Voltage converter circuit, electronic device including the same and voltage conversion method

• US 10,461,623 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2018
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Choi, Kyusik, Park, Chulwoo, Han, Yunhui
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhane, Adolf D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Demisse, Afework S
• Application Number:
  US15/984,647
• Publication Number:
  US 20180337586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• 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 1/007 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 1/0095 Hybrid converter topologies, e.g. NPC mixed with flying capacitor, thyristor converter mixed with MMC or charge pump mixed with buck
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/088 for the simultaneous control of series or parallel connected semiconductor devices
• 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 3/073 Charge pumps of the Schenkel-type
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/155 using semiconductor devices only
• 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

The present disclosure relates to a voltage conversion circuit including: a plurality of switched capacitors; and a buck converter configured to be alternately applied with a first voltage and a second voltage output from each of two switched capacitors selected from the plurality of switched capacitors and to convert the applied first voltage or second voltage into an output voltage and to provide the output voltage. According to an embodiment, output terminals of each of the plurality of switched capacitors may be selectively electrically connected to an input terminal of the buck converter.

Claims

1. A voltage converter circuit, comprising:

a plurality of switched capacitors; and

a buck converter comprising an inductor and a capacitor, the buck converter configured to be alternately supplied with a first voltage and a second voltage output from each of two switched capacitors selected from the plurality of switched capacitors, to convert the supplied first voltage or second voltage into an output voltage via an LC filter and to provide the output voltage; and

a feedback controller configured to select the two switched capacitors for outputting the voltage supplied to the buck converter from among the plurality of switched capacitors,

wherein output terminals of each of the plurality of switched capacitors are selectively electrically connected to an input terminal of the buck converter.

2. The voltage converter circuit of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of switched capacitors has a different voltage conversion ratio.

3. The voltage converter circuit of claim 1, wherein one of the first voltage and the second voltage output from respective ones of the two switched capacitors is provided as a high side input of the buck converter, and another one of the first voltage and the second voltage output from respective ones of the two switched capacitors is provided as a low side input of the buck converter.

4. The voltage converter circuit of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of switched capacitors is configured to convert an input voltage into a voltage within a set range from a reference output voltage, and to output the voltage.

5. The voltage converter circuit of claim 1, wherein one of the first voltage and the second voltage output from respective ones of the two switched capacitors is provided as a high side input of the buck converter, and another one of the first voltage and the second voltage output from respective ones of the two switched capacitors is provided as a low side input of the buck converter.

6. The voltage converter circuit of claim 1, wherein the feedback controller is configured to measure an input voltage supplied to the plurality of switched capacitors and to select the two switched capacitors based on the input voltage and voltage conversion ratios of each of the plurality of switched capacitors.

7. The voltage converter circuit of claim 6, wherein the feedback controller is configured to select one switched capacitor outputting a voltage having a least difference from a reference output voltage from among the switched capacitors which are configured convert the input voltage into a voltage greater than the reference output voltage based on the input voltage and the voltage conversion ratio, and to output the voltage, and

to select one switched capacitor outputting a voltage having the a least difference from the reference output voltage from among the switched capacitors configured to convert the input voltage into a voltage less than the reference output voltage, and to output the voltage.

8. The voltage converter circuit of claim 1, wherein the feedback controller is configured to measure the output voltage and to select the two switched capacitors based on a difference between the output voltage and a reference output voltage.

9. The voltage converter circuit of claim 1, wherein the feedback controller is configured to measure the input voltage applied to the plurality of switched capacitors and to select the two switched capacitors based on a preset table based on an input voltage and a voltage conversion ratio.

10. An electronic device, comprising:

a first switched capacitor configured to generate a first voltage;

a second switched capacitor configured to generate a second voltage;

a converter comprising an inductor and a capacitor, the converter configured to be electrically connected to the first switched capacitor and the second switched capacitor;

a third switched capacitor configured to generate a third voltage; and

a feedback controller configured to select a switched capacitor for providing a voltage to the converter based on an input voltage applied to the first switched capacitor, the second switched capacitor, and the third switched capacitor, the output voltage, and the first voltage, the second voltage and the third voltage,

wherein the converter is configured to control an output voltage of the converter via an LC filter using the first voltage and the second voltage.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the converter includes a buck converter.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the first voltage is provided as a high side input of the buck converter, and the second voltage is provided as a low side input of the buck converter.

13. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein a magnitude of the first voltage is greater than a magnitude of the second voltage.

14. A voltage conversion method of a voltage converter circuit including a plurality of switched capacitors, each having different voltage conversion ratios, and a buck converter comprising an inductor and a capacitor, the method comprising:

converting, by each of the plurality of switched capacitors, an input voltage into a voltage having different respective values;

alternately applying a first voltage and a second voltage output from each of two switched capacitors selected from the plurality of switched capacitors to the buck converter; and

converting the applied first voltage or second voltage into an output voltage corresponding to a reference output voltage by the buck converter via an LC filter;

outputting the output voltage;

measuring the outputted voltage; and

selecting two switched capacitors based on a difference between the outputted voltage and the reference output voltage.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein in the converting into the voltage having different values,

the input voltage is converted into a voltage within a set range of the reference output voltage by each of the plurality of switched capacitors.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the first voltage is a voltage greater than the reference output voltage and the second voltage is a voltage less than the reference output voltage.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

measuring the input voltage; and

selecting the two switched capacitors based on the input voltage and the voltage conversion ratios of each of the plurality of switched capacitors.