Multi-phase voltage converter and switch-mode power supply

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a multi-phase voltage converter and a switch-mode power supply. In each phase circuit of the multi-phase voltage converter, a first filter module filters a voltage signal output from a series connection point between a first switch transistor and a second switch transistor and outputs a first direct-current voltage to a controller; a signal processing module outputs a voltage waveform signal to a second filter module on the basis of the magnitude of a gate voltage of the first switch transistor and the magnitude of a gate voltage of the second switch transistor, or on the basis of the voltage signal that is output from the series connection point; the second filter module filters the voltage waveform signal and outputs a second direct-current voltage to the controller; and on the basis of the magnitude of the first direct-current voltage, the magnitude of the second direct-current voltage, and electrical parameters of the switch transistors in the phase circuit, the controller acquires the average magnitude of the current flowing through an output inductor. The present application can sample the current that is output from each output inductor in the multi-phase voltage converter and can also reduce the generation of power consumption, and has a simple structure and strong applicability.

Description

Multi-phase voltage converter and switching power supply

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411389606.9, filed on September 29, 2024, with the State Intellectual Property Office of China, and entitled "Multi-phase voltage converter and switching power supply", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of power electronics, in particular to a multi-phase voltage converter and switching power supply. BACKGROUND

[0003] The multi-phase voltage converter includes a plurality of parallelly connected phase circuits, by dispersing large current into a plurality of phase circuits, each phase circuit works independently, which can provide more stable and reliable power output when the large current demand of the load changes dramatically. When the multi-phase voltage converter is running, the current output by the output inductor in each phase circuit is equal to ensure the balance of the load power supply.

[0004] In order to ensure that the current of the output inductor in each phase circuit is equal, the multi-phase voltage converter can sample the output current of each output inductor through a current sampling circuit. However, generally, the current sampling circuit in the multi-phase voltage converter includes an additional sampling resistor, which makes the multi-phase voltage converter generate more power consumption. Therefore, how to sample the current output by each output inductor in the multi-phase voltage converter while reducing the generation of power consumption is a technical problem that the person skilled in the art needs to solve. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a multi-phase voltage converter and switching power supply, which can sample the current output by each output inductor in the multi-phase voltage converter while reducing the generation of power consumption, and has simple structure and strong applicability.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a multi-phase voltage converter, the multi-phase voltage converter comprising a plurality of phase circuits, each phase circuit comprising a signal processing module, a first filter module, a second filter module, a controller, an output inductor, and a first switch and a second switch connected in series between a voltage input terminal and a ground terminal; one end of the output inductor is connected to a series connection point of the first switch and the second switch, and the other end of the output inductor is connected to a load; the first filter module is arranged between the series connection point and a first input terminal of the controller; a first end of the signal processing module is connected to a gate of the first switch and a gate of the second switch, or the first end of the signal processing module is connected to the series connection point; a second end of the signal processing module is connected to a second input terminal of the controller through the second filter module; the first filter module is configured to filter a voltage signal output by the series connection point and output a first direct current voltage to the controller; the signal processing module is configured to output a voltage waveform signal to the second filter module based on a voltage level of the gate of the first switch and a voltage level of the gate of the second switch or based on the voltage signal output by the series connection point, the voltage waveform signal comprising a first level and a second level, the first level being obtained based on a voltage input by the voltage input terminal, and the second level being zero; the second filter module is configured to filter the voltage waveform signal and output a second direct current voltage to the controller; and the controller is configured to obtain an average current flowing through the output inductor based on a size of the first direct current voltage, a size of the second direct current voltage, and electrical parameters of the switches in the phase circuit. In the present application, each phase circuit can filter the received voltage signal output by the series connection point through the first filter module to obtain the first direct current voltage, and can filter the received voltage signal output by the series connection point or the voltage level of the gate of the first switch and the voltage level of the gate of the second switch through the signal processing module and then through the second filter module to obtain the second direct current voltage. Further, the phase circuit can determine the average current flowing through the output inductor based on the first direct current voltage, the second direct current voltage, and the electrical parameters of the switches through the controller. In the present application, each phase circuit of the multi-phase voltage converter does not need to obtain the average current flowing through the output inductor through an additional sampling resistor, which can reduce power consumption caused by the sampling resistor, improve energy utilization efficiency, and has a simple structure, is easy to implement, and has strong applicability.

[0007] In a possible implementation, the electrical parameters of the switches in the phase circuit comprise an equivalent impedance of the first switch, an equivalent impedance of the second switch, and a conduction duty cycle of the first switch. In the present application, the controller can determine the average current flowing through the output inductor based on the first direct current voltage, the second direct current voltage, the equivalent impedance of the first switch, the equivalent impedance of the second switch, and the conduction duty cycle of the first switch, which has a simple implementation method and strong applicability.

[0008] In a possible implementation, the first filter module comprises at least one first low-pass filter unit connected in series, the first low-pass filter unit comprises a first resistor and a first capacitor, a first end of the first resistor is an input end of the first low-pass filter unit, a second end of the first resistor is an output end of the first low-pass filter unit, one end of the first capacitor is connected to the second end of the first resistor, and the other end of the first capacitor is grounded; wherein the input end of a first first low-pass filter unit connected in series in the at least one first low-pass filter unit is connected to the series connection point as an input end of the first filter module, and the output end of a last first low-pass filter unit connected in series in the at least one first low-pass filter unit is connected to the first input end of the controller as an output end of the first filter module. In this application, the first filter module realizes filtering of the voltage output by the series connection point through the first low-pass filter unit composed of the first resistors and the first capacitors, and outputs the first direct current voltage. It can be understood that the first filter module has a simple structure, is easy to implement, does not need to be provided with a sampling resistor, can reduce power consumption, and improves energy utilization efficiency.

[0009] In a possible implementation, the first filter module further comprises a first operational amplifier, a second resistor and a third resistor, the negative input end of the first operational amplifier is grounded through the second resistor, the third resistor is arranged between the negative input end of the first operational amplifier and the output end of the first operational amplifier, the positive input end of the first operational amplifier is connected to the output end of the last first low-pass filter unit connected in series in the at least one first low-pass filter unit, and the output end of the first operational amplifier is connected to the first input end of the controller as the output end of the first filter module. In this application, the first filter module realizes filtering of the voltage output by the series connection point through the first low-pass filter unit composed of the first resistors and the first capacitors, and realizes negative feedback amplification of the voltage signal output by the first low-pass filter unit through the first operational amplifier, the second resistor and the third resistor, to output the first direct current voltage. It can be understood that the first filter module has a simple structure, is easy to implement, does not need to be provided with a sampling resistor, can reduce power consumption, and improves energy utilization efficiency.

[0010] In a possible implementation, the first end of the signal processing module is connected to the series connection point, the signal processing module comprises at least one inversion unit, the at least one inversion unit is connected in series between the series connection point and the second filter module, and each inversion unit comprises a first inverter and a second inverter connected in series. In this application, the signal processing module obtains the voltage waveform signal through the multiple inversion units, has a simple structure, is easy to implement and has strong reliability.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the first end of the signal processing module is respectively connected with the gate of the first switch tube and the gate of the second switch tube, the signal processing module comprises a third switch tube and a fourth switch tube connected in series between the voltage input end and the ground end, the gate of the third switch tube is connected with the gate of the first switch tube, the gate of the fourth switch tube is connected with the gate of the second switch tube, and the connection point of the third switch tube and the fourth switch tube is connected with the second filter module. In the application, the signal processing module obtains the voltage waveform signal through the third switch tube and the fourth switch tube, and the structure is simple, easy to implement and strong in reliability.

[0012] In a possible implementation, the second filter module comprises at least one second low-pass filter unit connected in series, the second low-pass filter unit comprises a fourth resistor and a second capacitor, the first end of the fourth resistor is used as the input end of the second low-pass filter unit, the second end of the fourth resistor is used as the output end of the second low-pass filter unit, one end of the second capacitor is connected with the second end of the fourth resistor, and the other end of the second capacitor is grounded; wherein the input end of the first second low-pass filter unit connected in series in the at least one second low-pass filter unit is connected with the series connection point as the input end of the first filter module, and the output end of the last second low-pass filter unit connected in series in the at least one second low-pass filter unit is connected with the second input end of the controller as the output end of the first filter module. In the application, the second filter module comprises the second low-pass filter unit composed of the fourth resistor and the second capacitor, filters the voltage waveform signal, and outputs the second direct current voltage. It can be understood that the structure of the second filter module is simple, easy to implement, and does not need to be provided with a sampling resistor, so that power consumption generation can be reduced and energy utilization efficiency can be improved.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the second filter module further comprises a second operational amplifier, a fifth resistor and a sixth resistor, the negative input end of the second operational amplifier is grounded through the fifth resistor, the sixth resistor is arranged between the negative input end of the second operational amplifier and the output end of the second operational amplifier, the positive input end of the second operational amplifier is connected with the output end of the last second low-pass filter unit connected in series in the at least one second low-pass filter unit, and the output end of the second operational amplifier is connected with the second input end of the controller as the output end of the second filter module. In the application, the second filter module comprises the second low-pass filter unit composed of the fourth resistor and the second capacitor, filters the voltage waveform signal, and performs negative feedback amplification on the voltage signal output by the second low-pass filter unit through the second operational amplifier, the fifth resistor and the sixth resistor, to output the second direct current voltage. It can be understood that the structure of the second filter module is simple, easy to implement, and does not need to be provided with a sampling resistor, so that power consumption generation can be reduced and energy utilization efficiency can be improved.

[0014] In a possible implementation, each phase circuit further comprises a first switch unit and a second switch unit, the first switch unit is arranged between the series connection point and the first filter module, the second switch unit is arranged between the series connection point and the signal processing module, or the second switch unit is arranged between the signal processing module and the second filter module, and the controller is further configured to: when the first switch tube or the second switch tube is turned on, control the first switch unit and the second switch unit to be turned on; and when the first switch tube and the second switch tube are turned off, control the first switch unit and the second switch tube to be turned off. In this application, by controlling the first switch unit and the second switch tube to be turned off when the first switch tube and the second switch tube are both turned off, the voltage signal received by the first filter module and the signal processing module does not include the voltage drop caused by the freewheeling diode in the switch tube, thereby improving the accuracy of filtering.

[0015] In a possible implementation, the controller is further configured to: based on the average current flowing through the output inductor, adjust the turn-on duty cycle of the first switch tube and the turn-on duty cycle of the second switch tube, so as to adjust the current flowing through the output inductor. In this application, by adjusting the turn-on duty cycle of the first switch tube and the turn-on duty cycle of the second switch tube based on the average current flowing through the output inductor, the current output by each phase circuit can be consistent, thereby ensuring the balanced power supply of the multi-phase voltage converter.

[0016] In a second aspect, the application further provides a switching power supply, comprising a direct current power supply, an output capacitor, and the multi-phase voltage converter of the first aspect; the direct current power supply is connected to the voltage input end of the multi-phase voltage converter, the voltage output end of the multi-phase voltage converter is connected to the output capacitor, and the output capacitor is connected in parallel with the load; the direct current power supply is configured to provide an input voltage to the voltage input end of the multi-phase voltage converter; and the multi-phase voltage converter is configured to convert the input voltage and provide the converted voltage to the load.

[0017] The beneficial effects of the scheme provided in the second aspect can refer to the description of the first aspect, which will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a multi-phase voltage converter provided by an embodiment of the application;

[0019] FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a phase circuit provided by an embodiment of the application;

[0020] FIG. 3 is a waveform schematic diagram provided by an embodiment of the application;

[0021] FIG. 4 is another structural schematic diagram of a phase circuit provided by an embodiment of the application;

[0022] FIG. 5 is a structural schematic diagram of a first filter module provided by an embodiment of the application;

[0023] FIG. 6 is another structural schematic diagram of the first filter module provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0024] FIG. 7 is yet another structural schematic diagram of the phase circuit provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0025] FIG. 8 is yet another structural schematic diagram of the phase circuit provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0026] FIG. 9 is another waveform schematic diagram provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0027] FIG. 10 is yet another structural schematic diagram of the phase circuit provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0028] FIG. 11 is a sampling data schematic diagram provided by the embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The multi-phase voltage converter provided by the embodiments of the present application can convert input voltage into output voltage of different voltage levels while outputting large current, and is suitable for various application scenarios such as communication base stations, data processing, cloud computing and intelligent driving that require high computing power. The multi-phase voltage converter includes a plurality of phase circuits connected in parallel, and the wave phases of each phase circuit are staggered, so that the current peaks and valleys of different phase circuits can be offset to reduce the generation of current ripple and voltage ripple. At the same time, the multi-phase voltage converter disperses large current into multiple phase circuits to avoid the concentration of heat generated by the switching tubes, output inductors and other devices in a single phase circuit. In addition, each phase circuit works independently, which can provide more stable and reliable power output when the large current demand of the load changes dramatically.

[0030] It should be noted that after the production of the multi-phase converter, there are deviations between the electronic devices of different phase circuits, which causes differences in the current output by the output inductors of different phase circuits. When the multi-phase voltage converter is running, the different current output by the output inductors of different phase circuits will affect the power supply balance of the load. Therefore, in order to ensure the power supply balance of the load, the multi-phase voltage converter can sample the current flowing through the output inductor in each phase circuit during operation to confirm whether the current output by the output inductors of each phase circuit is equal.

[0031] In some feasible embodiments, the conventional multi-phase voltage converter can sample the output current of each output inductor through a current sampling circuit to detect whether the current of the output inductor in each phase circuit is equal. Generally, the current sampling circuit in the multi-phase voltage converter will include an additional sampling resistor, which causes the multi-phase voltage converter to generate more power consumption.

[0032] To this end, the embodiment of the present application provides a multiphase voltage converter, which can reduce the generation of power consumption while sampling the current output by each output inductor in the multiphase voltage converter, and has simple structure and strong applicability.

[0033] Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a multiphase voltage converter provided by the embodiment of the present application. The multiphase voltage converter 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes a plurality of phase circuits connected in parallel. Specifically, each phase circuit includes a first switch tube Q1 and a second switch tube Q2 connected in series at a series connection point Vsw, and an output inductor Lo connected with the series connection point Vsw. The first switch tube Q1 can be connected with a voltage input end to receive an input voltage Vin, and the second switch tube Q2 is connected with a ground end. Each phase circuit can control the first switch tube Q1 and the second switch tube Q2 to be turned on or turned off by a corresponding controller. When the controller controls the first switch tube Q1 to be turned on and the second switch tube Q2 to be turned off, the input voltage Vin is transmitted to the series connection point Vsw through the first switch tube Q1 and is provided to the output inductor Lo to be charged. When the controller controls the first switch tube Q1 to be turned off and the second switch tube Q2 to be turned on, the series connection point Vsw is connected with the ground end through the second switch tube Q2, so that the output inductor Lo connected with the series connection point Vsw is discharged to the ground. It can be understood that the controller can make the output inductor Lo continuously charge and discharge by controlling the first switch tube Q1 and the second switch tube Q2 to be turned on complementarily. At the same time, the output inductor Lo of each phase circuit can output an output voltage Vout processed by voltage reduction to a load by being connected with the load and an output capacitor Co in the process of continuous charging and discharging.

[0034] It should be noted that the first switch tube and the second switch tube described in the embodiment of the present application can be specifically implemented as a semiconductor switch, such as a Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor (MOSFET) or an Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT), and the embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0035] In addition, the timing of the controller controlling the first switch tube Q1 and the second switch tube Q2 to be turned on between different phase circuits in the multiphase voltage converter 100 can be staggered with each other, so that the voltages output by the plurality of phase circuits have different phases. Generally, the output voltages Vout between different phase circuits can have the same phase difference, so as to reduce the generation of current ripple and voltage ripple.

[0036] It can be understood that, in order to ensure the load power supply balance, the multi-phase voltage converter 100 can sample the current flowing through the output inductor Lo in each phase circuit during operation. For the convenience of description, the following content takes the multi-phase voltage converter 100 sampling the current flowing through the output inductor Lo in one phase circuit as an example for description.

[0037] Referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a phase circuit provided by an embodiment of the present application. The phase circuit 200 shown in FIG. 2 includes a first switch tube Q1 and a second switch tube Q2 connected in series at a series connection point Vsw, and an output inductor Lo connected with the series connection point Vsw. The first switch tube Q1 can be connected with a voltage input end to receive an input voltage Vin, the second switch tube Q2 is connected with a ground end, and the output inductor Lo is connected with a load and an output capacitor Co to output a current to the load. In addition, the phase circuit 200 further includes a first filter module 210, a signal processing module 220, a second filter module 230 and a controller 240, which are configured to sample the current flowing through the output inductor Lo.

[0038] Specifically, the first filter module 210 is connected with the series connection point Vsw to receive a voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw.

[0039] In some possible embodiments, the waveform of the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw can be seen from FIG. 3, which is a waveform diagram provided by the embodiment of the present application, and Vs1 shown in FIG. 3 represents the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw. Specifically, in the T1 time window shown in FIG. 3, the phase circuit 200 controls the first switch Q1 to be turned on and the second switch Q2 to be turned off through the controller 240. At this time, the input voltage Vin is transmitted to the series connection point Vsw through the first switch Q1, so that the voltage of the series connection point Vsw is raised. It can be understood that when the equivalent impedance of the first switch Q1 is equal to zero during the conduction process, the voltage of the series connection point Vsw can be raised to equal the input voltage Vin, but the first switch Q1 has different degrees of equivalent impedance during the conduction process. When the input voltage Vin is loaded on the first switch Q1, different degrees of conduction voltage drop are transmitted, and then the voltage at the series connection point Vsw is lowered. Therefore, in the T1 time window, the voltage amplitude of the voltage signal Vs1 output by the series connection point Vsw is less than the input voltage Vin. In the T2 time window shown in FIG. 3, the phase circuit 200 controls the first switch Q1 to be turned off and the second switch Q2 to be turned on through the controller 240. At this time, the series connection point Vsw is connected to the ground through the second switch Q2, so that the voltage of the series connection point Vsw is lowered, and the output inductor Lo is discharged to the ground. It can be understood that when the equivalent impedance of the second switch Q2 is equal to zero during the conduction process, the voltage of the series connection point Vsw is equal to zero, but the second switch Q2 has different degrees of equivalent impedance during the conduction process, and then when the output inductor Lo is discharged to the ground, different degrees of conduction voltage drop are transmitted on the second switch Q2, so that the voltage at the series connection point Vsw is lowered to less than zero. Therefore, in the T2 time window, the voltage amplitude of the voltage signal Vs1 output by the series connection point Vsw is less than or equal to zero. It can be understood that during the conversion of the input voltage Vin by the phase circuit 200, the controller 240 controls the first switch Q1 and the second switch Q2 to be turned on complementarily in sequence, so that the voltage signal Vs1 output by the series connection point Vsw is periodically changed. For example, the T1 time window and the T2 time window shown in FIG. 3 can be understood as a time period of the voltage signal Vs1 output by the series connection point Vsw, and the implementation principle of the voltage signal Vs1 in other time periods can be referred to the above T1 time window and T2 time window, which will not be described herein again.

[0040] It can be understood that the duty cycle of the voltage signal outputted by the series connection point Vsw refers to the ratio of the time length during which the voltage signal outputted by the series connection point Vsw maintains greater than zero to a time period, and is equal to the on-duty cycle of the first switch tube Q1. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, in a time period of the voltage signal Vsl outputted by the series connection point Vsw, the time length during which the voltage signal Vsl maintains greater than zero is equal to T1, and the time length of the time period is equal to T1+T2, then the duty cycle D of the voltage signal Vsl can be equal to the ratio of T1 to T1+T2.

[0041] Further, the first filter module 210 is connected with the first input terminal il of the controller 240, and can transmit the first direct current voltage to the first input terminal il of the controller 240 after filtering the received voltage signal outputted by the series connection point Vsw. The first direct current voltage represents the average voltage of the voltage signal outputted by the series connection point Vsw, that is, the purpose of filtering the voltage signal outputted by the series connection point Vsw by the first filter module 210 is to obtain the average voltage of the voltage signal Vout outputted by the series connection point Vsw. Therefore, the first filter module 210 can specifically perform low-pass filtering on the received voltage signal outputted by the series connection point Vsw, so as to filter out the high-frequency signal in the voltage signal outputted by the series connection point Vsw, and obtain the first direct current voltage.

[0042] In some possible embodiments, the first direct current voltage outputted by the first filter module 210 after filtering the voltage signal outputted by the series connection point Vsw can be as shown in FIG. 3 as Vss. As shown in FIG. 3, the first direct current voltage Vss is a voltage signal with unchanged size and direction. As known from the above, in the case that Vsl shown in FIG. 3 is the voltage signal outputted by the series connection point Vsw received by the first filter module 210, Vss can be understood as the average value of the Vsl signal.

[0043] In general, the phase circuit 200 can obtain the voltage signal outputted by the series connection point Vsw by the first filter module 210, and perform low-pass filtering to obtain the first direct current voltage representing the average voltage of the voltage signal outputted by the series connection point Vsw, and transmit the first direct current voltage to the controller 240.

[0044] The first end of the signal processing module 220 is connected with the series connection point Vsw, and can receive the voltage signal outputted by the series connection point Vsw.

[0045] In some possible embodiments, it can be understood that the waveform of the voltage signal outputted by the series connection point Vsw received by the signal processing module 220 can refer to the specific embodiments of Vsl shown in FIG. 3, which will not be repeated here.

[0046] Meanwhile, a second end of the signal processing module 220 is connected with the second filter module 230. The signal processing module 220 can process the voltage signal outputted by the series connection point Vsw and transmit the voltage waveform signal to the second filter module 230. The voltage waveform signal represents the equivalent voltage signal outputted by the series connection point Vsw when the equivalent impedance of the first switch tube Q1 and the second switch tube Q2 is equal to zero. As known from the above, the first switch tube Q1 and the second switch tube Q2 have certain equivalent impedance when turned on, so the voltage signal actually outputted by the series connection point Vsw is different from the voltage waveform signal outputted by the signal processing module 220.

[0047] In some possible embodiments, the voltage waveform signal outputted by the signal processing module 220 can include the first level and the second level which are switched back and forth. Specifically, the signal processing module 220 can output the first level with the amplitude equal to the input voltage Vin when the voltage signal outputted by the series connection point Vsw is greater than zero, and output the second level with the amplitude equal to zero when the voltage signal outputted by the series connection point Vsw is less than or equal to zero. Wherein, the voltage signal outputted by the series connection point Vsw greater than zero represents that the first switch tube Q1 is turned off and the second switch tube Q2 is turned on, and the voltage signal outputted by the series connection point Vsw less than or equal to zero represents that the first switch tube Q1 is turned on and the second switch tube Q2 is turned off.

[0048] In some possible embodiments, in the case that Vs1 shown in FIG. 3 is a voltage signal of the series connection point Vsw received by the signal processing module 220, the voltage waveform signal output by the signal processing module 220 after processing the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw can be as shown by Vp1 in FIG. 3. Specifically, in the T1 time window shown in FIG. 3, the phase circuit 200 controls the first switch tube Q1 to be turned on and the second switch tube Q2 to be turned off through the controller 240. At this time, the input voltage Vin is transmitted to the series connection point Vsw through the first switch tube Q1, so that the voltage Vs1 of the series connection point Vsw is greater than zero. Therefore, in the T1 time window, the voltage waveform signal Vp1 is equal to the first level, and the first level is equal to the input voltage Vin. In the T2 time window shown in FIG. 3, the phase circuit 200 controls the first switch tube Q1 to be turned off and the second switch tube Q2 to be turned on through the controller 240. At this time, the series connection point Vsw is connected to the ground through the second switch tube Q2, so that the voltage of the series connection point Vsw drops to less than or equal to zero. Therefore, in the T2 time window, the voltage waveform signal Vp1 is equal to the second level, and the second level is equal to zero. Further, in the process of converting the input voltage Vin by the phase circuit 200, the controller 240 controls the first switch tube Q1 and the second switch tube Q2 to be turned on complementarily in sequence, so that the voltage signal Vs1 output by the series connection point Vsw presents periodic changes, and the voltage waveform signal Vp1 also presents periodic changes. Exemplarily, the T1 time window and the T2 time window shown in FIG. 3 can be understood as a time period of the voltage waveform signal Vp1, and the implementation principle of the voltage waveform signal Vp1 in other time periods can be referred to the T1 time window and the T2 time window, which will not be described herein again.

[0049] It can be understood that the duty cycle of the voltage waveform signal refers to the ratio of the time length during which the voltage waveform signal is maintained at the first level to a time period, and is equal to the duty cycle of the first switch tube Q1. Exemplarily, as shown in FIG. 3, in a time period of the voltage waveform signal, the time length during which the voltage waveform signal is maintained at the first level is equal to T1, and the time length of the time period is equal to T1+T2, so that the duty cycle D of the voltage waveform signal can be equal to the ratio of T1 to T1+T2. In addition, the duty cycle of the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw is equal to the duty cycle of the voltage waveform signal.

[0050] The second filtering module 230 is connected with the second end of the signal processing module 220, and can transmit the second direct current voltage to the second input end i2 of the controller 240 after filtering the received voltage waveform signal. The second direct current voltage represents the average voltage of the voltage waveform signal. That is, the purpose of the second filtering module 230 receiving and filtering the voltage waveform signal is to obtain the average voltage of the voltage waveform signal. Therefore, the second filtering module 230 can specifically perform low-pass filtering on the received voltage waveform signal to filter out the high-frequency signal in the voltage waveform signal and obtain the second direct current voltage.

[0051] In some possible embodiments, the second direct current voltage output by the second filtering module 230 after filtering the voltage waveform signal can be as shown in FIG. 3 as Vp3. As shown in FIG. 3, the second direct current voltage Vp3 is a voltage signal with unchanged size and direction. As known from the above, in the case that Vp1 shown in FIG. 3 is the voltage waveform signal received by the second filtering module 230, Vp3 can be understood as the average value of the Vp1 signal.

[0052] In summary, the phase circuit 200 can process the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw through the signal processing module 220 to obtain the voltage waveform signal, and perform low-pass filtering on the voltage waveform signal through the second filtering module 230 to obtain the second direct current voltage representing the average voltage of the voltage waveform signal and transmit the second direct current voltage to the controller 240.

[0053] In some possible embodiments, after receiving the first direct current voltage and the second direct current voltage, the controller 240 can determine the current flowing through the output inductor Lo according to the first direct current voltage and the second direct current voltage.

[0054] It should be noted that the output inductor Lo can be periodically charged and discharged as the first switch Q1 and the second switch Q2 are sequentially and complementarily turned on, and the current flowing through the output inductor Lo also presents periodic changes. For example, the current flowing through the output inductor Lo can be as shown by IL in FIG. 3, and the T1 time window and the T2 time window can be understood as a time period of changes of the current IL flowing through the output inductor Lo. In the T1 time window shown in FIG. 3, the first switch Q1 is turned on and the second switch Q2 is turned off, and the input voltage Vin is transmitted to the series connection point Vsw through the first switch Q1. At this time, the current IL flowing through the output inductor Lo gradually increases, and the output inductor Lo is charged. In the T2 time window shown in FIG. 3, the first switch Q1 is turned off and the second switch Q2 is turned on, and the series connection point Vsw is connected to the ground through the second switch Q2. At this time, the output inductor Lo is discharged to the ground, and the current IL flowing through the output inductor Lo gradually decreases. The principle of the current IL flowing through the output inductor Lo in other time periods can be referred to the above T1 time window and the T2 time window, which will not be described herein again.

[0055] It can be understood that the duty cycle of the current flowing through the output inductor Lo refers to a ratio of a time length during which the current flowing through the output inductor Lo continuously increases to a time length of a time period, and is equal to the on duty cycle of the first switch Q1. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, in a time period of changes of the current IL flowing through the output inductor Lo, the time length during which the current IL flowing through the output inductor Lo continuously increases is equal to T1, and the time length of the time period is equal to T1+T2, and thus the duty cycle D of the current IL flowing through the output inductor Lo can be equal to a ratio of T1 to T1+T2. In addition, the duty cycle of the current flowing through the output inductor Lo is equal to the duty cycle of the voltage signal Vs1 output by the series connection point Vsw, and is equal to the duty cycle of the voltage waveform signal Vp1. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when D is equal to the on duty cycle of the first switch Q1, the duty cycle of the voltage signal Vs1 output by the series connection point Vsw, the duty cycle of the voltage waveform signal Vp1, and the duty cycle of the current IL flowing through the output inductor Lo are also equal to D.

[0056] Since the current flowing through the output inductor Lo presents periodic changes, the controller 240 can obtain an average current size of the current flowing through the output inductor Lo to represent the current size of the current flowing through the output inductor Lo by the average current size. The greater the average current of the current flowing through the output inductor Lo, the greater the current flowing through the output inductor Lo, and vice versa, the smaller the average current of the current flowing through the output inductor Lo, the smaller the current flowing through the output inductor Lo.

[0057] In general, the controller 240 can obtain the average current flowing through the output inductor Lo based on the first DC voltage, the second DC voltage and the electrical parameters of the switch tubes in the phase circuit, to represent the current flowing through the output inductor Lo. The specific implementation principle of the controller 240 for obtaining the average current flowing through the output inductor Lo according to the first DC voltage and the second DC voltage is not described here.

[0058] In some possible embodiments, the circuit structure of the phase circuit provided by the embodiments of the present application can also be as shown in FIG. 4, which is another schematic diagram of the framework of the phase circuit provided by the embodiments of the present application. The phase circuit 300 shown in FIG. 4 includes a first switch tube Q1 and a second switch tube Q2 connected in series at a series connection point Vsw, and an output inductor Lo connected with the series connection point Vsw. The first switch tube Q1 can be connected with a voltage input end to receive an input voltage Vin, the second switch tube Q2 is connected with a ground end, and the output inductor Lo is connected with a load and an output capacitor Co to output a current to the load. In addition, the phase circuit 200 further includes a first filter module 310, a signal processing module 320, a second filter module 330 and a controller 340, which are configured to sample the current flowing through the output inductor Lo. It should be noted that, different from the phase circuit 200 shown in FIG. 2, the first end of the signal processing module 320 in the phase circuit 300 is connected with the gate G1 of the first switch tube Q1 and the gate G2 of the second switch tube Q2 respectively.

[0059] It can be understood that the gate G1 of the first switch tube Q1 and the gate G2 of the second switch tube Q2 can each receive a corresponding driving control signal, which can drive the first switch tube Q1 and the second switch tube Q2 to turn on or turn off respectively. The signal processing module 320 can obtain that the gate G1 of the first switch tube Q1 and the gate G2 of the second switch tube Q2 each receive a driving control signal, and transmit the voltage waveform signal shown in FIG. 3 to the second filter module 330 after processing the received driving control signal of the first switch tube Q1 and the driving control signal of the second switch tube Q2.

[0060] It can be understood that the specific implementation of the first filter module 310 shown in FIG. 4 can refer to the specific implementation of the first filter module 210 described above in FIG. 2, and similarly, the specific implementation of the second filter module 330 shown in FIG. 4 can refer to the specific implementation of the second filter module 230 described above in FIG. 2, and the specific implementation of the controller 340 can refer to the specific implementation of the controller 240 described above in FIG. 2, which will not be described here again.

[0061] The multi-phase voltage converter provided in the embodiments of the present application can filter the voltage signal output by the series connection point received by each phase circuit through the first filter module to obtain a first direct current voltage, and filter the voltage signal output by the series connection point received or the gate voltage of the first switch tube and the second switch tube after processing by the signal processing module to obtain a second direct current voltage. Further, the phase circuit can determine the average current flowing through the output inductor based on the first direct current voltage, the second direct current voltage and the electrical parameters of the switch tube by the controller. In the embodiments of the present application, each phase circuit of the multi-phase voltage converter does not need to obtain the average current flowing through the output inductor through an additional sampling resistor, which can reduce the power consumption caused by the sampling resistor, improve the energy utilization efficiency, and has a simple structure, easy implementation and strong applicability.

[0062] In some possible embodiments, the electrical parameters of the switch tube in the above phase circuit can specifically include the equivalent impedance of the first switch tube, the equivalent impedance of the second switch tube and the conduction duty cycle of the first switch tube.

[0063] It should be noted that the first direct current voltage represents the equivalent impedance of the first switch tube Q1 and the second switch tube Q2 when the first switch tube Q1 and the second switch tube Q2 are turned on, that is, the average value of the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw when the conduction voltage drops of the first switch tube Q1 and the second switch tube Q2 are generated. At the same time, the conduction voltage drop of the first switch tube Q1 can be represented as the product of the current flowing through the first switch tube Q1 and the equivalent impedance of the first switch tube Q1 when the first switch tube Q1 is turned on, and the conduction voltage drop of the second switch tube Q2 can be represented as the product of the current flowing through the second switch tube Q2 and the equivalent impedance of the second switch tube Q2 when the second switch tube Q2 is turned on. At this time, in a time period, for example, in the T1 time window and the T2 time window shown in FIG. 3, the first direct current voltage can be represented by the following formula (1): V1=D×Vin-I×RH+(1-D)×I×RH=D×Vin-IL×RL+D×I×(RL-RH) Formula (1)

[0064] wherein RH is the equivalent impedance of the first switch tube Q1 when the first switch tube Q1 is turned on, RL is the equivalent impedance of the second switch tube Q2 when the second switch tube Q2 is turned on, D is the conduction duty cycle of the first switch tube Q1, I is the average current flowing through the output inductor Lo, Vin is the voltage size input by the voltage input end, and V1 is the first direct current voltage. The product of I and RH can be understood as the conduction voltage drop generated by the first switch tube Q1, and the product of I and RL can be understood as the conduction voltage drop generated by the second switch tube Q2.

[0065] It should be noted that, in the process of the first switch Q1 and the second switch Q2 being sequentially and complementarily turned on, when the first switch Q1 is turned on and the second switch Q2 is turned off, the first switch Q1 is connected in series with the output inductor Lo through the series connection point Vsw, and thus the current flowing through the first switch Q1 is equal to the current flowing through the output inductor Lo. When the first switch Q1 is turned off and the second switch Q2 is turned on, the second switch Q2 is connected in series with the output inductor Lo through the series connection point Vsw, and thus the current flowing through the second switch Q2 is equal to the current flowing through the output inductor Lo. It can be seen that the average current flowing through the output inductor Lo is equal to the average current flowing through the first switch Q1 and the second switch Q2. Therefore, the average current flowing through the output inductor Lo can be used as the average current flowing through the first switch Q1 and the second switch Q2 to calculate the on-voltage drop of the first switch Q1 and the second switch Q2. It can be seen that the size of the first DC voltage is related to the on-voltage drop generated by the second switch Q2 and the first switch Q1, and further related to the average current flowing through the output inductor Lo.

[0066] The second DC voltage represents that the equivalent impedance of the first switch Q1 and the second switch Q2 when turned on is equal to zero, i.e., the average value of the equivalent voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw when the first switch Q1 and the second switch Q2 do not generate on-voltage drop, i.e., the average value of the voltage waveform signal. At this time, in a time period, for example, in the T1 time window and the T2 time window shown in FIG. 3, the second DC voltage can be represented by the following formula (2):

[0067] Wherein, D is the duty ratio of the first switch Q1, Vin is the voltage size input by the voltage input end, and V2 is the second DC voltage. It can be seen that the size of the second DC voltage is only related to the voltage size input by the voltage input end and the duty ratio of the first switch Q1.

[0068] It can be understood that the first DC voltage is the average value of the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw when the first switch Q1 and the second switch Q2 both generate on-voltage drop. The second DC voltage is the average value of the equivalent voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw when the first switch Q1 and the second switch Q2 do not generate on-voltage drop. It can be seen that the difference between the first DC voltage and the second DC voltage is whether the first switch Q1 and the second switch Q2 generate on-voltage drop. Therefore, the difference between the first DC voltage and the second DC voltage can represent the sum of the on-voltage drop of the first switch Q1 and the on-voltage drop of the second switch Q2. The difference between the first DC voltage and the second DC voltage can be represented by the following formula (3):

[0069] wherein RH is the equivalent impedance when the first switch Q1 is turned on, RL is the equivalent impedance when the second switch Q2 is turned on, D is the duty cycle of the first switch Q1, I is the average current flowing through the output inductor Lo, V1 is the first DC voltage, and V2 is the second DC voltage.

[0070] As can be seen, after the controller 240 calculates the difference V2-V1 between the first DC voltage and the second DC voltage, the controller 240 can obtain the average current I flowing through the output inductor Lo based on the equivalent impedance RH of the first switch Q1, the equivalent impedance RL of the second switch Q2, and the duty cycle D of the first switch Q1.

[0071] In some possible embodiments, when the equivalent impedances of the first switch Q1 and the second switch Q2 are equal, RH shown in formula (3) is equal to RL, and formula (3) can be simplified as formula (4) shown below: V2-V1 = I x RL formula (4)

[0072] At this time, the average current I flowing through the output inductor Lo can be represented as formula (5) shown below:

[0073] That is, when the equivalent impedances of the first switch Q1 and the second switch Q2 are equal, the controller 240 can calculate the average current flowing through the output inductor Lo by calculating the ratio of the equivalent impedance of the second switch Q2 to the difference between the first DC voltage and the second DC voltage.

[0074] In some possible embodiments, the specific structure of the first filter module can be as shown in FIG. 5, which is a structural schematic diagram of the first filter module provided by an embodiment of the present application. The first filter module 400 shown in FIG. 5 includes at least one first low-pass filter unit connected in series, and the first low-pass filter unit includes a first resistor R1 and a first capacitor C1. Wherein the first end of the first resistor R1 is used as the input end of the first low-pass filter unit, the second end of the first resistor R1 is used as the output end of the first low-pass filter unit, one end of the first capacitor C1 is connected to the second end of the first resistor R1, and the other end of the first capacitor C1 is grounded.

[0075] In the case where the first filter module 400 includes a plurality of first low-pass filter units, the input end of the first first low-pass filter unit in the plurality of first low-pass filter units connected in series can be connected to the series connection point Vsw as the input end of the first filter module 400. And the output end of the last first low-pass filter unit in the plurality of first low-pass filter units connected in series is connected to the first input end i1 of the controller as the output end of the first filter module 400.

[0076] It should be noted that the first resistor R1 is connected to the ground through the corresponding first capacitor C1. When the first resistor R1 receives a high-frequency signal, the high-frequency signal can flow to the ground through the first capacitor C1, and the low-frequency signal can flow to the next first low-pass filter unit or the first input terminal i1 of the controller through the first resistor R1, thereby realizing low-pass filtering and outputting the filtered first direct current voltage to the first input terminal i1 of the controller.

[0077] In some possible embodiments, the number of first low-pass filter units arranged in the first filter module 400 can be one, that is, the first filter module 400 can include one first resistor R1 and one first capacitor C1. At this time, the resistance of the first resistor R1 and the capacitance of the first capacitor C1 can be set to be relatively large, so as to perform first-order filtering on the received voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw to obtain the first direct current voltage. Preferably, the number of first low-pass filter units arranged in the first filter module 400 can be two, that is, the first filter module 400 can include two first resistors R1 and two first capacitors C1. At this time, the resistance of the first resistor R1 and the capacitance of the first capacitor C1 can be set to be relatively small, so as to reduce the manufacturing cost. Meanwhile, the first filter module 400 can perform second-order filtering on the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw through the two first low-pass filter units, so as to realize a lower high-frequency gain and improve the filtering effect. It can be understood that the number of first low-pass filter units arranged in the first filter module 400, that is, the number of first resistors R1 and first capacitors C1 can be flexibly adjusted according to the requirements of the actual application scene, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0078] In some possible embodiments, in order to achieve a better filtering effect, the time constant of the first filtering module 400 can be set to be greater than 10 times the period size of the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw, and the time constant of the first filtering module 400 is related to the resistance value of the first resistor R1 and the capacitance value of the first capacitor C1 in each first low-pass filtering unit. Therefore, the first filtering module 400 can adjust the resistance value of the first resistor R1 and the capacitance value of the first capacitor C1 in each first low-pass filtering unit according to the time period size of the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw, so that the time constant of the first filtering module 400 is greater than 10 times the time period size of the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw. For example, assuming that the first filtering module 400 only includes one first resistor R1 and one first capacitor C1, the time constant of the first filtering module 400 can be equal to the product of the resistance value of the first resistor R1 and the capacitance value of the first capacitor C1. At this time, the first filtering module 400 can adjust the resistance value of the first resistor R1 and the capacitance value of the first capacitor C1, so that the product of the resistance value of the first resistor R1 and the capacitance value of the first capacitor C1 is greater than 10 times the time period size of the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw.

[0079] In some possible embodiments, the specific structure of the first filtering module described above can also be as shown in FIG. 6, which is another structural schematic diagram of the first filtering module provided by the embodiments of the present application. The first filtering module 500 shown in FIG. 6 includes at least one first low-pass filtering unit in series, and the first low-pass filtering unit includes a first resistor R1 and a first capacitor C1. Wherein, the first end of the first resistor R1 is used as the input end of the first low-pass filtering unit, the second end of the first resistor R1 is used as the output end of the first low-pass filtering unit, one end of the first capacitor C1 is connected to the second end of the first resistor R1, and the other end of the first capacitor C1 is grounded. In the case where the first filtering module 400 includes a plurality of first low-pass filtering units, in the plurality of first low-pass filtering units connected in series, the input end of the first first low-pass filtering unit can be connected to the series connection point Vsw as the input end of the first filtering module 400. And in the plurality of first low-pass filtering units connected in series, the output end of the last first low-pass filtering unit is connected to the first input end i1 of the controller as the output end of the first filtering module 400.

[0080] In addition, the first filter module 500 further comprises a first operational amplifier OP1 and a second resistor R2 and a third resistor R3. The negative input terminal of the first operational amplifier OP1 is connected to one end of the second resistor R2 and one end of the third resistor R3 respectively, and the other end of the second resistor R2 is grounded. Meanwhile, the positive input terminal of the first operational amplifier OP1 is connected to the output terminal of the last first low-pass filter unit in the plurality of series-connected first low-pass filter units, and the output terminal of the first operational amplifier OP1 is connected to the other end of the third resistor R3 and the first input terminal i1 of the controller, so as to output the above-mentioned first direct current voltage to the first input terminal i1 of the controller as the output terminal of the first filter module 500.

[0081] It should be noted that in the first filter module 500 shown in FIG. 6, the specific implementation of each first resistor R1 and each first capacitor C1 can refer to the specific implementation of the first filter module 400 shown in FIG. 5, which will not be repeated here. Further, after receiving the direct current voltage obtained by low-pass filtering each first resistor R1 and first capacitor C1, the first operational amplifier OP1 can perform negative feedback amplification based on the direct current voltage obtained by low-pass filtering to output the first direct current voltage.

[0082] In general, the first filter module 500 can filter the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw to obtain the first direct current voltage representing the average value of the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw. In other application scenarios, various circuit variations that can filter the received voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw and output a direct current voltage can be understood as specific structures of the first filter module 500 provided by the present application, which will not be illustrated one by one here.

[0083] In some possible embodiments, the specific structure of the above-mentioned signal processing module can be as shown in FIG. 7, which is another structure schematic diagram of the phase circuit provided by the present application. The phase circuit 600 shown in FIG. 7 comprises a signal processing module 610 and a second filter module 620. The signal processing module 610 comprises at least one inverting unit, which is connected in series between the above-mentioned series connection point Vsw and the second filter module, and each inverting unit comprises a first inverter D1 and a second inverter D2 connected in series.

[0084] It should be noted that in each inverting unit, the first inverter D1 and the second inverter D2 can invert the phase of the input electrical signal, so that the phase of the input electrical signal and the output electrical signal is 180 degrees. Specifically, the first inverter D1 and the second inverter D2 can output a level with a voltage size equal to zero when receiving a voltage size of the input electrical signal greater than zero, and output a voltage equal to the voltage size of the voltage input end when receiving a voltage size of the input electrical signal less than or equal to zero. Therefore, the first inverter D1 can invert the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw to obtain a voltage signal with a phase difference of 180 degrees from the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw, and output a voltage waveform signal with the same phase as the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw after being transmitted to the second inverter D2 for further inversion.

[0085] For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the first inverter D1 and the second inverter D2 are connected in series to form an inverting unit. After the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw is input to the inverting unit for inversion twice, the inverting unit can output a first level with a voltage Vout equal to the voltage size of the voltage input end when the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw is greater than zero, and output a second level with a voltage Vout size equal to zero when the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw is less than or equal to zero, thereby obtaining a voltage waveform signal. As can be seen, the phase of the voltage waveform signal output by the second inverter D2 is equal to the phase of the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw.

[0086] It should be noted that in each inverting unit, the positions of the first inverter D1 and the second inverter D2 can be interchanged, and the present application embodiment does not limit this. In addition, the number of inverting units provided in the signal processing module 610, i.e., the number of first inverters D1 and second inverters D2 in the signal processing module 610, can be flexibly adjusted according to the needs of the actual application scenario, and the present application embodiment does not limit this.

[0087] In some possible embodiments, the specific structure of the above-mentioned signal processing module can also be as shown in FIG. 8, which is another structural schematic diagram of a phase circuit provided by an embodiment of the present application. The phase circuit 700 shown in FIG. 8 includes a signal processing module 710 and a second filtering module 720. The signal processing module 710 includes a third switch tube Q3 and a fourth switch tube Q4, and the third switch tube Q3 and the fourth switch tube Q4 are connected in series between the voltage input end and the ground end. The gate of the third switch tube Q3 is connected to the gate G1 of the first switch tube Q1, and the gate of the fourth switch tube Q4 is connected to the gate G2 of the second switch tube Q2. At the same time, the connection point of the third switch tube Q3 and the fourth switch tube Q4 is connected as the output end of the signal processing module 710 and is connected to the second filtering module.

[0088] It should be noted that the gate of the third switch tube Q3 is connected to the gate of the first switch tube Q1, and when the first switch tube Q1 is turned on under the driving of the driving control signal, the third switch tube Q3 is also turned on, and when the first switch tube Q1 is turned off under the driving of the driving control signal, the third switch tube Q3 is also turned off. Similarly, the gate of the fourth switch tube Q4 is connected to the gate of the second switch tube Q2, and when the second switch tube Q2 is turned on under the driving of the driving control signal, the fourth switch tube Q4 is also turned on, and when the second switch tube Q2 is turned off under the driving of the driving control signal, the fourth switch tube Q4 is also turned off. Therefore, the first switch tube Q1 and the second switch tube Q2 are synchronously turned on and turned off with the third switch tube Q3 and the fourth switch tube Q4, respectively.

[0089] Further, since the third switch tube Q3 and the fourth switch tube Q4 are also connected in series between the voltage input end and the ground end, and the connection point of the third switch tube Q3 and the fourth switch tube Q4 is not connected to the power device, the third switch tube Q3 and the fourth switch tube Q4 do not need to provide current to the load in the process of complementary conduction. Therefore, in the process of complementary conduction of the third switch tube Q3 and the fourth switch tube Q4, the voltage at the connection point of the third switch tube Q3 and the fourth switch tube Q4 does not generate a conduction loss voltage drop. That is, the voltage at the connection point of the third switch tube Q3 and the fourth switch tube Q4 is the voltage waveform signal output by the signal processing module 220. Therefore, the phase circuit provided by the embodiment of the present application can obtain the above-mentioned voltage waveform signal through the signal processing module 220, and can also obtain the same voltage waveform signal through the signal processing module 320, and then can be provided to the second filtering module 330 for processing.

[0090] In some possible embodiments, the specific structure of the second filtering module can be as shown in FIG. 7. The phase circuit 600 shown in FIG. 7 includes a signal processing module 610 and a second filtering module 620. The second filtering module 620 includes at least one second low-pass filtering unit connected in series, and the second low-pass filtering unit includes a fourth resistor R4 and a second capacitor C2. Wherein, the first end of the fourth resistor R4 is used as the input end of the second low-pass filtering unit, the second end of the fourth resistor R4 is used as the output end of the second low-pass filtering unit, one end of the second capacitor C2 is connected to the second end of the fourth resistor R4, and the other end of the second capacitor C2 is grounded.

[0091] In the case where the second filtering module 620 includes a plurality of second low-pass filtering units, the input end of the first second low-pass filtering unit in the plurality of series-connected second low-pass filtering units can be connected to the above-mentioned series connection point Vsw as the input end of the second filtering module 620. And in the plurality of series-connected second low-pass filtering units, the output end of the last second low-pass filtering unit is connected to the second input end i2 of the above-mentioned controller as the output end of the second filtering module 620.

[0092] It should be noted that the fourth resistor R4 is connected to the ground through the corresponding second capacitor C2. When the fourth resistor R4 receives a high-frequency signal, the high-frequency signal can flow to the ground through the second capacitor C2, and the low-frequency signal can flow to the next first low-pass filter unit or to the second input i2 of the controller through the fourth resistor R4, thereby realizing low-pass filtering and outputting the filtered second direct current voltage to the second input i2 of the controller.

[0093] In some possible embodiments, the number of first low-pass filter units arranged in the second filter module 620 can be only one, that is, the second filter module 620 can include one fourth resistor R4 and one second capacitor C2. At this time, the resistance value of the fourth resistor R4 and the capacitance value of the second capacitor C2 can be set to be relatively large, so as to perform first-order filtering on the received voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw to obtain the second direct current voltage. Preferably, the number of first low-pass filter units arranged in the second filter module 620 can be two, that is, the second filter module 620 can include two fourth resistors R4 and two second capacitors C2. At this time, the resistance value of the fourth resistor R4 and the capacitance value of the second capacitor C2 can be set to be relatively small, so as to reduce the manufacturing cost. At the same time, the second filter module 620 performs second-order filtering on the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw through the two first low-pass filter units, and can realize a lower high-frequency gain and improve the filtering effect. It can be understood that the number of first low-pass filter units arranged in the second filter module 620, that is, the number of fourth resistors R4 and second capacitors C2, can be flexibly adjusted according to the requirements of the actual application scene, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited in this regard.

[0094] In some possible embodiments, in order to achieve a better filtering effect, the time constant of the second filtering module 620 can be set to be greater than 10 times the time period of the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw, and the time constant of the second filtering module 620 is related to the resistance value of the fourth resistor R4 and the capacitance value of the second capacitor C2 in each first low-pass filtering unit. Therefore, the second filtering module 620 can adjust the resistance value of the fourth resistor R4 and the capacitance value of the second capacitor C2 according to the time period of the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw, so that the time constant of the second filtering module 620 is greater than 10 times the time period of the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw. For example, assuming that the second filtering module 620 only includes one fourth resistor R4 and one second capacitor C2, the time constant of the second filtering module 620 can be equal to the product of the resistance value of the fourth resistor R4 and the capacitance value of the second capacitor C2. At this time, the second filtering module 620 can adjust the resistance value of the fourth resistor R4 and the capacitance value of the second capacitor C2, so that the product of the resistance value of the fourth resistor R4 and the capacitance value of the second capacitor C2 is greater than 10 times the time period of the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw.

[0095] In some possible embodiments, the specific structure of the second filtering module can also be as shown in FIG. 8, which is another structural schematic diagram of a phase circuit provided by the embodiments of the present application. The phase circuit 700 shown in FIG. 8 includes a signal processing module 710 and a second filtering module 720. The signal processing module 710 includes at least one inverting unit, and each inverting unit includes a first inverter and a second inverter connected in series. The specific implementation of the signal processing module 710 can refer to the specific embodiments of the signal processing module 710 shown in FIG. 7, which will not be repeated here.

[0096] The second filtering module 720 includes at least one first low-pass filtering unit connected in series, and the first low-pass filtering unit includes a fourth resistor R4 and a second capacitor C2. The first end of the fourth resistor R4 serves as the input end of the second low-pass filtering unit, the second end of the fourth resistor R4 serves as the output end of the second low-pass filtering unit, one end of the second capacitor C2 is connected to the second end of the fourth resistor R4, and the other end of the second capacitor C2 is grounded. In the case where the second filtering module 720 includes a plurality of second low-pass filtering units, the input end of the first second low-pass filtering unit in the plurality of second low-pass filtering units connected in series can be connected to the series connection point Vsw as the input end of the second filtering module 720. In the plurality of second low-pass filtering units connected in series, the output end of the last second low-pass filtering unit serves as the output end of the second filtering module 720 and is connected to the second input end i2 of the controller.

[0097] In addition, the second filter module 720 further comprises a second operational amplifier OP2 and a fifth resistor R5 and a sixth resistor R6. The negative input terminal of the second operational amplifier OP2 is connected to one end of the fifth resistor R5 and one end of the sixth resistor R6, respectively, and the other end of the fifth resistor R5 is grounded. Meanwhile, the positive input terminal of the second operational amplifier OP2 is connected to the output terminal of the last second low-pass filter unit in the plurality of series-connected second low-pass filter units, and the output terminal of the second operational amplifier OP2 is connected to the other end of the sixth resistor R6 and the second input terminal i2 of the controller, so as to output the above-mentioned second direct current voltage to the second input terminal i2 of the controller as the output terminal of the second filter module 720.

[0098] It should be noted that in the second filter module 720 shown in FIG. 8, the specific implementation of each fourth resistor R4 and each second capacitor C2 can refer to the specific implementation of the second filter module 620 shown in FIG. 7, which will not be repeated here. Further, after receiving the direct current voltage obtained by low-pass filtering each fourth resistor R4 and second capacitor C2, the second operational amplifier OP2 can perform negative feedback amplification based on the direct current voltage obtained by low-pass filtering to output a second direct current voltage.

[0099] It can be understood that in the phase circuit shown in FIG. 8, the signal processing module 710 can also be deformed into the signal processing module 610 shown in FIG. 7, and similarly, the signal processing module 610 shown in FIG. 7 can also be deformed into the signal processing module 710 shown in FIG. 8. FIGS. 7 and 8 are only examples, and will not be illustrated one by one here.

[0100] In general, the second filter module 720 can filter the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw to obtain a second direct current voltage representing the average value of the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw. In other application scenarios, various circuit deformation structures that can filter the received voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw and output a direct current voltage can all be understood as specific structures of the second filter module 720 provided by the present application, and will not be illustrated one by one here.

[0101] In some possible implementation manners, the phase circuit provided by the embodiments of the present application further includes a first switch unit and a second switch unit, and the first switch unit is arranged between the series connection point Vsw and the first filter module. The controller in the phase circuit can control the first switch Q1 to be turned on to turn on the connection between the series connection point Vsw and the first filter module. The second switch unit can be arranged between the series connection point Vsw and the signal processing module, or the second switch unit can be arranged between the signal processing module and the second filter module. For the convenience of description, the following content is described by taking the second switch unit arranged between the series connection point Vsw and the signal processing module as an example. The controller can control the second switch Q2 to be turned on to turn on the connection between the series connection point Vsw and the signal processing module.

[0102] In some possible implementation manners, the first switch unit and the second switch unit described in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented as solid-state switches, for example, contactors or relays. Alternatively, the first switch unit and the second switch unit can be implemented as semiconductor switches, for example, metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) or insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs), and the embodiments of the present application do not make any limitation in this regard.

[0103] It should be noted that, in the process of controlling the first switch Q1 and the second switch Q2 to be complementary on, the controller usually controls the second switch Q2 to be on after a certain delay when the first switch Q1 is off. Similarly, the controller usually controls the first switch Q1 to be on after a certain delay when the second switch Q2 is off. Thus, the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw includes a delay level signal. For example, please refer to FIG. 9, which is another waveform diagram provided by the embodiment of the present application. Vs1 shown in FIG. 9 is the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw. In the T1 time window shown in FIG. 9, the phase circuit controls the first switch Q1 to be on and the second switch Q2 to be off through the controller. At this time, the input voltage Vin is transmitted to the series connection point Vsw through the first switch Q1, so that the voltage amplitude of the voltage signal Vs1 output by the series connection point Vsw is less than the input voltage Vin and greater than zero. In the T3 time window shown in FIG. 9, the phase circuit controls the first switch Q1 to be off and the second switch Q2 to be off through the controller. At this time, the freewheeling diode in the first switch Q1 produces a conduction voltage drop, so that the voltage amplitude of the voltage signal Vs1 output by the series connection point Vsw decreases, generating a delay level signal. In the T2 time window shown in FIG. 9, the phase circuit controls the first switch Q1 to be off and the second switch Q2 to be on through the controller. At this time, the series connection point Vsw is connected to the ground through the second switch Q2, so that the voltage amplitude of the voltage signal Vs1 output by the series connection point Vsw is less than or equal to zero.

[0104] It can be understood that, in the T3 time window shown in FIG. 9, when the first switch Q1 and the second switch Q2 are both off, the voltage output by the series connection point Vsw is affected by the conduction voltage drop of the freewheeling diode, generating a delay level signal. The delay level signal generated in the T3 time window is irrelevant to the size of the current flowing through the output inductor Lo. Therefore, the controller can control the first switch unit and the second switch unit to be off, so that the first filter module and the second filter module do not receive the delay level signal in the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw, thereby improving the accuracy of obtaining the first direct current and the second direct current.

[0105] In some possible embodiments, the controller can detect the working states of the first switch Q1 and the second switch Q2, and control the first switch unit and the second switch unit to be turned on when the first switch Q1 is turned on and the second switch Q2 is turned off, so that the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw can be transmitted to the first filter module and the signal processing module. For example, at this time, the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw received by the first filter module and the signal processing module can be as shown by Vs1 in the T1 time window in FIG. 9. The controller can also control the first switch unit and the second switch unit to be turned on when the first switch Q1 is turned off and the second switch Q2 is turned on, so that the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw can be transmitted to the first filter module and the signal processing module. For example, at this time, the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw received by the first filter module and the signal processing module can be as shown by Vs1 in the T2 time window in FIG. 9. In addition, the controller can also control the first switch unit and the second switch unit to be turned off when the first switch Q1 is turned off and the second switch Q2 is turned off, so that the first filter module and the signal processing module no longer receive the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw. For example, at this time, the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw can be as shown by Vs1 in the T3 time window in FIG. 9, and the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw received by the first filter module and the signal processing module only includes the T1 time window and the T2 time window, which can improve the accuracy of obtaining the first direct current and the second direct current.

[0106] In some possible embodiments, the phase circuit can further have a third switch between the first switch unit and the first filter module, and the drain electrode of the third switch can be connected to the first filter module and the source electrode of the third switch can be connected to the ground. When the phase circuit controls the first switch unit to be turned off through the controller, the controller can control the third switch to be turned on, so that the first filter module receives zero level as an input signal. The phase circuit can further have a fourth switch between the second switch unit and the signal processing module, and the drain electrode of the fourth switch can be connected to the signal processing module and the source electrode of the fourth switch can be connected to the ground. When the phase circuit controls the second switch unit to be turned off through the controller, the controller can control the fourth switch to be turned on, so that the signal processing module receives zero level as an input signal.

[0107] For the convenience of understanding, the working principle of the phase circuit provided by the embodiment of the present application is exemplified below in combination with FIG. 10 and FIG. 3. FIG. 10 is another structural schematic diagram of the phase circuit provided by the embodiment of the present application. The phase circuit 900 shown in FIG. 10 comprises a first switch tube Q1 and a second switch tube Q2 connected in series at a series connection point Vsw, and an output inductor Lo connected with the series connection point Vsw. The first switch tube Q1 can be connected with a voltage input end to receive an input voltage Vin, the second switch tube Q2 is connected with a ground end, and the output inductor Lo is connected with a load and an output capacitor Co to output a current to the load. The phase circuit 900 further comprises a first filter module, a signal processing module, a second filter module and a controller arranged to sample the size of the current flowing through the output inductor Lo. Meanwhile, the phase circuit 900 further comprises a first switch unit K1 and a second switch unit K2, the first switch unit K1 is arranged between the series connection point Vsw and the first filter module, and the second switch unit K2 is arranged between the series connection point Vsw and the signal processing module.

[0108] Specifically, the first filter module can comprise two first resistors R1 and two first capacitors C1, the two first resistors R1 can be connected in series between a first input end i1 of the controller and the above-mentioned first switch unit K1, and each first capacitor C1 is arranged between a corresponding first resistor R1 and a ground end. When the first switch tube Q1 or the second switch tube Q2 is turned on, the controller controls the first switch unit K1 to be turned on, and the first filter module can perform low-pass filtering on the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw to obtain a first direct current voltage. Exemplarily, the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw received by the first filter module can be as shown in FIG. 3 as Vs1, and the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw can be as shown in FIG. 9 as Vs1, the voltage signal obtained by the first filter module after performing first-order low-pass filtering on the input voltage signal can be as shown in FIG. 3 as Vs2, and the first direct current voltage obtained by the first filter module after performing second-order low-pass filtering on the input voltage signal can be as shown in FIG. 3 as Vs3.

[0109] The signal processing module includes a first inverter D1 and a second inverter D2 connected in series between the second switch unit K2 and the second filter module. When the first switch Q1 or the second switch Q2 is turned on, the controller controls the second switch unit K2 to be turned on, and the signal processing module can process the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw to obtain a voltage waveform signal. For example, the voltage signal output by the series connection point Vsw received by the signal processing module can be as shown in Fig. 3 as Vs1, and the voltage waveform signal output by the signal processing module can be as shown in Fig. 3 as Vp1. Further, the voltage waveform signal is transmitted to the second filter module for low-pass filtering to obtain a second direct current voltage. For example, after the second filter module performs first-order low-pass filtering on the input voltage waveform signal, the voltage signal obtained can be as shown in Fig. 3 as Vp2, and after the second filter module performs second-order low-pass filtering on the input voltage waveform signal, the second direct current voltage obtained can be as shown in Fig. 3 as Vp3.

[0110] After the controller obtains the first direct current voltage through the first input terminal i1 and the second direct current voltage through the second input terminal i2, the controller can determine the conduction voltage drop of the first switch Q1 and the second switch Q2 based on the first direct current voltage and the second direct current voltage, and then can obtain the average current flowing through the output inductor Lo based on the conduction voltage drop of the first switch Q1 and the second switch Q2, the equivalent impedance of the first switch Q1, the equivalent impedance of the second switch Q2, and the conduction duty cycle D of the first switch Q1.

[0111] In some possible embodiments, after the controller obtains the average current flowing through the output inductor Lo, the controller can determine whether the average current flowing through the output inductor Lo is too large or too small based on a preset current threshold, and when it is determined that the average current flowing through the output inductor Lo is too large or too small, the controller adjusts the conduction duty cycle of the first switch Q1 and the conduction duty cycle of the second switch Q2 by controlling the conduction time length of the first switch Q1 and the second switch Q2 in respective time periods, and then adjusts the current flowing through the output inductor Lo.

[0112] It can be understood that in the multi-phase voltage converter shown in Fig. 1, the controller of each phase circuit can adjust the conduction time length of the first switch Q1 and the second switch Q2 in respective time periods to adjust the conduction duty cycle of the first switch Q1 and the conduction duty cycle of the second switch Q2, and then adjust the current flowing through the output inductor Lo, so that the current flowing through the output inductor Lo in each phase circuit is equal, thereby ensuring that the current output is balanced. In addition, each phase circuit can also perform other functional operations after obtaining the current flowing through the output inductor Lo, and examples of the embodiments of the present application will not be illustrated one by one.

[0113] In some possible implementation manners, referring to FIG. 11, FIG. 11 is a sampling data diagram provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 11, in the multi-phase voltage converter provided by the embodiment of the present application, each phase circuit obtains the current flowing through the output inductor through the controller, and a lower sampling error can be achieved, that is, a higher sampling precision is achieved.

[0114] In some possible implementation manners, the embodiment of the present application further provides a switching power supply, which can specifically include a direct current power supply, an output capacitor, and the multi-phase voltage converter shown in FIGS. 1-10. The direct current power supply is connected to the voltage input end of the multi-phase voltage converter, and can provide an input voltage to the voltage input end of the multi-phase voltage converter. After receiving the input voltage provided by the direct current power supply, the multi-phase voltage converter can convert the input voltage and provide the converted voltage to the load through the voltage output end. In addition, the output capacitor connected in parallel with the load can filter the output voltage, so as to ensure stable power supply.

[0115] In general, in the multi-phase voltage converter provided by the embodiment of the present application, each phase circuit can filter the voltage signal output by the series connection point through the first filter module to obtain a first direct current voltage, and process the voltage signal output by the series connection point or the gate voltage of the first switch tube and the second switch tube through the signal processing module and then filter the processed voltage signal through the second filter module to obtain a second direct current voltage. Further, the phase circuit can determine the average current flowing through the output inductor based on the first direct current voltage, the second direct current voltage, and the electrical parameters of the switch tube through the controller. In the embodiment of the present application, each phase circuit of the multi-phase voltage converter does not need to obtain the average current flowing through the output inductor through an additional sampling resistor, which can reduce the power consumption caused by the sampling resistor, improve the energy utilization efficiency, and has a simple structure, is easy to implement, and has strong applicability. Further, each phase circuit can adjust the conduction duty cycle of the first switch tube and the conduction duty cycle of the second switch tube based on the average current flowing through the output inductor through the corresponding controller, so as to adjust the current flowing through each output inductor, so that the current output by each phase circuit is equal, and the power supply is balanced.

Claims

1. A multiphase voltage converter, characterized by The multi-phase voltage converter comprises a plurality of phase circuits, each of the phase circuits comprising a signal processing module, a first filter module, a second filter module, a controller, an output inductor, and a first switch tube and a second switch tube connected in series between a voltage input end and a ground end; one end of the output inductor is connected to a series connection point of the first switch tube and the second switch tube, the other end of the output inductor is connected to a load, the first filter module is arranged between the series connection point and a first input end of the controller, a first end of the signal processing module is connected to a gate of the first switch tube and a gate of the second switch tube respectively, or the first end of the signal processing module is connected to the series connection point, a second end of the signal processing module is connected to a second input end of the controller through the second filter module; The first filter module is configured to filter a voltage signal output by the series connection point and output a first direct current voltage to the controller. The signal processing module is configured to output a voltage waveform signal to the second filter module based on a gate voltage of the first switch tube and a gate voltage of the second switch tube or based on the voltage signal output by the series connection point, a first level and a second level in the voltage waveform signal appear alternately, the first level is obtained from a voltage input by the voltage input end, and the second level is zero. The second filter module is configured to filter the voltage waveform signal and output a second direct current voltage to the controller. The controller is configured to obtain an average current flowing through the output inductor based on a size of the first direct current voltage, a size of the second direct current voltage, and electrical parameters of a switch tube in the phase circuit.

2. The multi-phase voltage converter of claim 1, wherein, The electrical parameters of the switch tube in the phase circuit comprise an equivalent impedance of the first switch tube, an equivalent impedance of the second switch tube, and a conduction duty cycle of the first switch tube.

3. The multiphase voltage converter of claim 1, wherein, The first filter module comprises at least one first low-pass filter unit connected in series, the first low-pass filter unit comprises a first resistor and a first capacitor, a first end of the first resistor serves as an input end of the first low-pass filter unit, a second end of the first resistor serves as an output end of the first low-pass filter unit, one end of the first capacitor is connected to the second end of the first resistor, and the other end of the first capacitor is grounded. The input end of a first first low-pass filter unit connected in series in the at least one first low-pass filter unit serves as an input end of the first filter module and is connected to the series connection point, and the output end of a last first low-pass filter unit connected in series in the at least one first low-pass filter unit serves as an output end of the first filter module and is connected to the first input end of the controller.

4. The multi-phase voltage converter of claim 3, wherein, The first filter module further comprises a first operational amplifier, a second resistor and a third resistor, the negative input end of the first operational amplifier is grounded through the second resistor, the third resistor is arranged between the negative input end of the first operational amplifier and the output end of the first operational amplifier, the positive input end of the first operational amplifier is connected to the output end of the last first low-pass filter unit in series in the at least one first low-pass filter unit, and the output end of the first operational amplifier is connected to the first input end of the controller as the output end of the first filter module.

5. The multiphase voltage converter of claim 1, wherein, The first end of the signal processing module is connected to the series connection point, the signal processing module comprises at least one inverting unit, and the at least one inverting unit is connected in series between the series connection point and the second filter module, each inverting unit comprises a first inverter and a second inverter connected in series.

6. The multiphase voltage converter of claim 1, wherein, The first end of the signal processing module is connected to the gate of the first switch tube and the gate of the second switch tube respectively, the signal processing module comprises a third switch tube and a fourth switch tube connected in series between the voltage input end and the ground end, the gate of the third switch tube is connected to the gate of the first switch tube, the gate of the fourth switch tube is connected to the gate of the second switch tube, and the connection point of the third switch tube and the fourth switch tube is connected to the second filter module.

7. A multi-phase voltage converter according to claim 5 or 6, characterised in that, The second filter module comprises at least one second low-pass filter unit connected in series, the second low-pass filter unit comprises a fourth resistor and a second capacitor, the first end of the fourth resistor is connected to the input end of the second low-pass filter unit, the second end of the fourth resistor is connected to the output end of the second low-pass filter unit, one end of the second capacitor is connected to the second end of the fourth resistor, and the other end of the second capacitor is grounded. The input end of the first second low-pass filter unit connected in series in the at least one second low-pass filter unit is connected to the series connection point as the input end of the first filter module, and the output end of the last second low-pass filter unit connected in series in the at least one second low-pass filter unit is connected to the second input end of the controller as the output end of the first filter module.

8. The multi-phase voltage converter of claim 7, wherein, The second filter module further comprises a second operational amplifier, a fifth resistor and a sixth resistor, the negative input end of the second operational amplifier is grounded through the fifth resistor, the sixth resistor is arranged between the negative input end of the second operational amplifier and the output end of the second operational amplifier, the positive input end of the second operational amplifier is connected to the output end of the last second low-pass filter unit connected in series in the at least one second low-pass filter unit, and the output end of the second operational amplifier is connected to the second input end of the controller as the output end of the second filter module.

9. The multi-phase voltage converter of any of claims 1-8, wherein, Each of the phase circuits further comprises a first switch unit and a second switch unit, the first switch unit is arranged between the series connection point and the first filter module, the second switch unit is arranged between the series connection point and the signal processing module, or the second switch unit is arranged between the signal processing module and the second filter module, and the controller is further configured to: when the first switch tube or the second switch tube is turned on, control the first switch unit and the second switch unit to be turned on; when the first switch tube and the second switch tube are turned off, control the first switch unit and the second switch unit to be turned off.

10. The multi-phase voltage converter of any of claims 1-9, wherein, The controller is further configured to: based on the average current flowing through the output inductor, adjust the on-duty ratio of the first switch tube and the on-duty ratio of the second switch tube to adjust the current flowing through the output inductor.

11. A switching power supply, characterized by comprising: The switching power supply comprises a direct current power supply, an output capacitor and the multi-phase voltage converter according to any one of claims 1-9; the direct current power supply is connected to the voltage input end of the multi-phase voltage converter, the voltage output end of the multi-phase voltage converter is connected to the output capacitor, and the output capacitor is connected in parallel with the load; The direct current power supply is configured to provide an input voltage to the voltage input end of the multi-phase voltage converter; The multi-phase voltage converter is configured to convert the input voltage and provide the converted voltage to the load. The direct current power supply is configured to provide an input voltage to the voltage input end of the multi-phase voltage converter; The multi-phase voltage converter is configured to convert the input voltage and provide the converted voltage to the load.

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