US 12,463,541 B2
Selectable three-level, half-bridge circuit
Takayuki Tange, Milton Keynes (GB)
Assigned to MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD., Kyoto (JP)
Appl. No. 17/919,328
Filed by Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Nagaokakyo (JP)
PCT Filed Mar. 22, 2021, PCT No. PCT/US2021/023389
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 17, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/221823, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 4, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/018,083, filed on Apr. 30, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0170810 A1, Jun. 1, 2023
Int. Cl. H02M 3/335 (2006.01); H02M 1/00 (2006.01); H02M 3/07 (2006.01)
CPC H02M 3/33571 (2021.05) [H02M 1/0095 (2021.05); H02M 3/07 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A direct-current to direct-current (DC-DC) conversion circuit comprising: an input voltage; a single half-bridge circuit connected to the input voltage and including: a first leg with first, second, third, and fourth switching elements connected in series with each other; a second leg with first and second capacitors connected in series with each other and connected in parallel with the first leg; and a single flying capacitor connected to a node between the first switching element and the second switching element and connected to a node between the third switching element and the fourth switching element; a transformer including a primary winding connected to the single half-bridge circuit and including a secondary winding connected to a secondary circuit; and a controller that controls the first, the second, the third, and the fourth switching elements, wherein the controller selectively controls the single half-bridge circuit in: half-bridge operation in which ±Vin/2 is applied to the primary winding, where Vin is the input voltage; and 3-level half-bridge operation in which ±Vin/4 is applied to the primary winding.