Inductorless DC-to-DC converter with high power density

A new type of switching-mode power supply containing no inductors or transformers is proposed. The controlled transfer of energy from a unregulated DC source to a regulated output voltage is realized through a switched-capacitor (SC) circuit. A duty-cycle control is used; the driving signals of the transistors in the SC circuit are determined by the feedback circuit. The absence of magnetic devices makes possible the realization of power converters of small size, low weight and high power density, able to be manufactured in IC technology. High efficiency, small output voltage ripple and good regulation for large changes in the input voltage and/or load values are other positive features of the new type of DC-to-DC power converter. The input-to-output voltage conversion ratio is flexible; the same converter structure can provide a large range of constant desired values of the output voltage for a given input voltage, by predetermining the steady-state conversion ratio. The frequency response shows good stability of the designed converter. The experimental results obtained by using a prototype of a step-down SC-based DC-to-DC converter confirmed the theoretical expectations and the computer simulation results.