US 12,395,072 B2
Flying capacitor multi-level power factor correction converter of power supply with active balancing of voltage of flying capacitors
Laszlo Huber, Cary, NC (US); and Peter Mantovanelli Barbosa, Cary, NC (US)
Assigned to Delta Electronics, Inc., Taipei (TW)
Filed by Delta Electronics, Inc., Taipei (TW)
Filed on Dec. 28, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/089,815.
Prior Publication US 2024/0223074 A1, Jul. 4, 2024
Int. Cl. H02M 1/42 (2007.01); H02M 7/217 (2006.01)
CPC H02M 1/4225 (2013.01) [H02M 1/4216 (2013.01); H02M 7/217 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A power factor correction (PFC) converter comprising:
an inductor configured to electrically connect to an alternating current (AC) source;
a first set of switches, comprising three or more switches arranged in series, configured to be electrically connected to a terminal of the inductor at one end and to a negative output terminal at an opposite end;
a second set of switches, comprising three or more switches arranged in series, configured to be electrically connected to the terminal of the inductor at the one end and to a positive output terminal at an opposite end, wherein an output voltage of the PFC converter is between the positive output terminal and the negative output terminal;
two or more flying capacitors, wherein each of the two or more flying capacitors is connected between different pairs of adjacent ones of the first set of switches and corresponding adjacent ones of the second set of switches; and
a controller configured to control a duty cycle of the first set of switches and the second set of switches based on balancing voltages of the two or more flying capacitors;
wherein:
the controller comprises two or more balance control modules, each associated with one of the two or more flying capacitors,
the controller is configured such that each of the two or more balance control modules obtains an error voltage and provides a balance adjustment signal based on the error voltage, and
the controller is configured to compute the error voltage provided to each balance control module of the two or more balance control modules by using the measurement of the output voltage and a voltage of the one of the two or more flying capacitors associated with the balance control module.