Patent ID: 8552697

Claim:
A switched-mode power converter comprising: an inductor; at least three ports, at least one of which is a donor/receptor port; a plurality of switches for transferring energy between the ports and the inductor; and a controller configured to: (1) receive controller input signals based on: two or more reference signals; a polarity and a magnitude of a voltage or a current of at least one port; and a polarity and a magnitude of a current in the inductor; and (2) activate the switches based on the controller input signals; wherein, during a chopping cycle, energy can be transferred from a first port of the at least three ports to a second port of the at least three ports regardless of the polarity of the inductor current at the beginning of the chopping cycle, such that: if the controller determines that the polarity of the inductor current at the beginning of the chopping cycle is positive, then the controller can configure the switches to transfer energy from the first port to the second port; and if the controller determines that the polarity of the inductor current at the beginning of the chopping cycle is negative, then the controller can configure the switches to transfer energy from the first port to the second port.