MULTI-PHASE TRANSFORMER TYPE DC-DC CONVERTER

• US 20150070940A1
• Filed: 06/09/2014
• Published: 03/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Renesas Electronics America Inc.(f/k/a Integrated Device Technology, Inc) (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Renesas Electronics America Inc.(f/k/a Integrated Device Technology, Inc) (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: Sato, Tetsuo, Murakami, Hiroshi, Ayukawa, Kazuhito
• Application Number:
  US14/299,186
• Publication Number:
  US 20150070940A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 363/17
• 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

A multi-phase transformer type DC-DC converter. In one embodiment, the multi-phase transformer type DC-DC converter includes a plurality of DC-DC converters comprising a plurality of transformers, respectively, wherein the plurality of DC-DC converters are coupled in parallel between an input and an output. A circuit is coupled to the plurality of DC-DC converters and configured to generate a plurality of clock signals for use by the plurality of DC-DC converters, respectively, wherein the plurality of clock signals are phase shifted with respect to each other.

Claims

1. An isolated DC-DC converter comprising:

N full-bridge drivers, where N is greater than 1, for driving primary sides of N voltage and current transformers, respectively;

N full rectifiers coupled to secondary sides of the N voltage and current transformers, respectively, for driving an output to an output voltage;

wherein the N full-bridge drivers are controlled by respective sets of pulse width modulation (PWM) signals, wherein the sets of PWM signals are phase shifted with respect to each other, wherein the phase the sets of PWM signals depends on N, and wherein the sets of multiple PWM signals enable interleaving operation of the N full-bridge drivers;

wherein no direct current (DC) connection connects the primary and secondary sides of the voltage and current transformers.

2. The isolated DC-DC converter of claim 1 further comprising N circuits for generating first voltages, wherein the first voltages are proportional to current flow into the primary sides of respective voltage and current transformers.

3. The isolated DC-DC converter of claim 2 wherein widths of first PWM signals in respective sets of PWM signals, depend on the first voltages, respectively.

4. The isolated DC-DC converter of claim 3 further comprising:

N PWM generators for generating the N sets of PWM signals, respectively;

a circuit for generating an error voltage as a function of the output voltage and a target output voltage;

wherein the N PWM generators comprise N comparators, respectively, for comparing the error voltage with respective first voltages.

5. The isolated DC-DC converter of claim 3 wherein the N circuits comprise N current sense transformers, respectively, for generating the first voltages, respectively.

6. A non-isolated DC-DC converter comprising:

N full-bridge drivers, where N is greater than 1, for driving primary sides of N voltage and current transformers, respectively;

N full rectifiers coupled to secondary sides of the N voltage and current transformers, respectively, for driving an output to an output voltage;

wherein the N full-bridge drivers are controlled by respective sets of pulse width modulation (PWM) signals, wherein the sets of PWM signals are phase shifted with respect to each other, wherein the phase the sets of PWM signals depends on N, and wherein the sets of multiple PWM signals enable interleaving operation of the N full-bridge drivers;

wherein a direct current (DC) connection exists the primary and secondary sides of the voltage and current transformers.

7. The non-isolated DC-DC converter of claim 6 further comprising N circuits for generating first voltages, wherein the first voltages are proportional to current flow into the primary sides of respective voltage and current transformers.

8. The non-isolated DC-DC converter of claim 7 wherein widths of first PWM signals in respective sets of PWM signals, depend on the first voltages, respectively.

9. The non-isolated DC-DC converter of claim 8 further comprising:

N PWM generators for generating the N sets of PWM signals, respectively;

a circuit for generating an error voltage as a function of the output voltage and a target output voltage;

wherein the N PWM generators comprise N comparators, respectively, for comparing the error voltage with respective first voltages.

10. The non-isolated DC-DC converter of claim 7 wherein the N circuits comprise current mirror(s) for generating currents that are proportional to the currents flowing into the primary sides of respective voltage and current transformers.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a plurality of DC-DC converters comprising a plurality of transformers, respectively, wherein the plurality of DC-DC converters are coupled in parallel between an input and an output;

a circuit coupled to the plurality of DC-DC converters and configured to generate a plurality of clock signals for use by the plurality of DC-DC converters, respectively, wherein the plurality of clock signals are phase shifted with respect to each other.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the circuit is configured to generate a control signal for controlling the plurality of DC-DC converters, wherein the control signal is generated as a function of a voltage at the output.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the plurality of DC-DC converters comprise a plurality of PWM signal generators, respectively, for generating first PWM signals, respectively, for controlling the plurality of transformers, respectively.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the plurality of DC-DC converters comprise a plurality of first switches, respectively, for selectively coupling the input to a plurality of first terminals, respectively of the transformers, respectively, in accordance with the first PWM signals, respectively.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the plurality of first PWM signals are phase shifted with respect to each other.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the phase shift between the plurality of first PWM signals equals the phase shift between the plurality of clock signals.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein a width of each of the first PWM signals depends on the control signal.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the DC-DC converters comprise a plurality of circuits, respectively, for generating first voltages, respectively, which are proportional to current flow to the plurality of transformers, respectively, wherein the width of the plurality of first PWM signals depends the first voltages, respectively.

19. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein each of the transformers comprises a primary winding and a secondary winding, wherein the primary winding is directly or indirectly coupled to a first ground terminal, but not a second ground terminal, and wherein the secondary winding is directly or indirectly coupled to the second ground terminal, but not the first ground terminal, wherein the first and second ground terminals are electrically isolated from each other.

20. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein each of the transformers comprises a primary winding and a secondary winding, wherein the primary winding is directly or indirectly coupled to a common ground terminal.