Startup detection for parallel power converters
US10992226B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 3, 2020 |
| Grant date | Apr 27, 2021 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 3, 2040 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH02M3/077
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Circuits and methods for controlling the startup of multiple parallel power converters that avoid in-rush current and/or switch over-stress in an added power converter or a power converter having one or more fault conditions. Embodiments include node status detectors coupled to selected nodes within parallel-connected power converters to monitor voltage and/or current, and configured in some embodiments to work in parallel with an output status detector measuring the output voltage of an associated power converter during startup. With charge pump-based power converters, the node status detectors ensure that the pump capacitors of each power converter are adequately charged while the output capacitor is charged as well. For such embodiments, a soft-start period of startup may be considered finished if both the shared output capacitors and the pump capacitors of each power converter are charged to selected target values. Embodiments may also be used for fault detection during steady-state operation.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.