US 12,283,881 B1
Multi-cell power converter
Patrizio Vinciarelli, Boston, MA (US); and Andreas Gerasimos Ladas, Wakefield, RI (US)
Assigned to Vicor Corporation, Andover, MA (US)
Filed by Vicor Corporation, Andover, MA (US)
Filed on Nov. 8, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/388,051.
Application 18/388,051 is a division of application No. 17/475,146, filed on Sep. 14, 2021, granted, now 11,870,340.
Application 18/388,051 is a division of application No. 16/535,480, filed on Aug. 8, 2019, granted, now 11,271,490, issued on Mar. 8, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/236,092, filed on Aug. 23, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/879,958, filed on Jul. 29, 2019.
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H01F 27/28 (2006.01); H01F 27/24 (2006.01); H02M 3/00 (2006.01); H02M 3/24 (2006.01); H05K 1/18 (2006.01)
CPC H02M 3/003 (2021.05) [H01F 27/24 (2013.01); H01F 27/28 (2013.01); H02M 3/24 (2013.01); H05K 1/181 (2013.01); H05K 2201/1003 (2013.01)] 43 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus comprising:
a power converter having a multi-layer printed circuit board (“PCB”) including a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer, and an insulation layer separating the first and second conductive layers;
a magnetically permeable core structure including a number, Np, of magnetic paths, each passing through the first and second conductive layers in at least two leg locations;
a first winding including a first winding element that passes through the Np magnetic paths between the respective leg locations, the first winding element being formed in the first conductive layer of the PCB;
a plurality of second winding elements, each passing through a respective subset of the magnetic paths between the respective leg locations, each subset including a number, Ns, of the magnetic paths, the second winding elements being formed in the second conductive layer;
a plurality of interconnected converter output cell elements each including a switch and a capacitor, in which each converter output cell element is associated with and includes at least a portion of a respective second winding element;
wherein each second winding element comprises a length, Ls, measured between a first termination and a second termination, the first termination is connected to the switch of the corresponding output cell element, the switch is on one side of the corresponding subset of the magnetic paths, the second termination is connected to an output terminal located on an opposite side of the corresponding subset of the magnetic paths,
wherein the length, Ls, divided by the average width, Ws, of the second winding element between the first and second terminations, and further divided by Ns, is less than a number, S; and
wherein the number S less than or equal to 5.