Power supplies for pulsed power applications

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments of systems, devices, and methods are provided herein for a power supply system configured to generate pulsed power for a load. The power supply system can include cascaded power supply units, each including cascaded power supply cells. Each power supply cell can include a parallel boost converter for regulating a power bus and a buck converter for converting energy on the bus to a regulated output voltage and current.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 436,396, filed December 30, 2023, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

[0002] The subject matter described herein relates generally to power supplies for pulsed power applications. [Background technology]

[0003] Pulsed power generally refers to the release of high voltage and current to a load for a short period of time. Electrical energy can be stored by an energy source over a longer period of time and provided to the load in short, high-energy pulses. Generally, the energy released by the energy source may not have the appropriate voltage or current level for the load. A power converter can be used to regulate the voltage and / or current released by the energy source and provided to the load.

[0004] In electrical engineering, power engineering, and the power industry, power conversion is the conversion of electrical energy from one form to another (e.g., converting between AC and DC, regulating voltage or frequency, or some combination of these). A power converter is an electrical or electromechanical device for converting electrical energy. A power converter can be as simple as a transformer that changes the voltage of AC (i.e., alternating current) power, but can also be implemented using much more complex systems. The term "power converter" can also refer to a class of electrical machines used to convert one frequency of alternating current to another. Power conversion systems often incorporate redundancy and voltage regulation.

[0005] Power converters often contain semiconductor switches and filter components to convert electrical energy. Higher voltages and currents typically require larger and more complex components, which can also cause larger ripple currents on the converter's output, which can adversely affect the load. In addition, higher voltages and currents can subject power converter components to undue stress, resulting in component failure, reduced performance, and / or a shorter lifespan.

[0006] For these and other reasons, a need exists for improved systems, methods, and devices for providing pulsed power to a load. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] Exemplary embodiments of systems, devices, and methods for providing pulsed power to a load, including stationary and mobile applications, are provided herein. The embodiments described herein may include a power supply cell including one or more power converters, at least a portion of which are electrically coupled in parallel. For example, a power supply cell may include multiple parallel boost converters configured to increase the voltage of electrical energy output by an energy source. Each boost converter may be electrically coupled in parallel with a respective energy source. To deliver pulses of power to a load, each boost converter may discharge its energy source, increase the voltage of the energy output by the energy source, and apply the voltage-regulated energy to a power bus, such as a direct current (DC) power bus. Parallel boost converters allow the total power bus current to be shared among the boost converters, allowing the converters to have switches with lower current ratings, extending the switch life. The number of parallel boost converters may be selected based on the target power bus current and switch current ratings for the power supply cell.

[0008] Each power supply cell may also include a buck converter electrically coupled between the power bus and the output of the power supply cell, for example, between the last parallel boost converter and the output of the power supply cell. The buck converter may regulate the output voltage and / or output current of the power supply cell. The buck converter may be an interleaved buck converter with multiple phases. This use of phase shifting reduces ripple current present on the output of the power supply cell and divides the total current of the power bus among multiple branches of the switch. This allows the buck converter to have switches with lower current ratings, similar to the switches in the boost converter, thereby extending the switch's life.

[0009] The power supply system can include multiple power supply units electrically coupled in a cascaded arrangement. Each power supply unit can include one or more power supply cells. In implementations including multiple power supply cells, the power supply cells of a power supply unit can be electrically coupled in a cascaded arrangement. The power supply cells of a power supply unit can also be phase-shifted to further reduce any ripple current on the electrical energy supplied to the load, which can also reduce the output capacitance of each power supply cell. Multiple power supply units and their power supply cells enable the power supply system to output regulated voltages over a larger voltage range, for example, from low voltages (e.g., less than 1 kV) to high voltages (e.g., 50 kV or greater).

[0010] The combination of a cascaded power supply unit with phase-shifted power supply cells with parallel boost converters and interleaved buck converters allows for tight voltage and current regulation over a large voltage range with low ripple current while using lower voltage and current rated switches in the converters, allowing for less output capacitance (and therefore fewer capacitors) for each power supply cell and less output inductance (and therefore fewer inductors) for each power supply cell. The lower output capacitance also reduces the amount of energy stored by the output capacitor, which reduces the amount of energy, if any, released to the load during a short-circuit event.

[0011] Other systems, devices, methods, features, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawing description and detailed description. All such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages are intended to be included within this specification, be within the scope of the subject matter described herein, and be protected by the accompanying claims. Features of the exemplary embodiments should not be construed as limiting the scope of the appended claims absent express recitation of those features in the claims.

[0012] Details of the subject matter described herein, both as to its structure and operation, may be apparent from consideration of the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the subject matter. Moreover, all illustrations are intended to convey the concept that relative size, shape, and other detailed attributes may be illustrated generally, rather than literally or precisely. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a power supply system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a cell array. [Figure 3A] 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a power supply cell. [Figure 3B] 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a power supply cell; [Figure 3C] 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a power supply cell; [Figure 3D] 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a power supply cell; [Figure 4A] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a cell array. [Figure 4B] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a cell array. [Figure 4C] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a cell array. [Figure 5] 4 is a plot illustrating an exemplary output voltage and output current of a power supply cell. [Figure 6] 10 is a plot illustrating an example inductor current of a power supply cell. [Figure 7] 1 is a plot illustrating an example inductor voltage and current of a buck converter of a power supply cell. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a method for providing pulsed power to a load. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Before the present subject matter is described in detail, it is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to particular embodiments described, as such may, of course, vary. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting, since the scope of the present disclosure will be limited only by the appended claims.

[0015] Application Examples A stationary application is one in which the power supply system is located at a fixed location when in use, but may be capable of being transported to an alternative location when not in use. The power supply system remains at a fixed location while providing pulsed power for consumption by one or more other entities. Examples of stationary applications in which the embodiments disclosed herein can be used include, but are not limited to, energy systems for use by or within one or more residential structures or locales, energy systems for use by or within one or more industrial structures or locales, energy systems for use by or within one or more commercial structures or locales, and energy systems for use by or within one or more government structures or locales (including both military and non-military uses), and energy systems for charging mobile applications (e.g., charging sources or charging stations) described below.

[0016] Mobile applications, sometimes referred to as traction applications, generally involve a power supply system located on or within an entity that stores and supplies electrical energy for conversion to power by a motor to move or assist in moving the entity. Examples of mobile entities that can use the embodiments disclosed herein include, but are not limited to, electric and / or hybrid entities that move on or under land, on or under sea, above and out of contact with land or sea (e.g., flying or hovering in the air), or through space. Examples of mobile entities that can use the embodiments disclosed herein include, but are not limited to, cars, trains, trams, ships, watercraft, aircraft, and spacecraft. Examples of mobile vehicles that can use the embodiments disclosed herein include, but are not limited to, those with only one wheel or track, those with only two wheels or tracks, those with only three wheels or tracks, those with only four wheels or tracks, and those with five or more wheels or tracks. Examples of mobile entities that may use embodiments disclosed herein include, but are not limited to, automobiles, buses, trucks, motorcycles, scooters, industrial vehicles, mining vehicles, flying vehicles (e.g., airplanes, helicopters, drones, etc.), maritime vessels (e.g., commercial vessels, ships, yachts, boats, or other watercraft), submarines, locomotives or rail-based vehicles (e.g., trains, trams, etc.), military vehicles, spacecraft, and satellites.

[0017] In describing embodiments herein, reference may be made to particular stationary applications (e.g., grids, microgrids, data centers, cloud computing environments) or mobile applications (e.g., electric vehicles). Such references are made for ease of description and do not imply that a particular embodiment is limited to use in only that particular mobile or stationary application. Embodiments of a system for providing power to a motor can be used in both mobile and stationary applications. While particular configurations may be preferred for some applications over others, all exemplary embodiments disclosed herein can be used in both mobile and stationary applications unless otherwise specified.

[0018] Example of a power supply system FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a power supply system 100. The power supply system 100 includes a number “N” of power supply units 110-1 through 110-N and is configured to provide pulsed power to a load 101 through power connection ports 1 through N+2. The power connection ports described herein, also referred to as ports, can be implemented, for example, as terminals or connectors capable of outputting power. Each power connection port 1 through N+2 can be electrically coupled to a corresponding power connection port of the load 101. In some implementations, ports 1 through N+2 of the power supply system 100 and the corresponding port of the load 101 are implemented as electrodes. The load 101 can be any type of load, such as a beam steering device, an acoustic transducer, a bioelectric device, a fusion reactor, a plasma generator, a grid, etc.

[0019] Power supply system 100 includes a supervisory control device (SCD) 102 communicatively coupled to chargers 105-1 through 105-N and power supply units 110-1 through 110-N. SCD 102 is communicatively coupled to chargers 105-1 through 105-N by communication paths or links 106-1 through 106-N, respectively. SCD 102 is communicatively coupled to power supply units 110-1 through 110-N by communication paths or links 107-1 through 107-N, respectively. Each power supply unit 110 includes a master control device (MCD) 120 to which SCD 102 is communicatively coupled using communication path 107. Each MCD 120 is communicatively coupled to the cell array 130 of that power supply unit 110 by communication path or link 108.

[0020] The communication paths or links 106, 107, 108, and 370 (FIG. 3A) can each be a wired (e.g., electrical, optical) or wireless communication path that communicates data or information bidirectionally, in a parallel or serial manner. Data can be communicated in a standard (e.g., IEEE, ANSI) format or a custom (e.g., proprietary) format. In automotive applications, the communication path 108 can be configured to communicate according to the FlexRay or CAN protocol.

[0021] Power supply system 100 may include any number "N" of power supply units 110-1 through 110-N, where N is any number greater than or equal to 1. As shown in Figure 1, using multiple power supply units 110 cascaded with taps for ports between electrically coupled power supply units 110 allows for a wider range of voltage and / or current levels to load 101 than using a single power supply unit 110.

[0022] Each power supply unit 110 includes an MCD 120 and a cell array 130. As described herein, each cell array 130 includes two or more power supply cells 210 (FIG. 2), each including at least one energy source 306 and power converters 310 and / or 320 (FIGS. 3A-3D) for outputting and regulating the electrical energy output by the energy source 306. In some embodiments, each power supply unit 110 may include a single power supply cell 210 rather than a cell array 130. The MCD 120 may control the converters 310 and 320 to emit electrical energy from the source 306 and regulate the electrical energy based on control signals received from the SCD 102.

[0023] The SCDs 102 can perform the control using software (instructions stored in memory that are executable by processing circuitry), hardware, or a combination thereof. The SCDs 102 can each include processing circuitry for performing the control and memory for storing the instructions. The SCDs 102 also include communication interfaces for communicating with the charger 105 and the MCD 120 over communication paths or links 106 and 107, respectively.

[0024] The SCD 102 can send control signals to the charger 105 and the MCD 120 via communication paths or links 106 and 107, respectively. To charge the energy source 306 of the power supply unit 110, the SCD 102 can send control signals to the MCD 120 to instruct the MCD 120 to operate one or more switches in each power supply cell 210 of that power supply unit 110 to send electrical energy from that charger 105 to its energy source 306. The SCD 102 can also send control signals to the charger 105 to output energy to the energy source 306. Each charger 105 is electrically coupled to input / output ports IO1 and IO2 of the cell array 130 of the corresponding power supply unit 110. As shown in FIG. 2 , these ports IO1 and IO2 can be electrically coupled to each power cell 210 of the cell array 130 to enable charging of the energy source 306 of each power supply cell 210.

[0025] Each charger 105 may also be electrically coupled to another energy source, e.g., the grid, through one or more ports. In this example, the grid is a three-phase grid that supplies power to ports A, B, and C. The charger 105 may include a power converter configured to convert electrical energy from this external energy source to voltage and current levels suitable for charging the energy source 306 of the power supply cell 210.

[0026] To output pulsed power to the load 101, the SCD 102 can send control signals to the MCD 120 to output a pulse of electrical energy at output ports IO3 and IO4 of its cell array 130. These control signals can include a synchronization signal indicating when the MCD 120 should control its cell array 210 to output a pulse of electrical energy, a voltage reference signal indicating a target voltage for the pulse of electrical energy (e.g., digital or analog information such as a discrete value or waveform that can be normalized, static, or time-varying), a current reference signal indicating a target current for the pulse of energy (e.g., digital or analog information such as a discrete value or waveform that can be normalized, static, or time-varying), and / or a duration of the pulse of electrical energy. As described herein, the MCD 120 can control the power supply cell(s) 210 in its cell array 130 to output that pulse of electrical energy based on the received control signals. The synchronization signal can also indicate the duration of the pulse.

[0027] The cell arrays 130-1 through 130-N are electrically coupled in a sequential or cascaded arrangement such that the output voltages of the cell arrays 130-1 through 130-N are combined, e.g., summed, across ports 1 and N+2. For example, if each cell array 130 outputs 1 kilovolt (kV) DC, the voltage between port 1 and port N+2 will be NkV. In this example, each cell array 130 outputs electrical energy at the same voltage level. However, the cell arrays 130 can be operated to output electrical energy at different voltage levels. The power supply system 100 includes an output inductor L connected to the positive output of each cell array 130. s Including the output inductor L s reduces the ripple current at the output of each cell array 130.

[0028] The power supply system 100 also includes ports located at taps between the cell arrays 130, e.g., ports 2, 3, and N+1. This provides flexibility in the output voltage level to the load 101. For example, the power supply system 100 includes port 2 between cell array 130-1 and cell array 130-2. Assuming that all cell arrays 130-1 to 130-N simultaneously output electrical energy, the voltage level between port 2 and port N+2 will be lower than the voltage level between port 1 and port N+2. For example, if each cell array 130 outputs 1 kV DC, the voltage level between port 1 and port N+2 will be N kV DC, while the voltage level between port 2 and port N+2 will be (N-1) kV DC. Similarly, assum- ing that both cell arrays 130-1 and 130-2 simultaneously output electrical energy, the voltage level between port 2 and port 3 will be lower than the voltage level between port 1 and port 3.

[0029] In this example, each port 1 through N+2 of the power supply system 100 is electrically coupled to a corresponding port of the load 101. In some embodiments, the port of the power supply system 100 that is electrically coupled to the load 101 can be selected and / or adjusted based on a target input voltage to the load 101. For example, the power supply system 100 can include a switch that can be controlled to route the ports 1 through N+2 to the ports of the load 101.

[0030] As described in more detail herein, each power supply cell 210, and therefore each cell array 130, can operate to output electrical energy having various voltage and current levels. For example, the duty cycle of the converters 310 and 320 can be adjusted to adjust the output voltage and current levels of the power supply cells 210. In addition, some power supply units 110 and / or some power supply cells 210 can be disabled or bypassed for some pulses of electrical energy or for a portion (e.g., for a partial duration of the total duration) of the pulses of electrical energy provided to the load 101. This provides additional flexibility in the voltage and / or current levels provided to the load 101 during the pulses of electrical energy.

[0031] For example, the load 101 may be operated using two total second pulses of electrical energy, with the first second having a voltage level of 10 kV DC and the last second having a voltage level of 5 kV DC. If the power supply system 100 includes five power supply units 110, each capable of outputting 2 kV, the SCD 102 may control all five power supply units 110 to each output 2 kV during the first second of the pulse. The SCD 102 may also control two power supply units 110 to each output 2 kV and a third power supply unit 110 (e.g., by using only a portion of the power supply cells 210 in its cell array 130 or by controlling all of the power supply cells 210 to output a reduced voltage level) to output 1 kV during the last second of the pulse.

[0032] The power supply system 100 can include various modular arrangements. For example, each power supply unit 110 can be packaged as a module that can be inserted into and removed from, for example, a rack, cabinet, EV compartment, or other support structure that includes ports for electrically coupling to the power supply unit's 110 ports, such as the ports of each cell array 130 and the communication ports of each MCD 120, within a package or housing. The ports of the support structure can be electrically coupled to the SCD 102, the charger 105, and the load 101 to enable swapping of the power supply unit 110 for the power supply system 100.

[0033] Although shown separately from the power supply units 110, each power supply unit 110 may include its charger, for example, within the packaging or housing of the power supply unit 110. In some embodiments, the power supply system 100 may not include an individual charger 105 for each power supply unit 110. For example, the charger 105 may be electrically coupled to multiple power supply units 110 to charge the energy source 306 of each of the multiple power supply units 110.

[0034] 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a cell array 130. The cell array 130 includes a number "N" of power supply cells 210. The number of power supply cells 210 in the cell array 130 can be the same as or different from the number of power supply units 110 in the power supply system 110. For example, the power supply system 100 can include four power supply units 110, each including ten power supply cells 210. Other numbers of power supply units 110 and power supply cells 210 per cell array 130 can also be used. Additionally, the number of power supply cells 210 can vary among the cell arrays 130 of the power supply system 120.

[0035] The outputs of the power supply cells 210-1 to 210-N are electrically coupled in a cascade or series arrangement, such that the voltage level between ports IO3 and IO4 is a combination, e.g., the sum, of the individual output voltages of each power supply cell 210.

[0036] The cell array 130 includes a charging bus 220 that electrically couples each power supply cell 210 to ports IO1 and IO2, which are electrically coupled to the charger 105. Within each power supply cell 210, the charging bus 220 is electrically coupled to each energy source 306 of the power supply cell 210, for example, via the switches shown in FIGS. 3B-3D. The charging bus 220 can be coupled to each cell 210 so that they are in parallel (as shown herein), or alternatively so that they are in series, or a combination of the two.

[0037] As described herein, the MCD 120 can control the power supply cells 210 so that there is a phase shift between the output voltage and / or output current of each power supply cell 210. This reduces the amount of ripple current on the output of the cell array 130 at ports IO3 and IO4.

[0038] The MCD 120 can also selectively enable and disable power supply cells 210-1 through 210-N for various output pulses. For example, if each power supply cell 210-1 through 210-N is configured to output a maximum of 1 kV and the SCD 105 instructs the MCD 120 to control the voltage output to up to 5 kV for a particular output pulse or a particular portion of an output pulse, the MCD 120 can enable five power cells 210 during a particular output pulse or a particular portion thereof while disabling any other power supply cells 210 in the cell array 130.

[0039] 3A is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of power supply cell 210. Power supply cell 210 includes local control device (LCD) 340, energy sources 306-1 through 306-3, and power converters 310-1 through 310-3 and 320. In this example, converters 310 are each converters that increase the voltage output by an associated energy source 306 while reducing the current output by the energy source 306, while converters 320 are each converters that decrease the voltage output by an associated energy source 306 while increasing the current output by the energy source 306. A boost converter and a buck converter are exemplary embodiments of converters 310 and 320, respectively; for ease of discussion, converter 310 will be described herein as an exemplary boost converter, and converter 320 will be described herein as an exemplary buck converter. However, other types of power converters may be implemented in various embodiments.

[0040] Each boost converter 310 is configured to convert the electrical energy stored by the corresponding energy source 306 and output the converted energy to the power bus 330. For example, boost converter 310 is electrically coupled to the energy source 306 and configured to convert the electrical energy stored by energy source 306-1, e.g., by increasing the voltage level to a target voltage level for the power bus 330, and output the converted electrical energy to the power bus 330.

[0041] The energy source 306 can be an electrochemical battery, such as a single battery cell or multiple battery cells connected together in a battery module or array, or any combination thereof. The energy source 306 can also be a high-energy-density (HED) capacitor, such as an ultracapacitor or supercapacitor. HED capacitors can be configured as double-layer capacitors (electrostatic charge storage), pseudocapacitors (electrochemical charge storage), hybrid capacitors (electrostatic and electrochemical), or otherwise, as opposed to the solid-dielectric type of typical electrolytic capacitors. In addition to higher capacitance, HED capacitors can have energy densities 10 to 100 times (or more) that of electrolytic capacitors. For example, HED capacitors can have specific energies greater than 1.0 watt-hours per kilogram (Wh / kg) and capacitances greater than 10 to 100 farads (F). The energy source 306 can be configured as a single HED capacitor or multiple HED capacitors connected together in an array (e.g., series, parallel, or a combination thereof).

[0042] The energy source 306 can also be a fuel cell, which may not require recharging. The fuel cell can be a single fuel cell, multiple fuel cells connected in series or parallel, or a fuel cell module. Examples of fuel cell types include proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), phosphoric acid fuel cells (PAFCs), solid acid fuel cells, alkaline fuel cells, high-temperature fuel cells, solid oxide fuel cells, molten electrolyte fuel cells, etc. The energy source 306 can be configured as a single fuel cell or multiple fuel cells connected together in an array (e.g., in series, parallel, or a combination thereof). The foregoing examples of source classes (e.g., batteries, capacitors, and fuel cells) and types (e.g., chemistry and / or structural configurations within each class) are not intended to form an exhaustive list, and one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize other variations within the scope of the present subject matter.

[0043] In this embodiment, boost converters 310-1 through 310-3 are electrically coupled in parallel to one another. Each boost converter 310 can output electrical energy having the same voltage level to power bus 330. Generally, boost converter 310 is a DC-DC converter configured to increase or boost the voltage level from its input to its output. In other embodiments, boost converters 310 can be arranged in series or a combination of parallel and series.

[0044] The parallel coupling of boost converters 310-1 through 310-3 allows boost converters 310-1 through 310-3 to share the current load of power bus 330. For example, if the target current for the power bus is 3 kiloamperes (kA), each boost converter 310-1 through 310-3 can be controlled by LCD 340 to output 1 kA of current from its corresponding energy source 306 to power bus 330. Each boost converter 310-1 through 310-3 can be controlled to output a portion of the current or power bus 330, and each portion can be the same or different. Sharing the current load among multiple parallel boost converters 310 allows each boost converter 310 to output a lower current level, allowing lower current-rated switches and / or other components to be used in each boost converter 310-1 through 310-3. The lower current levels also extend the life of the switches and / or other components of each boost converter 310-1 to 310-3.

[0045] In this exemplary embodiment, power supply cell 210 includes three boost converters 310-1 through 310-3, although power supply cell 210 may include other numbers, such as more than or less than three, electrically coupled in parallel boost converters 310. For example, the number of boost converters 310 may be selected based on the target current level(s) for power bus 330 and / or the current ratings (or desired current ratings) of the switches and / or other components of boost converters 310.

[0046] LCD 340 can receive control information from MCD 120 over communication link 108 to operate the switches of boost converters 310-1 through 310-3 to output target voltages and target currents onto power bus 330. The control information can include a voltage reference signal indicating a target voltage level for the pulse of electrical energy output by power supply cell 210, a current reference signal indicating a target current level for the pulse of energy output by power supply cell 210, and / or a synchronization signal indicating when LCD 120 should control its converters 310-1 through 310-3 and 320 to output the pulse of electrical energy. The synchronization signal can also indicate the duration of the pulse.

[0047] LCD 340 can use (e.g., receive and process) the control signals to generate switch signals that control the operation of converters 310-1 through 310-3 and 320. This switching controls the output voltages and currents of converters 310-1 through 310-3 and 320, as described herein. LCD 340 can provide switching signals to converters 310-1 through 310-3 over communication paths or links 370-1 through 370-3, respectively. Similarly, LCD 340 can provide switching signals to converter 320 over communication path or link 370-4.

[0048] The buck converter 320 is configured to convert electrical energy between the power bus 330 and ground 331 and output the converted energy at ports IO3 and IO4. Generally, the buck converter 320 is a DC-DC converter configured to decrease or lower the voltage level from its input to its output. The LCD 340 can control the buck converter 320 using switching signals to regulate the output voltage Vo and output current Io output by the power supply cell 210.

[0049] The MCD 120 can generate control information for each power supply cell 210 in its cell array 130 based on control signals received from the SCD 105. Specifically, the MCD 120 can use the control information to instruct one or more LCDs 340 to begin outputting pulses of energy based on synchronization signals received from the SCD 105. The MCD 120 can also control the voltage and / or current levels of each power supply cell by providing target voltage and target current references to the LCDs 340. For example, the MCD 120 can determine voltage and current references for each power supply cell 210 by dividing the target voltage and target current for that cell array 130 (as provided in the control signals received from the SCD 105) among the power supply cells 210 of the cell array 130. If the total voltage and / or current output by the cell array 130 can be generated by less than all of the power supply cells 210 in the cell array 130, the MCD 120 can select a portion of the power supply cells 210 in the cell array 130 and provide control information to the selected power supply cells 210.

[0050] The MCD 120 can also control the power supply cells 210 to phase-shift the electrical energy output by the power supply cells 120 in its cell array 130. This can reduce ripple current on the overall energy pulse output by the power supply unit 110, including the MCD 120 and cell array 130. Generally, to introduce the phase shift, the MCD 120 can generate synchronization or timing information for each LCD 340 to stagger the time at which each power supply cell 210 begins outputting its electrical energy. The phase information can indicate a phase angle for the output signal. The timing information can indicate a time delay after the energy pulse that the power supply cell 130 will begin outputting electrical energy (based on the synchronization information), causing a time shift and a phase shift in the output of each power supply cell 120.

[0051] MCD 120 and LCD 340 can perform control using software (instructions stored in memory that are executable by processing circuitry), hardware, or a combination thereof. MCD 120 and LCD 340 can each include processing circuitry for performing control and memory for storing instructions. MCD 120 also includes a communications interface for communicating with SCD 102 and LCD 340 over communications paths or links 107 and 108, respectively. LCD 340 includes a communications interface for communicating with MCD 120 over communications path or link 108.

[0052] 3B is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of power supply cell 210. For ease of explanation, for this embodiment and those embodiments described with respect to FIGS. 3C-4C, energy sources 306-1 through 306-3 are (or include) one or more HED capacitors, e.g., ultracapacitor(s) and / or supercapacitor(s), although other types and / or configurations of energy sources 306 can be used. Each energy source 306-1 through 306-3 is electrically coupled in parallel with a corresponding boost converter 310-1 through 310-3, respectively.

[0053] In this exemplary embodiment, each boost converter 310-1 through 310-3 includes a pair of switches (Q1 and Q2 for converter 310-1, Q3 and Q4 for converter 310-2, and Q5 and Q6 for converter 310-3) and an inductor L electrically coupled between energy source 306 and the pair of switches. Bst and a capacitor C electrically coupled between the power bus 330 and ground 331. bus and a boost converter 310-1 through a boost converter 310-3. Boost converters 310-1 through 310-3 are electrically coupled between power bus 330 and ground 331 and are electrically coupled in parallel with each other. In this manner, boost converters 310-1 through 310-3 share the current load of power bus 330, allowing for the use of switches Q1 through Q6 with lower current ratings. Each boost converter 310-1 through 310-3 is configured to boost the voltage level of its energy source 306-1 through 306-3, respectively, and output the boosted voltage onto power bus 330.

[0054] Capacitor C bus can act as a filter capacitor for the boost stage including the boost converters 310-1 to 310-3. For example, the capacitor C bus can filter the DC bus voltage on the power bus 330. Capacitor C buscan also provide a buffer to stabilize the DC bus voltage present at converter 330 whenever there is a transient reflected at the input of a backstage including buck converter 320 due to load dynamics at the output of the backstage.

[0055] In this exemplary embodiment, buck converter 320 is implemented as a two-level, three-phase buck converter. Buck converter 320 includes three switch pairs (Q7 and Q8, Q9 and Q10, and Q11 and Q12) and an inductor L electrically coupled between each switch pair and output bus 333, which is electrically coupled to port IO3. bk The LCD 340 controls the switches Q7 to Q12 to turn on and off the inductors L bk This phase shift reduces the ripple current on the output bus 333 output by the power supply cell 210 at ports IO3 and IO4. Reducing the ripple current allows a smaller inductor L at the output of the power supply cell 210 than would be required for a higher ripple current. bk (which has a smaller inductance) and a smaller filter capacitor C F (which has a smaller capacitance) is effective. A smaller filter capacitor C F By having a filter capacitor C F , thereby reducing the amount of charge stored by the filter capacitor C F reduces the amount of current discharged into the load 101 .

[0056] The use of multiple phases also allows the buck converter 320 to use switches Q7-Q12 with lower current ratings than if a single-phase buck converter were used. Using three phases as shown in this embodiment reduces the current rating of each pair or pairs of switches (Q7 and Q8, Q9 and Q10, and Q11 and Q12) and their respective inductors L bk This allows the total output current of the power supply cell 210 to be divided among the three phases so that each delivers one-third of the total output current.

[0057] Power supply cell 210 also includes a switch Qcb, such as a crowbar switch, electrically coupled between output ports IO3 and IO4. A crowbar circuit, which may be implemented as a crowbar switch, is a circuit that shorts out the output of the power supply to prevent damage to circuit components when an overvoltage condition, an overcurrent condition, a short circuit condition, or other suitable condition or event occurs. Switch Qcb closes filter capacitor C during a short circuit event. F can further reduce or prevent the current of the filter capacitor C from being discharged to the load 101. If a short circuit is detected, the LDC 340 can close the switch Qcb by sending a switch signal to the switch Qcb, which in turn closes the filter capacitor C F allows current emitted by the load 101 to flow through the switch Qcb to ground instead of through the load 101. The switch Qcb can also be used to bypass the power supply cell 210, as described in more detail below.

[0058] Switches Q1-Q12 and Qcb can be any suitable switch type, such as power semiconductors like insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) shown herein, metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs), or gallium nitride (GaN) transistors. The semiconductor switches can operate at relatively high switching frequencies, thereby enabling converters 310-1-310-3 and 320 to operate in pulse-width modulation (PWM) mode and respond to control commands within relatively short time intervals, if desired. This can provide high tolerance for output voltage regulation and fast dynamic behavior in transient mode. The semiconductor switches may or may not include external parallel diodes, such as body diodes. In this embodiment, each switch Q1-Q12 includes an external parallel diode.

[0059] LCD 340 can operate switches 351-1 through 351-5 and 352-1 through 352-3 to selectively charge energy sources 306-1 through 306-3 and output pulses of electrical energy from energy sources 306-1 through 306-3. Switches 351-1 through 351-5 and 352-1 through 352-3 can be any suitable switch type, such as mechanical switches or power semiconductors, e.g., IGBTs, MOSFETs, or GaN transistors.

[0060] To charge energy sources 306-1 through 306-3, LCD 340 can provide switch signals to switches 352-1 through 352-3 and switches 351-1 through 351-5 to open switches 352-1 through 352-3 and close switches 351-1 through 351-5. This allows current to flow from charger 105, which is electrically coupled to ports IO1 and IO2, to energy sources 306-1 through 306-3. When charging energy sources 306-1 through 306-3, LCD 340 can open switches Q1 through Q12. Switches 351-1 and 351-5 isolate power cells 210 from charger 105 when energy sources 306-1 through 306-3 are not being charged. For example, LCD 340 may open switches 351-1 and 351-5 to provide such isolation when energy sources 306-1 through 306-3 are not charging.

[0061] Switches 351-1 through 351-5 provide a charging circuit for each energy source 306-1 through 306-3. For example, switches 351-1, 351-2, and 351-5 provide a charging circuit for energy source 306-1, switches 351-1, 351-3, and 351-5 provide a charging circuit for energy source 306-2, and switches 351-1, 351-4, and 351-5 provide a charging circuit for energy source 306-3. The switch of each charging circuit is configured to selectively electrically couple that energy source to charger 105.

[0062] To release energy from energy sources 306-1 through 306-3, LCD 340 can close switches 352-1 through 352-3 and open switches 351-1 through 351-5 by providing switch signals to switches 352-1 through 352-3 and switches 351-1 through 351-5. For example, LCD 340 can operate switches 352-1 through 352-3 and 351-1 through 351-5 in this manner to close resistor R when power cell 210 is not operating or is in other conditions where energy sources 306-1 through 306-3 should not store charge. d Energy from the energy sources 306-1 through 306-3 can be discharged through a resistor (e.g., a dump resistor) to prevent the energy sources 306-1 through 306-3 from storing residual energy and ensure that the power cells 210 are in a safe state when not in operation. d The combination of these can be referred to as a discharge circuit of the energy source 306. When discharging energy, the LCD 340 can open the switches Q1 to Q12.

[0063] LCD 340 can also operate switches Q1-Q12 of converters 310-1-310-3 and 320 to output and regulate pulses of electrical energy from energy sources 306-1-306-3 by providing switch signals to switches Q1-Q12. Control or switch signals for the converter embodiments described herein can be generated in different ways depending on the control technique utilized by power supply system 100 to generate pulses of energy to load 101. In some embodiments, the control technique is a PWM technique, such as space vector pulse-width modulation (SVPWM) or sinusoidal pulse-width modulation (SPWM), or variations thereof. For ease of description, embodiments herein are described in the context of PWM control techniques, but embodiments are not limited to such. Other classes of techniques can also be used. One alternative class is based on hysteresis, examples of which are described in WO 2018 / 231810(A1), WO 2018 / 232403(A1), and WO 2019 / 183553(A1), which are incorporated herein for all purposes.

[0064] The LCD 340 may receive control information from the MCD 120. As described above, the control information may include a voltage reference signal indicating a target voltage level for the pulse of electrical energy output by the power supply cell 210, a current reference signal indicating a target current level for the pulse of energy output by the power supply cell 210, and / or a synchronization signal indicating when the LCD 120 should control its converters 310-1 to 310-3 and 320 to output the pulse of electrical energy.

[0065] LCD 340 can control switches Q1-Q6 of boost converters 310-1-310-3 to release energy from their energy sources 306-1-306-3, respectively, and regulate the voltage and current on power bus 330. LCD 340 can control switches Q1-Q6 so that each boost converter 310-1-310-3 outputs the same voltage level, for example, within a tolerance. LCD 340 can also control switches Q1-Q6 so that each boost converter 310-1-310-3 outputs a share of the total current on power bus 330. For example, LCD 340 can control switches Q1-Q6 so that each boost converter 310-1-310-3 outputs a different current level that is approximately one-third of the total current on power bus 330, or that when combined equals the total current on power bus 330.

[0066] LCD 340 can determine target voltage and current levels for power bus 330 based on the voltage and current reference signals of the control information received from MCD 120. In another exemplary embodiment, LCD 340 can control switches Q1-Q6 of boost converters 310-1-310-3 to regulate the voltage and current of power bus 330 at specified levels independent of the control information, and adjust switches Q7-Q12 of buck converter 320 to regulate the output voltage and output current at ports IO3 and IO4 based on the control information.

[0067] For example, in just one of many possible embodiments, a two-level, three-phase interleaved buck converter as described with reference to FIG. 3B has ten power supply cells in cell array 130 that output three second energy pulses, and in this example, the switching frequency of buck converter 320 is 100 microseconds. The 100 microsecond period can be divided by 30 (e.g., three phases times 10 power supply cells), resulting in a 3.33 microsecond shift between the output voltage and output current of 30.

[0068] 3C is a schematic diagram of another exemplary embodiment of power supply cell 210. In this exemplary embodiment, power supply cell 210 includes three-level converters 310-1 through 310-3 and 320 with an intermediate power bus 332 electrically connected between pairs of switches in converters 310-1 through 310-3 and 320. Intermediate power bus 332 typically carries half the voltage of power bus 330. This allows converters 310-1 through 310-3 and 320 to have lower voltage-rated switches Q1 through Q10 and Q1′ through Q10′ compared to two-level converters, with the voltage across each switch pair (e.g., Q1 and Q1′) being half the voltage of power bus 330.

[0069] Each boost converter 310-1 through 310-3 is electrically coupled to a corresponding energy source 306-1 through 306-3, respectively. Each boost converter 310-1 through 310-3 includes a first pair of switches (Q1 and Q1' for converter 310-1, Q3 and Q3' for converter 310-2, and Q5 and Q5' for converter 310-3) electrically coupled between power bus 330 and intermediate power bus 332, a second pair of switches (Q2 and Q2' for converter 310-1, Q4 and Q4' for converter 310-2, and Q6 and Q6' for converter 310-3) electrically coupled between intermediate power bus 332 and ground 331, and an inductor L electrically coupled between energy source 306 and the first pair of switches. Bst and . Boost converters 310-1 through 310-3 are electrically coupled between power bus 330 and ground 331 and are electrically coupled in parallel with one another. In this manner, boost converters 310-1 through 310-3 share the current load of power bus 330, allowing for the use of lower current rated switches Q1 through Q6 and Q1' through Q6'. The three-level arrangement requires a smaller inductor L compared to the two-level converter embodiment. Bst This allows you to use

[0070] LCD 340 can control switches Q1-Q6 and Q1'-Q6' to regulate the voltage and current of power bus 330 and intermediate power bus 332. For example, LCD 340 can control switches Q1-Q6 and Q1'-Q6' so that the voltage level of intermediate bus 332 is half the voltage level of power bus 330.

[0071] The buck converter 320 has four output inductors L bk1 ~L bk4 The LCD 340 controls the switches Q7 to Q10 and Q7' to Q10' to adjust the output voltage and current at the ports IO3 and IO4. The LCD 340 also controls the switches Q7, Q7', Q9, and Q9' to adjust the output voltage and current at the ports IO3 and IO4. bk1 and L bk2 Similarly, the LCD 340 controls the switches Q8, Q8′, Q10, and Q10′ to shift the voltage and / or current output through each inductor L. bk3 and L bk4 These phase shifts can be achieved by shifting the voltage and / or current output through the inductor L bk1 ~L bk4 In some embodiments, the LCD 340 reduces the ripple current at the output of the inductor L bk1 The phases of the voltage and / or current of the inductor L bk3 The switches Q7 to Q10 and Q7' to Q10' can be controlled to match the phase of the voltage and / or current of the inductor L. bk2 The phases of the voltage and / or current of the inductor L bk4 Switches Q7-Q10 and Q7'-Q10' can be controlled to match the phase of the voltages and / or currents at ports IO3 and IO4. In this way, the phase shift reduces ripple currents at both ports IO3 and IO4.

[0072] LCD 340 can operate switches 351-1 through 351-5, switches 352-1 through 352-3, and switches Q2', Q4', and Q6' to selectively charge energy sources 306-1 through 306-3 and output pulses of electrical energy from energy sources 306-1 through 306-3. To charge energy sources 306-1 through 306-3, LCD 340 can open switches 352-1 through 352-3 and close switches 351-1 through 351-5 and switches Q2', Q4', and Q6' by providing switch signals to switches 352-1 through 352-3, switches 351-1 through 351-5, and switches Q2', Q4', and Q6'. This allows current to flow from charger 105, which is electrically coupled to ports IO1 and IO2, to energy sources 306-1 through 306-3. When charging the energy sources 306-1 to 306-3, the LCD 340 may open the switches Q1, Q1', Q2, Q3, Q3', Q4, Q5, Q5', Q6, Q7 to Q10, and Q7 to Q10'.

[0073] To release energy from energy sources 306-1 through 306-3, LCD 340 can close switches 352-1 through 352-3, switches Q2', Q4', and Q6', and open switches 351-1 through 351-5 by providing switch signals to switches 352-1 through 352-3, switches Q2', Q4', and Q6', and switches 351-1 through 351-5. For example, LCD 340 can operate switches 352-1 through 352-3, switches Q2', Q4', and Q6', and switches 351-1 through 351-5 in this manner to close resistor R when power cell 210 is not operating or is in other conditions where energy sources 306-1 through 306-3 should not store charge. dEnergy from energy sources 306-1 through 306-3 can be discharged through resistors (e.g., dump resistors). This prevents energy sources 306-1 through 306-3 from storing residual energy and ensures that power cells 210 are in a safe state when not operating. When discharging energy, LCD 340 can open switches Q1, Q1', Q2, Q3, Q3', Q4, Q5, Q5', Q6, Q7 through Q10, and Q7' through Q10'.

[0074] In this embodiment, the power supply cell 210 includes a capacitor C electrically coupled between the power bus 330 and the intermediate bus 332. bus1 and a capacitor C electrically coupled between the intermediate bus 330 and ground 331. bus2 and the capacitor C in the embodiment of FIG. bus Similarly, the capacitor C bus1 and C bus2 Capacitor C can act as a filter capacitor for the boost stage including boost converters 310-1 to 310-3. bus1 and C bus2 can also provide a buffer to stabilize the DC bus voltage present on power bus 330 whenever there is a reflected transient at the input of a backstage including buck converter 320 due to load dynamics at the output of the backstage.

[0075] 3D is a schematic diagram of another exemplary embodiment of power supply cell 210. Converters 310-1 through 310-3 and 320 of this exemplary embodiment are also implemented as three-level converters. This embodiment differs from the embodiment of FIG. 3C in that this embodiment does not include an intermediate power bus 332. Instead, each boost converter 310-1 through 310-3 includes a flying capacitor C electrically coupled between two switch pairs of boost converters 310-1 through 310-3. fly1 ~C fly3Additionally, each energy source 306-1 through 306-3 is electrically coupled between ground bus 331 and a pair of switches in its boost converter 310-1 through 310-3, respectively. In this example, LCD 340 can control switches Q1 through Q6 and Q1′ through Q6′ in boost converters 310-1 through 310-3 to regulate the voltage and current on power bus 330.

[0076] The buck converter 320, which is also implemented as a three-level, two-phase interleaved buck converter, also includes two flying capacitors C that can be charged to half the voltage of the power bus 330 using a precharge circuit. fly4 and C fly5 In this example, the buck converter 320 includes two output inductors L bk1 and L bk2 The LCD 340 controls the switches Q7 to Q10 and Q7' to Q10' to adjust the output voltage and current at the ports IO3 and IO4. The LCD 340 also controls the switches Q7 to Q10 and Q7' to Q10' to adjust the output voltage and current at the ports IO3 and IO4. bk1 and L bk2 The voltage and / or current output through port IO3 can be shifted to reduce the ripple current output on port IO3.

[0077] The embodiment of power supply cell 210 of FIG. 3D has similar advantages to the embodiment of power supply cell 210 of FIG. 3C. For example, lower-rated switches can be used in each converter 310 and 320 because the voltage across each switch is half the voltage of power bus 330. Lower current-rated switches can be used in power converters 310 and 320 because the parallel boost converters 310-1 through 310-3 enable current division between boost converter 310-1 and boost converter 310-3, and because the two-phase output of buck converter 320 enables current division between two switch branches of buck converter 320 (e.g., one branch with switches Q7, Q7', Q8, and Q8' and another branch with switches Q9, Q9', Q10, and Q10'). Reduced ripple current can be achieved by using smaller inductors L. bk1 and L bk2 , and the output filter capacitor C f The output inductor L bk1 and L bk2 (Also, L in Figure 3C bk3 and L bk4 ) in a three-level converter, these inductors L bk The inductor of the two-level converter can be further scaled down because it is exposed to twice the switching frequency of switches Q7-Q10 and Q7'-Q10', whereas the inductor of the two-level converter is exposed to the switching frequency. The higher frequency allows for a smaller filter inductor at the output of buck converter 320.

[0078] LCD 340 can operate switches 351-1 through 351-5 and 352-1 through 352-3 to selectively charge energy sources 306-1 through 306-3 and output pulses of electrical energy from energy sources 306-1 through 306-3. Switches 351-1 through 351-5 and 352-1 through 352-3 can be any suitable switch type, such as mechanical switches or power semiconductors, e.g., IGBTs, MOSFETs, or GaN transistors.

[0079] To charge energy sources 306-1 through 306-3, LCD 340 can provide switch signals to switches 352-1 through 352-3 and switches 351-1 through 351-5 to open switches 352-1 through 352-3 and close switches 351-1 through 351-5, thereby allowing current to flow from charger 105, which is electrically coupled to ports IO1 and IO2, to energy sources 306-1 through 306-3. When charging energy sources 306-1 through 306-3, LCD 340 can open switches Q1 through Q10 and Q1' through Q10'.

[0080] To release energy from energy sources 306-1 through 306-3, LCD 340 can close switches 352-1 through 352-3 and open switches 351-1 through 351-5 by providing switch signals to switches 352-1 through 352-3 and switches 351-1 through 351-5. For example, LCD 340 can operate switches 352-1 through 352-3 and 351-1 through 351-5 in this manner to close resistor R when power cell 210 is not operating or is in other conditions where energy sources 306-1 through 306-3 should not store charge. d Energy from energy sources 306-1 through 306-3 can be discharged through resistors (e.g., dump resistors). This prevents energy sources 306-1 through 306-3 from storing residual energy and ensures that power cells 210 are in a safe state when not in operation. When discharging energy, LCD 340 can open switches Q1 through Q10 and Q1' through Q10'.

[0081] In this embodiment, the power supply cell 210 includes a capacitor C electrically coupled between the power bus 330 and ground 331. bus Includes capacitor C bus can act as a filter capacitor for the boost stage including the boost converters 310-1 to 310-3. For example, the capacitor C buscan filter the DC bus voltage on the power bus 330. Capacitor C bus can also provide a buffer to stabilize the DC bus voltage present on power bus 330 whenever there is a reflected transient at the input of a backstage including buck converter 320 due to load dynamics at the output of the backstage.

[0082] Before the boost converters 310-1 to 310-3 start operating, a precharge circuit is used to charge each flying capacitor C fly1 ~C fly3 can be charged to half the voltage of the power bus 330. In some embodiments, the LCD 340 controls the switches Q1-Q6 and Q1′-Q6′ to charge the flying capacitor C fly1 ~C fly3 can be precharged to half the voltage of power bus 330. In embodiments where switches Q1, Q3, and Q5 have body diodes, LCD 340 can open switches Q1-Q6, Q1', Q3', and Q5' and close switches Q2', Q4', and Q6' while energy sources 306-1-306-3 are charging. This allows the body diode of each switch Q1, Q3, and Q5 to connect to its corresponding flying capacitor C fly1 ~C fly3 If the switches Q1, Q3, and Q5 do not have body diodes, the LCD 340 closes the switches Q1, Q3, and Q5 to allow current to flow through the flying capacitor C fly1 ~C fly3 The LCD 340 can precharge each flying capacitor C, for example, using a voltage sensor. fly1 ~C fly3When the voltage across the flying capacitor reaches a target precharge voltage, e.g., half the voltage of the power bus 330, the LCD 340 can open the switch Q2', Q4', or Q6' for that flying capacitor. For example, when the voltage across the flying capacitor C reaches a target precharge voltage, e.g., half the voltage of the power bus 330, the LCD 340 can open the switch Q2', Q4', or Q6' for that flying capacitor. fly1 When the voltage across the flying capacitor C reaches the target precharge voltage, the LCD 340 opens the switch Q2', fly1 Charging can be stopped.

[0083] 4A is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of cell array 130. In this exemplary embodiment, cell array 130 includes "N" number of power supply cells 210 implemented using the embodiment shown in FIG. 3B and described above. The power supply cells 210 are electrically coupled in cascade such that the output energy of each power supply cell 210 is combined at the output between port IO3 and port IO4 of cell array 130. A charging bus 220 electrically couples ports IO1 and IO2 of cell array 130 to each power supply cell 210-1 through 210-N to charge energy sources 306-1 through 306-3 of each power supply cell 210-1 through 210-N.

[0084] As described above, the MCD 120 can provide control information to the LCD 340 of each power supply cell 210-1 through 210-N. The MCD 120 can provide control information to each LCD 340 to regulate the voltage and current at ports IO3 and IO4. In some situations, the target voltage level between ports IO3 and IO4 may be substantially less than the combined voltage level that the power supply cells 210 can generate. In such situations, the MCD 120 can bypass one or more power supply cells 210 by instructing the LCD 340 via the control information not to output energy. The LCD 340 can be configured to, for example, control the power supply cells 210 by switching on or off the crowbar switch Q. cb By closing the crowbar switch Q cbcan be operated to provide a path for current to flow through the output of the bypassed power cell 210.

[0085] In addition, as described above, the crowbar switch Q cb provides short circuit protection. If a short circuit is detected in the load 101, the SCD 102 closes all the crowbar switches Q cb The MCD 120 can then instruct the MCD 120 to close its crowbar switch Q. cb This allows the filter capacitor at the output of each power supply cell 210 to be connected to the crowbar switch Q rather than the load 101. cb , thereby isolating and bypassing converters 310 and 320.

[0086] 4B is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a cell array 130 including a number “N” of power supply cells 210. In this example, each power supply cell 210 is implemented using the embodiment shown in FIG. 3C and described above. The power supply cells 210 are electrically coupled in cascade such that the output energy of each power supply cell 210 is combined at the output between ports IO3 and IO4 of the cell array 130.

[0087] 4C is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a cell array 130 including a number "N" of power supply cells 210. In this example, each power supply cell 210 is implemented using the embodiment shown in FIG. 3D and described above. The power supply cells 210 are electrically coupled in cascade such that the output energy of each power supply cell 210 is combined at the output between ports IO3 and IO4 of the cell array 130.

[0088] FIG. 5 is a plot 500 illustrating an example output voltage 510 and output current 520 of a power supply cell 210. As described above, each power supply cell 210 can operate to output a pulse of electrical energy lasting a specified duration. As shown in FIG. 5, the output voltage 510 is regulated to remain constant throughout the pulse duration, while ramping up and down over time. The output current 520 of the power cell 210 rises sharply at the beginning of the energy pulse and remains relatively constant for the remaining duration of the energy pulse.

[0089] 6 is a plot 600 illustrating an example inductor current of a power supply cell. Specifically, the plot 600 illustrates the current flowing through the inductor L at the output of the power supply cell 210 of FIG. bk1 current 620, inductor L bk2 6 shows a current 610, a combined current 630, and a combined current 630. As shown in plot 600, there is more ripple in currents 610 and 620 throughout the duration of the pulse of energy output by power supply cell 210 than there is in combined current 630.

[0090] 7 is a plot 700 illustrating exemplary inductor voltages 720-1 through 720-4 and inductor currents 710-1 through 710-4 of the inductors of the buck converter 320 of the power supply cell 210. Specifically, the plot 700 illustrates exemplary inductor voltages 720-1 through 720-4 and inductor currents 710-1 through 710-4 of the buck converter 320 of the power supply cell 210 of FIG. 3C when the power supply cell 210 is outputting pulses of electrical energy. As shown in the plot 700, each inductor L bk1 ~L bk4 The currents 710-1 to 710-4 flowing through each inductor L are in the form of a triangular waveform. bk1 ~L bk4 The voltages 730-1 through 730-4 flowing through inductor L are each in the form of a square waveform. bk1The voltage 720-1 and current 710-1 of the inductor L bk2 The lines 730 and 740 also show the phase shift between the voltage 720-2 and the current 710-2 of the inductor L bk3 The voltage 720-3 and current 710-3 of the inductor L bk3 These lines 730 and 740 also show the phase shift between the voltage 720-4 and the current 710-4 of the inductor L bk1 The voltage 720-1 and current 710-1 of the inductor L bk3 and the voltage 720-3 and current 710-3 of the inductor L bk2 The voltage 720-2 and current 710-2 of the inductor L bk4 7 shows that the voltage 720-4 and the current 710-4 are in phase.

[0091] In some embodiments, the inductor L of the power supply cell 210 illustrated in FIG. bk1 and L bk2 The voltage and current of the power supply cell 210 illustrated in FIG. bk1 and L bk2 Similarly, the voltage and current of the inductor L of the power supply cell 210 illustrated in FIG. bk1 ~L bk3 The voltage and current of the power supply cell 210 illustrated in FIG. bk1 ~L bk3 The voltage and current of the inductor L of the power supply cell 210 illustrated in FIG. bk1 ~L bk3 The voltage and current can be shifted by 120 degrees.

[0092] 8 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a method 800 for providing pulsed power to a load. The method 800 may be performed by any of the embodiments of the power supply system 100 described herein.

[0093] In step 810, the energy source 306 is charged. Each boost converter 310 of each power supply cell 210 of the power supply system 100 may be electrically coupled to the energy source 306, and the LCD 340 may operate a switch of each boost converter 310 to release energy from its energy source 306 and convert the electrical energy released by the energy source 306 to a target voltage and target current for the power bus of the power supply cell 210.

[0094] To store energy in the energy sources, the SCD 102 can send control signals over the communication path or communication link 107 to the MCD 120 of the power supply unit 110. These control signals can instruct the MCD 120 to place the power supply cells 210 of that power supply unit 110 in a charging mode in which the energy source 306 of each power supply cell 210 is charged. The LCD 120 can then send control information over the communication path or communication link 108 to instruct each LCD 340 to place its power supply cell 210 in a charging mode. The LCD 340 can then send switch signals to one or more switches to enable electrical energy from the charger 105 to charge each energy source 306 of that power supply cell 210. The SCD 102 can also send control signals over the communication path or communication link 106 to the charger 105 to instruct the charger 105 to output electrical energy to the cell array 130 to charge the energy source 306.

[0095] At step 820, a determination is made whether to output a pulse of electrical energy. In some embodiments, the power supply system 100 can be configured to output a pulse of electrical energy to the load 101 in response to receiving a command from an external device, e.g., a controller of the load 101. In this embodiment, the SCD 102 can determine to output a pulse of electrical energy in response to receiving the command. In some embodiments, the power supply system 100 can be configured to periodically output a pulse of electrical energy to the load 101. In this embodiment, the SCD 102 can determine to output a pulse of electrical energy based on a specified time period, e.g., whenever the specified time period elapses.

[0096] If the SCD 102 determines not to output a pulse of electrical energy, the SCD 102 may remain in charging mode, for example, until each energy source 306 is fully charged. If the SCD 102 determines to output a pulse of electrical energy, the SCD may send a control signal to the MCD 120 to instruct the MCD 120 to control the power supply cells 210 in its cell array 130 to output a pulse of energy. As described above, the control signal may include a synchronization signal indicating when the MCD 120 should control its cell array 210 to output a pulse of electrical energy, a voltage reference signal indicating a target voltage level for the pulse of electrical energy output by the electrical supply unit 110 that includes the MCD 120, a current reference signal indicating a target current for the pulse of energy output by the electrical supply unit 110 that includes the MCD 120, and / or a duration of the pulse of electrical energy.

[0097] In response to receiving the control signal, MCD 120 may generate and send control information to LCDs 340 of its cell array to instruct LCDs 340 to control their converters 310 and 320 to output pulses of electrical energy. As described above, this control information may include a voltage reference signal indicating a target voltage level for the pulses of electrical energy output by power supply cell 210 including LCD 340, a current reference signal indicating a target current level for the pulses of energy output by power supply cell 210 including LCD 340, and / or a synchronization signal indicating when LCD 120 should control its converters 310-1 through 310-3 and 320 to output pulses of electrical energy.

[0098] As described above, the MCD 120 can cause each power supply cell 210 of its cell array 130 to output a phase-shifted voltage and current relative to each other power supply unit 210 of its cell array 130 to reduce ripple current at the output of the power supply unit 110. In addition, each power supply cell 210 can include a multi-phase interleaved buck converter that outputs phase-shifted voltages and / or currents. The MCD 120 can determine and provide, as part of the control information, the phase for each power supply cell 210 and / or each phase of the buck converter 320 of each power supply cell 210.

[0099] In step 830, each LCD 340 operates the switches of the converters 310 and 320 of its power supply cell 210 to output pulses of electrical energy based on the received control information. As described above, the LCD 340 can use PWM or other techniques to generate switching signals for each converter 310 and 320 based on the control information and send the switching signals to the switches of the converters 310 and 320.

[0100] In step 840, each LCD 840 adjusts the output energy throughout the duration that the pulse of energy is output to the load 101. The LCD 340 can operate the switches of the buck converter 320 of that power supply cell 210 to adjust the voltage and / or current output by that power supply cell 210.

[0101] At step 850, a determination is made whether to stop providing pulses of electrical energy. Generally, each pulse of electrical energy may be of a specified duration. Each MCD 120 or LCD 340 may determine to stop providing pulses of electrical energy in response to the lapse of the duration.

[0102] In step 860, the pulsing of energy is stopped. If the MCD 120 makes the decision to stop pulsing electrical energy, the MCD 120 may send control information to each LCD 340 of its power supply unit 110 to instruct each LCD 340 to stop outputting electrical energy to the load 101. The LCD 340 may operate the switches of the converters 310 and 320 to stop outputting electrical energy to the load 101.

[0103] Various aspects of the present subject matter are described below in light of and / or in addition to the previously described embodiments, where the interrelationships and compatibility of the following embodiments are emphasized. In other words, emphasis is placed on the fact that each feature of the embodiments can be combined with each and every other feature unless expressly stated otherwise or taught otherwise.

[0104] In many embodiments, a power supply system configured to provide pulsed power to a load includes a plurality of power supply units, each including an array of cascaded power supply cells, each power supply cell including a plurality of energy sources, a plurality of boost converters electrically coupled in parallel, each boost converter configured to convert electrical energy from at least one of the energy sources and output the converted electrical energy on a power bus, and a buck converter configured to convert electrical energy on the power bus and regulate the output voltage and / or output current of the power cells.

[0105] In some embodiments, the power supply units are electrically coupled in a cascade arrangement.

[0106] In some embodiments, each energy source includes one or more ultracapacitors or one or more supercapacitors.

[0107] In some embodiments, each power supply unit includes a master control device and each power supply cell includes a local control device.

[0108] In some embodiments, the local control device of each power supply cell of each power supply unit is configured to operate switches of multiple boost converters of the power supply cell and switches of buck converters of the power supply cell based on control information received from the main control device of the power supply unit.

[0109] In some embodiments, the control information includes at least one of a reference voltage, a reference current, a pulse duration, or a phase angle for the power supply cell.

[0110] In some embodiments, the power supply system includes a supervisory control device communicatively coupled to each master control device, and each master control device can be configured to generate and send control information to each local control device based on control signals received from the supervisory control device.

[0111] In some embodiments, the monitoring and control device is communicatively coupled to one or more chargers configured to charge the multiple energy sources of each power supply cell of each power supply unit, and the monitoring and control device is configured to instruct the one or more chargers to charge the multiple energy sources of each power supply cell during each pulse of electrical energy output by the power supply system.

[0112] In some embodiments, each power supply cell includes a crowbar switch electrically coupled between the output ports of the power supply cell.

[0113] In some embodiments, each crowbar switch is electrically coupled in parallel with a filter capacitor electrically coupled between the output ports.

[0114] In some embodiments, the power supply system includes one or more control devices configured to operate each crowbar switch to isolate the multiple boost converters and buck converters of each power supply cell in response to detecting a short-circuit condition.

[0115] In some embodiments, each boost converter comprises a two-level boost converter and each buck converter comprises a two-level buck converter.

[0116] In some embodiments, each buck converter comprises a multi-phase interleaved buck converter.

[0117] In some embodiments, each boost converter comprises a three-level boost converter and each buck converter comprises a three-level buck converter.

[0118] In some embodiments, each buck converter comprises a multi-phase interleaved buck converter.

[0119] In some embodiments, the power supply system includes an intermediate bus and a ground bus.

[0120] In some embodiments, each boost converter includes a first set of switches electrically coupled between the power bus and the intermediate bus and a second set of switches electrically coupled between the intermediate bus and the ground bus.

[0121] In some embodiments, the power supply system includes a first capacitor electrically coupled between the power bus and the intermediate bus, and a second capacitor electrically coupled between the intermediate bus and the ground bus.

[0122] In some embodiments, the buck converter includes a first pair of switches electrically coupled between the power bus and the intermediate bus, a second pair of switches electrically coupled between the power bus and the intermediate bus, a third pair of switches electrically coupled between the intermediate bus and the ground bus, and a fourth pair of switches electrically coupled between the intermediate bus and the ground bus.

[0123] In some embodiments, the power supply system includes a first inductor electrically coupled between a first node between the first pair of switches and a first polarity output bus that is electrically coupled to the load, a second inductor electrically coupled between a second node between the second pair of switches and the first polarity output bus, a third inductor electrically coupled between a third node between the third pair of switches and the second polarity output bus that is electrically coupled to the load, and a fourth inductor electrically coupled between a fourth node between the fourth pair of switches and the second polarity output bus.

[0124] In some embodiments, the first current in the first inductor is phase shifted relative to the second current in the second inductor, and the third current in the third inductor is phase shifted relative to the fourth current in the fourth inductor.

[0125] In some embodiments, each boost converter includes four switches electrically coupled between the power bus and the ground bus.

[0126] In some embodiments, each boost converter includes a first pair of switches, a second pair of switches, and a flying capacitor electrically coupled between a node between the first pair of switches and a node between the second pair of switches.

[0127] In some embodiments, the power supply system includes a pre-charge circuit for pre-charging each flying capacitor.

[0128] In some embodiments, the power supply system includes a control system configured to precharge each flying capacitor by closing a switch of each boost converter when charging each energy source.

[0129] In some embodiments, a buck converter includes a first switch branch electrically coupled between a power bus and a ground bus, the first switch branch comprising a first pair of switches and a second pair of switches, and a second switch branch electrically coupled between the power bus and the ground bus, the second switch branch comprising a third pair of switches and a fourth pair of switches.

[0130] In some embodiments, the power supply system includes a first flying capacitor electrically coupled between a first node between the first pair of switches and a second node between the second pair of switches, and a second flying capacitor electrically coupled between a third node between the third pair of switches and a fourth node between the fourth pair of switches.

[0131] In some embodiments, the buck converter includes a first inductor electrically coupled between (i) a fifth node between the first pair of switches and the second pair of switches and (ii) a first polarity output bus electrically coupled to the load, and a second inductor electrically coupled between (i) a sixth node between the third pair of switches and the fourth pair of switches and (ii) the first polarity output bus electrically coupled to the load.

[0132] In some embodiments, the first current in the first inductor is phase shifted relative to the second current in the second inductor.

[0133] In some embodiments, the power supply system includes a terminal between each pair of power supply units.

[0134] In some embodiments, each terminal is electrically coupled to a load.

[0135] In some embodiments, the power supply system includes a charging circuit for each energy source.

[0136] In some embodiments, each charging circuit includes another switch for selectively electrically coupling the energy source to the charger.

[0137] In some embodiments, the power supply system includes a discharge circuit for each energy source, each discharge circuit comprising a discharge switch and a dump resistor for discharging the energy source.

[0138] In many embodiments, the power supply unit includes a plurality of power supply cells, each power supply cell including a plurality of energy sources, a plurality of first converters electrically coupled in parallel, each first converter configured to convert electrical energy from at least one of the energy sources and output the converted electrical energy to the power bus, and a second converter configured to convert electrical energy on the power bus and adjust the output voltage and / or output current of the power cell.

[0139] In some embodiments, each energy source includes one or more ultracapacitors or one or more supercapacitors.

[0140] In some embodiments, the power supply unit includes a master control device and each power supply cell is equipped with a local control device.

[0141] In some embodiments, the local control device of each power supply cell is configured to operate the switches of the plurality of first converters and the switches of the second converters based on control information received from the master control device.

[0142] In some embodiments, the control information includes at least one of a reference voltage, a reference current, a pulse duration, or a phase angle for the power supply cell.

[0143] In some embodiments, the master control device is configured to generate and send control information to each local control device based on control signals received from the supervisory control devices.

[0144] In some embodiments, the monitoring and control device is communicatively coupled to one or more chargers configured to charge the multiple energy sources of each power supply cell, and the monitoring and control device is configured to instruct the one or more chargers to charge the multiple energy sources of each power supply cell during each pulse of electrical energy output by the power supply system.

[0145] In some embodiments, each power supply cell includes a crowbar switch electrically coupled between the output ports of the power supply cell.

[0146] In some embodiments, each crowbar switch is electrically coupled in parallel with a filter capacitor electrically coupled between the output ports.

[0147] In some embodiments, the power supply unit includes one or more control devices configured to operate each crowbar switch to isolate the plurality of first converters and second converters of each power supply cell in response to detecting a short-circuit condition.

[0148] In some embodiments, each first converter includes a two-level boost converter and each second converter includes a two-level buck converter.

[0149] In some embodiments, each buck converter comprises a multi-phase interleaved buck converter.

[0150] In some embodiments, each first converter includes a three-level boost converter and the second converter includes a three-level buck converter.

[0151] In some embodiments, each buck converter comprises a multi-phase interleaved buck converter.

[0152] In some embodiments, the power supply unit includes an intermediate bus and a ground bus.

[0153] In some embodiments, each boost converter includes a first set of switches electrically coupled between the power bus and the intermediate bus and a second set of switches electrically coupled between the intermediate bus and the ground bus.

[0154] In some embodiments, the power supply unit includes a first capacitor electrically coupled between the power bus and the intermediate bus and a second capacitor electrically coupled between the intermediate bus and the ground bus.

[0155] In some embodiments, the buck converter includes a first pair of switches electrically coupled between the power bus and the intermediate bus, a second pair of switches electrically coupled between the power bus and the intermediate bus, a third pair of switches electrically coupled between the intermediate bus and the ground bus, and a fourth pair of switches electrically coupled between the intermediate bus and the ground bus.

[0156] In some embodiments, the power supply unit includes a first inductor electrically coupled between a first node between the first pair of switches and a first polarity output bus that is electrically coupled to the load, a second inductor electrically coupled between a second node between the second pair of switches and the first polarity output bus, a third inductor electrically coupled between a third node between the third pair of switches and the second polarity output bus that is electrically coupled to the load, and a fourth inductor electrically coupled between a fourth node between the fourth pair of switches and the second polarity output bus.

[0157] In some embodiments, the first current in the first inductor is phase shifted relative to the second current in the second inductor, and the third current in the third inductor is phase shifted relative to the fourth current in the fourth inductor.

[0158] In some embodiments, each boost converter includes four switches electrically coupled between the power bus and the ground bus.

[0159] In some embodiments, each boost converter includes a first pair of switches, a second pair of switches, and a flying capacitor electrically coupled between a node between the first pair of switches and a node between the second pair of switches.

[0160] In some embodiments, the power supply unit includes a pre-charge circuit for pre-charging each flying capacitor.

[0161] In some embodiments, the power supply unit includes a control system configured to pre-charge each flying capacitor by closing a switch of each boost converter when charging each energy source.

[0162] In some embodiments, a buck converter includes a first switch branch electrically coupled between a power bus and a ground bus, the first switch branch comprising a first pair of switches and a second pair of switches, and a second switch branch electrically coupled between the power bus and the ground bus, the second switch branch comprising a third pair of switches and a fourth pair of switches.

[0163] In some embodiments, the power supply unit includes a first flying capacitor electrically coupled between a first node between the first pair of switches and a second node between the second pair of switches, and a second flying capacitor electrically coupled between a third node between the third pair of switches and a fourth node between the fourth pair of switches.

[0164] In some embodiments, the buck converter includes a first inductor electrically coupled between (i) a fifth node between the first pair of switches and the second pair of switches and (ii) a first polarity output bus electrically coupled to the load, and a second inductor electrically coupled between (i) a sixth node between the third pair of switches and the fourth pair of switches and (ii) the first polarity output bus electrically coupled to the load.

[0165] In some embodiments, the first current in the first inductor is phase shifted relative to the second current in the second inductor.

[0166] In some embodiments, the power supply units include terminals between each pair of power supply units.

[0167] In some embodiments, each terminal is electrically coupled to a load.

[0168] In some embodiments, the power supply unit includes a charging circuit for each energy source.

[0169] In some embodiments, each charging circuit includes another switch for selectively electrically coupling the energy source to the charger.

[0170] In some embodiments, the power supply unit includes a discharge circuit for each energy source, each discharge circuit may include a discharge switch and a dump resistor for discharging the energy source.

[0171] In many embodiments, the power supply unit includes a plurality of energy sources, a plurality of boost converters electrically coupled in parallel, each boost converter configured to convert electrical energy from at least one of the energy sources and output the converted electrical energy to a power bus, and a buck converter configured to convert electrical energy on the power bus and regulate the output voltage and / or output current of the power cells.

[0172] In many embodiments, a method of providing pulsed power to a load includes charging an energy source of a first converter of each of a plurality of power cells, operating a switch of the first converter of each power cell to generate an output pulse of energy for the load, and operating a switch of a second converter of each power cell to adjust the output pulse of energy for the load.

[0173] In some embodiments, each first converter comprises a boost converter and each second converter comprises a buck converter.

[0174] In some embodiments, each power cell is configured according to any of the previously described embodiments.

[0175] In some embodiments, operating the switch of the first converter and the switch of the second converter includes operating the switch for a specified duration of the pulse of energy.

[0176] In some embodiments, the method further includes recharging the energy source of the first converter of each power cell after the specified duration has elapsed.

[0177] As used herein, the term "module" refers to one of two or more devices or subsystems within a larger system. A module can be configured to operate in combination with other modules of similar size, functionality, and physical arrangement (e.g., location of electrical terminals, connectors, etc.). Modules with the same functionality and energy source(s) can be configured the same (e.g., size and physical arrangement) as all other modules in the same system (e.g., rack or pack), while modules with different functionality or energy source(s) can be different in size and physical arrangement. Each module can be physically removable and interchangeable with other modules in the system (e.g., like the wheels of an automobile or the blades of an information technology (IT) blade server), but this is not required. For example, a system can be packaged in a common housing that does not allow removal and replacement of any one module without disassembling the entire system. However, any and all embodiments herein can be configured such that each module is removable and interchangeable with other modules in a convenient manner without disassembling the system.

[0178] The term "output" is used broadly herein and does not preclude it from functioning bidirectionally as both an output and an input. Similarly, the term "input" is used broadly herein and does not preclude it from functioning bidirectionally as both an input and an output.

[0179] The terms "terminal" and "port" are used broadly herein and may be either unidirectional or bidirectional, may be input or output, and do not require a particular physical or mechanical structure such as a female or male configuration.

[0180] Various aspects of the present subject matter are described below in light of and / or in addition to the previously described embodiments, where the interrelationships and compatibility of the following embodiments are emphasized, in other words, emphasis is placed on the fact that each feature of the embodiments can be combined with each and every other feature, unless explicitly stated or logically justified.

[0181] The processing circuitry can include one or more processors, microprocessors, hardware controllers, and / or microcontrollers, each of which can be a separate or standalone chip or can be distributed (and portions thereof) among several different chips. Any type of processing circuitry can be implemented, such as, but not limited to, personal computing architectures (e.g., such as those used in desktop PCs, laptops, tablets, etc.), programmable gate array architectures, proprietary architectures, custom architectures, and others. The processing circuitry can include digital signal processors, which can be implemented in hardware and / or software. The processing circuitry can execute software instructions stored on memory, which cause the processing circuitry to take many different actions and control other components.

[0182] The processing circuitry may also implement other software and / or hardware routines. For example, the processing circuitry may interface with communications circuitry to perform analog-to-digital conversion, encoding and decoding, other digital signal processing, multimedia functions, conversion of data to a format suitable for presentation to the communications circuitry (e.g., in-phase and quadrature), and / or cause the communications circuitry to transmit data (wired or wireless).

[0183] The processing circuitry may also be adapted to run an operating system and any software applications and to perform their other functions not related to processing transmitted and received communications.

[0184] Computer program instructions for performing operations in accordance with the described subject matter may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including computer and programming languages, including, as a non-exhaustive list of examples, Hardware Description Languages ​​(HDLs), SystemC, C, C++, C#, Objective-C, Matlab®, Simulink, SystemVerilog, SystemVHDL, Handel-C, Python, Java®, JavaScript®, Ruby, HTML, Smalltalk, Transact-SQL, XML, PHP, Golang (Go), the “R” language, and Swift, to name a few.

[0185] The memory, storage, and / or computer-readable medium may be shared by one or more of the various functional units presented, or may be distributed among two or more of them (e.g., as separate memories residing in different chips). A memory may also reside on its own separate chip.

[0186] To the extent that embodiments disclosed herein include or operate in connection with memory, storage, and / or computer-readable medium, that memory, storage, and / or computer-readable medium is non-transitory. Thus, to the extent that memory, storage, and / or computer-readable medium is covered by one or more claims, that memory, storage, and / or computer-readable medium is only non-transitory. As used herein, the terms "non-transitory" and "tangible" are intended to describe memory, storage, and / or computer-readable medium excluding propagating electromagnetic signals, but are not intended to limit the type of memory, storage, and / or computer-readable medium in terms of permanence of storage or otherwise. For example, "non-transitory" and / or "tangible" memory, storage, and / or computer-readable media encompass volatile and non-volatile media such as random-access media (e.g., RAM, SRAM, DRAM, FRAM, etc.), read-only media (e.g., ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, Flash, etc.), and combinations thereof (e.g., hybrid RAM and ROM, NVRAM, etc.), and variations thereof.

[0187] It should be noted that all features, elements, components, functions, and steps described with respect to any embodiment provided herein are intended to be freely combinable and interchangeable with those from any other embodiment. When a particular feature, element, component, function, or step is described with respect to only one embodiment, it should be understood that the feature, element, component, function, or step can be used with all other embodiments described herein, unless otherwise specified. Therefore, this paragraph serves as a prior basis and written support for the introduction of claims that combine features, elements, components, functions, and steps from different embodiments, or substitute features, elements, components, functions, and steps from one embodiment for features, elements, components, functions, and steps from another embodiment, even if the following description does not explicitly state that such combinations or substitutions are possible in a specific example. It is expressly recognized that an explicit enumeration of all possible combinations and permutations would be unduly burdensome, especially given that the permissibility of each and every such combination and permutation would be readily recognized by those skilled in the art.

[0188] As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0189] While the embodiments are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific examples thereof have been shown in the drawings and are described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that these embodiments are not limited to the particular forms disclosed; on the contrary, these embodiments are intended to encompass all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit of the present disclosure. Furthermore, any feature, function, step, or element of the embodiments may be recited or added to the claims, as well as any negative limitations that define the scope of the claims, with any feature, function, step, or element not within its scope.

Claims

1. 1. A power supply system configured to provide pulsed power to a load, comprising: a plurality of power supply units each including an array of cascaded power supply cells, each power supply cell comprising: Multiple energy sources and a plurality of boost converters electrically coupled in parallel, each boost converter configured to convert electrical energy from at least one of the energy sources and output the converted electrical energy onto a power bus; a buck converter configured to convert the electrical energy of the power bus and to regulate the output voltage and / or the output current of the power cell.

2. The power supply system of claim 1 , wherein the power supply units are electrically coupled in a cascade arrangement.

3. 3. The power supply system of claim 1 or 2, wherein each energy source comprises one or more ultracapacitors or one or more supercapacitors.

4. 10. A power supply system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each power supply unit comprises a master control device and each power supply cell comprises a local control device.

5. 6. The power supply system of claim 5, wherein the local control device of each power supply cell of each power supply unit is configured to operate switches of the plurality of boost converters of the power supply cell and switches of the buck converter of the power supply cell based on control information received from the main control device of the power supply unit.

6. The power supply system of claim 5 , wherein the control information includes at least one of a reference voltage, a reference current, a pulse duration, or a phase angle for the power supply cell.

7. A power supply system as described in any one of claims 4 to 6, further comprising a monitoring control device communicatively coupled to each main control device, each main control device configured to generate and transmit the control information to each local control device based on a control signal received from the monitoring control device.

8. 8. The power supply system of claim 7, wherein the monitoring and control device is communicatively coupled to one or more chargers configured to charge the multiple energy sources of each power supply cell of each power supply unit, and the monitoring and control device is configured to instruct the one or more chargers to charge the multiple energy sources of each power supply cell during each pulse of electrical energy output by the power supply system.

9. 10. A power supply system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each power supply cell comprises a crowbar switch electrically coupled between output ports of the power supply cell.

10. 10. The power supply system of claim 9, wherein each crowbar switch is electrically coupled in parallel with a filter capacitor electrically coupled between the output ports.

11. 11. The power supply system of claim 9 or 10, further comprising one or more control devices configured to operate respective crowbar switches to isolate the plurality of boost converters and the buck converter of each power supply cell in response to detecting a short-circuit condition.

12. 10. A power supply system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each boost converter comprises a two-level boost converter and each buck converter comprises a two-level buck converter.

13. The power supply system of claim 12 , wherein each buck converter comprises a multi-phase interleaved buck converter.

14. A power supply system according to any preceding claim, wherein each boost converter comprises a three-level boost converter and each buck converter comprises a three-level buck converter.

15. 15. The power supply system of claim 14, wherein each buck converter comprises a multi-phase interleaved buck converter.

16. 16. The power supply system of claim 14 or 15, further comprising an intermediate bus and a ground bus.

17. 17. The power supply system of claim 16, wherein each boost converter comprises a first set of switches electrically coupled between the power bus and the intermediate bus and a second set of switches electrically coupled between the intermediate bus and the ground bus.

18. 20. The power supply system of claim 17, further comprising: a first capacitor electrically coupled between the power bus and the intermediate bus; and a second capacitor electrically coupled between the intermediate bus and the ground bus.

19. The buck converter is a first pair of switches electrically coupled between the power bus and the intermediate bus; a second pair of switches electrically coupled between the power bus and the intermediate bus; a third pair of switches electrically coupled between the intermediate bus and the ground bus; A power supply system according to any one of claims 16 to 18, comprising: a fourth pair of switches electrically coupled between the intermediate bus and the ground bus.

20. a first inductor electrically coupled between a first node between the first pair of switches and a first polarity output bus electrically coupled to the load; a second inductor electrically coupled between a second node between the second pair of switches and a first polarity output bus; a third inductor electrically coupled between a third node between the third pair of switches and a second polarity output bus electrically coupled to the load; 20. The power supply system of claim 19, further comprising: a fourth inductor electrically coupled between a fourth node between the fourth pair of switches and the second polarity output bus.

21. 21. The power supply system of claim 20, wherein a first current in the first inductor is phase shifted relative to a second current in the second inductor, and a third current in the third inductor is phase shifted relative to a fourth current in the fourth inductor.

22. 16. The power supply system of claim 14 or 15, wherein each boost converter comprises four switches electrically coupled between the power bus and a ground bus.

23. 16. The power supply system of claim 14 or 15, wherein each boost converter comprises a first pair of switches, a second pair of switches, and a flying capacitor electrically coupled between a node between the first pair of switches and a node between the second pair of switches.

24. 24. The power supply system of claim 23, further comprising a precharge circuit for precharging each flying capacitor.

25. 24. The power supply system of claim 23, further comprising a control system configured to pre-charge each flying capacitor by closing a switch of each boost converter when charging each energy source.

26. The buck converter is a first switch branch electrically coupled between the power bus and the ground bus, the first switch branch comprising a first pair of switches and a second pair of switches; a second switch branch electrically coupled between the power bus and the ground bus, the second switch branch comprising a third pair of switches and a fourth pair of switches.

27. a first flying capacitor electrically coupled between a first node between the first pair of switches and a second node between the second pair of switches; 27. The power supply system of claim 26, further comprising: a second flying capacitor electrically coupled between a third node between the third pair of switches and a fourth node between the fourth pair of switches.

28. The buck converter is a first inductor electrically coupled between (i) a fifth node between the first pair of switches and the second pair of switches and (ii) a first polarity output bus electrically coupled to the load; 28. The power supply system of claim 26 or 27, comprising: (i) a sixth node between the third pair of switches and the fourth pair of switches; and (ii) a second inductor electrically coupled between the first polarity output bus, the first polarity output bus being electrically coupled to the load.

29. 30. The power supply system of claim 28, wherein a first current in the first inductor is phase shifted relative to a second current in the second inductor.

30. 10. A power supply system according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a terminal between each pair of power supply units.

31. 31. The power supply system of claim 30, wherein each terminal is electrically coupled to the load.

32. 10. A power supply system according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a charging circuit for each energy source.

33. 33. The power supply system of claim 32, wherein each charging circuit comprises another switch for selectively electrically coupling the energy source to the charger.

34. 10. A power supply system according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a discharge circuit for each energy source, each discharge circuit comprising a discharge switch and a dump resistor for discharging the energy source.

35. A power supply unit comprising: A plurality of power supply cells, each power supply cell comprising: Multiple energy sources and a plurality of first converters electrically coupled in parallel, each first converter configured to convert electrical energy from at least one of the energy sources and output the converted electrical energy to a power bus; a second converter configured to convert the electrical energy of the power bus and adjust the output voltage and / or output current of the power cell.

36. 36. A power supply unit according to claim 35, wherein each energy source comprises one or more ultracapacitors or one or more supercapacitors.

37. 37. A power supply unit according to claim 35 or 36, further comprising a master control device, and each power supply cell comprising a local control device.

38. 38. The power supply unit of claim 37, wherein the local control device of each power supply cell is configured to operate switches of the plurality of first converters and switches of the second converter based on control information received from the main control device.

39. 38. The power supply unit of claim 37, wherein the control information includes at least one of a reference voltage, a reference current, a pulse duration, or a phase angle for the power supply cell.

40. A power supply unit as described in any one of claims 37 to 39, wherein the main control device is configured to generate and transmit the control information to each local control device based on a control signal received from a monitoring control device.

41. 41. The power supply unit of claim 40, wherein the monitoring and control device is communicatively coupled to one or more chargers configured to charge the multiple energy sources of each power supply cell, and wherein the monitoring and control device is configured to instruct the one or more chargers to charge the multiple energy sources of each power supply cell during each pulse of electrical energy output by the power supply system.

42. A power supply unit according to any one of claims 35 to 41, wherein each power supply cell comprises a crowbar switch electrically coupled between the output ports of the power supply cell.

43. 43. The power supply unit of claim 42, wherein each crowbar switch is electrically coupled in parallel with a filter capacitor electrically coupled between the output ports.

44. 44. The power supply unit of claim 42 or 43, further comprising one or more control devices configured to operate each crowbar switch in response to detecting a short-circuit condition to isolate the plurality of first converters and the second converter of each power supply cell.

45. A power supply unit according to any one of claims 35 to 44, wherein each first converter comprises a two-level boost converter and each second converter comprises a two-level buck converter.

46. 46. ​​The power supply unit of claim 45, wherein each buck converter comprises a multi-phase interleaved buck converter.

47. A power supply unit according to any one of claims 35 to 44, wherein each first converter comprises a three-level boost converter and the second converter comprises a three-level buck converter.

48. 48. The power supply unit of claim 47, wherein each buck converter comprises a multi-phase interleaved buck converter.

49. 49. A power supply unit according to claim 47 or 48, further comprising an intermediate bus and a ground bus.

50. 50. The power supply unit of claim 49, wherein each boost converter comprises a first set of switches electrically coupled between the power bus and the intermediate bus and a second set of switches electrically coupled between the intermediate bus and the ground bus.

51. 51. The power supply unit of claim 50, further comprising: a first capacitor electrically coupled between the power bus and the intermediate bus; and a second capacitor electrically coupled between the intermediate bus and the ground bus.

52. The buck converter is a first pair of switches electrically coupled between the power bus and the intermediate bus; a second pair of switches electrically coupled between the power bus and the intermediate bus; a third pair of switches electrically coupled between the intermediate bus and the ground bus; A power supply unit according to any one of claims 49 to 51, comprising: a fourth pair of switches electrically coupled between the intermediate bus and the ground bus.

53. a first inductor electrically coupled between a first node between the first pair of switches and a first polarity output bus electrically coupled to a load; a second inductor electrically coupled between a second node between the second pair of switches and a first polarity output bus; a third inductor electrically coupled between a third node between the third pair of switches and a second polarity output bus electrically coupled to the load; 53. The power supply unit of claim 52, further comprising: a fourth inductor electrically coupled between a fourth node between the fourth pair of switches and a second polarity output bus.

54. 54. The power supply unit of claim 53, wherein a first current in the first inductor is phase shifted relative to a second current in the second inductor, and a third current in the third inductor is phase shifted relative to a fourth current in the fourth inductor.

55. 49. A power supply unit according to any one of claims 45 to 48, wherein each boost converter comprises four switches electrically coupled between the power bus and a ground bus.

56. 49. The power supply unit of claim 47 or 48, wherein each boost converter comprises a first pair of switches, a second pair of switches, and a flying capacitor electrically coupled between a node between the first pair of switches and a node between the second pair of switches.

57. 57. The power supply unit of claim 56, further comprising a precharge circuit for precharging each flying capacitor.

58. 58. The power supply unit of claim 57, further comprising a control system configured to pre-charge each flying capacitor by closing a switch of each boost converter when charging each energy source.

59. The buck converter is a first switch branch electrically coupled between the power bus and the ground bus, the first switch branch comprising a first pair of switches and a second pair of switches; a second switch branch electrically coupled between the power bus and the ground bus, the second switch branch comprising a third pair of switches and a fourth pair of switches.

60. a first flying capacitor electrically coupled between a first node between the first pair of switches and a second node between the second pair of switches; 60. The power supply unit of claim 59, further comprising: a second flying capacitor electrically coupled between a third node between the third pair of switches and a fourth node between the fourth pair of switches.

61. The buck converter is a first inductor electrically coupled between (i) a fifth node between the first pair of switches and the second pair of switches and (ii) a first polarity output bus electrically coupled to a load; 61. The power supply unit of claim 59 or 60, comprising: (i) a sixth node between the third pair of switches and the fourth pair of switches; and (ii) a second inductor electrically coupled between the first polarity output bus, the first polarity output bus being electrically coupled to the load.

62. 62. The power supply unit of claim 61, wherein a first current in the first inductor is phase shifted relative to a second current in the second inductor.

63. A power supply system according to any one of claims 35 to 62, further comprising a terminal between each pair of power supply units.

64. 64. The power supply unit of claim 63, wherein each terminal is electrically coupled to the load.

65. A power supply unit according to any one of claims 35 to 64, further comprising a charging circuit for each energy source.

66. 66. The power supply unit of claim 65, wherein each charging circuit comprises another switch for selectively electrically coupling the energy source to a charger.

67. 67. A power supply unit according to any one of claims 35 to 66, further comprising a discharge circuit for each energy source, each discharge circuit comprising a discharge switch and a dump resistor for discharging the energy source.

68. A power supply unit comprising: Multiple energy sources and a plurality of boost converters electrically coupled in parallel, each boost converter configured to convert electrical energy from at least one of the energy sources and output the converted electrical energy onto a power bus; a buck converter configured to convert the electrical energy of the power bus and to regulate the output voltage and / or the output current of the power cell.

69. 1. A method for providing pulsed power to a load, comprising: charging an energy source of a first converter of each of the plurality of power cells; operating a switch of the first converter of each power cell to generate an output pulse of energy for the load; and operating a switch of a second converter of each power cell to regulate the output pulse of energy for the load.

70. 70. The method of claim 69, wherein each first converter comprises a boost converter and each second converter comprises a buck converter.

72. The method of claim 69, wherein each power cell is configured in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 68.

73. 73. The method of any one of claims 69 to 72, wherein operating the switches of the first converter and the switches of the second converter comprises operating the switches for a specified duration of the pulse of energy.

74. 74. The method of any one of claims 69 to 73, further comprising recharging the energy source of the first converter of each power cell after the specified time duration has elapsed.

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