| 摘要 |
A voltage converter circuit and method are provided. The circuit includes an input and an output, and has one or more stages that operate to increase the voltage between the input and the output. In one embodiment, each of these stages includes a first and second charging capacitor, and a transistor interposed between the first and second charging capacitors. In addition, a plurality of diodes are interconnected among the transistor and the first and second charging capacitors. The diodes are specifically configured to respond to a voltage applied to the input so that when a voltage is present at the input, the first and second charging capacitors are effectively connected in parallel across the input. However, when the voltage applied to the input is near zero, the diodes serve to effectively connect the first and second charging capacitors in series relationship through the transistor, so that the voltage across each of the first and second charging capacitors is added and applied to the output. The method includes the steps of providing a time-varying voltage to a circuit input, configuring a plurality of charging capacitors in parallel fashion across the input, when a voltage is present across the input, in order to charge the charging capacitors, and reconfiguring the plurality of charging capacitors in series relationship, in response to a change in the magnitude of the input voltage, to transfer the cumulative charge of the charging capacitors to an output.
|
