Charge pump stability control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025062687-A1
Application number	US-202418815798-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 26, 2024
Priority date	Mar 14, 2014
Publication date	Feb 20, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

An apparatus for power conversion includes a switching network that controls interconnections between pump capacitors in a capacitor network that has a terminal coupled to a current source, and a charge-management subsystem. In operation, the switching network causes the capacitor network to execute charge-pump operating cycles during each of which the capacitor network adopts different configurations in response to different configurations of the switching network. At the start of a first charge-pump operating cycle, each pump capacitor assumes a corresponding initial state. The charge-management subsystem restores each pump capacitor to the initial state by the start of a second charge-pump operating cycle that follows the first charge-pump operating cycle.

First claim

Having described the invention, and a preferred embodiment thereof, what is claimed as new, and secured by letters patent is:

1 . An apparatus comprising:
a charge pump circuit comprising a plurality of switch elements including at least some switch elements configured to couple terminals of at least some of a plurality of capacitor elements to permit charge transfer between the capacitors and at least some switch elements configured to couple terminals of at least some of the plurality of capacitor elements to a high voltage terminal or a low voltage terminal; and a controller circuit coupled to the switch elements and configured to cycle the switch elements through a sequence of states, each state defining a corresponding configuration of the switch elements, at least three of said states defining different configurations of the switch elements permitting charge transfer between at least some of the capacitors or between at least one capacitor and the high voltage or the low voltage terminal, wherein the configured cycle of states provides a voltage conversion between the high voltage terminal and the low voltage terminal.

Assignees

• Psemi Corp

Inventors

• Low Aichen
• Szczeszynski Gregory
• Giuliano David

Classifications

• H02M3/073

  Charge pumps of the Schenkel-type · CPC title

• Y02B70/10

  Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes · CPC title

• 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

• H02M1/0048

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

• H02M3/07 Primary

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