Switched tank converter based partial power architecture for voltage regulation applications

Switched capacitor converters and their resonant alternatives (e.g., switched-tank converters) have been shown to provide high efficiency and high power density. One major problem of these converters is poor voltage regulation capability. This paper proposes a partial power architecture based on the switched-tank converters to realize the voltage regulation. This topology can provide high efficiency, high power density, and can be potentially used in applications with wide voltage and power ranges. A prototype of a 48-to-12 V 500 W converter was designed and built to demonstrate the advantages of this topology, achieving a peak efficiency of 98.4% and a power density of ~800 W/in3.

• Hardware and Architecture