Arbitrary Voltage Waveform Generation via Cascaded Charge Pumps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing voltage generation units in electronic products are energy inefficient due to significant charge losses during charging and discharging, and they struggle to generate arbitrary voltage waveforms from a single supply voltage without additional power sources.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a power supply unit, charge pumps, and a control circuit that selectively configures switches to generate variable output voltages additively, allowing for the creation of arbitrary voltage waveforms by cascading charge pumps and managing energy storage elements to minimize energy loss during discharge.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If conventional charge pump circuits are used to generate high voltage, then voltage scaling is achieved by coupling capacitors in series, but significant charge losses occur during charging and discharging processes
Solution Approach 1:
The charge pump circuit is divided into multiple independent charge pump units, each capable of generating a portion of the total required voltage. These units can be selectively activated and independently controlled, allowing the system to generate high voltage through sequential or parallel operation of segments rather than requiring all capacitors to be charged and discharged simultaneously, thereby reducing overall charge losses.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a mechanism where charge from previously charged capacitors is recovered and reused during the voltage generation process. Instead of dumping charge to ground during discharge, the system recovers energy from capacitors that have completed their charging cycle and uses it to assist in charging other capacitors or to directly contribute to the output voltage, thereby minimizing energy loss.
2Adaptability or versatility
If capacitors are charged from zero to high voltage during each charging process, then arbitrary voltage waveforms can be generated, but the process requires significant time and energy
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple capacitors are pre-charged to different voltage levels in advance during idle periods or when load demand is low. The control circuit monitors the required output voltage and selectively activates only those pre-charged capacitors that are needed, rather than charging all capacitors from zero each time voltage is required. This preliminary charging action significantly reduces the time and energy required for voltage generation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts which charge pump units are activated and at what voltage levels based on real-time load requirements. The control circuit optimizes the combination of pre-charged capacitors to match the desired arbitrary voltage waveform, enabling flexible and efficient voltage generation without always requiring full charging cycles from zero to maximum voltage.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple charge pumps are used to generate variable output voltages, then arbitrary voltage waveforms can be created, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each charge pump unit is designed with identical circuit topology and components, making them universally interchangeable. The same basic circuit structure can generate different voltage contributions depending on which units are activated and how they are configured. This universality allows the system to achieve high voltage variability without proportionally increasing device complexity, as additional functionality is obtained by replicating and selectively combining identical modular units rather than designing increasingly complex single circuits.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces energy loss and enables efficient generation of arbitrary voltage waveforms, minimizing the time and energy required for regenerating high voltages while allowing for various voltage shapes and peak voltages without additional circuitry, thus enhancing energy efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
A power supply unit 305 provides a supply voltage to one or more charge pump circuits 310a, 310b... Each pump can generate a voltage
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical system for generating arbitrary voltage waveform includes a power supply unit for providing a supply voltage to the electrical system. One or more charge pumps are in electrical communication with the power supply unit. Each charge pump generates a voltage. The electrical system also includes a plurality of switches, a first switch among the plurality of switches coupled between a ground and an output terminal, other switches among the plurality of switches coupled between the one or more charge pumps and the output terminal. A control circuit is in electrical communication with the power supply unit, the plurality of switches and the one or more charge pumps, and is operable to control the voltage generated by the each charge pump and the plurality of switches. Voltages from the one or more charge pumps additively result in a variable output voltage that generates an arbitrary voltage waveform.