Operation method of a power supply circuit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12287689-B2
Application number	US-202318319047-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 17, 2023
Priority date	May 17, 2023
Publication date	Apr 29, 2025
Grant date	Apr 29, 2025

Abstract

An operation method of a power supply circuit which is provided with an input voltage to generate a positive output voltage and a negative output voltage is proposed. The power supply circuit includes five switches and is electrically connected with an inductor through a first inductor node and a second inductor node. The disclosed operation method includes determining the power supply circuit to operate in a mode, which includes three operation phases, a first, second and third phase. Energizing currents can be generated and provided both to enhance the positive output voltage and negative output voltage by employing the proposed operation method. Since there is no transition of the voltage level of the second inductor node during the second phase to third phase transition, it is believed that the present invention effectively achieves in suppressing redundant power switching loss and providing optimized output power efficiency.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An operation method of a power supply circuit, wherein the power supply circuit is provided with an input voltage and operable to generate a positive output voltage and a negative output voltage, the power supply circuit is electrically connected with an inductor through a first inductor node and a second inductor node, the operation method of the power supply circuit comprising: determining the power supply circuit to operate in a first period mode, wherein the first period mode includes a first phase, a second phase and a third phase; controlling the power supply circuit to operate in the first phase of the first period mode, and a voltage level of the first inductor node is at a high voltage level and a voltage level of the second inductor node is at a low voltage level in the first phase of the first period mode; controlling the power supply circuit to operate in the second phase of the first period mode successively after the first phase of the first period mode, and the voltage level of the first inductor node is at a high voltage level and the voltage level of the second inductor node is at a high voltage level in the second phase of the first period mode; and controlling the power supply circuit to operate in the third phase of the first period mode successively after the second phase of the first period mode, and the voltage level of the first inductor node is at a low voltage level and the voltage level of the second inductor node is at a high voltage level in the third phase of the first period mode, such that no transition of the voltage level of the second inductor node is generated when the power supply circuit switches from the second phase of the first period mode to the third phase of the first period mode; and wherein the power supply circuit includes a first switch electrically connected between the first inductor node and an input node being coupled with the input voltage, a second switch electrically connected between the first inductor node and a ground, a third switch electrically connected between the second inductor node and the ground, a fourth switch electrically connected between the second inductor node and a first output node for outputting the positive output voltage, and a fifth switch electrically connected between the first inductor node and a second output node for outputting the negative output voltage.

2. The operation method of the power supply circuit according to claim 1 , wherein when the power supply circuit operates in the first period mode, energizing currents are generated and provided both to a first output node for increasing the positive output voltage and to a second output node for increasing the negative output voltage.

3. The operation method of the power supply circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the first switch and the third switch are turned on when the power supply circuit operates in the first phase of the first period mode.

4. The operation method of the power supply circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the first switch and the fourth switch are turned on when the power supply circuit operates in the second phase of the first period mode.

5. The operation method of the power supply circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the fourth switch and the fifth switch are turned on when the power supply circuit operates in the third phase of the first period mode.

6. The operation method of the power supply circuit according to claim 1 , further comprising:
determining the power supply circuit to operate in a second period mode, wherein the second period mode includes a first phase and a second phase.

7. The operation method of the power supply circuit according to claim 6 , further comprising:
controlling the power supply circuit to operate in the first phase of the second period mode, and the voltage level of the first inductor node is at a high voltage level and the voltage level of the second inductor node is at a low voltage level in the first phase of the second period mode; and
controlling the power supply circuit to operate in the second phase of the second period mode successively after the first phase of the second period mode, and the voltage level of the first inductor node is at a low voltage level and the voltage level of the second inductor node is at a low voltage level in the second phase of the second period mode.

8. The operation method of the power supply circuit according to claim 7 , wherein the first switch and the third switch are turned on when the power supply circuit operates in the first phase of the second period mode.

9. The operation method of the power supply circuit according to claim 7 , wherein the third switch and the fifth switch are turned on when the power supply circuit operates in the second phase of the second period mode.

10. The operation method of the power supply circuit according to claim 6 , wherein when the power supply circuit operates in the second period mode, energizing current is generated and provided to the second output node for increasing the negative output voltage.

11. The operation method of the power supply circuit according to claim 1 , further comprising:
determining the power supply circuit to operate in a third period mode, wherein the third period mode includes a first phase and a second phase.

12. The operation method of the power supply circuit according to claim 11 , further comprising:
controlling the power supply circuit to operate in the first phase of the third period mode, and the voltage level of the first inductor node is at a high voltage level and the voltage level of the second inductor node is at a low voltage level in the first phase of the third period mode; and
controlling the power supply circuit to operate in the second phase of the third period mode successively after the first phase of the third period mode, and the voltage level of the first inductor node is at a low voltage level and the voltage level of the second inductor node is at a high voltage level in the second phase of the third period mode.

13. The operation method of the power supply circuit according to claim 12 , wherein the first switch and the third switch are turned on when the power supply circuit operates in the first phase of the third period mode.

14. The operation method of the power supply circuit according to claim 12 , wherein the second switch and the fourth switch are turned on when the power supply circuit operates in the second phase of the third period mode.

15. The operation method of the power supply circuit according to claim 11 , wherein when the power supply circuit operates in the third period mode, energizing current is generated and provided to the first output node for increasing the positive output voltage.

Assignees

• Novatek Microelectronics Corp

Inventors

• Chen wei-ling

Classifications

• H02M1/0048

  Circuits or arrangements for reducing losses (using snubbers H02M1/34) · CPC title

• H02M3/158

  including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load · CPC title

• H02M1/0054

  Transistor switching losses (periodically suspending operation of switching converter in low power mode H02M1/0035) · CPC title

• G06F1/3203 Primary

  Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode · CPC title

• H02M3/157 Primary

  with digital control · CPC title