US 12,249,911 B2
Flying capacitor startup circuit for multi-level voltage converter
Barry John Concklin, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to Renesas Electronics America Inc., Milpitas, CA (US)
Filed by Renesas Electronics America Inc., Milpitas, CA (US)
Filed on Jan. 19, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/156,766.
Prior Publication US 2024/0250609 A1, Jul. 25, 2024
Int. Cl. H02M 3/00 (2006.01); H02M 1/00 (2006.01); H02M 1/36 (2007.01); H02M 3/07 (2006.01)
CPC H02M 3/07 (2013.01) [H02M 1/0095 (2021.05); H02M 1/36 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A semiconductor device comprising:
a circuit including a plurality of current sources, the circuit being configured to:
measure a flying capacitor voltage across a flying capacitor of a multi-level voltage converter;
compare the flying capacitor voltage with a voltage level equivalent to an intermediate voltage that is between ground and an input voltage being provided to the multi-level voltage converter; and
based on a result of the comparison, switch a current source among the plurality of current sources to maintain the flying capacitor voltage at the intermediate voltage.