Power module

• US 10,447,166 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2017
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Delta Electronics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Delta Electronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Zeng, Jianhong, Ye, Haoyi, Hu, Peiqing, Ji, Pengkai
• Primary Examiner(s): Yanchus, III, Paul B
• Application Number:
  US15/819,507
• Publication Number:
  US 20180076718A1
• Time in Patent Office: 693 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/20 Cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 1/005 Power supply circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0032 Control circuits allowing low power mode operation, e.g. in standby mode
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/007 Plural converter units in cascade push-pull DC/DC converters with pre-regulator H02M3/3374; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC stage including a high frequency transformer H02M7/4807; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC conversion stage generating periodically varying voltages H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0096 Means for increasing hold-up time, i.e. the duration of time that a converter's output will remain within regulated limits following a loss of input power
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/4225 using a non-isolated boost converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/158 including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33507 with automatic control of the output voltage or current, e.g. flyback converters H02M3/33561, H02M3/33569 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/04 by static converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/49 Combination of the output voltage waveforms of a plurality of converters
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0263 High current adaptations, e.g. printed high current conductors or using auxiliary non-printed means; Fine and coarse circuit patterns on one circuit board H05K1/0293 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/141 One or more single auxiliary printed circuits mounted on a main printed circuit, e.g. modules, adapters H05K1/142 and H05K1/147 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/144 Stacked arrangements of planar printed circuit boards

Abstract

A power module includes a circuit board and a load group. The load group is installed on the circuit board. The load group includes a first-stage power conversion circuit, a second-stage power conversion circuit and plural loads. The first-stage power conversion circuit converts an input voltage into a transition voltage. The second-stage power conversion circuit converts the transition voltage into a driving voltage. A rated value of the first input voltage is higher than twice a rated value of the transition voltage. A rated value of the driving voltage is lower than a half of the rated value of the transition voltage. The distance between the input terminal of the second-stage power conversion circuit and the output terminal of the first-stage power conversion circuit is smaller than the distance between the input terminal of the first-stage power conversion circuit and each edge of the circuit board.

Claims

1. A power module, comprising:

a first circuit board; and

at least one first load group installed on a first surface of the first circuit board, wherein each first load group comprises;

a first-stage power conversion circuit installed on the first surface of the first circuit board, wherein an input terminal of the first-stage power conversion circuit receives a first input voltage, the first input voltage is converted into a transition voltage by the first-stage power conversion circuit, and the transition voltage is outputted from an output terminal of the first-stage power conversion circuit;

at least one second-stage power conversion circuit installed on the first surface of the first circuit board and located near the first-stage power conversion circuit, wherein an input terminal of the second-stage power conversion circuit is electrically connected with the output terminal of the first-stage power conversion circuit to receive the transition voltage, the transition voltage is converted into a driving voltage by the second-stage power conversion circuit, and the driving voltage is outputted from an output terminal of the second-stage power conversion circuit; and

plural loads installed on the first surface of the first circuit board, wherein the output terminal of each second-stage power conversion circuit is connected with the corresponding load, and each load receives the driving voltage from the corresponding second-stage power conversion circuit;

wherein a rated value of the first input voltage is higher than twice a rated value of the transition voltage, and a rated value of the driving voltage is lower than a half of the rated value of the transition voltage, and a distance between the input terminal of the at least one second-stage power conversion circuit with the highest rated power and the output terminal of the first-stage power conversion circuit is smaller than a distance between the input terminal of the first-stage power conversion circuit and each edge of the circuit board.

2. The power module according to claim 1, wherein the power module comprises two first load groups, wherein a resistance between the output terminal of the first-stage power conversion circuit and the input terminal of the at least one second-stage power conversion circuit with the highest rated power in each first load group is lower than a resistance between the output terminals of the two first-stage power conversion circuits of the two first load groups.

3. The power module according to claim 1, wherein the power module comprises two first load groups, wherein a resistance between the output terminal of the first-stage power conversion circuit and the input terminal of the at least one second-stage power conversion circuit with the highest rated power in each first load group is lower than a resistance between the input terminals of the two first-stage power conversion circuits of the two first load groups.

4. The power module according to claim 1, wherein the rated value of the first input voltage is in the range between 8V and 18V, the rated value of the transition voltage is in the range between 2V and 8V.

5. The power module according to claim 1, wherein the rated value of the first input voltage is at least 18V, the rated value of the transition voltage is in a range between 3V and 8V, and the overall required power of the at least one first load group is at least 50% of the overall required power of the first circuit board.

6. The power module according to claim 1, wherein the plural loads of each first load group are included in a data processing chip, and a highest current provided to the data processing chip is at least 30 A.

7. The power module according to claim 1, wherein a gain over full load range of the first-stage power conversion circuit is lower than 1.2, and a gain over full load range of the second-stage power conversion circuit is higher than 1.2.

8. The power module according to claim 1, wherein the second-stage power conversion circuit comprises plural switching elements and a driving element for driving the plural switching elements, wherein the plural switching elements and the driving element are integrated into a silicon chip by a lateral semiconductor manufacturing process.

9. The power module according to claim 1, wherein each first load group comprises at least two second-stage power conversion circuits, and among the at least two second-stage power conversion circuits, the maximum rated value of an output current is at least five times the minimum rated value of the output current.

10. The power module according to claim 9, wherein the second-stage power conversion circuit comprises plural buck converters, which are connected with each other in parallel, wherein inductors of at least two buck converters share a magnetic material, so that the inductors are collaboratively formed as an integrated inductor.

11. The power module according to claim 10, wherein the integrated inductor comprises a first inductor and a second inductor, wherein the first inductor and the second inductor are coupled in opposite directions.

12. The power module according to claim 9, wherein at least one of the at least two second-stage power conversion circuits is located over the corresponding load and included in a package structure along with the corresponding load.

13. The power module according to claim 1, further comprising a second load group, wherein the second load group is installed on the first surface of the first circuit board, and the second load group comprises:

an additional first-stage power conversion circuit installed on the first surface of the first circuit board, wherein an input terminal of the additional first-stage power conversion circuit receives the first input voltage, the first input voltage is converted into an additional transition voltage by the additional first-stage power conversion circuit, and the additional transition voltage is outputted from an output terminal of the additional first-stage power conversion circuit; and

a hard drive connected with the output terminal of the additional first-stage power conversion circuit, wherein the hard drive is powered by the additional transition voltage,

wherein the rated value of the first input voltage is higher than twice a rated value of the additional transition voltage.

14. The power module according to claim 1, wherein the power module comprises plural first load groups, and the first-stage power conversion circuits in at least two of the plural first load groups are isolated resonant power conversion circuits, wherein the first input voltage is inputted from a power supply, and the rated value of the first input voltage is higher than 36V.

15. The power module according to claim 14, wherein the power module further comprises a bus bar and a casing, the first circuit board is covered by the casing, and the bus bar is disposed on an inner surface of a top cover of the casing, wherein the bus bar comprises an input connection and at least one output connection, the input connection is electrically connected with the power supply, the output connection is electrically connected with the first-stage power conversion circuit of each first load group, the bus bar receives the first input voltage through the input connection, and the first input voltage is transmitted from the bus bar to the first-stage power conversion circuit through the output connection.

16. The power module according to claim 14, wherein the power module further comprises a bus bar and a casing, the first circuit board is covered by the casing, and the bus bar is disposed on an inner surface of a bottom cover of the casing, wherein the bus bar comprises an input connection and at least one output connection, the input connection is electrically connected with the power supply, the output connection is penetrated through a perforation of the first circuit board and electrically connected with the first-stage power conversion circuit of each first load group, the bus bar receives the first input voltage through the input connection, and the first input voltage is transmitted from the bus bar to the first-stage power conversion circuit through the output connection.

17. The power module according to claim 1, wherein the power module further comprises a power source conversion circuit, wherein the power source conversion circuit is installed on the first surface of the first circuit board and electrically connected between a power supply and the first-stage power conversion circuit, the power source conversion circuit receives a second input voltage from the power supply, and the power source conversion circuit converts the second input voltage into the first input voltage, wherein the second input voltage is higher than 200V.

18. The power module according to claim 1, wherein the first input voltage is provided by a power supply, and the power supply comprises a battery and a buck-boost bidirectional power conversion circuit, wherein the buck-boost bidirectional power conversion circuit is electrically connected with the battery, and a battery voltage is converted into the first input voltage by the buck-boost bidirectional power conversion circuit.

19. The power module according to claim 1, wherein the power module further comprises a second circuit board, and the second circuit board and the first load group are collaboratively formed as a function card, wherein the function card is inserted into the first circuit board, and the function card is a data processor.

20. The power module according to claim 1, wherein a length of an electric transmission path between the first-stage power conversion circuit and the second-stage power conversion circuit is smaller than 5 centimeters.

21. The power module according to claim 1, further comprising a third load group, wherein the third load group is installed on an edge of the first circuit board, and the third load group comprises:

an additional first-stage power conversion circuit installed on the edge of the first circuit board, wherein an input terminal of the additional first-stage power conversion circuit receives the first input voltage, the first input voltage is converted into an additional transition voltage by the additional first-stage power conversion circuit, and the additional transition voltage is outputted from an output terminal of the additional first-stage power conversion circuit;

at least one additional second-stage power conversion circuit located near the additional first-stage power conversion circuit, wherein an input terminal of the additional second-stage power conversion circuit is electrically connected with the output terminal of the additional first-stage power conversion circuit to receive the transition voltage, the additional transition voltage is converted into an additional driving voltage by the additional second-stage power conversion circuit, and the additional driving voltage is outputted from an output terminal of the additional second-stage power conversion circuit,

plural additional loads, wherein the output terminal of each additional second-stage power conversion circuit is connected with the corresponding additional load, and each additional load receives the additional driving voltage from the corresponding additional second-stage power conversion circuit,

wherein the rated value of the first input voltage is higher than twice a rated value of the additional transition voltage, and a rated value of the additional driving voltage is lower than a half of the rated value of the additional transition voltage.

22. The power module according to claim 21, wherein a resistance between the output terminal of the first-stage power conversion circuit and the input terminal of the at least one second-stage power conversion circuit with the highest rated power in each first load group is lower than a resistance between the output terminal of the first-stage power conversion circuit in each first load group and the output terminal of the first-stage power conversion circuit in the third load group.

23. The power module according to claim 21, wherein a resistance between the output terminal of the first-stage power conversion circuit and the input terminal of the at least one second-stage power conversion circuit with the highest rated power in each first load group is lower than a resistance between the input terminal of the first-stage power conversion circuit in each first load group and the input terminal of the first-stage power conversion circuit in the third load group.

24. The power module according to claim 1, wherein the first-stage power conversion circuit and the at least one second-stage power conversion circuit of each first load group are collaboratively formed as a point-of-load conversion module, and the plural loads are arranged around the point-of-load conversion module.

25. The power module according to claim 1, wherein the first circuit board further comprises plural insertion slots corresponding to the plural loads of the first load group.

26. A power module, comprising:

a first circuit board; and

at least two first load groups installed on a first surface of the first circuit board, wherein each first load group comprises;

a first-stage power conversion circuit installed on the first surface of the first circuit board, wherein an input terminal of the first-stage power conversion circuit receives a first input voltage, the first input voltage is converted into a transition voltage by the first-stage power conversion circuit, and the transition voltage is outputted from an output terminal of the first-stage power conversion circuit;

at least one second-stage power conversion circuit installed on the first surface of the first circuit board and located near the first-stage power conversion circuit, wherein an input terminal of the second-stage power conversion circuit is electrically connected with the output terminal of the first-stage power conversion circuit to receive the transition voltage, the transition voltage is converted into a driving voltage by the second-stage power conversion circuit, and a driving voltage is outputted from an output terminal of the second-stage power conversion circuit; and

plural loads installed on the first surface of the first circuit board, wherein the output terminal of each second-stage power conversion circuit is connected with the corresponding load, and each load receives the driving voltage from the corresponding second-stage power conversion circuit;

wherein a rated value of the first input voltage is higher than twice a rated value of the transition voltage, a rated value of the driving voltage is lower than a half of the rated value of the transition voltage, and a resistance between the output terminal of the first-stage power conversion circuit and the input terminal of the at least one second-stage power conversion circuit with the highest rated power in each first load group is lower than a resistance between the output terminals of the two first-stage power conversion circuits of the two first load groups.

27. The power module according to claim 26, wherein the power module comprises two first load groups, wherein a resistance between the output terminal of the first-stage power conversion circuit and the input terminal of the at least one second-stage power conversion circuit with the highest rated power in each first load group is lower than a resistance between the input terminals of the two first-stage power conversion circuits of the two first load groups.

28. The power module according to claim 26, wherein the at least one second-stage power conversion circuit of each first load group comprises plural second-stage power conversion circuits, and the output terminal of the first-stage power conversion circuit is electrically connected with the output terminals of the plural second-stage power conversion circuits.