The present disclosure provides for a hybrid DC-DC, Hybrid Variable Switched Capacitor (HVSC) power converter. The converter may include one or more power switching networks supporting a plurality of power conversion modes and characterised in that: an input terminal connected to an input power source and an associated input capacitance, an output terminal connected to a load and an associated output capacitance to obtain a desired output voltage or output load current regulation; and at least six switches, one or more inductors and one or more flying capacitors. The converter addresses the problems faced by inductor-based and inductor-less DC-DC power converters while providing higher power conversion efficiencies alike the inductor-less switched capacitor converters and voltage/current regulation alike the inductor-based power converters in a single power conversion unit and enable a duty cycle-based output voltage/current regulation.

In a vehicle drive system using a motor for cruising, the connection node of serially-connected first and second batteries is grounded. The operation of an inverter is controlled so that the motor drive voltage is higher than the output voltage of each of the first and second batteries. A battery unit is configured so that third and fourth batteries each in a form of a cartridge are removably loaded, and the loaded third battery is connected in parallel with the first battery and the loaded fourth battery is connected in parallel with the second battery.

A method for controlling a hybrid switched capacitor (SC) converter includes (a) generating control signals for controlling switching devices of the hybrid SC converter, in a manner which regulates one or more parameters of the hybrid SC converter, (b) detecting flying capacitor voltage imbalance in the hybrid SC converter, and (c) in response to detecting flying capacitor voltage imbalance in the hybrid SC converter, generating the control signals in a manner which varies switching state duration of the hybrid SC converter, to move flying capacitor voltage towards balance.

The present disclosure provides a power conversion device. The power conversion device includes the multi-level power factor correction circuit, the at least one output capacitor, the at least one input capacitor group, the first resonant conversion circuit and the second resonant conversion circuit. The at least one input capacitor group includes the first input capacitor and the second input capacitor. The at least one output capacitor is connected to an output part of the multi-level power factor correction circuit. The at least one input capacitor group is connected to the at least one output capacitor in parallel. The second input capacitor is connected to the first input capacitor in series. The input part of the first resonant conversion circuit is connected to first input capacitor in parallel. The input part of the second resonant conversion circuit is connected to the second input capacitor in parallel.

A battery powered electronic device can include a wireless power system configured to receive power from a wireless power transmitter, a converter coupled to the wireless power system that converts a voltage from the wireless power system to a battery charging voltage, a battery comprising at least two cells, a power management unit that delivers power from one or more of the at least two cells to one or more subsystems of the electronic device, and a plurality of switching devices connecting the at least two cells, the converter, and the power management unit. The plurality of switching devices can be arranged so that a first switching configuration connects the cells in series for charging from the converter and a second switching configuration connects the cells in parallel for delivering power to the power management unit.

A flying capacitor switching cell-system includes at least two flying capacitor switching cells, wherein each of the cells comprises an arrangement of at least one semiconductor system, and wherein the cells are in parallel in an electrical circuit.

Methods for modifying converter cells for switched-mode power converters, and corresponding power converter cells. The modified converter cells exhibit reduced inductance requirements, enable use of lower voltage and smaller switches, provide improved power density and efficiency, and provide for improved input/output voltage dynamic range. Embodiments of the methods generate converter cell topologies having 3 or more node voltage levels by successively applying a “split switches and connect through a capacitor” operation. The inventive processes, or variants of those processes, may be applied to converter cell topologies that are 2-level converter cells including at least one inductance and two switches, and particularly 2-level converter cells including either (1) an order of at least 3 (i.e., 3 or more energy storage elements in some combination of inductances and capacitances, but with at least one inductance) and at least 2 switches, or (2) at least 1 designed-in inductance and at least 4 switches.

Circuits and methods for providing a “bootstrap” power supply for level-shifter/driver (LS/D) circuits in a FET-based power converter. In a first embodiment, linear regulators and a bootstrap capacitor provide a bootstrap power supply for level-shifter/driver circuits in each tier of a multi-level FET-based power converter. In a second embodiment, floating charge circuits and bootstrap capacitors provide an improved bootstrap power supply for level-shifter and driver circuits in each tier of a multi-level FET-based power converter. More particularly, a floating charge circuit configured to be coupled to an associated bootstrap capacitor includes a first sub-circuit configured to pre-charge the associated bootstrap capacitor when coupled and a second sub-circuit configured to transfer charge between the bootstrap capacitor and a bootstrap capacitor coupled to an adjacent floating charge circuit.

A switching power supply unit includes a pair of input terminals, a pair of output terminals, a transformer, an inverter circuit, a rectifying and smoothing circuit, and a driver. The inverter circuit includes first to fourth switching devices, a first capacitor, a resonant inductor, and a resonant capacitor. The rectifying and smoothing circuit includes a rectifying circuit including rectifying devices, and a smoothing circuit. The first to fourth switching devices are coupled in series in this order between two input terminals constituting the pair of input terminals. The first capacitor is disposed between a connection point between the first and second switching devices and a connection point between the third and fourth switching devices. The resonant inductor, the resonant capacitor, and a primary winding are coupled in series in no particular order between a connection point between the second and third switching devices and one of the two input terminals.

A method for operating a multilevel converter in flycap topology, in which the multilevel converter has at least two semiconductor switches controlled by control pulses of variable pulse durations within a control period that recurs at a control frequency to selectively interconnect a voltage source connected to an input of the multilevel converter, an output of the multilevel converter, and at least one auxiliary capacitor arranged between the input and the output, for generating an output voltage. The method includes using at least one oscillation parameter that describes the oscillation behavior of at least one harmonic of an electrical measured variable, at least one correction pulse duration is determined for a future control pulse to reduce the amplitude of the at least one harmonic and at least one semiconductor switch is controlled with a control pulse of the determined correction pulse duration.