Design of a Capacitor-Based MIMO DC-DC Converter and Its Optimal Control Method

A three-input three-output step-up DC-DC converter and its optimal control method are proposed in this paper. Unlike conventional converters, the proposed converter can achieve not only multiple outputs but also various output values by combining multiple input voltages, where an analog/digital-mixed circuit determines the optimal combination of inputs to alleviate energy loss caused by a voltage regulator. Through theoretical analysis and SPICE simulations, the validity of the proposed converter is confirmed. The derived theoretical formulas can provide the basic information for designing the MIMO converter, because the theoretical results corresponded well with the SPICE simulated results. Furthermore, SPICE simulations show that the proposed three-input three-output converter can offer various output values by choosing the optimal combination of inputs.