A circuit for use in a switched mode power supply includes a dual-boost power-factor correction converter having an active rectifier stage with first and second rectifier transistors and first and second boost stages each with an inductor and transistor. An active rectifier controller circuit generates control signals for driving the rectifier transistors, respectively, on and off in accordance with an AC input voltage. A PFC controller circuit generates a pulse-width-modulated (PWM) control signal that is based on an output voltage of the boost stages and which is further based on a current sense signal representing the current passing through the active rectifier stage. A logic circuit generates a control signal for the transistor of the first boost stage and a control signal for the transistor of the second boost stage, based on the PWM control signal and at least one of the control signals for the rectifier transistors.

Embodiments of a power converter are disclosed. In an embodiment, the power converter comprises a power factor correction (PFC) stage circuit, an emulation circuit and a controller. The PFC stage circuit is configured to produce an output signal on an output terminal. The PFC stage circuit includes an inductor coupled between a rectifier and the output terminal and a switch coupled to the inductor. The emulation circuit is connected to the PFC stage circuit to generate an emulated current that corresponds to current through the inductor of the PFC stage circuit. The emulated current is generated based on a voltage signal at a node between the inductor and the output terminal and a sensed current at a sense resistor connected to the rectifier. The controller is connected to the emulation circuit to receive the emulated current and generate a control signal for the switch of the PFC stage circuit based on the emulated current.

A power converter according to the present disclosure includes a cooling plate and a plurality of circuit elements. The cooling plate includes a first cooling surface and a second cooling surface on an opposite side from the first cooling surface. The cooling plate is provided with a through hole passing through between the first and second cooling surfaces. The circuit elements convert AC power supplied from an external power source into DC power of a certain voltage and output the DC power. The circuit elements at least include first and second circuit elements. The first circuit element includes a first terminal and is thermally connected to the first cooling surface. The second circuit element includes a second terminal electrically connected to the first terminal and inserted into the through hole, and is thermally connected to the second cooling surface.

A method and apparatus are described for controlling the phase of an interleaved boost converter using cycle ring time. In an embodiment, a cycle controller generates a first drive signal to control switching of a first converter and a second drive signal to control switching of a second converter, the controller receives a first cycle signal from the first converter and a second cycle signal from the second converter, wherein the first cycle signal and the second cycle signal have a power phase time and a ringing phase time. The cycle controller determines a master ringing phase time of the first cycle signal and applies the master ringing phase time to the second cycle signal to determine a slave ringing phase time. The cycle controller generates the second drive signal in accordance with the slave ringing phase time.

A damage predicting device of a power semiconductor switching element includes a resistor connected to a gate of the power semiconductor switching element, and control circuitry. The control circuitry compares a detection voltage matching a voltage generated between two ends of the resistor and a reference voltage, and predicts that predetermined damage has been accumulated in a gate insulating layer in the power semiconductor switching element when the detection voltage exceeds the reference voltage.

A power-factor corrected AC/DC converter has three half-bridge legs, electrically coupled with each other in parallel, each leg having a pair of switches. Each switch of the pair is electrically coupled to the other in series via a respective node that is electrically coupled through an inductor to an AC line. The converter has a fourth half-bridge leg electrically coupled with the other legs to form an electrically parallel circuit. The fourth leg has a pair of switches electrically coupled to each other in series via a fourth node, which is selectively electrically coupleable to a neutral or a second AC line. The converter has a controller that operates the three legs as a 3-channel interleaved AC/DC boost converter and couples the fourth node to the neutral or second AC line if the input is single-phase, and as a 3-phase AC/DC boost converter if the input is three-phase.

A multi-stage driver system includes a switched mode power circuit for providing power to different electrical load(s). Multi-stage driver system includes a control block including at least one microcontroller coupled to control operations of the switched mode power circuit. Switched mode power circuit includes a high voltage region, a low voltage region, and an isolation barrier. High voltage region of the switched mode power circuit includes a switched rectifier and a switched bridge circuit configured to produce a high voltage bidirectional pulse train signal for output to an isolation barrier. Low voltage region of the switched mode power circuit includes a rectification circuit coupled to the isolation barrier and at least one switched converter circuit coupled to the rectification circuit. Control block receives real-time input signals (e.g., analog voltage reading(s)) from the high and low voltage regions and responsively produces control signals to the high and low voltage regions.

A power converter includes a controller for driving a power switch in one phase of a plurality of phases of the power converter. The controller may have a first terminal for receiving an input switch driving signal which is used to drive a power switch in another phase of the power converter, and a second terminal for providing an output switch driving signal to drive the power switch in the one phase. The controller draws power from the input switch driving signal received at the first terminal, and is configured to provide the output switch driving signal based on the input switch driving signal.

A detection circuit is used to detect an input current of a switching power conversion circuit. The current detection circuit includes a current transform unit, a first unidirectional conduction component assembly, a flux reset circuit, a second unidirectional conduction component assembly, a first switch, a second switch, a control unit, and a detection unit. The current transform unit is coupled to a power switch of the switching power conversion circuit, and the first unidirectional conduction component assembly, the flux reset circuit, and the second unidirectional conduction component assembly are connected in parallel to the current transform unit. The first switch and the second switch are coupled to the first or second unidirectional conduction component assembly, and the control unit correspondingly controls the first switch and the second switch according to a first or second direction voltage of the input voltage.

A switching control circuit for controlling a power supply circuit that generates an output voltage from an alternating current (AC) voltage inputted thereto. The power supply circuit includes an inductor receiving a rectified voltage corresponding to the AC voltage, and a transistor controlling an inductor current flowing through the inductor. The switching control circuit controls switching of the transistor, and includes a first arithmetic circuit that calculates a first time period, from when the transistor is turned off to when the inductor current reaches a predetermined value, based on a first voltage corresponding to the rectified voltage, a second voltage corresponding to the output voltage, and the inductor current upon turning on of the transistor; and a drive circuit that causes the transistor to be on in a second time period corresponding to the second voltage, and causes the transistor to be off in the first time period.