High power charge pump with inductive elements

• US 10,637,352 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2017
• Issued: 04/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BRUSA Elektronik AG
• Original Assignee: BRUSA Elektronik AG
• Inventors: Illiano, Enzo
• Primary Examiner(s): Donovan, Lincoln D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Almo, Khareem E
• Application Number:
  US16/331,054
• Publication Number:
  US 20190229616A1
• Time in Patent Office: 972 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 1/0093 wherein the output is created by adding a regulated voltage to or subtracting it from an unregulated input
• 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 1/083 for the ignition at the zero crossing of the voltage or the current
• 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 3/156 with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/158 including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/335 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

A high power unidirectional or bidirectional charge pump with inductive elements for high power DC-DC converter applications. Inductive elements resonating with storage capacitors allow zero current switching processes. Storage elements in the form of capacitors instead of conventional inductors allow a cheap and lightweight construction. The output voltage cannot be actively regulated and corresponds to a fraction of the input voltage. However, several voltage ratios can be easily obtained between output and input, such as 0.25, 0.33, 0.5, 0.75, 1.25, 1.33, 1.5, 2, 3, and 4.

Claims

1. A DC-DC converter, comprising an input DC-link, an output DC-link, the output DC-link connected to the input DC-link by a circuit arrangement comprising at least a storage capacitor, a DC-link capacitor, and at least one controllable switching arrangement, with the controllable switching arrangement adapted to connect at least one of the storage capacitor and DC-link capacitor and/or the input DC-link to the output DC-link, wherein an inductive element is serially connected immediately in front of the storage capacitor and both the storage capacitor and the inductive element are adapted to form a resonant circuit and wherein the circuit arrangement comprises a further DC-link capacitor serially connected to the DC-link capacitor, and permanently connected with the input DC-link and with the at least one controllable switching arrangement, the at least one controllable switching arrangement adapted to alternatively connect the further DC-link capacitor or the input DC-link to the storage capacitor, with a switching frequency of the at least one controllable switching arrangement and the resonance frequency of the resonant circuit being essentially equal.

2. The converter according to claim 1, wherein a first capacitor is the DC-link capacitor and is directly connected to the input DC-link, the input DC-link also connectable to the storage capacitor via the inductive element by a first controllable switching arrangement.

3. The converter according to claim 2, wherein a second capacitor is the further DC-link capacitor and is connected via a diode to either the input DC-link or, after activating a second controllable switching arrangement, to the inductive element and the storage capacitor.

4. The converter according to claim 2, wherein a second capacitor is the DC-link capacitor and is directly connected to the input DC-link, the input DC-link also connectable to the storage capacitor via the inductive element by the first controllable switching arrangement.

5. The converter according to claim 4, wherein the first capacitor is the further DC-link capacitor and is connected permanently to the output DC-link or, after activating a second controllable switching arrangement via a diode, to the storage capacitor and the inductive element.

6. The converter according to claim 1, wherein a first capacitor is the DC-link capacitor and is directly connected to the output DC-link, the output DC-link is also connectable to the storage capacitor via the inductive element a second controllable switching arrangement.

7. The converter according to claim 6, wherein a second capacitor is the further DC-link capacitor and is connected to the input DC-link or, after activating a first controllable switching arrangement, to the inductive element and the storage capacitor.

8. The converter according to claim 1, wherein first and second diodes are connected parallel to first and second switches of the at least one controllable switching arrangement, with a first diode parallel to a second switch being connected in reverse direction seen from the storage capacitor, and a second diode parallel to a first switch being connected in open direction seen from the storage capacitor.

9. The converter according to claim 8, wherein third and fourth switches are connected parallel to third and fourth diodes, with a third switch parallel to a fourth diode connecting a first DC-link that is one of the input DC-Link or the output DC-link, and a fourth switch parallel to a third diode connecting the inductive element to the DC-link capacitor and to a second DC-link that is another of the input DC-Link or output DC-link.

10. The converter according to claim 8, wherein parallel to each of the DC-link capacitor and the further DC-link capacitor a large resistor is connected, with large resistors being identical.

11. The converter according to claim 10, wherein a further at least one first resistor is connected between the storage capacitor and a closest large resistor and/or a further at least one second resistor is connected between the inductive element and a DC-link parallel to the DC-link capacitor and the further DC-link capacitor, the DC-link being one of the input DC-Link or the output DC-link.

12. The converter according to claim 9, wherein parallel to one or more switches of the first and second, and third and fourth switches there are connected highly resistive switches, and the converter is adapted to operate with the highly resistive switches during first switching events and changing to other switches of the first and second, and third and fourth switches thereafter.

13. The converter according to claim 1, wherein a further converter stage is connected between one capacitor of the DC-link capacitor or the further DC-link capacitor of a first converter stage, a storage capacitor of the further converter stage is connected to a DC-link capacitor of the further converter stage and the output DC-link, the output DC-link being connectable to the input DC-link and one of the DC-link capacitor or the further DC-link capacitor, as well as the storage capacitor of the further converter stage via an inductive element of the further converter stage by a first switch and/or a second switch of the further converter stage.

14. The converter according to claim 1, wherein a further storage capacitor and a further inductive element are connected in parallel to the storage capacitor and the inductive element, the further storage capacitor and the further inductive element capable of being activated by switches and connectable with one of the DC-link capacitor or the further DC-link capacitor being connected to the output DC-link.

15. The converter according to claim 6, wherein a further storage capacitor and a further inductive element are connected serially to the storage capacitor and inductive element via a switch, the further storage capacitor and the further inductive element capable of being activated by a further switch and connectable with one of the DC-link capacitor or the further DC-link capacitor.