Samsung patents circuit to keep power converters efficient when idle
Samsung has filed a patent for a circuit that helps power management chips maintain voltage levels during brief pauses in operation. It uses extra capacitors and switches to prevent energy loss in the main components when the device is not actively drawing power.
In the filing’s own words
A fly-cap refresh circuit for a buck-boost converter is disclosed herein. The fly-cap refresh circuit includes a first fly capacitor, a second fly capacitor and a plurality of refresh switches. The first fly capacitor is connected to a buck capacitor of a buck converter of the buck-boost converter, and configured to prevent a discharge of the buck capacitor during one or more idle periods of a first switching node. The second fly capacitor is connected to a boost capacitor of a boost converter of the buck-boost converter, and configured to prevent a discharge of the boost capacitor during the one or more idle periods of the first switching node. The plurality of refresh switches are configured to activate based on an operational mode of the buck-boost converter to control enabling the fly-cap refresh circuit.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A fly-cap refresh circuit for a buck-boost converter, comprising: a first fly capacitor connected to a buck capacitor of a buck converter of the buck-boost converter, and configured to prevent a discharge of the buck capacitor during one or more idle periods of a first switching node; a second fly capacitor connected to a boost capacitor of a boost converter of the buck-boost converter, and configured to prevent a discharge of the boost capacitor during the one or more idle periods of the first switching node; and a plurality of refresh switches connected between at least one of the first fly capacitor and the buck capacitor, the second fly capacitor and the boost capacitor, the first fly capacitor and a ground node, and the second fly capacitor and the ground node, wherein the plurality of refresh switches are configured to activate based on an operational mode of the buck-boost converter to control enabling the fly-cap refresh circuit, and wherein the operational mode includes at least one of a Continuous Conduction Mode (CCM) or a Pulse Frequency Modulation (PFM) mode.
Facts
- Company
- Samsung (Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.)
- Official title
- FLY-CAP REFRESH CIRCUIT FOR BUCK-BOOST CONVERTER
- Publication number
- US20260291370A1
- Application number
- 19226538
- Filed
- Jun 3, 2025
- Published
- Sep 24, 2026
- Inventors
- 3
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
H02M 1/0095 Electricity & electronicsH02M 1/0019 Electricity & electronicsH02M 3/1582 Electricity & electronicsMore from Samsung in Chips & hardware
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.