Battery charging architectures

1. A system, comprising:

an adapter configured to receive an alternating current (AC) signal and generate an adapter signal, the adapter signal being generated based on an up-conversion of the AC signal;

a charger configured to generate a direct current (DC) signal from the adapter signal using one or more energy storage elements and supply the DC signal to a load, the adapter signal having a voltage greater than that of the DC signal, wherein the charger comprises a plurality of switches coupled to at least one of the one or more energy storage elements, a first subset of switches of the plurality of switches being coupled in series with the at least one of the one or more energy storage elements and a second subset of switches of the plurality of switches being coupled in parallel to the at least one of the one or more energy storage elements; and

a connector configured to couple the adapter and the charger,

wherein the adapter signal is adjusted based on one or more measurements of the DC signal at an output of the charger to maintain a target power for charging the load, wherein the one or more energy storage elements comprise a first capacitor, a second capacitor, and an inductor, wherein the first capacitor and the second capacitor are directly connected to a first node and a second node of the inductor, and wherein the adapter signal is downconverted to the DC signal based on a divide ratio.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the one or more energy storage elements is electrically coupled to the load via different conduction paths during different switching phases based on phase transitions between switches of the plurality of switches.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the charger comprises an output energy storage element coupled to the plurality of switches and to the load, and wherein the divide ratio is adjusted based on a change in a number of the one or more energy storage elements coupled in series with the output energy storage element during a first switching phase.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the divide ratio is adjusted based on a change in the number of the one or more energy storage elements coupled in parallel to the output energy storage element during a second switching phase.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the charger further comprises a first controller circuit, wherein an on or off state of each of the plurality of switches is based on one or more control signals from the first controller circuit.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the charger comprises:

a first switching converter that includes one or more capacitors on a first charge path to the load; and

a second switching converter that includes one or more inductors on a second charge path to the load, the DC signal being applied to the first charge path with a first voltage and to the second charge path with a second voltage that is smaller than the first voltage, the DC signal being supplied to the load via the first charge path and the second charge path at different times.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the charger further comprises:

a first pass gate coupled to an input to the first switching converter and to the connector, the first pass gate being turned on during a charging phase of the load; and

a second pass gate coupled to an output of the first switching converter and to the load, the second pass gate being configured to change an impedance of a charge path from the output of the first switching converter to the load to control a charge current to the load.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the charger further comprises a second controller circuit, wherein an on or off state of second pass gate is based on one or more control signals from the second controller circuit.

9. The system of claim 6 , wherein the first switching converter is coupled in parallel to the second switching converter.

10. The system of claim 6 , wherein the first switching converter comprises a plurality of serially-connected switches.

11. The system of claim 6 , wherein the first switching converter is configured to supply a first charge current to the load based on the DC signal that is greater than a second charge current supplied by the second switching converter.

12. The system of claim 6 , wherein the second switching converter comprises:

a transistor network; and

an inductor coupled in series with an output of the transistor network.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the charger further comprises a third controller circuit, wherein an on or off state of the transistor network is based on one or more control signals from the third controller circuit.

14. A method, comprising:

receiving an alternating current (AC) signal from an AC source;

generating, by an adapter, an adapter signal based on an up-conversion of the AC signal;

applying the adapter signal to a connector coupled to a charger module;

generating, by a charger circuit, a direct current (DC) signal from the adapter signal using one or more energy storage elements of the charger module, the adapter signal having a voltage greater than that of the DC signal; and

supplying the DC signal to a load,

wherein the charger circuit comprises a plurality of switches coupled to at least one of the one or more energy storage elements, a first subset of switches of the plurality of switches being coupled in series with the at least one of the one or more energy storage elements and a second subset of switches of the plurality of switches being coupled in parallel to the at least one of the one or more energy storage elements,

wherein the adapter signal is adjusted based on one or more measurements of the DC signal at an output of the charger module to maintain a target power for charging the load, and wherein the one or more energy storage elements comprise a first capacitor, a second capacitor and an inductor, wherein the first capacitor and the second capacitor are directly connected to a first node and a second node of the inductor, and

wherein the adapter signal is downconverted to the signal based on a divide ratio.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the at least one of the one or more energy storage elements is electrically coupled to the load via different conduction paths during different switching phases based on phase transitions between the first subset of switches and the second subset of switches.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

coupling an output energy storage element to the plurality of switches and to the load;

adjusting the divide ratio based on a change in a number of the one or more energy storage elements coupled in series with the output energy storage element during a first switching phase; and

adjusting the divide ratio based on a change in the number of the one or more energy storage elements coupled in parallel to the output energy storage element during a second switching phase.

17. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

receiving one or more control signals from a controller circuit; and

controlling, based on the one or more control signals, an on or off state of each of the plurality of switches.

18. A system comprising:

an adapter configured to generate an adapter signal based on an up-conversion of an AC signal; and

a charger coupled to the adapter and configured to generate a direct current (DC) signal from the adapter signal using one or more energy storage elements and supply the DC signal to a load, the adapter signal having a voltage greater than that of the DC signal, wherein the charger comprises a plurality of switches coupled to at least one of the one or more energy storage elements, a first subset of switches of the plurality of switches being coupled in series with the at least one of the one or more energy storage elements and a second subset of switches of the plurality of switches being coupled in parallel to the at least one of the one or more energy storage elements,

wherein the one or more energy storage elements comprise a first capacitor, a second capacitor, and an inductor, wherein the first capacitor and the second capacitor are directly connected to a first node and a second node of the inductor,

wherein the adapter signal is downconverted to the DC signal based on a divide ratio, and

wherein the adapter signal is adjusted based on one or more measurements of the DC signal at an output of the charger to maintain a target power for charging the load.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the charger comprises an output energy storage element coupled to the plurality of switches and to the load, wherein the divide ratio is adjusted based on a change in a number of the one or more energy storage elements coupled in series with the output energy storage element during a first switching phase, and wherein the divide ratio is adjusted based on a change in the number of the one or more energy storage elements coupled in parallel to the output energy storage element during a second switching phase.

20. The system of claim 18 , wherein the charger further comprises a controller circuit, wherein an on or off state of each of the plurality of switches is controlled based on one or more control signals from the controller circuit.