POWER CIRCUIT

• US 20140253066A1
• Filed: 08/29/2013
• Published: 09/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Teh, Chen Kong
• Granted Patent: US 9,369,044 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 323/272
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/1584 with a plurality of power processing stages connected in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/1586 switched with a phase shift, i.e. interleaved

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a power circuit includes an input terminal 1 to which a DC input voltage is applied, an output terminal 2, a first DCDC converter which receives the DC input voltage and supplies a first phase output current to the output terminal 2, a second DCDC converter which supplies an output current lower than the first phase output current to the output terminal in a second phase which is different from the first phase, and a controller which controls operations of the first and second DCDC converters.

Claims

1. A power circuit, comprising:

an input terminal;

an output terminal;

a first DCDC converter which receives a DC input voltage supplied to the input terminal and supplies a first output current of a first phase to the output terminal;

a second DCDC converter which receives the DC input voltage supplied to the input terminal and supplies a second output current lower than the first output current to the output terminal in a second phase which is different from the first phase; and

a control circuit which controls operations of the first and second DCDC converters.

2. The power circuit according to claim 1, wherein the first DCDC converter includes a first switching element in which a first electrode is connected to the input terminal and which outputs the first output current from a second electrode, and a first inductance element which is connected between the second electrode of the first switching element and the output terminal, and

the second DCDC converter includes a second switching element in which a third electrode is connected to the input terminal and which outputs the second output current from a fourth electrode, and a second inductance element which is connected between the fourth electrode of the second switching element and the output terminal.

3. The power circuit according to claim 2, wherein a switching frequency of the first DCDC converter is higher than a switching frequency of the second DCDC converter and an inductance of the first inductance element is lower than an inductance of the second inductance element.

4. The power circuit according to claim 3, wherein a size of the first switching element is larger than a size of the second switching element.

5. The power circuit according to claim 4, further comprising:

a third DCDC converter which operates at the same phase as the second DCDC converter,

wherein a third output current of the third DCDC converter is supplied to the output terminal through the second inductance element.

6. The power circuit according to claim 4, wherein the control circuit compares a predetermined mode threshold value with a load current and stops one of the first and second DCDC converters in accordance with a comparison result.

7. The power circuit according to claim 3, further comprising:

a third DCDC converter which operates at the same phase as the second DCDC converter,

wherein a third output current of the third DCDC converter is supplied to the output terminal through the second inductance element.

8. The power circuit according to claim 3, wherein the control circuit compares a predetermined mode threshold value with a load current and stops one of the first and second DCDC converters in accordance with a comparison result.

9. The power circuit according to claim 2, further comprising:

a third DCDC converter which operates at the same phase as the second DCDC converter,

wherein a third output current of the third DCDC converter is supplied to the output terminal through the second inductance element.

10. The power circuit according to claim 2, wherein a size of the first switching element is larger than a size of the second switching element.

11. The power circuit according to claim 10, further comprising:

a third DCDC converter which operates at the same phase as the second DCDC converter,

wherein a third output current of the third DCDC converter is supplied to the output terminal through the second inductance element.

12. The power circuit according to claim 4, wherein the control circuit compares a predetermined mode threshold value with a load current and stops one of the first and second DCDC converters in accordance with a comparison result.

13. The power circuit according to claim 12, wherein when a mode is switched into a mode which stops one of the first and second DCDC converters, the control circuit performs control to set a value of an output current of the first or second DCDC converter which continuously operates to be equal to a value of a sum of the output currents of the first and second DCDC converters before switching the mode.

14. The power circuit according to claim 2, wherein the control circuit compares a predetermined mode threshold value with a load current and stops one of the first and second DCDC converters in accordance with the comparison result.

15. The power circuit according to claim 14, wherein when a mode is switched into a mode which stops one of the first and second DCDC converters, the control circuit performs control to set a value of an output current of the first or second DCDC converter which continuously operates to be equal to a value of a sum of the output currents of the first and second DCDC converters before switching the mode.

16. The power circuit according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit compares a predetermined mode threshold value with a load current and stops one of the first and second DCDC converters in accordance with a comparison result.

17. The power circuit according to claim 16, wherein when a mode is switched into a mode which stops one of the first and second DCDC converters, the control circuit performs control to set a value of an output current of the first or second DCDC converter which continuously operates to be equal to a value of a sum of the output currents of the first and second DCDC converters before switching the mode.

18. The power circuit according to claim 1, further comprising an error calculating circuit which outputs a control signal based on a comparison of the output voltage of the power circuit with a reference voltage, wherein the control circuit compares a predetermined mode threshold value with the control signal and stops one of the first and second DCDC converters in accordance with the comparison result on the control signal.

19. A power circuit, comprising:

an input terminal;

an output terminal;

a first DCDC converter which receives a DC input voltage supplied to the input terminal and supplies a first output current of a first phase to the output terminal;

a second DCDC converter which receives the DC input voltage supplied to the input terminal and supplies a second output current of a second phase different from the first phase to the output terminal; and

a control circuit which compares a predetermined mode threshold value with a load current and controls the operations of the first and second DCDC converters according to the comparison result,

wherein, when a driving mode is switched from a mode of operating both the first and second DCDC converters to a mode of operating either the first or second DCDC converter, the control circuit performs control such that a value of an output current of the first or second DCDC converter continuously operating becomes equal to a sum of the output currents of the first and second DCDC converters before the mode is switched.

20. A power circuit, comprising:

an input terminal;

an output terminal;

a first DCDC converter which receives a DC input voltage supplied to the input terminal and supplies a first output current of a first phase to the output terminal;

a second DCDC converter which receives the DC input voltage supplied to the input terminal and supplies a second output current of a second phase different from the first phase to the output terminal; and

a control circuit which compares a predetermined mode threshold value with a load current and controls the operations of the first and second DCDC converters according to the comparison result,

wherein, when a driving mode is switched from a mode of operating either the first or second DCDC converter to a mode of operating both the first and second DCDC converters, the control circuit performs control such that a sum of the output currents of the first and second DCDC converters after the mode is switched becomes equal to a value of an output current of the first or second DCDC converter operating before the mode is switched.