Patent ID: 11967889
Assignee: SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, LTD.
Field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 0:
1. A DC-DC converter comprising:
a voltage conversion unit configured to perform bidirectional voltage conversion between a first conductive path and a second conductive path;
a control unit configured to output a control signal for controlling the voltage conversion unit; a drive unit configured to output a drive signal that corresponds to the control signal that is output from the control unit;
a first voltage detection unit configured to detect a first voltage that is applied to the first conductive path; and
a second voltage detection unit configured to detect a second voltage that is applied to the second conductive path,
wherein the voltage conversion unit is configured to perform a first conversion operation, which is at least either an operation for stepping down a voltage that is applied to the first conductive path and applying a resulting voltage to the second conductive path or an operation for stepping up a voltage that is applied to the second conductive path and applying a resulting voltage to the first conductive path, and to perform a second conversion operation, which is at least either an operation for stepping up a voltage that is applied to the first conductive path and applying a resulting voltage to the second conductive path or an operation for stepping down a voltage that is applied to the second conductive path and applying a resulting voltage to the first conductive path,
the control unit is configured to output a first control signal for performing the first conversion operation and a second control signal for performing the second conversion operation,
the drive unit includes a first drive unit configured to output a first drive signal that corresponds to the first control signal to the voltage conversion unit when the first control signal is output from the control unit, and a second drive unit configured to output a second drive signal that corresponds to the second control signal to the voltage conversion unit when the second control signal is output from the control unit,
the voltage conversion unit includes a first switching unit that includes a first high-side element including a switch and a first low-side element including a switch or a diode and that is supplied with the first drive signal, and a second switching unit that includes a second high-side element including a switch and a second low-side element including a switch or a diode and that is supplied with the second drive signal,
the voltage conversion unit is configured to perform the first conversion operation when the first drive signal is supplied to the first switching unit,
the voltage conversion unit is configured to perform the second conversion operation when the second drive signal is supplied to the second switching unit,
the DC-DC converter further comprising:
a bootstrap circuit unit configured to apply, to the drive unit, a voltage that is higher than a voltage at a first connection point between the first high-side element and the first low-side element in the first conversion operation, and apply, to the drive unit, a voltage that is higher than a voltage at a second connection point between the second high-side element and the second low-side element in the second conversion operation; and
a charge-pump circuit unit configured to step up an input voltage and apply an output voltage that is higher than the input voltage to the drive unit,
wherein the drive unit is configured to output the first drive signal and the second drive signal that include a voltage signal that corresponds to a voltage that is applied by the bootstrap circuit unit or a voltage that is applied by the charge-pump circuit unit, and
the charge-pump circuit unit is configured to determine an operation timing at which the charge-pump circuit unit is to apply the output voltage, based on the first voltage, the second voltage, and a state of the first conversion operation or the second conversion operation.