Programmable power adapter

• US 10,298,138 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2017
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Jia, Liang, Sheng, Honggang, Lakshmikanthan, Srikanth
• Primary Examiner(s): Perez, Bryan R
• Application Number:
  US15/693,393
• Publication Number:
  US 20190068069A1
• Time in Patent Office: 628 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0058 by employing soft switching techniques, i.e. commutation of transistors when applied voltage is zero or when current flow is zero using an auxiliary actively switched resonant commutation circuit connected to an intermediate DC voltage or between two push-pull branches of an inverter bridge H02M7/4811; in resonant inverters H02M7/4815; in inverters operating from a resonant DC source H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/4241 using a resonant converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/44 Circuits or arrangements for compensating for electromagnetic interference in converters or inverters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/01 Resonant DC/DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/07 using capacitors charged and discharged alternately by semiconductor devices with control electrode , e.g. charge pumps
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/071 adapted to generate a negative voltage output from a positive voltage source
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/072 adapted to generate an output voltage whose value is lower than the input voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33573 Full-bridge at primary side of an isolation transformer
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33576 having at least one active switching element at the secondary side of an isolation transformer
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/4811 having auxiliary actively switched resonant commutation circuits connected to intermediate DC voltage or between two push-pull branches
• 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

In some implementations, a programmable power adapter includes a first set of switches, a resonant circuit, a transformer, and a second set of switches. The power adapter includes control circuitry configured to provide control signals that change the voltage conversion ratios of the first set of switches and the second set of switches. The control circuitry can provide control signals causing the first set of switches to operate in one of multiple operating modes that each correspond to a different voltage conversion ratio, and the control circuitry can provide control signals causing the second set of switches to operate in one of multiple operating modes that each correspond to a different voltage conversion ratio.

Claims

1. A power conversion circuit comprising:

a first set of switches configured to selectively convert a DC input voltage to a pulsed output at different voltage conversion ratios in a set of first voltage conversion ratios;

a resonant circuit arranged to receive the pulsed output of the switched converter and provide a resonant circuit output;

a transformer arranged to convert the resonant circuit output to a transformer output;

a second set of switches arranged to selectively convert the transformer output to a DC output voltage at different voltage conversion ratios in a second set of voltage conversion ratios; and

control circuitry configured to provide control signals that change the voltage conversion ratios of the first set of switches and the second set of switches,

wherein the control circuitry is configured to;

provide control signals causing the first set of switches to operate in one of multiple operating modes that each correspond to a different one of the first voltage conversion ratios, wherein the multiple operating modes are respectively capable of providing the first voltage conversion ratios at a same switching frequency and duty cycle of the first set of switches;

provide control signals causing the second set of switches to operate in one of multiple operating modes that each correspond to a different one of the second voltage conversion ratios, wherein the multiple operating modes are respectively capable of providing the second voltage conversion ratios at a same switching frequency and duty cycle of the second set of switches; and

cause the power conversion circuit to selectively vary the DC output such that the voltage of the DC output is selectable from among a group including (i) a first voltage, (ii) a second voltage that is twice the first voltage, and (iii) a third voltage that is four times the first voltage, wherein the power conversion circuit is configured to selectively generate each of the first, second, or third voltages with the first set of switches and the second set of switches both operating within 30% of the resonant frequency of the resonant circuit.

2. The power conversion circuit of claim 1, wherein the first set of switches is a bridge converter configured to operate in full bridge mode or half bridge mode according to the control signals from the control module.

3. The power conversion circuit of claim 1, wherein the second voltage can be obtained by two different operating modes of the power conversion circuit.

4. The power conversion circuit of claim 1, wherein the first set of switches is a stacked bridge converter.

5. The power conversion circuit of claim 1, wherein the first set of switches is operable to convert the DC input voltage at a first voltage conversion ratio of 2:

1 and a second voltage conversion ratio of 1;

1 using the same frequency and duty cycle.

6. The power conversion circuit of claim 1, wherein the resonant circuit is an LLC tank circuit.

7. The power conversion circuit of claim 1, wherein the second set of switches comprises a full bridge switching rectifier.

8. The power conversion circuit of claim 1, wherein the second set of switches comprises a configurable voltage doubler circuit.

9. The power conversion circuit of claim 8, wherein the configurable voltage doubler circuit comprises two capacitors coupled in series, and two FETs coupled in series, the two FETs being coupled between a terminal of the transformer and a node between the two capacitors.

10. The power conversion circuit of claim 1, wherein the second set of switches is operable to convert the DC input voltage at a first voltage conversion ratio of 2:

1 and a second voltage conversion ratio of 1;

1 using the same frequency.

11. The power conversion circuit of claim 1, wherein the second set of switches is operable to convert the DC input voltage at a first voltage conversion ratio of 1:

1 and a second voltage conversion ratio of 1;

2 using the same frequency.

12. The power conversion circuit of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry varies frequency of the first set of switches for a soft start.

13. The power conversion circuit of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry gradually turns on back-to-back transistors of the second set of switches and uses a linear mode to limit the current for transition between operating modes of the second set of switches.

14. The power conversion circuit of claim 1, wherein the power conversion circuit communicates with a device over an interface to obtain information indicating the output voltage needed.

15. A method comprising:

operating a programmable power adapter to provide a first output voltage by;

using a first set of switches to convert a DC input voltage to a pulsed output, wherein the first set of switches is operated in an operating mode from among multiple operating modes capable of providing different voltage conversion ratios at a same switching frequency;

providing the pulsed output to a circuit comprising a resonant circuit and a transformer;

using a second set of switches to convert the transformer output to a DC output voltage, wherein the first set of switches is operated in an operating mode from among multiple operating modes capable of providing different voltage conversion ratios at a same switching frequency; and

using control circuitry of the programmable power adapter to selectively vary the DC output, wherein the voltage of the DC output is selectable from among a group including (i) a first voltage, (ii) a second voltage that is twice the first voltage, and (iii) a third voltage that is four times the first voltage, wherein the power conversion circuit is configured to selectively generate each of the first, second, or third voltages with the first set of switches and the second set of switches both operating within 30% of the resonant frequency of the resonant circuit.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

after operating a programmable power adapter to provide a first output voltage, operating the programmable power adapter to provide a second output voltage by changing the operating mode of the first set of switches or the second set of switches.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising gradually transitioning between the operating modes used to generate the first voltage output and operating modes used to generate the second voltage output.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the first set of switches is capable of operating in each of a set of operating modes comprising two or more of a voltage divider mode, a voltage singler mode, and a voltage doubler mode;

and

wherein the first set of switches is capable of operating in each of a set of operating modes comprising two or more of a voltage divider mode, a voltage singler mode, and a voltage doubler mode.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving, by the programmable power adapter, data indicating a particular output voltage of a device connected to the programmable power adapter; and

based on the received data, generating control signals to operate the first set of switches and the second set of switches at operating modes selected to for generating the particular output voltage.