SWITCHED CAPACITORS FOR AC-DC APPLICATIONS

Abstract

An apparatus for conversion between AC and DC voltages includes a rectifier and first and second stages coupled to each other and having a regulator and a switched-capacitor circuit respectively. The first stage receives a first voltage from the rectifier and the second stage provides a second voltage. A controller controls the first and second stages.

Claims

1-70. (canceled)

71. An apparatus comprising: a switched-capacitor circuit to operate in a plurality of switching patterns, the switched-capacitor circuit comprising: a terminal to be coupled to a power-conversion circuit for converting an input voltage to a first voltage, wherein the input voltage is an AC voltage and the first voltage is a DC voltage, a first switch to be coupled to the terminal, a second switch to be coupled to the first switch, a first capacitor terminal of a capacitor, and an inductor, a third switch to be coupled to the second switch, a second capacitor terminal of the capacitor, and the inductor, and a fourth switch to be coupled to the third switch and the second capacitor terminal of the capacitor; and a controller to control the switched-capacitor circuit to operate in the plurality of switching patterns to cause the first voltage to be transformed to a second voltage.

72. The apparatus of claim 71, wherein the plurality of switching patterns includes a first switching pattern in which the second voltage is related to the first voltage by a first voltage conversion ratio.

73. The apparatus of claim 72, wherein the plurality of switching patterns includes a second switching pattern in which the second voltage is related to the first voltage by a second voltage conversion ratio different than the first voltage conversion ratio.

74. The apparatus of claim 71, wherein the controller being to control the switched-capacitor circuit to operate in the plurality of switching patterns comprises the controller being to cycle the switched-capacitor circuit between the plurality of switching patterns.

75. The apparatus of claim 74, wherein cycling the switched-capacitor circuit between the plurality of switching patterns comprises cycling the switched-capacitor circuit between the plurality of switching patterns at a frequency selected to cause the second voltage to be related to the first voltage by a particular voltage conversion ratio.

76. The apparatus of claim 71, wherein: the inductor and the fourth switch are to be coupled to an output capacitor; and an output voltage across the output capacitor is based on the second voltage.

77. The apparatus of claim 71, wherein the plurality of switching patterns comprises: a first switching pattern in which the first switch and the second switch are open and the third switch and the fourth switch are closed; a second switching pattern in which the first switch and the third switch are open and the second switch and the fourth switch are closed; and a third switching pattern in which the second switch and the fourth switch are closed and the first switch and the third switch are open.

78. The apparatus of claim 71, wherein the controller comprises: a primary section to control the power-conversion circuit; and a secondary section to control the switched-capacitor circuit, the secondary section to be separated from the primary section by an isolation barrier.

79. The apparatus of claim 71, wherein: the power-conversion circuit is to provide fine adjustment of the input voltage; and the switched-capacitor circuit is to provide coarse adjustment of the input voltage.

80. An apparatus comprising: a power-conversion circuit for converting an input voltage to a first voltage, wherein the input voltage is an AC voltage and the first voltage is a DC voltage; a switched-capacitor circuit to operate in a plurality of switching patterns, the switched-capacitor circuit comprising: a terminal to be coupled to the power-conversion circuit to receive the first voltage, a first switch to be coupled to the terminal, a second switch to be coupled to the first switch, a first capacitor terminal of a capacitor, and an inductor, a third switch to be coupled to the second switch, a second capacitor terminal of the capacitor, and the inductor, and a fourth switch to be coupled to the third switch and the second capacitor terminal of the capacitor; and a controller to control the switched-capacitor circuit to operate in the plurality of switching patterns to cause the first voltage to be transformed to a second voltage.

81. The apparatus of claim 80, wherein the controller comprises: a primary section to control the power-conversion circuit; and a secondary section to control the switched-capacitor circuit, the secondary section to be separated from the primary section by an isolation barrier.

82. The apparatus of claim 80, wherein the plurality of switching patterns includes a first switching pattern in which the second voltage is related to the first voltage by a first voltage conversion ratio.

83. The apparatus of claim 82, wherein the plurality of switching patterns includes a second switching pattern in which the second voltage is related to the first voltage by a second voltage conversion ratio different than the first voltage conversion ratio.

84. The apparatus of claim 80, wherein the controller being to control the switched-capacitor circuit to operate in the plurality of switching patterns comprises the controller being to cycle the switched-capacitor circuit between the plurality of switching patterns.

85. The apparatus of claim 84, wherein cycling the switched-capacitor circuit between the plurality of switching patterns comprises cycling the switched-capacitor circuit between the plurality of switching patterns at a frequency selected to cause the second voltage to be related to the first voltage by a particular voltage conversion ratio.

86. The apparatus of claim 80, wherein: the inductor and the fourth switch are to be coupled to an output capacitor at a second terminal of the switched-capacitor circuit; and an output voltage at the second terminal is based on the second voltage.

87. An apparatus comprising: a controller section to control a switched-capacitor circuit to operate in a plurality of switching patterns to cause a first voltage to be transformed to a second voltage, wherein: the switched-capacitor circuit comprises: a terminal to be coupled to a power-conversion circuit for converting an input voltage to the first voltage, wherein the input voltage is an AC voltage and the first voltage is a DC voltage, a first switch to be coupled to the terminal, a second switch to be coupled to the first switch, a first capacitor terminal of a capacitor, and an inductor, a third switch to be coupled to the second switch, a second capacitor terminal of the capacitor, and the inductor, and a fourth switch to be coupled to the third switch and the second capacitor terminal of the capacitor; and the controller section to control the switched-capacitor circuit is separated by an isolation barrier from another controller section to control the power-conversion circuit.

88. The apparatus of claim 87, wherein the plurality of switching patterns comprises: a first switching pattern in which the first switch and the second switch are open and the third switch and the fourth switch are closed; a second switching pattern in which the first switch and the third switch are open and the second switch and the fourth switch are closed; and a third switching pattern in which the second switch and the fourth switch are closed and the first switch and the third switch are open.

89. The apparatus of claim 87, wherein: the power-conversion circuit is to provide fine adjustment of the input voltage; and the switched-capacitor circuit is to provide coarse adjustment of the input voltage.

90. The apparatus of claim 87, wherein the controller being to control the switched-capacitor circuit to operate in the plurality of switching patterns comprises the controller being to cycle the switched-capacitor circuit between the plurality of switching patterns.

91. The apparatus of claim 90, wherein cycling the switched-capacitor circuit between the plurality of switching patterns comprises cycling the switched-capacitor circuit between the plurality of switching patterns at a frequency selected to cause the second voltage to be related to the first voltage by a particular voltage conversion ratio.

92. The apparatus of claim 87, wherein: the inductor and the fourth switch are to be coupled to an output capacitor at a second terminal of the switched-capacitor circuit; and an output voltage at the second terminal is based on the second voltage.

93. A method comprising: receiving, at a first terminal of a switched-capacitor circuit, a first voltage from a power-conversion circuit for converting an input voltage to the first voltage, wherein the input voltage is an AC voltage and the first voltage is a DC voltage, controlling the switched-capacitor circuit to cycle the switched-capacitor circuit between a plurality of switching patterns to cause the first voltage to be transformed by the switched-capacitor circuit to a second voltage, the switched capacitor circuit comprising: a first switch to be coupled to the first terminal, a second switch to be coupled to the first switch, a first capacitor terminal of a capacitor, and an inductor, a third switch to be coupled to the second switch, a second capacitor terminal of the capacitor, and the inductor, and a fourth switch to be coupled to the third switch and the second capacitor terminal of the capacitor; and providing, at a second terminal of the switched-capacitor circuit, an output voltage based on the second voltage.

94. The method of claim 93, wherein cycling the switched-capacitor circuit between the plurality of switching patterns comprises cycling the switched-capacitor circuit between the plurality of switching patterns at a frequency selected to cause the second voltage to be related to the first voltage by a particular voltage conversion ratio.

95. The method of claim 93, wherein the plurality of switching patterns comprises: a first switching pattern in which the first switch and the second switch are open and the third switch and the fourth switch are closed; a second switching pattern in which the first switch and the third switch are open and the second switch and the fourth switch are closed; and a third switching pattern in which the second switch and the fourth switch are closed and the first switch and the third switch are open.

96. The method of claim 93, wherein controlling the switched-capacitor circuit comprises controlling the switched-capacitor circuit via a controller section for controlling the switched-capacitor circuit that is separated by an isolation barrier from a controller section for controlling the power-conversion circuit.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0037] FIG. 1 shows a two-stage power-conversion circuit;

[0038] FIG. 2 shows the circuit of FIG. 1 with additional circuitry for receiving an AC voltage;

[0039] FIG. 3 shows a first embodiment of a switched-capacitor architecture for use in the power-conversion circuits of FIGS. 1 and 2;

[0040] FIG. 4 is a parts list for the embodiment shown in FIG. 3;

[0041] FIG. 5 shows a switching circuit contained in the stages of the power-conversion circuit of FIGS. 1 and 2;

[0042] FIGS. 6 and 7 show operational efficiency of the power-conversion circuit that uses the first embodiment as its second stage made on two different dies with different sizes;

[0043] FIG. 8 shows the efficiencies associated with the circuits used in FIGS. 6 and 7;

[0044] FIG. 9 shows a second embodiment of a switched-capacitor architecture for use in the power-conversion circuits of FIGS. 1 and 2;

[0045] FIG. 10 is a parts list for the embodiment shown in FIG. 9;

[0046] FIGS. 11 and 12 show operational efficiency of the power-conversion circuit of FIG. 9 that uses the second embodiment as its second stage made on two different dies with different sizes;

[0047] FIG. 13 shows a third embodiment of a switched-capacitor architecture for use in the power-conversion circuits of FIGS. 1 and 2;

[0048] FIGS. 14 and 15 show switching patterns for operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 13; and

[0049] FIG. 16 shows the circuit of FIG. 2 incorporated into a travel adapter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] FIG. 1 shows a two-stage power-conversion circuit 11 having a first terminal 12 that connects to the first stage and a second terminal 14 that connects to a second stage. The first terminal 12 is at a first voltage V1 and the second terminal 14 is at a second voltage V2.

[0051] In the illustrated embodiment, the first stage is implemented as a switch-mode pre-regulator 16 and the second stage is implemented as an adiabatic switched-capacitor circuit 18. However, in alternative embodiments, this second stage is non-adiabatic, or diabatic.

[0052] The pre-regulator 16 can be implemented in a variety of ways, so long as the essential function thereof, namely regulation of an output voltage, can be carried out. In the illustrated embodiment, the pre-regulator 16 includes a pre-regulator switch S0, a transformer TO, a diode DO, and a filter capacitor CX. A particularly useful implementation of a pre-regulator 16 is a magnetically-isolated converter, an example of which is a fly-back converter.

[0053] A variety of fly-back converters can be used to implement the pre-regulator 16. These include a quasi-resonant fly-back converter, an active-clamp fly-back converter, an interleaved fly-back converter, and a two-switch fly-back converter.

[0054] Other examples of magnetically-isolated converters are forward converters. Examples of suitable forward converters include a multi-resonant forward converter, an active-clamp forward converter, an interleaved forward converter, and a two-switch forward converter.

[0055] Yet other examples of magnetically-isolated converters are half-bridge converters and full-bridge converters. Examples of half-bridge converters include an asymmetric half-bridge converter, a multi-resonant half-bridge converter, and an LLC resonant half-bridge converter. Examples of full-bridge converters include an asymmetric full-bridge converter, a multi-resonant full-bridge converter, and an LLC resonant full-bridge converter.

[0056] It is also possible to implement the pre-regulator 16 using a non-isolated converter. Examples include a buck converter, a boost converter, and a buck-boost converter.

[0057] As used herein, two functional components are said to be “isolated,” or more specifically, “galvanically isolated,” if energy can be communicated between those components without a direct electrical conduction path between those components. Such isolation thus presupposes the use of another intermediary for communicating energy between the two components without having actual electrical current flowing between them. In some cases, this energy may include information.

[0058] Examples include the use of a wave, such as an electromagnetic, mechanical, or acoustic wave. As used herein, electromagnetic waves include waves that are in span the visible range, the ultraviolet range, and the infrared range. Such isolation can also be mediated through the use of quasi-static electric or magnetic fields, capacitively, inductively, or mechanically.

[0059] Most functional components have circuitry in which different parts of the circuit are at different electrical potentials. However, there is always a potential that represents the lowest potential in that circuit. This is often referred to as “ground” for that circuit.

[0060] When a first and second functional component are connected together, there is no guarantee that the electrical potential that defines ground for the first component will be the same as the electrical potential that defines ground for the second circuit. If this is the case, and if these components are connected together, it will be quite possible for electrical current to flow from the higher of the two grounds to the lower of the two grounds. This condition, which is called a “ground loop,” is undesirable. It is particularly undesirable if one of the two components happens to be a human being. In such cases, the current in the ground loop may cause injury.

[0061] Such ground loops can be discouraged by galvanically isolating the two components. Such isolation essentially forecloses the occurrence of ground loops and reduces the likelihood that current will reach ground through some unintended path, such as a person's body.

[0062] The switched-capacitor circuit 18 can be implemented as a switched-capacitor network. Examples of such networks include ladder networks, Dickson networks, Series-Parallel networks, Fibonacci networks, and Doubler networks. These can all be adiabatically charged and configured into multi-phase networks. A particularly useful switched-capacitor network is an adiabatically charged version of a full-wave cascade multiplier. However, diabatically charged versions can also be used.

[0063] As used herein, changing the charge on a capacitor “adiabatically” means causing an amount of charge stored in that capacitor to change by passing the charge through a non-capacitive element. A positive adiabatic change in charge on the capacitor is considered adiabatic charging while a negative adiabatic change in charge on the capacitor is considered adiabatic discharging. Examples of non-capacitive elements include inductors, magnetic elements, resistors, and combinations thereof.

[0064] In some cases, a capacitor can be charged adiabatically for part of the time and diabatically for the rest of the time. Such capacitors are considered to be adiabatically charged. Similarly, in some cases, a capacitor can be discharged adiabatically for part of the time and diabatically for the rest of the time. Such capacitors are considered to be adiabatically discharged.

[0065] Diabatic charging includes all charging that is not adiabatic and diabatic discharging includes all discharging that is not adiabatic.

[0066] As used herein, an “adiabatic switched-capacitor circuit” is a network having at least one capacitor that is both adiabatically charged and adiabatically discharged. A “diabatic switched-capacitor circuit” is a network that is not an adiabatic switched-capacitor circuit.

[0067] Examples of pre-regulators 16, switched-capacitor circuits 18, their accompanying circuitry, and packaging techniques can be found U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,362,826, 9,497,854, 8,723,491, 8,503,203, 8,693,224, 9,502,968, 8,619,445, 9,203,299, and 9,041,459, U.S. Patent Publications 2016/0197552, 2015/0102798, 2014/0301057, 2013/0154600, 2015/0311786, 2014/0327479, 2016/0028302, 2014/0266132, 2015/0077175, and 2015/0077176, and PCT publications WO2014//062279, WO2015//138378, WO2015//138547, WO2016//149063, and WO 2017/007991, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.

[0068] A controller 20 controls the operation of the first and second stages. The controller 20 includes a primary side 22 that controls the first stage and a secondary side 24 that controls the second stage. An isolation barrier 26 separates the primary side 22 from the secondary side 26.

[0069] The primary side 22 of the controller 20 controls the pre-regulator switch S0. Opening and closing the pre-regulator switch S0 controls the current provided to a primary side of the transformer TO. This, in turn, controls the voltage across the filter capacitor CX. When the pre-regulator switch S0 is on, the diode DO is off and when the pre-regulator switch S0 is off, the diode DO is on.

[0070] The pre-regulator 16 also includes a regulator-output terminal 28 maintained at an intermediate voltage VX1 that is lower than the first voltage V1. This regulator-output terminal 28 connects to the adiabatic switched capacitor circuit 18. The adiabatic switched capacitor circuit 18 thus receives this intermediate voltage VX1 and transforms it into the second voltage V2.

[0071] The switched-capacitor circuit 18 operates in discrete steps. Thus, it only provides coarse regulation of its output. It cannot provide fine regulation of its output. It is for the pre-regulator 16 to carry out this fine regulation. The two-stage design shown in FIG. 1 reduces the need for the pre-regulator 16 to sustain a high-current burden. This means that the secondary winding of the transformer TO can instead carry a much smaller RMS current. This, in turn, lowers winding loss and reduces the voltage ripple at the regulator-output terminal 28. It also means that the filter capacitor CX that couples the pre-regulator 16 to the switched-capacitor circuit 18 can be made smaller.

[0072] However, the improved performance of the pre-regulator 16 cannot be completely offset by the increased size and power loss of having the switched-capacitor circuit 18 in the second stage. Therefore, it is imperative that the switched-capacitor circuit 18 be both extremely efficient and small.

[0073] FIG. 2 shows a power-conversion circuit 10 similar to that shown in FIG. 1 but with additional circuitry for receiving an AC voltage VAC provided by an AC source 4 and converting that AC voltage VAC into the second voltage V2. The AC voltage VAC is provided to input terminals of a bridge rectifier 65 having bridge diodes DB1, DB2, DB3, and DB4 arranged to form a bridge and having an output across a bridge capacitor CB. The output across the bridge capacitor CB becomes the first voltage V1 presented at the first terminal 12. A power-conversion circuit 10 of this type may be incorporated into a travel adapter 13, as shown in FIG. 16. Such a travel adapter 13 outputs a DC voltage at a USB port 15.

[0074] Some embodiment include circuitry for controlling harmonic current and thus boosting the ratio of real power to apparent power that flows through the power supply. This is particularly useful for power supplies that attach to a wall outlet that supplies an AC voltage. An example of such circuitry is an active power-factor corrector 67 disposed between the bridge rectifier 65 and the pre-regulator 16.

[0075] FIG. 2 also shows a fuse 61 between the AC power source 4 and the remaining components of the power-conversion circuit 10 for safety. An electromagnetic interference filter 63 is also provided to suppress the uncontrolled emission of electromagnetic waves that may arise during operation of the power-conversion circuit 10.

[0076] FIG. 3 shows a first embodiment of a switched-capacitor circuit 18 that is designed to accept a nominal voltage of 20 volts and to produce a variety of output voltages, such as 5 volts and 10 volts. This is particularly useful for Type-C travel adapters. This is because, unlike the older USB standards, in which the output is always five volts, the newer USB Type C standard permits higher output voltages, such as ten, fifteen, and even twenty volts.

[0077] The illustrated switched-capacitor circuit 18 features a first switched-capacitor stage 32, a second switched-capacitor stage 34, a first bypass-switch S1, a second bypass-switch S2, and a third bypass-switch S3. An LC filter having an output inductor L1 and an output capacitor C0 permit adiabatic operation. By selectively opening and closing the bypass-switches S1, S2, S3, it is possible to selectively bypass selected ones of the first and second switched-capacitor stages 32, 34.

[0078] Each of the first and second stages 32, 34 is a 2× voltage divider having a maximum voltage conversion from VX1 to VX2 of 4:1. The resulting switched-capacitor circuit 18 is designed to accept an intermediate voltage VX1 of 20 volts and to provide an output voltage V2 of either 20 volts, 10 volts, or 5 volts. Some embodiments deliver an 15 volt output voltage, which is sometimes required by the Type-C standard. This can be provided by having the pre-regulator 16 deliver 15 volts to the switched-capacitor circuit 18 instead of 20 volts and running the switched-capacitor circuit 18 in the 1:1 mode.

[0079] The switched-capacitor circuit 18 shown in FIG. 3 has three modes of operation, a 1:1 mode, a 2:1 mode, and a 4:1 mode.

[0080] In the 1:1 mode, the first bypass-switch S1 closes, and the second and third bypass-switches S2 and S3 open.

[0081] In the 2:1 mode, the second bypass-switch S2 closes and the first and third bypass-switches S1 and S3 open.

[0082] In the 4:1 mode, the third bypass-switch S3 closes and the first and second bypass-switches S1 and S2 open. All bypassed stages run in a low-power mode to save power since they are not needed to provide voltage conversion (i.e., they are not switching at a specific frequency).

[0083] FIG. 4 shows a component list for one implementation of the switched-capacitor circuit 18 shown in FIG. 3. The components were selected so the solution provides a high efficiency, a small solution size, and a maximum output voltage ripple of 100 mV peak-to-peak. The total value column specifies the total amount of inductance and/or capacitance required of the components at their operating condition. For example, capacitor C3 has a nominal dc bias of 5 volts, therefore, a 22 μF capacitor was selected because it provides approximately 10 μF under this condition.

[0084] FIG. 5 illustrates a circuit 36 inside the first stage. A similar circuit is within the second stage. During operation, this circuit transitions between first and second states. In the first state, all switches labeled “1” close and all switches labeled “2” open. In the second state, all switches labeled “1” open and all switches labeled “2” close. The circuit 36 alternates between the first and second state at a specific frequency that is selected to produce a second intermediate voltage VX2 that is half of the intermediate voltage VX1.

[0085] FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate the predicted efficiency across output power for operation in the 2:1 mode and in the 4:1 mode at an intermediate voltage VX1 of 20 volts for two different die sizes. FIG. 6 is fora nominal die and FIG. 7 is for a larger die. Since the efficiency at full-load is dominated by resistive losses, the larger silicon die size will result in improved performance. In some, but not all embodiments, a nominal die is 12 mm.sup.2 and a larger die is 16 mm.sup.2

[0086] It is worth noting that the power loss in the second stage is approximately equal to the power loss in the first stage. This results in a larger percentage of the die being consumed by the second stage. Furthermore, the efficiency of the 5-volt output configuration is not equal to the square of the efficiency of the 10-volt output configuration because some losses are common to both stages.

[0087] FIG. 8 summarizes performance at an intermediate voltage VX1 of 20 volts and an output voltage T72 of 5 volts. The passive footprint area is calculated by adding up the area of all of the passive components and adding 0.2 mm of space between them. The solution footprint area is the sum of the silicon die and the passive footprint area. As can be seen from the table, the full-load efficiency is higher with the larger die size. The maximum height is 1.25 mm through the exclusive use of SMT components.

[0088] Unlike, conventional switched-capacitor converters, the architecture disclosed herein includes an LC filter that enables adiabatic charging and discharging of the capacitors within each switched-capacitor stage. This adiabatic operation permits high efficiencies at small solution sizes.

[0089] FIG. 9 illustrates another embodiment of the switched-capacitor circuit 18 that is similar to that shown in FIG. 3. However, unlike in the switched-capacitor circuit 18 shown in FIG. 3, the one shown in FIG. 9 accepts an intermediate voltage VX1 of 40 volts instead of 20 volts.

[0090] To achieve this requirement, the switched-capacitor circuit 18 includes a third switched-capacitor stage 38. As before, an output voltage V2 of either 20 volts, 10 volts, or 5 volts. However, the operating modes are now a 2:1 mode, a 4:1 mode, and an 8:1 mode. Remaining details on the structure and operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 are similar to those for FIG. 3 and are omitted for brevity.

[0091] FIG. 10 shows a component list for one implementation of the switched-capacitor circuit 18 shown in FIG. 8.

[0092] FIGS. 11 and 12 show predicted efficiency across output power for modes 2:1, 4:1, and 8:1 at an intermediate voltage VX1 of 20 volts.

[0093] FIG. 13 shows an embodiment of a switched-capacitor circuit 18 that avoids the use of multiple switched-capacitor stages and bypass switches. Instead, it relies on a single switched-capacitor stage. To achieve the various voltage conversion ratios, the embodiment shown in FIG. 13 uses different switching patterns for different voltage conversion ratios. Another difference between the embodiment shown in FIG. 13 and that shown in FIGS. 3 and 9 is that the embodiment shown in FIG. 13 cycles between four distinct states instead of two distinct states. Like the first and second embodiments, this third embodiment also has an LC filter at its output enabling adiabatic charging and discharging of the capacitors C1-C3.

[0094] The third embodiment of the switched-capacitor circuit 18 can receive an intermediate voltage VX1 of 20 volts and produce a voltage of 20 volts, 15 volts, 10 volts, or 5 volts. For example, if the intermediate voltage VX1 is 20 volts, FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrate the corresponding four states required to produce an output voltage VX2 of 5 volts and 15 volts, respectively. For best performance, it is preferable that the switched-capacitor circuit 18 switch between the states in the order shown in FIGS. 14-15.

[0095] Having described the invention, and a preferred embodiment thereof, what is claimed as new, and secured by letters patent is: