Paralleling of switching devices for high power circuits

• US 10,200,030 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2016
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Transphorm Technology, Inc. (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Company LP)
• Original Assignee: Transphorm, Inc (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Company LP)
• Inventors: Wang, Zhan
• Primary Examiner(s): Luo, David S
• Application Number:
  US15/554,170
• Publication Number:
  US 20180083617A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 318474, 318445
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/2003 Nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7787 with wide bandgap charge-carrier supplying layer, e.g. direct single heterostructure MODFET
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0054 Transistor switching losses periodically suspending operation of switching converter in low power mode H02M1/0035
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/08 Circuits specially adapted for the generation of control voltages for semiconductor devices incorporated in static converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/5395 by pulse-width modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 27/08 with pulse width modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/122 in field-effect transistor switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/162 without feedback from the output circuit to the control circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/164 using parallel switching arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/64 having inductive loads
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/6874 in a symmetrical configuration
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes

Abstract

A circuit includes first and second half bridges, a first inductor, a second inductor, and a main inductor. The half bridges each include a high side switch, a low side switch, and a gate driver configured to apply switching signals to the high side switch and the low side switch. The first inductor has one side electrically connected to an output node of the first half bridge between the high side switch and the low side switch. The second inductor has one side electrically connected to an output node of the second half bridge between the high side switch and the low side switch. The main inductor is coupled to a node between the other sides of the first and second inductors. The main inductor has a greater inductance than each of the first and second inductors, and the first and second inductors are inversely coupled to one another.

Claims

1. A circuit comprising:

a first half bridge comprising a first high side switch, a first low side switch, and a first gate driver, the first gate driver being configured to apply switching signals to the first high side switch and the first low side switch;

a second half bridge comprising a second high side switch, a second low side switch, and a second gate driver, the second gate driver being configured to apply switching signals to the second high side switch and the second low side switch;

a first inductor having a first side electrically connected to an output node of the first half bridge, the output node of the first half bridge being between the first high side switch and the first low side switch;

a second inductor having a first side electrically connected to an output node of the second half bridge, the output node of the second half bridge being between the second high side switch and the second low side switch; and

a main inductor coupled to a node which is between a second side of the first inductor and a second side of the second inductor;

wherein

an inductance of the main inductor is greater than an inductance of each of the first and second inductors; and

the first and second inductors are inversely coupled to one another.

2. The circuit of claim 1, wherein a coupling coefficient of the first and second inductors is in a range of −

0.9 to −

1.0.

3. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the first and second high side switches are configured to receive common timing signals from a first PWM source, and the first and second low side switches are configured to receive common timing signals from a second PWM source.

4. The circuit of claim 3, wherein the first and second half bridges are connected in parallel and are configured to operate as a single half bridge circuit, the single half bridge circuit having a higher maximum output current than either of the first and second half bridges.

5. The circuit of claim 3, wherein the first PWM source is coupled to a first input of the first gate driver and to a first input of the second gate driver, and the second PWM source is coupled to a second input of the first gate driver and to a second input of the second gate driver.

6. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the first and second high side switches and the first and second low side switches each comprise two or more switches connected in parallel.

7. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the first and second high side switches are both connected to a high voltage node, and the first and second low side switches are both connected to a low voltage or ground node.

8. The circuit of claim 7, wherein the voltage at the high voltage node relative to the low voltage or ground node is about 400V or higher.

9. The circuit of claim 8, wherein the first and second gate drivers are configured to apply the switching signals at a frequency between 30 kHz and 10 MHz.

10. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the first and second high side switches and the first and second low side switches comprise III-Nitride devices.

11. The circuit of claim 10, wherein the III-Nitride devices are III-Nitride enhancement mode transistors.

12. The circuit of claim 10, wherein the III-Nitride devices are hybrid devices, each hybrid device comprising a depletion mode III-Nitride transistor and an enhancement mode silicon transistor.

13. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the main inductor is part of a load that is driven or controlled by the half bridges of the circuit.

14. The circuit of claim 13, wherein the load comprises an electric motor.

15. A method of operating a circuit configured to provide an output current to a load, the method comprising:

applying, by a first gate driver of a first half bridge of the circuit, switching signals to a first high side switch and a first low side switch of the first half bridge, and responsive to the applied switching signals, providing a first output current through an output of the first half bridge;

applying, by a second gate driver of a second half bridge of the circuit, switching signals to a second high side switch and a second low side switch of the second half bridge, and responsive to the applied switching signals, providing a second output current through an output of the second half bridge;

during a first time period, while providing to the load the output current of the circuit at a first current level, operating both the first and second half bridges to provide the first and second output currents through their respective outputs, such that during the first time period the total output current provided to the load is a sum of the first and second output currents; and

during a second time period, while providing to the load the output current of the circuit at a second current level smaller than the first current level, operating the first half bridge to provide the first output current through its output while maintaining the second half bridge in an OFF state, such that during the second time period the total output current provided to the load is equal to the first output current.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the circuit further comprises (i) a first inductor connected to the output of the first half bridge, (ii) a second inductor connected to the output of the second half bridge, and (iii) a main inductor connected to a node which is between a second side of the first inductor and a second side of the second inductor, and wherein an inductance of the main inductor is greater than an inductance of each of the first and second inductors.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and the second inductors are inversely coupled to one another.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the inductance of the main inductor is between 2 and 10 times greater than the inductances of each of the first and second inductors.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein a switching loss of the circuit during the second time period is approximately half the switching loss during the first time period.