transistor coupled to the second transistor via a second node;
a fourth transistor coupled to the third transistor via a third node;
a capacitive element having a first terminal coupled to the first node and having a second terminal coupled to the third node; and
an inductive element having a first terminal coupled to the second node and having a second terminal coupled to the output node of the switched-mode power supply circuit.

11. The power supply circuit of claim 10 , wherein the first, second, third, and fourth transistors comprise n-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS) transistors.

12. The power supply circuit of claim 1 , further comprising a parallel charger coupled between the input node of the switched-mode power supply circuit and the second terminal of the charge pump circuit.

13. A power management integrated circuit (PMIC) comprising at least a portion of the power supply circuit of claim 1 .

14. A method of supplying power, comprising:
operating a switched-mode power supply circuit; and
selectively routing a current through a first switch coupled between a first node of the switched-mode power supply circuit and a first terminal of a charge pump circuit or through a second switch coupled between the first node of the switched-mode power supply circuit and a second terminal of the charge pump circuit.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising charging a battery, wherein the operating comprises operating the switched-mode power supply circuit in a forward mode, wherein the battery comprises multiple cells connected in series, and wherein the battery is coupled to the second switch and to the second terminal of the charge pump circuit.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein when an input voltage at a second node of the switched-mode power supply circuit is less than a battery voltage of the battery, the selectively routing comprises closing the first switch and opening the second switch.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising operating the charge pump circuit as a multiply-by-two charge pump from the first terminal to the second terminal of the charge pump circuit when the input voltage at the second node of the switched-mode power supply circuit is less than the battery voltage of the battery.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein when an input voltage at a second node of the switched-mode power supply circuit is more than a battery voltage of the battery, the selectively routing comprises opening the first switch and closing the second switch.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising operating the charge pump circuit as a divide-by-two charge pump from the second terminal to the first terminal of the charge pump circuit when the input voltage at the second node of the switched-mode power supply circuit is more than the battery voltage of the battery.

20. The method of claim 15 , further comprising receiving power to charge the battery via at least one of:
a port designated for a wired connection and coupled to the switched-mode power supply circuit; or
a wireless power transceiver coupled to the switched-mode power supply circuit.

21. The method of claim 14 , wherein:
the operating comprises operating the switched-mode power supply circuit in a reverse mode; and
the selectively routing comprises closing the first switch and opening the second switch to route the current from the charge pump circuit through the first switch to the switched-mode power supply circuit.

22. The method of claim 21 , further comprising operating the charge pump circuit as a divide-by-two charge pump from the second terminal to the first terminal of the charge pump circuit.

23. The method of claim 21 , further comprising receiving power from a battery, wherein:
the battery comprises multiple cells connected in series; and
the battery is coupled to the second switch and to the second terminal of the charge pump circuit.

24. The method of claim 14 , wherein:
the operating comprises operating the switched-mode power supply circuit in a reverse mode;
the selectively routing comprises opening the first switch and closing the second switch to route the current from a battery through the second switch to the switched-mode power supply circuit;
the battery comprises multiple cells connected in series; and
the battery is coupled to the second switch and to the second terminal of the charge pump circuit.

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Kun Cheong
• Guo Guoyong

Classifications

• H02J7/96 Primary

  in response to battery voltage · CPC title

• H02J7/56 Primary

  Active balancing, e.g. using capacitor-based, inductor-based or DC-DC converters · CPC title

• H02J2207/20

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

• H02J2207/30

  Charge provided using DC bus or data bus of a computer · CPC title

• H02M1/14

  Arrangements for reducing ripples from DC input or output · CPC title