A three-level converter includes a high-voltage side unit, a low-voltage side unit, a flying capacitor, a first switch to a fourth switch, and a control unit. When a voltage of the flying capacitor falls outside a safe target voltage range, the control unit may control the third switch and the fourth switch to be normally open, and control, based on the voltage of the flying capacitor and a voltage of the low-voltage side unit, each of the first switch and the second switch to be turned on or off, so that the voltage of the flying capacitor falls within the target voltage range. Alternatively, the control unit may control the first switch and the second switch to be normally open, and control, based on the voltage of the flying capacitor and a voltage of the low-voltage side unit.

A DC/DC power converter for converting voltage at an input to a voltage at an output of the DC/DC power converter is provided, wherein the output voltage is a multiple of the input voltage. The DC/DC power converter comprises two switching circuits electrically connected in series, two capacitor units electrically connected in series, and a resonant circuit comprising a resonant capacitor and a resonant inductor. A first switching circuit of the two switching circuits is electrically connected to one side of the first capacitor unit opposite to the other side of the first capacitor unit connected to the second capacitor unit of the two capacitor units. The switches of the first switching circuit are controllable semiconductor switches. The first switching circuit comprises one or more diode units electrically connecting the first capacitor unit to the two switching units of the first switching circuit.

A power converter configured to generate an output voltage at an output node of the power converter based on an input voltage received at an input node of the power converter is presented. In particular, the power converter may comprise a first switching element coupled between the input node and a first intermediate node. The converter also has an inductive element coupled between a second intermediate node and the output node, a second switching element with one port being coupled to the second intermediate node and a third switching element and a fourth switching element coupled in series between the output node and a reference node. The converter also has a flying capacitive element coupled between the first intermediate node and a third intermediate node between the third and fourth switching elements and a fifth switching element coupled between the first and second intermediate nodes.

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 switching power supply unit includes: a transformer; an inverter circuit including first to fourth switching devices, first to third capacitors, first and second rectifying devices, a resonant inductor, and a resonant capacitor; and a driver. The first to fourth switching devices are coupled in series. The first and second capacitors are coupled in series. The first rectifying device is disposed between a first connection point between the first and second capacitors and a second connection point between the first and second switching devices. The second rectifying device is disposed between the first connection point and a third connection point between the third and fourth switching devices. The third capacitor is disposed between the second and third connection points. The resonant capacitor, the resonant inductor, and a primary winding are coupled in series between a fourth connection point between the second and third switching devices and the first connection point.

Aspects are described for hybrid modular multilevel converters that include half-bridge submodules. In some embodiments, a hybrid modular multilevel converter can include a direct current (DC) bus and an alternating current (AC) node. A first arm of the hybrid modular multilevel converter includes a first submodule chain link and a first arm inductor and a second arm includes a second submodule chain link and a second arm inductor. A capacitor connects between a first side of the first arm and a first side of the second arm.

A method for sequentially driving an electrical load includes (a) controlling N switching cells, where each of the N switching cells is electrically coupled to a respective one of N energy elements, such that the N energy elements are electrically coupled in a first topology to drive the electrical load with a first voltage, N being an integer greater than one, and (b) controlling the N switching cells such that N energy elements are electrically coupled in a second topology that is different from the first topology, to drive the electrical load with a second voltage that is different from the first voltage.

A system and method for compensating a faulty switch in a multi-level flying capacitor converter includes a converter capacitor arranged in parallel to an input, a first and second converter switches arranged respectively between first and second ends of the converter capacitor, first and second bypass switches respectively arranged in parallel to the first and second converter switches, wherein operation includes detecting a faulty converter level that includes at least one of the first and second converter switches, discharging all capacitors arranged in parallel to the input of the multi-level converter, wherein all capacitors comprise the converter capacitors and an input capacitor; closing the first and second bypass switches of the faulty converter level; adapting a modulation of the converter switches of the other converter levels; and restarting the multi-level converter.

Disclosed is a flying capacitor three-level converter, including a plurality of circuit units, wherein each of the plurality of circuit units includes: an input capacitor; a bridge arm, electrically connected with the input capacitor in parallel, wherein the bridge arm includes a first switch, a second switch, a third switch and a fourth switch electrically and sequentially connected in series; and a flying capacitor unit, wherein the flying capacitor unit includes a first capacitor and a second capacitor, and the first capacitor and the second capacitor are electrically connected in parallel and electrically connected with a series branch in parallel, and the series branch includes the second switch and the third switch; wherein the input capacitor, the first switch, the first capacitor and the fourth switch form a first switching loop, and the second capacitor, the second switch and the third switch form a second switching loop.

A switched capacitor converter package includes a semiconductor package on a first side of an electrical routing apparatus, a first capacitor and a second capacitor on a second side of the electrical routing apparatus, wherein the first capacitor and the second capacitor are adjacent to each other and connected in parallel, and a third capacitor and a fourth capacitor connected on the second side of the electrical routing apparatus, wherein the third capacitor and the fourth capacitor are adjacent to each other and connected in parallel.