IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,683,561
Granted Patent B2
US 12,683,561 · App. 18/353,331 · Granted Jul 14, 2026

Multi-output supply generator with parallel converters

Inventors: James Garrett (Windham, NH); Sri Harsh Pakala (Chandler, AZ); Brendan Metzner (North Billerica, MA); Ivan Duzevik (Portland, ME); David J. Perreault (Cambridge, MA); John R. Hoversten (Arlington, MA); Yevgeniy A. Tkachenko (Belmont, MA)
Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
H03F3/211H02M3/155H03F1/0205H03F2200/451
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,683,561
App. No.
18/353,331
Granted
Jul 14, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Described are circuits and techniques to increase the efficiency of radio-frequency (rf) amplifiers including rf power amplifiers (PAs) through “supply modulation” (also referred to as “drain modulation” or “collector modulation”), in which supply voltages provided to rf amplifiers is adjusted dynamically (“modulated”) over time depending upon the rf signal being synthesized. For the largest efficiency improvements, a supply voltage can be adjusted among discrete voltage levels or continuously on a short time scale. The supply voltages (or voltage levels) provided to an rf amplifier may also be adapted to accommodate longer-term changes in desired rf envelope such as associated with adapting transmitter output strength to minimize errors in data transfer, for rf “traffic” variations.

Claims (35)

1 . A system to generate multiple power supply voltages using parallel power converters, the system comprising:

a multi-regulation stage having two or more dc-dc converters each configured to receive an input voltage and to regulate at least one independently-regulated supply voltage at one or more outputs thereof; and

a differential capacitive energy transfer stage configured to synthesize one or more additional supply voltages in a prescribed relation to the independently-regulated supply voltages, at one or more outputs thereof.

2 . The system of claim 1 wherein each dc-dc converter has one input and one output.

3 . The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the two or more dc-dc converters is a buck converter.

4 . The system of claim 1 wherein the differential capacitive energy transfer stage provides charge transfer from the two or more outputs of the multi-regulation stage so as to distribute the one or more additional supply voltages.

5 . The system of claim 4 wherein the one or more additional supply voltages are distributed evenly between two of the independently-regulated supply voltages.

6 . The system of claim 4 wherein the one or more additional supply voltages are distributed evenly around two of the independently-regulated supply voltages.

7 . The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more additional supply voltages include at least two additional supply voltages.

8 . The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the two or more dc-dc converters comprises a single-inductor multiple-output (SIMO) power converter.

9 . The system of claim 1 wherein the differential capacitive energy transfer stage comprises a switched-capacitor converter having an input port connected differentially between two of the two or more outputs of the multi-regulation stage.

10 . The system of claim 9 wherein the differential capacitive energy transfer stage comprises a single-output switched-capacitor converter.

11 . The system of claim 9 wherein the differential capacitive energy transfer stage comprises a multiple-output switched-capacitor converter.

12 . The system of claim 1 wherein the differential capacitive energy transfer stage includes a circuit having a plurality of switches connected in series between two of the two or more outputs of the multi-regulation stage and further includes a capacitor connected in parallel with one or more of the plurality of switches.

13 . The system of claim 12 wherein the plurality of switches are operated to provide charge transfer from the two or more outputs of the multi-regulation stage so as to distribute the one or more additional supply voltages.

14 . The system of claim 12 wherein the differential capacitive energy transfer stage has an interleaved structure comprising two of said circuit connected in parallel.

15 . The system of claim 12 wherein the differential capacitive energy transfer stage has a ladder structure comprising two of said circuit connected in series.

16 . The system of claim 1 wherein the differential capacitive energy transfer stage comprises at least three outputs, wherein two outputs of the at least three outputs are directly connected to the two or more outputs of the multi-regulation stage.

17 . The system of claim 1 wherein the differential capacitive energy transfer stage comprises at least four outputs, wherein two outputs of the at least four outputs are directly connected to the two or more outputs of the multi-regulation stage, and wherein the other outputs of the at least four outputs correspond to the one or more outputs of the differential capacitive energy transfer stage at which the additional supply voltages are provided.

18 . The system of claim 17 wherein the differential capacitive energy transfer stage comprises a plurality of filter/holdup capacitors connected between different pairs of the at least four outputs.

19 . The system of claim 18 wherein each of the plurality of filter/holdup capacitors are rated for a difference between power supply voltages provided at the respective pair of outputs.

20 . The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the two or more dc-dc converters comprises a two-output buck converter.

21 . The system of claim 1 wherein the multi-regulation stage comprises a circuit having an inductor and a plurality of switches connected between the inductor and different ones of the two or more outputs.

22 . The system of claim 21 further comprising a controller to operate the plurality of switches of the multi-regulation stage.

23 . The system of claim 1 wherein the multi-regulation stage is configured to regulate the independently-regulated supply voltages if load current on one of the two or more outputs goes to zero or is negative while load current on another of the two or more outputs is zero or positive.

24 . A multiple-output supply generator comprising:

(1) a multi-regulation stage having two or more dc-dc converters each configured to receive an input voltage and to regulate at least one independently-regulated supply voltage at one or more outputs thereof; and

(2) a differential capacitive energy transfer stage which utilizes capacitive energy transfer from the independently-regulated outputs of the multi-regulation stage to synthesize one or more additional outputs whose voltages and/or currents are a function of those provided from the multi-regulation stage outputs.

25 . The multiple-output supply generator of claim 24 wherein:

at least one of the two or more dc-dc converters is provided as a single-inductor multiple-output (SIMO) power converter; and

the differential capacitive energy transfer stage is provided as a single- or multiple-output switched-capacitor converter having its input port connected differentially between two outputs of the multi-regulation stage.

26 . The multiple-output supply generator of claim 24 wherein:

at least one of the two or more dc-dc converters is provided as an independently-regulated dc-dc converter having one input and one output; and

the differential capacitive energy transfer stage is provided as a single- or multiple-output switched-capacitor converter having its input port connected differentially between two outputs of the multi-regulation stage.

27 . The multiple output supply generator of claim 24 wherein at least one of the two or more dc-dc converters is provided as a buck converter.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 25, 2023
From: PERREAULT, DAVID J.; HOVERSTEN, JOHN R.; TKACHENKO, YEVGENIY A.; GARRETT, JAMES; PAKALA, SRI HARSH; METZNER, BRENDAN; DUZEVIK, IVAN
To: ETA WIRELESS, INC.
Reel/Frame 064370/0336 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 25, 2023
From: ETA WIRELESS, INC.
To: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 064371/0080 →
Continuity (5)
Continuation 17572024 · Jan 10, 2022
Continuation 17281076 · Jul 8, 2020
Provisional Application 62934651 · Nov 13, 2019
Provisional Application 62871243 · Jul 8, 2019
Related Publication 20240080004A1 · Mar 7, 2024
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