Current-rectifying device, gate-boosting rectifier and method of permitting current to flow in one direction when driven by AC input voltage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9515571-B2
Application number	US-201514591435-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 7, 2015
Priority date	Jan 7, 2014
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

A current-rectifying device includes a switching component and an impedance transformer. A conductance between first and second nodes of the switching component is controlled based on a voltage between high-impedance control and control-reference nodes of the switching component to determine an amount of current that is permitted to flow between the first and second nodes. The impedance transformer includes a positive input node electrically connected to one of the first and second nodes based on AC voltage swings, a negative input node, a positive output node electrically connected to the high-impedance control node, and a negative output node, and which senses an AC voltage swing derived from the AC input voltage with the positive input node and the negative input node, and provides an AC voltage swing between the high-impedance control and control-reference nodes that is greater than the AC voltage swing derived from the AC input voltage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A current-rectifying device which permits a current to flow in one direction when driven by an AC input voltage, comprising:
a switching component including a first node, a second node, a control-reference node and a high-impedance control node, wherein a conductance between the first node and the second node is controlled based on a voltage between the high-impedance control node and the control-reference node; and
an impedance transformer including a positive input node, a negative input node, a positive output node and a negative output node, wherein the positive input node is electrically connected to one of the first node and the second node based on AC voltage swings thereof, and the positive output node is electrically connected to the high-impedance control node, such that the impedance transformer senses an AC voltage swing derived from the AC input voltage with the positive input node and the negative input node, and provides an AC voltage swing between the high-impedance control node and the control-reference node that is greater than the AC voltage swing derived from the AC input voltage, and an AC voltage swing between the first node and the second node is substantially in phase with the conductance therebetween to permit the current driven by the AC input voltage to flow in the direction from the first node to the second node.

2. The current-rectifying device of claim 1 , wherein the switching component is a field-effect transistor (FET), a bulk node of the FET serves as the control-reference node, and a gate node of the FET serves as the control node.

3. The current-rectifying device of claim 2 , further comprising a biasing circuit electrically connected to the high-impedance control node for reducing an effective threshold voltage of the FET, wherein the high-impedance control node and the positive output node are electrically connected through a capacitor.

4. The current-rectifying device of claim 3 , wherein the biasing circuit comprises:
a diode-electrically connected transistor;
a first resistor electrically connected to the diode-electrically connected transistor to provide a bias voltage when a current generated by the diode-electrically connected transistor flows through the first resistor; and
a second resistor electrically connected to a node between the diode-electrically connected transistor and the first resistor.

5. The current-rectifying device of claim 1 , wherein the switching component is a bipolar-junction transistor (BJT), and a base node of the BJT serves as the high impedance control node.

6. The current-rectifying device of claim 1 , wherein the first node is an anode, and the second node is a cathode.

7. The current-rectifying device of claim 1 , wherein the control-reference node is electrically connected to one of the first node and the second node based on a conducting type of the switching component.

8. The current-rectifying device of claim 1 , wherein the switching component further comprises a bias node for adjusting the conductance between the first node and the second node.

9. The current-rectifying device of claim 1 , wherein the AC voltage swing between the positive input node and the negative input node is amplified through the impedance transformer to become a greater AC voltage swing between the positive output node and the negative output node when a parasitic impedance from the high-impedance control node is loaded.

10. The current-rectifying device of claim 9 , wherein the impedance transformer presents a substantially 0° or 180° phase shift based on a phase of the AC voltage swing between the positive input node and the negative input node.

11. The current-rectifying device of claim 9 , wherein the impedance transformer comprises:
a transformer unit having a first coil and a second coil, wherein a turn ratio of the first coil to the second coil is 1 to a positive number N;
a first input capacitor electrically and serially connected between the positive input node and the first coil; and
a shunt capacitor electrically connected between the positive output node and the negative output node and parallel to the second coil.

12. The current-rectifying device of claim 11 , wherein the shunt capacitor is a parasitic capacitor contributed from an output load thereof.

13. The current-rectifying device of claim 11 , further comprising a second input capacitor electrically and serially connected between the negative input node and the first coil.

14. The current-rectifying device of claim 11 , wherein the negative output node is electrically connected to the negative input node.

15. The current-rectifying device of claim 9 , wherein the negative output node is electrically connected to the negative input node.

16. The current-rectifying device of claim 15 , wherein the impedance transformer comprises:
a first inductor electrically connected to the positive input node;
a second inductor electrically and serially connected between the first inductor and the positive output node;
a first shunt capacitor electrically connected across an internal node, electrically and serially connected between the first inductor and the second inductor, and the negative input node; and
a second shunt capacitor electrically connected between the positive output node and the negative output node.

17. A rectifier, which converts AC signals to an output DC current, the rectifier comprising:
an AC input node;
a first capacitor with one end electrically connected to the AC input node;
a DC input node;
a first current-rectifying device according to claim 1 , wherein the first node of the first current-rectifying device is electrically connected to the DC input node, and the second node of the first current-rectifying device is electrically connected to the other end of the first capacitor;
a DC output node;
a second current-rectifying device according to claim 1 , wherein the first node of the second current-rectifying device is electrically connected to the other end of the first capacitor, and the second node of the second current-rectifying device is electrically connected to the DC output node;
a ground node; and
a second capacitor electrically connected across the DC output node and the ground node.

18. The rectifier of claim 17 , wherein at least one of the switching components of the first and second current-rectifying devices further comprises a bias node for adjusting the conductance between the first node and the second node.

19. The rectifier of claim 17 , wherein the impedance transformer of the first current-rectifying device and the impedance transformer of the second current-rectifying device are merged into one equivalent impedance transformer, such that an AC output voltage swing of the equivalent impedance transformer is shared by using AC coupling capacitors electrically connected between equivalent output nodes of the equivalent impedance transformer and the high impedance control nodes of the switching components in the first and second current-rectifying devices.

20. The rectifier of claim 17 , further comprising:
an RF input node for electrically connected to an external RF source; and
a matching network electrically connected to the RF input node for matching the external RF source from the RF input node to the AC input node, to reduce a power reflection from the AC input node.

21. A multi-stage rectifier, which converts AC signals to an output DC current, each rectifier being constructed according to the re

Assignees

• Univ Nat Chiao Tung

Inventors

• Wang Yu-Jiu
• Liao I-No
• Tsai Chao-Han
• Pakasiri Chatrpol

Classifications

• H02M7/19

  arranged for operation in series, e.g. for voltage multiplication · CPC title

• H02M7/25 Primary

  arranged for operation in series, e.g. for multiplication of voltage · CPC title