A method includes charging a capacitor of a power inverter to a direct current (DC) input voltage provided at an input terminal of the power inverter. The capacitor has a first terminal and a second terminal. The method also includes providing a first voltage at an output terminal of the power inverter at a first time by controlling one of either a set of input switches configured to selectively couple the first and second terminals to either the input terminal or to a ground terminal, or an output switch configured to selectively couple the output terminal to either the first terminal or the second terminal. The method further includes providing a second voltage at the output terminal at a second time by controlling the other of the set of input switches and the output switch.

A method includes configuring a switched capacitor converter to operate in a first fixed PWM mode, wherein in the first fixed PWM mode, the switched capacitor converter is configured to charge a battery coupled to an input of the switched capacitor converter, configuring the switched capacitor converter to operate in a second fixed PWM mode, wherein in the second fixed PWM mode, the switched capacitor converter is configured to discharge the battery, and configuring the switched capacitor converter to operate in a skip mode, wherein the switched capacitor converter has automatic transitions among different modes based on comparisons between an output voltage of the switched capacitor converter and a plurality of predetermined voltage thresholds.

A multi-level power converter with hysteretic control is disclosed. In one embodiment, a power converter includes a switching circuit and a control circuit. The switching circuit includes a plurality of switches, a capacitor, and a switch node coupled to a regulated supply voltage node via an inductor. The switching circuit is configured to couple the switch node to different circuit nodes according to different switch states. The control circuit is configured to activate a particular set of switches according a current switch state, perform a comparison of an output current of the switching circuit to various threshold values, and determine a next switch state using results of the comparison and duty cycle information. Based on these results, the control circuit is configured to cause a transition from the current switch state to the next switch state by activating a different set of switches according to the next switch state.

First and second circuit branches are coupled between an input node and ground. Each circuit branch includes a series coupling first-fourth transistors in a current flow path with an output node. A first capacitor is coupled between a first capacitor node and a second capacitor node intermediate the first transistor and the second transistor in the first circuit branch. A second capacitor is coupled between a third capacitor node and a fourth capacitor node intermediate the first transistor and the second transistor in the second circuit branch. An inter-branch circuit block between the first and second branches includes a first inter-branch transistor coupled between the first capacitor node in the first circuit branch and the fourth capacitor node in the second circuit branch and a second inter-branch transistor coupled between the third capacitor node in the second circuit branch and the second capacitor node in the first circuit branch.

Described is a new partial power converter (PPC) for the DC-DC stage of rapid-charging stations for electric vehicles (EV). The proposed converter manages only a fraction of the total power delivered from the grid to the battery, which increases the general efficiency of the system and the power density while potentially reducing the cost of the charger. The proposed topology is based on a switched capacitor between the AC terminals of a bridge converter H and does not require high-frequency isolation transformers in order to provide a source of controllable voltage between the CC link and the battery. The proposed concept can be implemented by using interposed power cells, which can improve energy quality, reduce the size of the inductor, and allow scalability for chargers of higher nominal power.

Various embodiments according to the present invention relate to a power conversion device and method, the device comprising: a converter; a capacitor unit including a plurality of capacitors for storing input voltage input thereto; a switch unit connected to the capacitor unit and including a plurality of switches for selectively connecting at least one capacitor among the plurality of capacitors to the converter; and a controller connected to the capacitor unit and the switch unit, wherein the controller determines at least one capacitor satisfying a specified condition, among the plurality of capacitors, sets at least one switch among the plurality of switches to be turned on, the at least one switch corresponding to the at least one capacitor, and sets at least another switch among the plurality of switches except for the at least one switch, to be turned off, so that the at least one capacitor and the converter are electrically connected and configured to allow at least partial voltage of the input voltage, stored in the at least one capacitor, to be supplied to the converter. Therefore, a power conversion device, disposed on a circuit on which the plurality of capacitors (or cells) is connected in series to a power supply unit, can establish selective connection by using the switch unit, so as to adjust input voltage and provide the adjusted input voltage to the converter, and can reduce switching loss of the power conversion device. Various other embodiments are possible.

A power supply conversion topology of a multiphase switch capacitor resonant cavity conversion circuit with full-wave output rectification. The power supply conversion topology includes at least k conversion switch capacitors and one output switch capacitor which are sequentially connected in series through conductors and are connected to two ends of input power supply. When a transformer ratio N is an even number, k=N/2; when transformer ratio N is not an even number, k is smallest integral greater than N/2; and lower end of output switch capacitor is grounded, and two ends of output switch capacitor are connected with output interfaces. Power supply conversion topology further includes k switch resonant cavity converters. When transformer ratio N is even number, k=N/2; and when transformer ratio N is not even number, k is smallest integral greater than N/2. The invention further discloses two power supply conversion structures based on power supply conversion topology.

A switched capacitor converter includes plural switch units. The switch units are configured to switch a coupling relationship of a capacitor between a first power and a second power, wherein at least one of the switch units includes a switch circuit. The switch circuit includes a first switch, a second switch, and a switch driving circuit, wherein the conduction resistance of the first switch is greater than the conduction resistance of the second switch, and the parasitic capacitance of the first switch is less than the parasitic capacitance of the second switch. The switch driving circuit turns on the first switch before the second switch is turned on and/or turns off the first switch after the second switch is turned off, such that the switching loss of the switch circuit is less than a predetermined target value.

A battery charging system includes a buck switching converter configured to operate in either a buck mode or a boost mode depending on a system reconfiguration, a linear charger having a first terminal and a second terminal, wherein at least one terminal of the first terminal and the second terminal of the linear charger is used for the system reconfiguration, and a switched capacitor converter configured to operate in either a 2:1 charge pump mode or a 1:2 reverse charge pump mode depending on the system reconfiguration.

A regulator system includes a multi-bit detector system and a multi-cell charge/discharge circuit. The multi-bit detector system includes a plurality of detectors. Each of the plurality of detectors has a predetermined threshold voltage. The multi-cell charge/discharge circuit includes a plurality of charge pumps. Each of the charge pumps is configured to generate a predetermined charge. Each of the charge pumps is associated with a predetermined threshold voltage of the detector circuit.