CHARGING CIRCUIT FOR BOOTSTRAP CAPACITORS

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CHARGING CIRCUIT FOR BOOTSTRAP CAPACITORS

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18943756 titled 'CHARGING CIRCUIT FOR BOOTSTRAP CAPACITORS

Original Abstract Submitted

Power converter circuits and methods that include self-timed bootstrap capacitor power sources. Added to a power converter having a diode stack for charging bootstrap capacitors are three types of supplemental circuit blocks: a trigger block, a trigger-bypass block, and a bypass block. In operation, adjacent supplemental circuit blocks work in pairs. The upper block of the pair functions, when triggered, to charge an associated bootstrap capacitor by connecting the top plate of its associated bootstrap capacitor to the top plate of the bootstrap capacitor associated with the lower block of the pair, essentially bypassing the diode associated with the upper block. In addition, the lower block of the pair functions to initiate (trigger) the bypass function of the upper block. The bypass function of the upper block automatically terminates when the connected bootstrap capacitors are disconnected and their respective voltages “fly” apart, or is controllably terminated.