US 11,901,816 B2
Start-up of step-up power converter with switched-capacitor network
Aichen Low, Cambridge, MA (US); Gregory Szczeszynski, Hollis, NH (US); and Oscar Blyde, Melrose, MA (US)
Assigned to pSemi Corporation, San Diego, CA (US)
Filed by pSemi Corporation, San Diego, CA (US)
Filed on Feb. 10, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/785,802.
Application 16/785,802 is a continuation of application No. 16/016,794, filed on Jun. 25, 2018, abandoned.
Prior Publication US 2021/0006156 A1, Jan. 7, 2021
Int. Cl. H02M 3/07 (2006.01); H02M 1/36 (2007.01)
CPC H02M 3/07 (2013.01) [H02M 1/36 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A step-up power converter comprising:
a cascade multiplier to convert an input voltage into an output voltage, comprising:
a plurality of pump capacitors to be coupled to a plurality of stack switches via a corresponding plurality of stack nodes;
an input terminal for receiving an input voltage from a voltage source; and
an output terminal having an output voltage, wherein the input voltage is less than the output voltage;
a bypass path connecting the input terminal directly to one of said plurality of stack nodes while bypassing at least one other stack node, such that the stack node is to be charged by the input voltage to a stack node voltage value;
a clock to generate a timing signal; and
a controller to generate one or more control signals based, at least in part, on the timing signal to control the plurality of stack switches to facilitate one or more state transitions between a first operating state and a second operating state of the cascade multiplier based, at least in part, on the input voltage,
wherein, in the first operating state:
a first stack node of the plurality of stack nodes to have a first stack node voltage, and
a second stack node of the plurality of stack nodes to have a second stack node voltage, the second stack node voltage to comprise a voltage insufficient to operate a corresponding stack switch of the plurality of stack switches, and
wherein, in the second operating state, the second stack node voltage to be adjusted to comprise a voltage sufficient to operate the corresponding stack switch of the plurality of stack switches.