Efficient regulation of capacitance voltage(s) in a switched mode multilevel power converter
US9160232B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 9, 2013 |
| Grant date | Oct 13, 2015 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 17, 2034 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02B70/10
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A power conversion circuit uses smaller, cheaper, and faster analog and digital circuits, e.g., buffers, comparators, and processing circuits, to provide the information necessary to control a multilevel power converter faster, cheaper, and with a smaller footprint than conventional techniques. For example, a current detection circuit indirectly measures a direction of a current through an inductor connected between midpoint node and an output node of a multilevel power converter based on comparisons between voltages associated with the multilevel power converter. A capacitor voltage detection detects a capacitor voltage across the flying capacitor to generate a logic signal based on a comparison between the capacitor voltage and a first reference voltage. A control circuit selects an operating state of the multilevel power converter to regulate a first capacitor voltage across the first capacitor based on the indirectly measured direction of the inductor current, the logic signal, and an input command signal.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.