An object of the present technique is to provide a drive circuit, an electronic device, and a method of controlling a drive circuit that can reduce power consumption. The drive circuit includes: a control circuit that controls application of an AC voltage to a capacitive load; an inductive element which constitutes a closed circuit along with the capacitive load; a diode, which is connected in series to the inductive element between the capacitive load and the inductive element so as to constitute the closed circuit; and a switch element, which is connected in series to the diode between the capacitive load and the inductive element so as to constitute the closed circuit.

The present invention relates to a bi-directional power converter (100) for converting an input voltage into an output voltage. The bi-directional power converter (100) may comprise a primary switching unit having a primary switching frequency and a secondary switching unit having a secondary switching frequency: the primary switching frequency being lower than the secondary switching frequency.

Driver circuits are disclosed having a high-side switch and a low-side switch. A pre-charging circuit is provided to pre-charge the low-side switch. In other implementations, methods are disclosed which involve precharging a low-side switch.

An auxiliary resonant soft-edge pole inverter circuit is provided. The power inverter circuitry may include a first pair of capacitors in parallel with a corresponding pair of main power switching modules, each power switching module comprising a switch and a diode in parallel and sharing a common central node with the first pair of capacitors. The power inverter circuit may further include a first pair of auxiliary switches connected in series with a first pair of inductors, respectively, to generate resonant current from a DC power source, the first pair of inductors also sharing the common central node. The power inverter circuitry may further include a second pair of auxiliary switches connected in series with a second pair of capacitors, respectively, the second pair of auxiliary switches also sharing the common central node, the circuit producing an alternating current output at the common central node.

An auxiliary resonant soft-edge pole inverter circuit is provided. The power inverter circuitry may include a first pair of capacitors in parallel with a corresponding pair of main power switching modules, each power switching module comprising a switch and a diode in parallel and sharing a common central node with the first pair of capacitors. The power inverter circuit may further include a first pair of auxiliary switches connected in series with a first pair of inductors, respectively, to generate resonant current from a DC power source, the first pair of inductors also sharing the common central node. The power inverter circuitry may further include a second pair of auxiliary switches connected in series with a second pair of capacitors, respectively, the second pair of auxiliary switches also sharing the common central node, the circuit producing an alternating current output at the common central node.

The present invention relates to a bi-directional power converter (100) for converting an input voltage into an output voltage. The bi-directional power converter (100) may comprise a primary switching unit having a primary switching frequency and a secondary switching unit having a secondary switching frequency: the primary switching frequency being lower than the secondary switching frequency.

A resonant converter circuit comprises a multi-level inverter circuit placed before a resonant unit, and the multi-level inverter circuit can reduce a voltage to be input to the resonant unit. The reduced input voltage of the resonant unit results in a drop in an output voltage of the entire resonant converter circuit. In this process, the final output voltage is adjusted by adjusting the input voltage of the resonant unit, with no need to substantially adjust a switching frequency of the resonant converter circuit.

A multi-output power supply device includes an inductor, a first output terminal, a second output terminal, an FET, an FET, a chopper circuit, and a controller. The FET adjusts a current output from the inductor to the first output terminal. The FET adjusts a current output from the inductor to the second output terminal. The chopper circuit has the FET and the inductor. The FET is connected in parallel with the FET, and conducts or cuts off a current. The inductor is provided between the FET and the second output terminal. For example, the controller lowers a potential from the first output terminal by turning on the FET and sets a potential difference between a drain terminal and a source terminal of the FET to zero to suppress a switching loss when the FET is turned on.

In one aspect, a power converter may include a plurality of inductor banks; a plurality of switches, each switch has a first power node and a second power node, and one control node that receives a control signal that maintains the switch in either ON state in which the circuit path between the first node and the second node are established, or OFF state in which the circuit path between the first node and the second node are eliminated; and a control logic that generates multiple signals that are applied to the control nodes of the switches. In one embodiment, the switches are MOSFETs; the first power nodes are drains and the second power nodes are sources, and the control nodes are gates.

A multi-output power supply device includes an inductor, a first output terminal, a second output terminal, an FET, an FET, a chopper circuit, and a controller. The FET adjusts a current output from the inductor to the first output terminal. The FET adjusts a current output from the inductor to the second output terminal. The chopper circuit has the FET and the inductor. The FET is connected in parallel with the FET, and conducts or cuts off a current. The inductor is provided between the FET and the second output terminal. For example, the controller lowers a potential from the first output terminal by turning on the FET and sets a potential difference between a drain terminal and a source terminal of the FET to zero to suppress a switching loss when the FET is turned on.