Patent ID: 11949332
Assignee: CIRRUS LOGIC INC.
Field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 11:
12. A method for converting an input voltage at an input of the power converter into an output voltage at an output of the power converter, wherein:
the power converter comprises:
a plurality of phases including at least a first phase and a second phase, each of the plurality of phases comprising:
a switching node;
a power inductor coupled between the switching node and the output;
a flying capacitor having a first flying capacitor terminal and a second flying capacitor terminal;
a pump capacitor having a first pump capacitor terminal and a second pump capacitor terminal, the second pump capacitor terminal coupled to ground;
a first switch coupled between the input and the first flying capacitor terminal;
a second switch coupled between the first flying capacitor terminal and the switching node;
a third switch coupled between the second flying capacitor terminal and the switching node;
a fourth switch coupled between the second flying capacitor terminal and a ground voltage; and

balancing switches comprising:
a fifth switch coupled between the second capacitor terminal of the first phase and the first capacitor terminal of the second phase;
a sixth switch coupled between the first capacitor terminal of the second phase and the first capacitor terminal of the second phase;
a seventh switch coupled between the first capacitor terminal of the first phase and the first capacitor terminal of the second phase; and
an eighth switch coupled between the second capacitor terminal of the first phase and the second capacitor terminal of the second phase;

the method comprising operating the power converter in a forward 3-level buck mode having a plurality of switching states, wherein:
for at least a first one of the plurality of switching states, the fifth switch is activated to couple the flying capacitor of the first phase and the flying capacitor of the second phase in series;
for at least a second one of the plurality of switching states, the sixth switch is activated to couple the flying capacitor of the first phase and the flying capacitor of the second phase in series; and
for at least a third one of the plurality of switching states, one of the seventh switch and the eighth switch is activated to couple the flying capacitor of the first phase and the flying capacitor of the second phase in parallel.