PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-9685880-B2
Application Number: US-201615069659-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Power converters

Abstract:
A power conversion device includes a winding portion and a core portion. The winding portion can be embedded within a plurality of layers of a system printed circuit board. The core portion can be located within one or more elements of the power conversion device that are separate from the system printed circuit board.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A power conversion device, comprising:
 a printed circuit board comprising a plurality of embedded conductive layers formed within the printed circuit board; 
 a power conversion sub-assembly attached to the printed circuit board, the power conversion sub-assembly comprising:
 a power integrated circuit (IC); 
 a ferromagnetic substrate disposed between the power IC and the printed circuit board; and 
 a conductive interconnect extending through the ferromagnetic substrate; and 
 
 a winding structure formed within the embedded conductive layers of the printed circuit board below the ferromagnetic substrate and in electrical communication with the power IC via the conductive interconnect. 
 
     
     
       2. The power conversion device of  claim 1 , further comprising a ferromagnetic tile, the winding structure disposed between the ferromagnetic substrate and the ferromagnetic tile. 
     
     
       3. The power conversion device of  claim 1 , wherein the power conversion sub-assembly is a first power conversion sub-assembly, the power IC is a first power IC, the ferromagnetic substrate is a first ferromagnetic substrate, and the conductive interconnect is a first conductive interconnect, the power conversion device further comprising a second power conversion sub-assembly disposed below the primary circuit board, the second power conversion sub-assembly comprising:
 a second power IC; 
 a second ferromagnetic substrate disposed between the printed circuit board and the second power substrate; and 
 a second conductive interconnect extending through the second ferromagnetic substrate and being in electrical communication with the winding structure. 
 
     
     
       4. The power conversion device of  claim 3 , wherein the second power IC comprises one or more power switches in electrical communication with the winding structure. 
     
     
       5. The power conversion device of  claim 1 , wherein the printed circuit board comprises at least one power portion and at least one signal portion, the winding structure disposed within the at least one power portion. 
     
     
       6. The power conversion device of  claim 1 , further comprising a decoupling tile disposed above the power conversion sub-assembly, the decoupling tile comprising one or more capacitors. 
     
     
       7. The power conversion device of  claim 6 , wherein the decoupling tile comprises an input terminal in electrical communication with the power IC and an output terminal in electrical communication with the power IC. 
     
     
       8. The power conversion device of  claim 7 , wherein the power conversion device is configured to convert an input current received via the input terminal and output an output current via the output terminal. 
     
     
       9. The power conversion device of  claim 1 , wherein the winding structure comprises a first portion that is patterned in series and a second portion that is patterned in parallel. 
     
     
       10. A motherboard having a plurality of layers arranged in a stack, the motherboard comprising:
 a power conversion area comprising a power conversion device, the power conversion device comprising:
 a winding structure comprising a plurality of conductive power traces embedded within the plurality of layers within the power conversion area; 
 a power substrate attached to the motherboard; 
 a ferromagnetic substrate disposed between the power substrate and the winding structure; and 
 a conductive interconnect extending through the ferromagnetic substrate and electrically connecting the power substrate and the winding structure; and 
 
 a signal transfer area comprising:
 a plurality of signal traces embedded within the plurality of layers; and 
 a computer component in electrical communication with the power conversion device. 
 
 
     
     
       11. The motherboard of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 a plug connector configured to attach to a power source; and 
 a power trace extending between the plug connector and the power conversion device in at least one layer of the plurality of layers. 
 
     
     
       12. The motherboard of  claim 11 , wherein the power conversion device is configured to receive a first current from the power source via the power trace and provide a second current to the computer component. 
     
     
       13. The motherboard of  claim 10 , wherein the power substrate comprises an integrated circuit, the conductive interconnect electrically connecting the integrated circuit and the winding structure. 
     
     
       14. The motherboard of  claim 10 , wherein the computer component comprises a microprocessor. 
     
     
       15. The motherboard of  claim 10 , wherein the power substrate, the ferromagnetic substrate, and the conductive interconnect are disposed above the winding structure. 
     
     
       16. The motherboard of  claim 15 , wherein the power substrate is a first power substrate, the ferromagnetic substrate is a first ferromagnetic substrate, and the conductive interconnect is a first conductive interconnect, the power conversion device further comprising:
 a second power substrate attached to the motherboard; 
 a second ferromagnetic substrate disposed between second power substrate and the winding structure; and 
 a second conductive interconnect extending through the second ferromagnetic substrate and electrically connecting the second power substrate and the winding structure. 
 
     
     
       17. A computer, comprising:
 a motherboard having a plurality layers, the motherboard comprising:
 a power conversion area; and 
 a signal transfer area; 
 
 a power conversion device, at least a portion of which being disposed within the power conversion area, the power conversion device comprising:
 a winding structure comprising a plurality of conductive power traces embedded within one or more of the plurality of layers within the power conversion area; 
 a power substrate; and 
 a ferromagnetic substrate disposed between the power substrate and the winding structure; 
 
 a computer component disposed within the signal transfer area and proximate the power conversion device; and 
 a power source configured to provide power to the computer component, wherein the power conversion device receives an electrical input from the power source via the power substrate and provides an electrical output to the computer component via the power substrate. 
 
     
     
       18. The computer of  claim 17 , wherein the computer component is a first computer component and the electrical output is a first electrical output, the computer further comprising a second computer component disposed within the signal transfer area, the power conversion device configured to provide a second electrical output to the second computer component via the power substrate. 
     
     
       19. The computer of  claim 17 , wherein the power conversion device is a first power conversion device, the power conversion area is a first power conversion area, the computer component is a first computer component, the electrical input is a first electrical input, and the electrical output is a first electrical output, the computer further comprising a second power conversion device, at least a portion of which being disposed within a second power conversion area, the second power conversion device configured to receive a second electrical input from the power source and provide a second electrical output to the second computer component. 
     
     
       20. The computer of  claim 17 , wherein the electrical input is AC current and the electrical output is DC current.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     The present application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/233,587 entitled “Power Converters,” and filed on Sep. 28, 2015, the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     This disclosure relates to power converters. In particular, power converters that are used in connection with electronic devices. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Electrical power can be transferred to electronic devices using different current types (e.g., direct current or alternating current), which may have varying voltages. Because certain electronic devices may have particular input voltage requirements, power converters are often used to change voltage from one type to another and/or to reduce or increase voltage. However, as computers and their respective electronic devices get smaller, the footprint available for placement of electronic devices and power converters is reduced. 
     SUMMARY 
     Examples of the present disclosure are directed to power conversion devices in electronic devices. Each power conversion device can include a core portion and a winding portion. In a particular example, the winding portion can be embedded in a system printed circuit board, and the core portion can be included as part of one or more separate substrates. Including the winding portion in the system printed circuit board can enable the footprint of the power conversion device to be reduced as compared to devices that place the winding in a printed circuit board separate from the system printed circuit board or in another location. 
     In some examples, a power conversion device is provided that includes a conversion sub-assembly and a winding structure embedded within a plurality of conductive layers of a printed circuit board. The conversion sub-assembly is attached to the printed circuit board. The sub-assembly also includes a power integrated circuit (IC), a ferromagnetic substrate disposed below the power IC, and one or more conductive interconnects extending through the ferromagnetic substrate. The winding structure can be formed within the embedded conductive layers of the printed circuit board below the ferromagnetic substrate and be in electrical communication with the power IC via the one or more conductive interconnects. 
     In some examples, a motherboard is provided that includes a plurality of signaling layers arranged in a stack. The motherboard can include a power conversion area, a signal transfer area, and one or more computer components attached thereto. The power conversion area can include a power conversion device. The power conversion device can include a winding structure including a plurality of conductive winding traces embedded within the plurality of layers within the power conversion area. The power conversion device can also include a power integrated circuit (IC) disposed above the winding structure, a ferromagnetic substrate disposed between the power IC and the winding structure, and one or more conductive interconnects extending through the ferromagnetic substrate and electrically connecting the power IC and the winding structure. The signal transfer area can include a plurality of signal traces embedded within the plurality of layers within the signal transfer area. The plurality of computer components are also attached within the signal transfer area. The plurality of computer components can include a central processing unit that is in electrical communication with the power conversion device and configured to receive electrical output from the power conversion device. 
     In some examples, a computer is provided that includes a motherboard, a power conversion device, a computer component, and a power source. The motherboard can have a plurality of layers, a power conversion area, and a signal transfer area. The power conversion device is formed within the power conversion area and can include a winding structure. The winding structure includes a plurality of conductive layers embedded within one or more of the plurality of layers of the motherboard within the power conversion area. The power conversion device can also include a power substrate and a ferromagnetic substrate disposed between the power substrate and the winding structure. The computer component can be disposed within the signal transfer area and can be located proximate the power conversion device. The power source can be configured to provide power to the computer component. To this end, the power conversion device receives an electrical input from the power source via the power substrate and provides an electrical output to the computer component via the power substrate. The electrical input can be distinct from the electrical output at least with respect to one or more of voltage, current, or current type. 
     To better understand the nature and advantages of the present disclosure, reference should be made to the following description and the accompanying figures. It is to be understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the scope of the present disclosure. Also, as a general rule, and unless it is evident to the contrary from the description, where elements in different figures use identical reference numbers, the elements are generally either identical or at least similar in function or purpose. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The disclosure will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows a power conversion device including a sub-assembly, in accordance with at least one example; 
         FIG. 2  shows a power conversion device including a sub-assembly and an additional ferromagnetic substrate, in accordance with at least one example; 
         FIG. 3  shows a power conversion device including two sub-assemblies, in accordance with at least one example; 
         FIG. 4  shows an example motherboard including a power conversion area, a microprocessor, and a signal transfer area, in accordance with at least one example; and 
         FIG. 5  shows an example computing device including a motherboard, power conversion devices, and computer components, in accordance with at least one example. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to representative embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the following descriptions are not intended to limit the embodiments to one preferred embodiment. To the contrary, it is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as can be included within the spirit and scope of the described embodiments as defined by the appended claims. 
       FIG. 1  is a simplified cross-sectional view that illustrates a power conversion device  100  in accordance with at least one example. The power conversion device  100  can be configured to convert current from a first current type (e.g., alternating current (AC)) to a second current type (e.g., direct current (DC)) or to convert DC current from a first DC current level to a second DC current level. The power conversion device  100  can have a magnetic component configured as an inductor. In some examples, the power conversion device  100  (and other power conversion devices described herein) can contain inductors and transformers. 
     In order to convert current as described herein, the power conversion device  100  includes a winding structure  102  and a sub-assembly  104 . The winding structure  102  can be formed within a primary substrate  106 . In some examples, the primary substrate  106  can be a multi-layer printed circuit board (PCB) or other suitable device configured to retain computer components and provide signaling traces. The signaling traces can run between the computer components within various signal layers  108  embedded within the primary substrate and formed on the top and/or bottom of the substrate. To this end, the primary substrate  106  can be a system motherboard (e.g., a main logic board) that routes signals between a processor and various memory and other integrated circuitry attached to the motherboard. When the primary substrate  106  is implemented as a multi-layer PCB, the PCB can be manufactured using any suitable manufacturing process that forms multiple metal signal layers  108  within the PCB. In various examples, the multi-layered PCB can include more than 5, more than 10, more than 20 or more than 25 metal signal layers  108  embedded within the PCB. 
     The winding structure  102  is formed within the embedded signal layers  108  within the primary substrate  106  and can include a plurality of conductive power traces disposed among the plurality of horizontal layers of the primary substrate  106 . The plurality of conductive power traces extend laterally and width-wise within the primary substrate  106  to correspond to the length and width dimensions of the sub-assembly  104 . The winding structure  102  can also extend between various layers of the plurality of horizontal layers with power traces in one signal layer connected to power traces in another signal layer by one or more vias formed within the primary substrate  106  between different signal layers  108  to form a desired winding shape. In other words, the winding structure  102  can extend both vertically (e.g., by one or more vias) and horizontally within the primary substrate  106  underneath the footprint of the sub-assembly  104 . 
     The winding structure  102  typically carries significantly more current than standard signal traces. To accommodate the high current levels, the width of each of the plurality of conductive power traces is typically greater than the width of the signaling traces described herein and located in other portions of the primary substrate  106 . For example, the width of each of the plurality of conductive power traces can be at least 100 times greater than the width of standard signal traces formed in the primary substrate  106  and, in some embodiments the width can be 400-500 times wider than the signaling traces. 
     In some examples, the entirety of the winding structure  102  is embedded within the primary substrate  106 . Thus, instead of the winding structure  102 —or even a portion of the winding structure  102 —being formed within the sub-assembly  104 , the winding structure  102  can be contained within the primary substrate  106 . Also, in some examples, the winding structure  102  includes a single winding formed underneath the footprint of the sub-assembly  104  having a single input and a single output. In other examples, the winding structure  102  includes multiple separate windings, each with its respective input and output. 
     The signal layers  108  can be formed from copper or some other conductive material typically used in power conversion devices. The conductive power traces within the signal layers  108  can be patterned in various layers and interconnected between various layers in accordance with a desired winding pattern. The pattern can be designed in a manner to optimize the space in the primary substrate  106  and/or to maximize the function of the power conversion device  100 . In some examples, the winding pattern includes a three-dimensional pattern in which the plurality of conductive power traces is patterned in series or parallel. In some examples, a first portion of the plurality of conductive power traces is patterned in series, while a second portion of the plurality of conductive power traces is patterned in parallel. In some examples, the winding structure  102  can include 20-30 layers in which the plurality of conductive power traces is located. 
     Turning now to the sub-assembly  104 , the sub-assembly  104  can include a ferromagnetic substrate  110  and a power IC or a power substrate  112 . The ferromagnetic substrate  110  is disposed between the power substrate  112  and the winding structure  102 , with a bottom surface of the ferromagnetic substrate  110  adjacent to a top surface of the primary substrate  106 . In some examples, the bottom surface of the ferromagnetic substrate  110  is in physical contact with the top surface of the primary substrate  106 . The ferromagnetic substrate  110  is disposed directly above the winding structure  102  and can be attached to the primary substrate  106 . In some examples, the sub-assembly  104  is disposed below the primary substrate  106 . 
     The ferromagnetic substrate  110  can be formed from any suitable ferromagnetic material. In this manner, the ferromagnetic substrate  110  functions as a “magnetic core” for the power conversion device  100 , i.e., a core portion of the power conversion device  100 . Because the winding structure  102  is formed from a conductive material, the winding structure  102  can function as “windings” for the power conversion device  100 , i.e., a winding portion of the power conversion device  100 . 
     In some examples, the power substrate  112  can be a PCB and can include any suitable number of passive and/or active components (e.g., integrated circuits, metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors, resistors, capacitors, etc.) attached thereto or embedded therein. In the example shown in  FIG. 1 , the power substrate  112  can include a power integrated circuit (IC)  116 . In other examples, the power substrate  112  can be an integrated circuit that is mounted to the ferromagnetic substrate  110 . In some examples, any of the passive or active components (e.g., the integrated circuit  116 ) can be in electrical communication with the winding structure  102  via one or more conductive interconnects  114 . The number of conductive interconnects  114  can vary depending on the embodiment. In some examples, the one or more conductive interconnects  114  are pins or electro-plated holes. In this manner, the one or more conductive interconnects  114  can function as electrical connections from the power substrate  112  and the primary substrate  106 . Using these connections, at least some of the components within the power substrate  112  can communicate with other components attached to the primary substrate  106 , receive power from a power source, and provide power to other components. When the power conversion device  100  functions as 1-phase DC-DC converter, it can have one input and one output, which can correspond to the one or more conductive interconnects  114 . In some examples, the power conversion device  100  is configured to function multi-phase or multi-output DC-DC converter. In this example, the power conversion device  100  can include more than one input and one output. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a power conversion device  200  in accordance with at least one example of the disclosure. In addition to features discussed with reference to the power conversion device  100 , the power conversion device  200  can include a decoupling tile  202  and a ferromagnetic tile  204 . The decoupling tile  202  can be disposed above the power substrate  112  and can be attached to the power substrate  112 . The decoupling tile  202  can include one or more capacitors, arranged in a capacitor bank, in close proximity to the power substrate  112  and to the other components of the power conversion device  200 . 
     In some examples, the decoupling tile  202  includes one or more connection points  206 . The connection points  206  can function as terminals for the power conversion device  200 . The power conversion device  200  can cause a change in one or more characteristics of the input current, which can result in an output current that is distinct from the input current with respect to at least one of the one or more characteristics. For example, the power conversion device  200  can convert input AC to output DC. 
     The ferromagnetic tile  204  is disposed below the winding structure  102  and can be attached to the primary substrate  106 . The ferromagnetic tile  204  can be formed from the same material as the ferromagnetic substrate  110  or from a different material that also has magnetic properties. In this manner, the ferromagnetic tile  204  can function to close a magnetic circuit within the power conversion device  200 . In some examples, the magnetic circuit extends from the ferromagnetic substrate  110  to the ferromagnetic tile  204  and includes the winding structure  102 . In some examples, the addition of the ferromagnetic tile  204  improves inductance of the magnetic component portion of power conversion device  200 . In some examples, the inclusion of the ferromagnetic tile  204  enables the power conversion device  200  to perform power transformation functions. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates an example power conversion device  300  in accordance with another example of the disclosure. In addition to features discussed with reference to the power conversion device  100 , the power conversion device  300  includes a second sub-assembly  302 . In some examples, the second sub-assembly  302  is similar in design and construction to the sub-assembly  104 . To this end, the second sub-assembly  302  can include a second ferromagnetic substrate  304  and a second power substrate  306 . 
     The second ferromagnetic substrate  304  can be disposed between the second power substrate  306  and the winding structure  102 , with a top surface of the second ferromagnetic substrate  304  adjacent a bottom surface of the primary substrate  106 . In some examples, the top surface of the second ferromagnetic substrate  304  is in physical contact with the bottom surface of the primary substrate  106  and can be attached to the primary substrate  106 . In some examples, the second ferromagnetic substrate  304  is disposed directly below the footprint of the winding structure  102 . The second ferromagnetic substrate  304  can be manufactured from any suitable ferromagnetic material. In this manner, the second ferromagnetic substrate  304  can function as part of a magnetic core for the power conversion device  300 . 
     Like the power substrate  112 , the second power substrate  306  can include any suitable number of passive or active components embedded therein. In this example, the second power substrate  306  can include one or more power switches  308 . In some examples, any of the passive or active components (e.g., the one or more power switches  308 ) can be in electrical communication with the winding structure  102  via one or more second conductive interconnects  310 . The number of second conductive interconnects  310  can vary depending on the embodiment. In some examples, the one or more second conductive interconnects  310  are pins or electro-plated holes. The one or more second conductive interconnects  310  can function as electrical connections from the second power substrate  306  to the primary substrate  106 . In this manner, at least some of the components within the second power substrate  306  can communicate with other components attached to the primary substrate  106 , receive power from a power source, and provide power to other components. 
     In some examples, the power conversion device  300 , including the sub-assembly  104  and the second sub-assembly  302 , functions as a transformer, a multiphase converter, or any other suitable power conversion device. In some examples, the sub-assembly  104  is considered a primary section of the power conversion device  300  and the second sub-assembly  302  is considered a secondary section of the power conversion device  300 . In this example, the sub-assembly  104 , in connection with the winding structure  102  (i.e., the primary section), performs inversion on an electrical input. For example, incoming 400V DC can be inverted to high-frequency AC. Also in this example, the second sub-assembly  302 , in connection with the winding structure  102  (i.e., the second section), rectifies the high-frequency AC that was previously inverted. For example, the high-frequency AC can be rectified to result in 1V DC. In this example, the power substrate  112  and the second power substrate  306  can include the appropriate components in order to perform the inversion and rectification described herein. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a motherboard  400  in accordance with at least one example of the disclosure. The motherboard  400  is an example of the primary substrate  106  described herein and can therefore include a plurality of signal layers embedded within the motherboard  400  as well as a signal layer on the top and/or bottom exterior surfaces of the motherboard  400 . The motherboard  400  can function to provide structural support for one or more components of the motherboard  400 . The motherboard  400  also provides for routing of control signals and power. To this end, the motherboard  400  can include a signal transfer area  402  and a power conversion area  404 . 
     The signal transfer area  402  is an area of the motherboard  400  that includes a plurality of signal routing traces disposed therein. The signal routing traces can extend between various components (e.g., a microprocessor  414 , one or more memory chips (not shown), a graphics processor (also not shown), or the like) of the motherboard  400 . The signal routing traces can be formed from electrically conductive material within the plurality of layers of the motherboard  400 . In some examples, the signal routing traces carry control signals and other data signals between the components of the motherboard  400 . 
     The power conversion area  404  can be an area of the motherboard  400  that includes the winding structure  102  and its associated conductive power traces as described above. As discussed above, signal traces within power conversion area  404  that carry power are typically significantly wider than signal traces that carry data and other signals in area  402 . For example, in some embodiments, the width of traces in power conversion area  404  that carry power are at least 100 times greater than the width of standard signal traces formed in area  402  and, in some instances the width of the traces in power conversion area  404  can be 400-500 times greater than the width of the signal traces in area  402 . The power conversion area  404  generally does not include conventional signal routing traces to avoid potential issues associated with noise from the conductive power traces. Thus, the power conversion area  404  is distinguishable from the signal transfer area  402  based on the function and design of the traces formed therein. As described with reference to  FIG. 5 , motherboards can include more than one power conversion area  404 . 
     The motherboard  400  includes a sub-assembly  406  disposed within the power conversion area  404 . The sub-assembly  406  is in electrical communication with the power conductive traces in the power conversion area  404  to form a power conversion device  408 . The sub-assembly  406  is an example of the sub-assembly  104 . The power conversion device  408  is an example of the power conversion devices  100 ,  200 , and  300 . The power conversion device  408  can receive power via a plug connector  410  and an input line  412 . The plug connector  410  can be used to connect the motherboard  400  to other components of a computing device, in which the motherboard  400  is included, or to external devices. For example, the plug connector  410  can attach the motherboard to a power source (e.g., a battery). 
     The motherboard  400  can also include the microprocessor  414 . The microprocessor  414  is an example of a central processing unit or other processor that requires power to function. The microprocessor  414  receives power from the power conversion device  408  via an output  416  from the power conversion device  408 . In order to maximize space and minimize voltage drops, the microprocessor  414  can be located adjacent the power conversion device  408 . In some examples, the power conversion device  408  is designed to provide one or more power levels that are suitable for the microprocessor  414 . In this manner, the power conversion device  408  can be a customized power conversion device. In some examples, other computer components (e.g., a computer component  418 ) may be attached to the motherboard  400  within the signal transfer area  402 . The computer component  418  can receive power from the power conversion device  408  via an output  420  from the power conversion device  408 . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a computer  500  in accordance with at least one example of the disclosure. The computer  500  is any suitable computing device, which can be a user device (e.g., a laptop computer, a wearable device, a tablet, a thin-client device, a mobile phone, a media device, and any other suitable user device), a large server (e.g., rack-mountable server), a server cluster, or any other suitable computing device. To this end, the computer  500  can include a body  502  formed from a rigid material and configured to retain other components of the computer  500 . Within the body  502  can be attached a motherboard  504 , a battery  506 , and a hard drive  508 . Other computer components can be attached to the body  502  within area  510  (the “other area  510 ”). 
     The motherboard  504  is an example of the motherboard  400 . To this end the motherboard  504  includes a signal transfer area  512  and a plurality of power conversion areas including a plurality of power conversion devices  514 . The plurality of power conversion devices  514  receive power from the battery  506  via one or more traces  518 . The one or more traces  518  are in electrical communication with the battery  506  via a connector  520 . The one or more traces  518  are examples of the traces  412  and  416 . The connector  520  is an example of the plug connector  410 . 
     Each of the power conversion devices  514  in each of the power conversion areas can be designed and manufactured to correspond to a respective computer component  516  that receives power from the power conversion device  514 . Thus, the sizes of the power conversion devices  514  and the functions of the power conversion devices  514  can vary one from another. For example, the power conversion device  514   a  can be suited to provide power to a central processing unit  516   a . The power conversion device  514   b  can be suited to provide power to a bank of memory units  516   b . The power conversion device  514   b  is an example of a power conversion device that can be configured to provide power to more than one component. In some examples, each component of the motherboard  504  that requires power is associated with its own power conversion devices. 
     The power conversion device  514   c  can be suited to provide power to a uniform serial bus (USB) chip  516   c , which is in communication with a USB port  522 . The power conversion device  514   d  can be suited to provide power to a network chip  516   d , which is in communication with a network port  524 . Other examples of computer components that can be associated with power conversion devices include: audio drivers, display drivers, Wi-Fi chips, input/output device controllers, local area network chips, basic input/output system chips, graphics chips, random-access memory, read-only memory, drive connectors, modem chips, and any other suitable component that can be included in a computer. 
     The battery  506  can be any suitable power source and provides DC current and/or AC current. In some examples, the battery  506  is bypassed when the computer  500  is plugged into an electrical outlet (e.g., a wall outlet) that provides AC current. In this example, a power conversion device can be configured to convert the AC current to DC current usable by the computer components. In some examples, the AC current is delivered to each power conversion device and each power conversion device converts the AC current to DC as needed. In some examples, the AC current charges the battery  506 , which then can be used to provide DC current to the computer components. 
     The hard drive  508  can be any suitable hard drive, which can be solid-state or mechanical. In some examples, the hard drive  508  is in electrical communication, both for signaling and power, with the other components of the computer  500 . For example, the hard drive  508  can receive power from the battery  506  and control signals from the motherboard  504 . 
     The other area  510  can include other components of the computer  500 . For example, the other area can include auxiliary fans, disk drives, cards not included on the motherboard  504 , and any other suitable component. These components can also be in electrical communication with other components of the computer  500 . 
     Spatially relative terms, such as “below”, “above”, “lower”, “upper” and the like may be used above to describe an element and/or feature&#39;s relationship to another element(s) and/or feature(s) as, for example, illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use and/or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” and/or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. The device may be otherwise oriented (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. 
     The above description of embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form described, and many modifications and variations are possible in light of the teaching above. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Thus, it will be appreciated that the invention is intended to cover all modifications and equivalents within the scope of the following claim.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20160314
Publication Date: 20170620
Grant Date: 20170620
Priority Date: 20150928
Inventors: AKRE SUNIL M.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H05K1/181", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/086", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/16", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/165", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02M7/003", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/115", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/26", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/086", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/165", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/086", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02M7/003", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/0265", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/26", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/165", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02M7/003", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/0265", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 58410006