Switching power supply circuit, driving method, equipment and medium

Abstract

The invention provides a switching power supply circuit, a driving method, equipment and a medium. The switching power supply circuit comprises a power supply input end and a power supply output end, a first switch module, a second switch module, a third switch module, a fourth switch module, a fifth switch module and a sixth switch module; a first capacitor, a second capacitor and an inductor; the power input end is connected to the drain electrode of the first switch module; the source electrode of the first switch module is connected to the drain electrode of the second switch module and the upper electrode plate of the first capacitor; the source electrode of the second switch module is connected to the first port of the inductor and the drain electrode of the third switch module; a lower pole plate of the first capacitor is connected to an upper pole plate of the second capacitor, a drain electrode of the fourth switch module and a source electrode of the fifth switch module; the lower pole plate of the second capacitor is connected to the second port of the inductor and the drain electrode of the sixth switch module; and the drain electrode of the fifth switch module and the source electrode of the sixth switch module are connected to the power supply output end. The circuit conduction loss can be reduced, and the power supply efficiency is improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of power management chips, in particular to a switching power supply circuit and a driving method, equipment and medium. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the advent of the intelligent era, high-performance computing chips such as graphics processing units (GPUs) and central processing units (CPUs) have put forward the demand for low voltage and large current for power supply solutions. In order to meet this demand, the buck switching power supply is one of the commonly used technical solutions.

[0003] In related technologies, the traditional BUCK type switching power supply topology usually has a single current path. When applied to a large current scene, the large current concentrated in a single path will cause significant conduction loss, thereby limiting the improvement of the overall efficiency of the power supply. Therefore, a new switching power supply circuit is needed to effectively reduce the conduction loss under large current application and improve the efficiency of the power supply. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application aims to at least solve one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, the present application provides a switching power supply circuit and a driving method, equipment and medium, which can construct multiple current paths, share output current, thereby reducing conduction loss and improving power supply efficiency.

[0005] In a first aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a switching power supply circuit, comprising:

[0006] a power input end and a power output end;

[0007] a first switch module, a second switch module, a third switch module, a fourth switch module, a fifth switch module and a sixth switch module;

[0008] a first capacitor and a second capacitor, and an inductor, the inductor comprising a first port and a second port;

[0009] The power input end is connected to the drain of the first switch module; the source of the first switch module is connected to the drain of the second switch module and the upper plate of the first capacitor; the source of the second switch module is connected to the first port of the inductor and the drain of the third switch module, and the source of the third switch module is grounded; the lower plate of the first capacitor is connected to the upper plate of the second capacitor, the drain of the fourth switch module and the source of the fifth switch module, and the source of the fourth switch module is grounded; the lower plate of the second capacitor is connected to the second port of the inductor and the drain of the sixth switch module; the drain of the fifth switch module and the source of the sixth switch module are both connected to the output end.

[0010] In some embodiments, the first switch module comprises a first switch tube, a first gate drive circuit and a first power supply circuit; an output end of the first gate drive circuit is connected to a gate of the first switch tube, the first power supply circuit comprises a first power supply diode and a first power supply capacitor, a positive pole of the first power supply diode is connected to the power input end, an upper pole plate of the first power supply capacitor is connected to a negative pole of the first power supply diode, and a lower pole plate is connected to a source of the first switch tube.

[0011] In some embodiments, the second switch module comprises a second switch tube, a second gate drive circuit and a second power supply circuit; an output end of the second gate drive circuit is connected to a gate of the second switch tube, the second power supply circuit comprises a second power supply diode and a second power supply capacitor, a positive pole of the second power supply diode is connected to a preset first power supply, an upper pole plate of the second power supply capacitor is connected to a negative pole of the second power supply diode, and a lower pole plate is connected to a source of the second switch tube.

[0012] The third switch module comprises a third switch tube and a third gate drive circuit; a source of the third switch tube is grounded, an output end of the third gate drive circuit is connected to a gate of the third switch tube, and the third gate drive circuit is powered by the first power supply.

[0013] In some embodiments, the fourth switch module comprises a fourth switch tube, a fourth gate drive circuit and a fourth power supply circuit; an output end of the fourth gate drive circuit is connected to a gate of the fourth switch tube, the fourth power supply circuit comprises a fourth power supply diode and a fourth power supply capacitor, a positive pole of the fourth power supply diode is connected to a preset first voltage stabilizing power supply, an upper pole plate of the fourth power supply capacitor is connected to a negative pole of the fourth power supply diode, and a lower pole plate is connected to a drain of the fourth switch tube.

[0014] The fifth switch module comprises a fifth switch tube, a fifth gate drive circuit and a fifth power supply circuit; an output end of the fifth gate drive circuit is connected to a gate of the fifth switch tube, the fifth power supply circuit comprises a fifth power supply diode and a fifth power supply capacitor, a positive pole of the fifth power supply diode is connected to a preset second voltage stabilizing power supply, an upper pole plate of the fifth power supply capacitor is connected to a negative pole of the fifth power supply diode, and a lower pole plate is connected to a source of the fifth switch tube.

[0015] The sixth switch module comprises a sixth switch tube, a sixth gate drive circuit and a sixth power supply circuit; an output end of the sixth gate drive circuit is connected to a gate of the sixth switch tube, and the sixth power supply circuit comprises a sixth power supply diode and a sixth power supply capacitor; a positive pole of the sixth power supply diode is connected to a preset third voltage stabilizing power supply, an upper pole plate of the sixth power supply capacitor is connected to a negative pole of the sixth power supply diode, and a lower pole plate is connected to a source of the sixth switch tube.

[0016] In some embodiments, the first gate drive circuit, the second gate drive circuit, the fifth gate drive circuit and the sixth gate drive circuit each comprise a level shifter and a drive buffer; wherein an output end of the level shifter is connected to an input end of the drive buffer, and an output end of the drive buffer serves as an output end of the gate drive circuit; the third gate drive circuit and the fourth gate drive circuit each comprise a drive buffer, wherein an output end of the drive buffer serves as an output end of the gate drive circuit.

[0017] In a second aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a driving method of a switching power supply circuit, comprising:

[0018] For each switching working period, the second switch module, the fourth switch module and the sixth switch module are driven to be turned on and the first switch module, the third switch module and the fifth switch module are driven to be turned off based on a preset first driving period, so that the switching power supply circuit charges the inductor in the first driving period and discharges the first capacitor and the second capacitor to supply power to the power output end;

[0019] The first switch module, the third switch module and the fifth switch module are driven to be turned on and the second switch module, the fourth switch module and the sixth switch module are driven to be turned off based on a preset second driving period, so that the inductor discharges, the first capacitor and the second capacitor are charged, and the power output end is supplied with power.

[0020] In some embodiments, the driving of the second switch module, the fourth switch module and the sixth switch module to be turned on and the driving of the first switch module, the third switch module and the fifth switch module to be turned off based on the preset first driving period comprises:

[0021] A turn-off control signal is applied to the first gate drive circuit, the third gate drive circuit and the fifth gate drive circuit, so that the first switch tube, the third switch tube and the fifth switch tube are turned off;

[0022] The turn-on control signals are applied to the second gate drive circuit, the fourth gate drive circuit and the sixth gate drive circuit to turn on the second switch tube, the fourth switch tube and the sixth switch tube, to form a first charging current path and a second charging current path; current of the first charging current path flows from the ground through the fourth switch module, the first capacitor, the second switch module, the inductor and the sixth switch module in sequence, and finally reaches the power supply output end; current of the second charging current path flows from the ground through the fourth switch module, the second capacitor and the sixth switch module in sequence, and finally reaches the power supply output end.

[0023] In some embodiments, the driving the first switch module, the third switch module and the fifth switch module to turn on and driving the second switch module, the fourth switch module and the sixth switch module to turn off based on the preset second driving period comprises:

[0024] The turn-off control signals are applied to the second gate drive circuit, the fourth gate drive circuit and the sixth gate drive circuit to turn off the second switch tube, the fourth switch tube and the sixth switch tube.

[0025] The turn-on control signals are applied to the first gate drive circuit, the third gate drive circuit and the fifth gate drive circuit to turn on the first switch tube, the third switch tube and the fifth switch tube, to form a first discharging current path and a second discharging current path; current of the first discharging current path flows from the ground through the third switch module, the inductor, the second capacitor and the fifth switch module in sequence, and finally reaches the power supply output end; current of the second discharging current path flows from the power supply input end through the first switch module, the first capacitor and the fifth switch module in sequence, and finally reaches the power supply output end.

[0026] In a third aspect, an electronic device is provided, including a memory and a processor, the memory stores a computer program, and the processor implements the driving method of the switching power supply circuit according to any one of the embodiments of the second aspect of the present application when executing the computer program.

[0027] In a fourth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, the storage medium stores a program, and the program is executed by a processor to implement the driving method of the switching power supply circuit according to any one of the embodiments of the second aspect of the present application.

[0028] The switching power supply circuit according to the embodiments of the present application has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0029] The switching power supply circuit according to the embodiment of the present application comprises: a power input end, a power output end, a first switching module, a second switching module, a third switching module, a fourth switching module, a fifth switching module, a sixth switching module, a first capacitor, a second capacitor, and an inductor comprising a first port and a second port; wherein the power input end is connected to the drain of the first switching module; the source of the first switching module is connected to the drain of the second switching module and the upper plate of the first capacitor; the source of the second switching module is connected to the first port of the inductor and the drain of the third switching module, and the source of the third switching module is grounded; the lower plate of the first capacitor is connected to the upper plate of the second capacitor, the drain of the fourth switching module, and the source of the fifth switching module, and the source of the fourth switching module is grounded; the lower plate of the second capacitor is connected to the second port of the inductor and the drain of the sixth switching module; the drain of the fifth switching module and the source of the sixth switching module are both connected to the output end. The first, third, and fifth switching modules and the second, fourth, and sixth switching modules are alternately driven, so that two parallel current paths can be constructed to supply power to the power output end in the two main working stages of inductor charging and inductor discharging. Through the control method of maintaining multi-path parallel power supply in the whole cycle, the total output current originally concentrated in a single path can be effectively distributed to two branches, thereby significantly reducing the current value flowing through each switching module, reducing the conduction loss of the whole circuit, and solving the problem of limited efficiency of the traditional buck circuit in related technologies under large current application. While meeting the low-voltage and large-current power supply demand, the overall conversion efficiency of the power supply is effectively improved.

[0030] Additional aspects and advantages of the present application will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0031] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present application will become apparent and be readily appreciated from the following description, including the appended drawings.

[0032] Figure 1 A switching power supply circuit schematic diagram provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 2 Another switching power supply circuit schematic diagram provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 3 A driving method flowchart of an optional switching power supply circuit provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 4 Another driving method flowchart of an optional switching power supply circuit provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 5Another optional driving method flow chart of the switching power supply circuit provided by the embodiment of the present application is provided.

[0037] Figure 6 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a hardware structure of an electronic device provided by the embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The embodiments of the present application are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar notations represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below by referring to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present application, and cannot be understood as a limitation of the present application.

[0039] In the description of the present application, several meanings are one or more, and multiple meanings are two or more. Greater than, less than, more than, etc. are understood as not including the number, and above, below, etc. are understood as including the number. If it is described as first, second, it is only used for the purpose of distinguishing technical features, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features or the sequence of indicated technical features.

[0040] In the description of the present application, it is understood that the description of the position, such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc. is based on the position or location relationship shown in the drawings, which is only for the purpose of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and is not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular position, be constructed and operated in a particular position, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of the present application.

[0041] In the description of the present application, the description of the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "exemplary embodiment", "example", "specific example" or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In the present description, the exemplary description of the above terms does not necessarily mean the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0042] In the description of the present application, it is noted that, unless otherwise explicitly limited, the words such as setting, installing, connecting, etc. should be broadly understood, and those skilled in the art can reasonably determine the specific meaning of the above words in the present application in conjunction with the specific content of the technical solution. In addition, the identification of the specific steps in the following does not represent the limitation of the order and execution logic of the steps, and the execution order and execution logic between the steps should be understood and inferred with reference to the content expressed in the embodiments.

[0043] With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, big data and high-performance computing, the power demand of core computing chips such as graphic processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs) and application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) has increased dramatically. The typical feature of these advanced chips is to work at low voltage while requiring large working current, which requires the power conversion system that supplies power for them to achieve high step-down ratio conversion and efficiently output large current.

[0044] In the related art, the traditional buck (BUCK) type switching power supply topology is widely used due to its simplicity and reliability. However, the traditional BUCK circuit has a single current path, and all output currents flow through the main switch tube and the main inductor. In the large current scenario, this leads to huge conduction loss, which seriously restricts the improvement of the overall efficiency of the power supply. Secondly, in high step-down ratio applications, the main switch tube needs to withstand the stress of nearly the entire input voltage, which forces it to be selected with high voltage resistance but relatively high on-resistance power devices, further increasing the conduction loss. Therefore, a new switching power supply circuit topology is needed, which can achieve high step-down ratio and cope with large current challenges through an internal current shunting mechanism, thereby fundamentally reducing conduction loss and switching loss and achieving higher conversion efficiency.

[0045] Based on this, the present application constructs a switching power supply circuit, which comprises: a power input end, a power output end, a first switch module, a second switch module, a third switch module, a fourth switch module, a fifth switch module and a sixth switch module, a first capacitor and a second capacitor, and an inductor comprising a first port and a second port; wherein the power input end is connected to the drain of the first switch module; the source of the first switch module is connected to the drain of the second switch module and the upper plate of the first capacitor; the source of the second switch module is connected to the first port of the inductor and the drain of the third switch module, and the source of the third switch module is grounded; the lower plate of the first capacitor is connected to the upper plate of the second capacitor, the drain of the fourth switch module and the source of the fifth switch module, and the source of the fourth switch module is grounded; the lower plate of the second capacitor is connected to the second port of the inductor and the drain of the sixth switch module; the drain of the fifth switch module and the source of the sixth switch module are both connected to the output end. The present application alternately drives the first, third and fifth switch modules and the second, fourth and sixth switch modules, so that two parallel current paths can be constructed to supply power to the power output end in the two main working stages of inductor charging and inductor discharging. By this control method of maintaining multi-path parallel power supply in the whole cycle, the total output current originally concentrated in a single path can be effectively distributed to two branches, thereby significantly reducing the current value flowing through each switch module, reducing the overall conduction loss of the circuit, and thereby solving the problem of limited efficiency of the traditional buck circuit in the related art in large current applications. While meeting the low voltage and large current power supply demand, the overall conversion efficiency of the power supply is effectively improved.

[0046] Referring to Figure 1 , Figure 1 A switching power supply circuit schematic diagram provided for the embodiments of the present application is shown in the figure. The switching power supply circuit comprises:

[0047] The power input terminal Vin, the power output terminal Vo, the first switch module S1, the second switch module S2, the third switch module S3, the fourth switch module S4, the fifth switch module S5, the sixth switch module S6, the first capacitor C1, the second capacitor C2, and an inductor L1.

[0048] Specifically, the power input terminal Vin is connected to the drain of the first switch module S1. The source of the first switch module S1 is connected to the drain of the second switch module S2 and also connected to the upper plate of the first capacitor C1. The source of the second switch module S2 is connected to the first port of the inductor L1 and also connected to the drain of the third switch module S3, and the source of the third switch module S3 is directly grounded. The lower plate of the first capacitor C1 is connected to the upper plate of the second capacitor C2 and also connected to the drain of the fourth switch module S4 and the source of the fifth switch module S5, and the source of the fourth switch module S4 is directly grounded. The lower plate of the second capacitor C2 is connected to the second port of the inductor L1 and also connected to the drain of the sixth switch module S6. Finally, the drain of the fifth switch module S5 and the source of the sixth switch module S6 are commonly connected to the power output terminal Vo.

[0049] By alternately driving the first, third, and fifth switch modules (S1, S3, S5) and the second, fourth, and sixth switch modules (S2, S4, S6), two parallel current paths can be constructed to supply power to the power output terminal Vo in both the inductor charging and discharging main working stages. By this control method of maintaining multi-path parallel power supply throughout the cycle, the total output current originally concentrated in a single path can be effectively distributed to two branches, thereby significantly reducing the current value flowing through each switch module, reducing the overall conduction loss of the circuit, and thus solving the problem of limited efficiency of traditional buck circuits in related technologies under large current applications. While meeting the low-voltage and large-current power supply requirements, the overall conversion efficiency of the power supply is effectively improved.

[0050] Referring to Figure 2 In some embodiments, the first switch module S1 comprises a first switch tube K1, a first gate drive circuit for controlling the conduction and turn-off of K1, and a first power supply circuit for providing operating power for the first gate drive circuit. The output terminal of the first gate drive circuit is connected to the gate of the transistor K1 to apply a driving signal.

[0051] The first power supply circuit in the embodiment can adopt a bootstrap circuit scheme. The bootstrap circuit is composed of a diode D1 as the first power supply diode and a capacitor CB1 as the first power supply capacitor. The anode of the diode D1 is connected to the power input terminal Vin of the circuit, and the cathode is connected to the upper plate of the capacitor CB1. The lower plate of the capacitor CB1 is connected to the source of the transistor K1. The working principle of the bootstrap circuit is as follows: when the circuit is in a specific working stage, the source node of K1 is pulled to a low potential by the switch (such as K3) below it, and the power input terminal Vin charges the capacitor CB1 through the forward conducting diode D1. When K1 needs to be turned on, the charge stored in CB1 can be used as the floating power supply of the first gate drive circuit, ensuring that a high enough gate voltage relative to the source of K1 can be provided, so that the transistor K1 is turned on.

[0052] In some embodiments, the second switch module S2 includes a second switch tube K2, a second gate drive circuit, and a second power supply circuit. The output end of the second gate drive circuit is connected to the gate of the second switch tube K2. The second power supply circuit includes a second power supply diode D2 and a second power supply capacitor CB2. The anode of the second power supply diode D2 is connected to a preset first power supply VDD. The upper plate of the second power supply capacitor CB2 is connected to the cathode of the second power supply diode D2, and the lower plate is connected to the source of the second switch tube K2.

[0053] The second power supply circuit also adopts a bootstrap circuit scheme, and its connection mode is similar to that of the bootstrap circuit of the first switch module. The difference is that the power supply for charging the bootstrap circuit is not the main power input Vin, but a preset first power supply VDD. Using a stable and voltage appropriate VDD as the charging source, for example, 5V, can avoid the impact of high Vin voltage or severe fluctuations on the gate drive circuit, thereby providing higher stability and reliability for the drive of the second switch tube K2.

[0054] In some embodiments, the third switch module S3 includes a third switch tube K3 and a third gate drive circuit. The source of the third switch tube K3 is always grounded during circuit operation, so its third gate drive circuit does not need any complex floating power supply or level conversion scheme, and can be directly powered by the first power supply VDD. This direct drive method with ground as reference is simple in structure and stable in operation.

[0055] In some embodiments, the fourth switch module S4, whose core is the fourth switch tube K4. To achieve accurate and independent timing control, its fourth power supply circuit is composed of a preset first voltage regulator REG1, a fourth power supply diode D3 and a fourth power supply capacitor CB3. The anode of D3 is connected to the independent voltage regulator REG1, the cathode is connected to the upper plate of the fourth power supply capacitor CB3, and the lower plate of the fourth power supply capacitor CB3 is connected to the drain of the fourth switch tube K4. By using an independent voltage regulator REG1, a stable and reliable floating power supply for the fourth gate drive circuit can be ensured, which is not affected by the working state of the main circuit.

[0056] In some embodiments, the fifth and sixth switch modules, whose cores are the fifth switch tube K5 and the sixth switch tube K6, are the key path switches connected to the circuit output terminal Vo. Similarly, the fifth power supply circuit is composed of a preset second voltage regulator REG2, a fifth power supply diode D4 and a fifth power supply capacitor CB4; the sixth power supply circuit is composed of a preset third voltage regulator REG3, a sixth power supply diode D5 and a sixth power supply capacitor CB4. By configuring independent voltage regulators (REG2 and REG3) for the gate drive circuits of the fifth switch tube K5 and the sixth switch tube K6, the driving of the two output switches can be completely independent and highly reliable, avoiding driving crosstalk between each other and ensuring the accuracy of output control.

[0057] In some embodiments, for the first, second, fifth and sixth switch modules (S1, S2, S5, S6) with floating source potential, their gate drive circuits all adopt a two-level structure of "level shifter LS + drive buffer". The core function of the level shifter LS is to convert the low-voltage logic control signal from the main control unit, which takes ground as reference, into a high-low level signal that takes the floating source of each switch tube as reference, to solve the problem of inconsistent reference potential. Then, the signal is sent to the input terminal of the drive buffer. The drive buffer is a power amplifier unit, whose output terminal is connected to the gate of the switch tube, and can provide a large enough instantaneous peak current to quickly charge and discharge the large input capacitance (gate capacitance) of the power switch tube. This structure ensures that the floating switch tube can not only be controlled correctly, but also be turned on and off quickly, thereby effectively reducing the energy loss in the switching process.

[0058] For the third switch module S3 with ground-connected source and the fourth switch module S4 with floating power supply, since they are directly grounded, their gate drive circuits in this embodiment only need to include a drive buffer. The buffer directly power amplifies the input control signal to meet the current requirements of driving the corresponding switch tube.

[0059] In some embodiments, all switches in the present application can use MOS or GaN power tubes to realize the switching function according to the power required by the load.

[0060] Referring to Figure 3 The driving method of the switching power supply circuit provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to the switching power supply circuit described above, and can include, but is not limited to, the following steps 301 to 302.

[0061] In step 301, for each switching cycle, the second switch module, the fourth switch module and the sixth switch module are driven to be turned on, and the first switch module, the third switch module and the fifth switch module are driven to be turned off based on a preset first driving period, so that the switching power supply circuit charges the inductor in the first driving period, and at the same time, the first capacitor and the second capacitor are discharged to supply power to the power output end.

[0062] In step 302, the first switch module, the third switch module and the fifth switch module are driven to be turned on, and the second switch module, the fourth switch module and the sixth switch module are driven to be turned off based on a preset second driving period, so that the inductor is discharged to charge the first capacitor and the second capacitor, and power is supplied to the power output end.

[0063] In step 301 of some embodiments, the step defines the first driving period in a switching cycle, that is, the inductor charging stage. In this stage, the core task of the driving control circuit is to control a specific switch combination to build a parallel charging current path, and the main purpose is to store energy in the inductor L1, and at the same time, the two core capacitors (i.e., the first capacitor C1 and the second capacitor C2) are used to supply power to the power output end Vo.

[0064] Referring to Figure 4 According to some embodiments of the present application, step 301 can include, but is not limited to, the following steps.

[0065] In step 401, a turn-off control signal is applied to the first gate drive circuit, the third gate drive circuit and the fifth gate drive circuit, so that the first switch tube, the third switch tube and the fifth switch tube are turned off.

[0066] In step 402, a turn-on control signal is applied to the second gate drive circuit, the fourth gate drive circuit and the sixth gate drive circuit, so that the second switch tube, the fourth switch tube and the sixth switch tube are turned on to form a first charging current path and a second charging current path.

[0067] In step 401 of some embodiments, the control circuit first applies off control signals to the first, third and fifth gate drive circuits. These signals pass through the respective drive circuits and ultimately act on the gates of the first, third and fifth switches K1, K3 and K5, causing these switches to be in the off state, thereby cutting off the current path of the previous stage and preparing for the upcoming inductor charging stage.

[0068] In step 402 of some embodiments, the control circuit then applies on control signals to the second, fourth and sixth gate drive circuits. These signals cause the second, fourth and sixth switches K2, K4 and K6 to be on. The on state of these switches causes two parallel charging current paths to be formed within the circuit: the first charging current path has current flow from ground through the on fourth switch K4, the first capacitor C1 as an energy transfer station, the second switch K2, the inductor L1 and the on sixth switch K6, ultimately reaching the power output terminal Vo; at the same time, the second charging current path has current flow from ground through the on fourth switch K4, the second capacitor C2 and the on sixth switch K6, ultimately reaching the power output terminal Vo. Under the combined action of these two paths, the two capacitors C1 and C2 begin to discharge, with some of the stored energy being used to increase the energy in the inductor L1 and some being directly supplied to the output.

[0069] In step 302 of some embodiments, this step defines the second drive period within the working cycle, i.e. the inductor discharge and capacitor reset stage. In this stage, the task of the drive control circuit changes to turn off the charging path and establish a new parallel path to release the energy stored in the inductor L1 to the output terminal, and at the same time use the energy of the input power Vin to recharge the first and second capacitors C1 and C2, restoring their voltages to prepare for the energy transfer of the next cycle.

[0070] Referring to Figure 5 According to some embodiments of the present application, step 302 can include, but is not limited to, the following steps:

[0071] Step 501, apply off control signals to the second, fourth and sixth gate drive circuits to cause the second, fourth and sixth switches to be off.

[0072] Step 502, apply on control signals to the first, third and fifth gate drive circuits to cause the first, third and fifth switches to be on, forming a first discharge current path and a second discharge current path.

[0073] In step 501 of some embodiments, the control circuit first applies off control signals to the second, fourth and sixth gate drive circuits, aiming to ensure that the second, fourth and sixth switch tubes K2, K4 and K6 are completely turned off, thus reliably cutting off the inductor charging path established in step 301.

[0074] In step 502 of some embodiments, the control circuit applies on control signals to the first, third and fifth gate drive circuits, so that the first, third and fifth switch tubes K1, K3 and K5 are turned on, thus building two parallel discharge and charging paths: the current of the first discharge current path flows from the ground through the turned-on third switch tube K3, the inductor L1 releasing energy, the second capacitor C2 and the fifth switch tube K5 in sequence, and finally reaches the power output terminal Vo; at the same time, the current of the second discharge current path flows from the power input terminal Vin through the turned-on first switch tube K1, the first capacitor C1 and the fifth switch tube K5 in sequence, and finally also reaches the power output terminal Vo. In this stage, the first path realizes the transfer of electrical energy to the output terminal and the charging of the second capacitor C2, while the second path realizes the power supply of the input power to the output terminal and the charging of the first capacitor C1.

[0075] Finally, the overall technical effect of the above driving method is derived in detail. The circuit of the present embodiment is essentially a hybrid switched capacitor converter, in which the first capacitor C1 plays the role of a flying capacitor. A flying capacitor is a kind of capacitor that realizes the transfer of energy and the transformation of voltage in different parts of the circuit through the alternating action of switches. In order to quantitatively analyze its technical effect, define a single complete switching period as T, and define the time occupied by the first driving period (i.e. the inductor charging phase) as D*T, then the time occupied by the second driving period (i.e. the inductor discharging phase) is (1-D)*T, where D is the duty cycle, which varies between 0 and 1. After the circuit enters steady state operation, the voltages of the two capacitors will stabilize at specific DC voltage values, i.e. the voltage VC1 of the first capacitor C1 is approximately equal to VIN-VOUT, and the voltage VC2 of the second capacitor C2 is approximately equal to VOUT. Based on this steady state condition, the voltage of the inductor L1 in the two driving periods can be analyzed. In the first driving period (D*T), the charging voltage VL_charge formed across the inductor L1 is approximately VIN-2*VOUT. While in the second driving period ((1-D)*T), the discharging voltage VL_discharge formed across the inductor L1 has an amplitude of approximately 2*VOUT. According to the inductance volt-second balance principle in circuit theory, the following balance equation can be written:

[0076] D*T*(VIN-2*VOUT)=(1-D)*T*(2*VOUT)

[0077] Further simplifying, we get:

[0078] D*VIN=2*VOUT

[0079] Finally, the voltage conversion ratio M(D) of the circuit can be derived as:

[0080] M(D)=VOUT / VIN=D / 2

[0081] This process clearly shows that the step-down ratio of the circuit is twice that of the traditional BUCK circuit, achieving the characteristic of high step-down ratio. More importantly, this technical effect is achieved on the basis of constructing multiple parallel current paths through driving methods. By constructing two parallel current paths in each stage of inductor charging and discharging, the total output current is effectively shared, and the average current flowing through the inductor is only half of the output current, which greatly reduces the current stress flowing through the single switch tube and the inductor. In summary, the present application realizes high step-down ratio in quantity and significantly reduces the conduction loss of the circuit through current sharing in quality by combining the unique topology structure and driving method, thereby meeting the demand of low voltage and large current power supply of high-performance chips while obtaining higher overall power conversion efficiency.

[0082] With reference to Figure 6 , Figure 6 The hardware structure of the electronic device of another embodiment is illustrated, and the electronic device comprises:

[0083] The processor 601 can be implemented in a general-purpose CPU (Central Processing Unit), a microprocessor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or one or more integrated circuits, and is used to execute related programs to realize the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0084] The memory 602 can be implemented in the form of ROM (ReadOnly Memory), a static storage device, a dynamic storage device, or a RAM (Random Access Memory). The memory 602 can store an operating system and other application programs. When the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are implemented by software or firmware, the related program codes are stored in the memory 602 and are called and executed by the processor 601 to realize the driving method of the switch power supply circuit according to the embodiments of the present application.

[0085] The input / output interface 603 is used to realize information input and output.

[0086] The communication interface 604 is configured to realize the communication interaction between the device and other devices, and can realize the communication through a wired manner (for example, a USB, a network cable, or the like) or a wireless manner (for example, a mobile network, WIFI, Bluetooth, or the like).

[0087] The bus 605 is configured to transmit information between various components (for example, the processor 601, the memory 602, the input / output interface 603, and the communication interface 604) of the device.

[0088] The processor 601, the memory 602, the input / output interface 603, and the communication interface 604 are connected to each other through the bus 605.

[0089] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which comprises a computer program. The processor of the computer device reads the computer program and executes, so that the computer device executes the driving method of the switch power supply circuit.

[0090] The terms "first", "second", "third", "fourth" and the like in the description of the present disclosure and the above drawings, if any, are used to distinguish similar objects, and do not necessarily indicate a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data thus used can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances, so that the embodiments of the present disclosure described herein can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "include" and "contain" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, for example, a process, method, system, product or device containing a series of steps or units does not necessarily limit to the clearly listed steps or units, but can include other steps or units not clearly listed or inherent to the process, method, product or device.

[0091] It should be understood that in the present disclosure, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. "And / or" is used to describe the association relationship between the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, "A and / or B" can represent three cases of only A, only B and A and B existing at the same time, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the front and rear associated objects. "At least one of the following" or the like means any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b or c can represent: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c", where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0092] It should be understood that, in the description of the embodiments of the present application, the meaning of multiple (or multiple items) is two or more, greater than, less than, more than, and the like are not included in the number, above, below, and the like are included in the number.

[0093] In several embodiments provided by the present disclosure, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented by other manners. For example, the above-described device embodiments are only illustrative, for example, the division of units is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, for example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0094] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separated, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units, that is, they can be located in one place, or can be distributed on multiple network units. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment.

[0095] In addition, the functional units in each embodiment of the present disclosure can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. The integrated unit can be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional unit.

[0096] If the integrated unit is realized in the form of software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of the present disclosure essentially or the part of the prior art that makes contributions or the whole or part of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including a plurality of instructions to make a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) execute all or part of the steps of the embodiments of the present disclosure. The foregoing storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (Read-Only Memory, ROM), random access memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), magnetic disk or optical disk and various program codes that can be stored in the medium.

[0097] It should also be understood that the various embodiments provided by the embodiments of the present application can be combined in any way to achieve different technical effects.

[0098] The above is a specific explanation of the embodiments of the present disclosure, but the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and those skilled in the art can make various equivalent modifications or substitutions without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure, and these equivalent modifications or substitutions are included in the scope defined by the claims of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A switching power supply circuit, characterized in that, include: Power input terminal, power output terminal; The first switch module, the second switch module, the third switch module, the fourth switch module, the fifth switch module, and the sixth switch module; A first capacitor and a second capacitor, and an inductor, the inductor including a first port and a second port; The power input terminal is connected to the drain of the first switching module; the source of the first switching module is connected to the drain of the second switching module and the upper plate of the first capacitor; the source of the second switching module is connected to the first port of the inductor and the drain of the third switching module, and the source of the third switching module is grounded; the lower plate of the first capacitor is connected to the upper plate of the second capacitor, the drain of the fourth switching module, and the source of the fifth switching module, and the source of the fourth switching module is grounded; the lower plate of the second capacitor is connected to the second port of the inductor and the drain of the sixth switching module; the drain of the fifth switching module and the source of the sixth switching module are both connected to the output terminal.

2. The switching power supply circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first switching module includes a first switching transistor, a first gate driving circuit, and a first power supply circuit; the output terminal of the first gate driving circuit is connected to the gate of the first switching transistor, and the first power supply circuit includes a first power supply diode and a first power supply capacitor. The anode of the first power supply diode is connected to the power input terminal, the upper plate of the first power supply capacitor is connected to the cathode of the first power supply diode, and the lower plate is connected to the source of the first switching transistor.

3. The switching power supply circuit according to claim 2, characterized in that, The second switching module includes a second switching transistor, a second gate driving circuit, and a second power supply circuit; the output terminal of the second gate driving circuit is connected to the gate of the second switching transistor, and the second power supply circuit includes a second power supply diode and a second power supply capacitor. The positive terminal of the second power supply diode is connected to a preset first power supply, the upper plate of the second power supply capacitor is connected to the negative terminal of the second power supply diode, and the lower plate is connected to the source of the second switching transistor. The third switching module includes a third switching transistor and a third gate driving circuit; the source of the third switching transistor is grounded, the output terminal of the third gate driving circuit is connected to the gate of the third switching transistor, and the third gate driving circuit is powered by the first power supply.

4. The switching power supply circuit according to claim 3, characterized in that, The fourth switching module includes a fourth switching transistor, a fourth gate driving circuit, and a fourth power supply circuit; the output terminal of the fourth gate driving circuit is connected to the gate of the fourth switching transistor, and the fourth power supply circuit includes a fourth power supply diode and a fourth power supply capacitor. The positive terminal of the fourth power supply diode is connected to a preset first regulated power supply, the upper plate of the fourth power supply capacitor is connected to the negative terminal of the fourth power supply diode, and the lower plate is connected to the drain of the fourth switching transistor. The fifth switching module includes a fifth switching transistor, a fifth gate driving circuit, and a fifth power supply circuit. The output terminal of the fifth gate drive circuit is connected to the gate of the fifth switch transistor. The fifth power supply circuit includes a fifth power supply diode and a fifth power supply capacitor. The positive terminal of the fifth power supply diode is connected to a preset second regulated power supply. The upper plate of the fifth power supply capacitor is connected to the negative terminal of the fifth power supply diode, and the lower plate is connected to the source of the fifth switch transistor. The sixth switching module includes a sixth switching transistor, a sixth gate driving circuit, and a sixth power supply circuit. The output terminal of the sixth gate drive circuit is connected to the gate of the sixth switch. The sixth power supply circuit includes a sixth power supply diode and a sixth power supply capacitor. The anode of the sixth power supply diode is connected to a preset third regulated power supply. The upper plate of the sixth power supply capacitor is connected to the cathode of the sixth power supply diode, and the lower plate is connected to the source of the sixth switch.

5. The switching power supply circuit according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first gate driving circuit, the second gate driving circuit, the fifth gate driving circuit, and the sixth gate driving circuit each include a level shifter and a driving buffer; wherein the output terminal of the level shifter is connected to the input terminal of the driving buffer, and the output terminal of the driving buffer serves as the output terminal of the gate driving circuit; the third gate driving circuit and the fourth gate driving circuit each include a driving buffer, wherein the output terminal of the driving buffer serves as the output terminal of the gate driving circuit.

6. A driving method for a switching power supply circuit, applied to the switching power supply circuit as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, include: For each switching working cycle, the second, fourth, and sixth switching modules are turned on based on a preset first driving period, and the first, third, and fifth switching modules are turned off, so that the switching power supply circuit charges the inductor during the first driving period, and simultaneously discharges the first and second capacitors to supply power to the power output terminal. Based on a preset second driving period, the first, third, and fifth switch modules are turned on, and the second, fourth, and sixth switch modules are turned off, so that the inductor discharges, the first and second capacitors are charged, and power is supplied to the power output terminal.

7. The driving method for the switching power supply circuit according to claim 6, characterized in that, The method of driving the second, fourth, and sixth switch modules to conduct and driving the first, third, and fifth switch modules to turn off based on a preset first driving time period includes: A turn-off control signal is applied to the first gate drive circuit, the third gate drive circuit, and the fifth gate drive circuit to turn off the first switch, the third switch, and the fifth switch. A conduction control signal is applied to the second gate drive circuit, the fourth gate drive circuit, and the sixth gate drive circuit to turn on the second, fourth, and sixth switching transistors, forming a first charging current path and a second charging current path. The current in the first charging current path flows from ground sequentially through the fourth switching module, the first capacitor, the second switching module, the inductor, and the sixth switching module, ultimately reaching the power output terminal. The current in the second charging current path flows from ground sequentially through the fourth switching module, the second capacitor, and the sixth switching module, ultimately reaching the power output terminal.

8. The driving method for the switching power supply circuit according to claim 6, characterized in that, The step of driving the first, third, and fifth switch modules to conduct and the second, fourth, and sixth switch modules to turn off based on a preset second driving period includes: A turn-off control signal is applied to the second gate drive circuit, the fourth gate drive circuit, and the sixth gate drive circuit to turn off the second switch, the fourth switch, and the sixth switch. A conduction control signal is applied to the first gate drive circuit, the third gate drive circuit, and the fifth gate drive circuit to turn on the first switch, the third switch, and the fifth switch, forming a first discharge current path and a second discharge current path. The current in the first discharge current path flows from ground through the third switch module, the inductor, the second capacitor, and the fifth switch module in sequence, and finally reaches the power output terminal. The current in the second discharge current path flows from the power input terminal through the first switch module, the first capacitor, and the fifth switch module in sequence, and finally reaches the power output terminal.

9. An electronic device, characterized in that, include: The device includes a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor executes the computer program to implement the driving method of the switching power supply circuit as described in any one of claims 6 to 8.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a program that is executed by a processor to implement the driving method of the switching power supply circuit as described in any one of claims 6 to 8.

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