Integrated booster amplifier

• US 20060132234A1
• Filed: 12/21/2005
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nuforce, Inc. (Optoma Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nphysics Incorporated
• Inventors: Nguyen, Tranh T.
• Granted Patent: US 7,307,474 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 330/251
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/52 Circuit arrangements for protecting such amplifiers monitoring arrangements G01R31/28; increasing reliability in communication systems, e.g. using redundancy H04B1/74
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/217 Class D power amplifiers; Switching amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/2173 of the bridge type

Abstract

An amplifier is provided. The amplifier comprises an H-bridge with two halves. A capacitor and two inductors are coupled to the H-bridge. Each inductor, a half of the H-bridge, and the capacitor are configured as a boost converter.

Claims

1. An amplifier, comprising:

an H-bridge that comprises a first switch, a second switch, a third switch, and a fourth switch;

a capacitor coupled to the H-bridge;

a first inductor coupled to the H-bridge, the first inductor, the first and second switches, and the capacitor being configured as a first boost converter; and

a second inductor coupled to the H-Bridge, the second inductor, the third and fourth switches, and the capacitor being configured as a second boost converter.

2. The amplifier of claim 1, further comprising a power source coupled to the first and second inductors.

3. The amplifier of claim 2, wherein the H-bridge further comprises a first switching node that is located between the first and second switches and a second switching node that is located between the third and fourth switches, and wherein the first inductor is coupled between the first switching node and the power source and the second inductor is coupled between the second switching node and the power source.

4. The amplifier of claim 1, further comprising a modulator configured for controlling switching of the first, second, third, and fourth switches based on an audio signal.

5. The amplifier of claim 1, wherein the first and second inductors are configured as a coupled inductor.

6. The amplifier of claim 1, wherein the amplifier does not comprise a direct current (DC) to DC step-up converter.

7. The amplifier of claim 1, further comprising:

a first one-way valve coupled to the first inductor, the first one-way valve being configured to prevent a first reverse inductor current in the first inductor from discharging the capacitor; and

a second one-way valve coupled to the second inductor, the second one-way valve being configured to prevent a second reverse inductor current in the second inductor from discharging the capacitor.

8. The amplifier of claim 1, wherein the first and second boost converters are embedded in the amplifier.

9. The amplifier of claim 1, wherein the H-bridge further comprises:

a first set of delta-configured inductors; and

a second set of delta-configured inductors coupled to the first set of delta-coupled inductors.

10. The amplifier of claim 9, wherein the H-bridge further comprises:

a first magnetic coupling that couples the first and second set of delta-configured inductors; and

a second magnetic coupling that couples the first and second set of delta-configured inductors.

11. An amplifier system, comprising:

a first amplifier that comprises

a first H-bridge that comprises a first half and a second half;

a first capacitor coupled to the first H-bridge;

a first inductor coupled to the first H-bridge, the first inductor, the first half of the first H-bridge, and the first capacitor being configured as a first boost converter; and

a second inductor coupled to the first H-bridge, the second inductor, the second half of the first H-bridge, and the first capacitor being configured as a second boost converter.

12. The amplifier system of claim 11, further comprising a second amplifier coupled to the first amplifier in parallel, the second amplifier comprising:

a second H-bridge that comprises a third half and a fourth half;

the first capacitor coupled to the first and second H-bridges;

a third inductor coupled to the second H-bridge, the third inductor, the third half of the second H-bridge, and the first capacitor being configured as a third boost converter; and

a fourth inductor coupled to the second H-bridge, the fourth inductor, the fourth half of the second H-bridge, and the first capacitor being configured as a fourth boost converter.

13. The amplifier system of claim 12, wherein coupling the first and second amplifiers in parallel is configured to reduce a storage capacitance of the first capacitor.

14. The amplifier system of claim 12, further comprising a power source coupled to the first and second amplifiers.

15. The amplifier system of claim 11, further comprising a second amplifier coupled to the first amplifier, the second amplifier comprising:

a second H-bridge; and

the first capacitor coupled to the first and second H-bridges, the first capacitor being configured to power the second amplifier.

16. The amplifier system of claim 11, further comprising a second amplifier cascaded with the first amplifier, the second amplifier comprising:

a second H-bridge that comprises a third half and a fourth half;

a second capacitor coupled to the second H-bridge;

a third inductor coupled to the second H-bridge, the third inductor, the third half of the second H-bridge, and the second capacitor being configured as a third boost converter; and

a fourth inductor coupled to the second H-bridge, the fourth inductor, the fourth half of the second H-bridge, and the second capacitor being configured as a fourth boost converter.

17. The amplifier system of claim 16, wherein a voltage associated with the first capacitor is about double a voltage of a power source.

18. The amplifier system of claim 16, wherein a voltage associated with the second capacitor is about quadruple a voltage of a power source.

19. An amplifier, comprising:

a half H-bridge that comprises a first switch and a second switch;

a capacitor coupled to the half H-bridge; and

an inductor coupled to the half H-bridge, the inductor, the first and second switches, and the capacitor being configured as a boost converter.

20. The amplifier of claim 19 wherein the half H-bridge further comprises a set of delta-configured inductors.