A 2.5–8V input range peak-current-control non-inverting buck-boost DC-DC converter with high efficiency and automatic mode transition for Ni-MH battery application

Abstract

Abstract In portable electronic devices, the output voltage of the Ni-MH cell battery gradually decreases with the extension of run time, eventually leading to an inability to provide the required operating voltage. As a result, this paper proposed a non-inverting buck-boost converter with automatic switching of operating modes to extend the run time of Ni-MH batteries connected in series, which is peak current controlled. By comparing the input and output voltages, the DC-DC converter is placed in either buck, boost, or buck-boost mode. Of the three modes, the buck-boost mode is designed to have the smallest operating range due to its lowest power conversion efficiency. The converter is characterised by a wide input range of 2.5–8 V, which exceeds the maximum voltage leading to oxide breakdown. In order to prevent the breakdown of the gate oxide layer, a capacitive coupling level shift circuit is proposed to control voltage between gate and source of the power transistor below 5 V. The proposed converter is manufactured using a 180 nm BCD process and occupies an effective chip area of 1.44 mm × 0.73 mm. Experimental results demonstrate that the maximum power conversion efficiency of the proposed buck-boost DC-DC converter is 93%, marking a significant 11% enhancement compared to the traditional buck-boost DC-DC converter operating in only buck-boost mode (84% efficient). In addition, the converter achieves a maximum output current of 500 mA, which improves the output maximum current by 67% compared to the traditional DC-DC converter (max. output current 300 mA).