DC/DC conversion apparatus

• US 10,193,465 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2016
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Original Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Inventors: Dai, Jiale, Cao, Yu, Wang, Kezhi
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhane, Adolf
• Assistant Examiner(s): Iliya, Bart
• Application Number:
  US15/279,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20170093286A1
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0032 Control circuits allowing low power mode operation, e.g. in standby mode
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0058 by employing soft switching techniques, i.e. commutation of transistors when applied voltage is zero or when current flow is zero using an auxiliary actively switched resonant commutation circuit connected to an intermediate DC voltage or between two push-pull branches of an inverter bridge H02M7/4811; in resonant inverters H02M7/4815; in inverters operating from a resonant DC source H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/32 Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/01 Resonant DC/DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33573 Full-bridge at primary side of an isolation transformer
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/338 in a self-oscillating arrangement H02M3/337 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes

Abstract

A DC/DC conversion apparatus includes a DC voltage source that outputs a DC power supply voltage, an oscillation circuit electrically connected to the DC voltage source, switch elements, a switch controller that connects or disconnects electrical connection between the DC voltage source and the oscillation circuit by switching turn-on and turn-off of the switch elements, and switches a direction of a voltage applied to the oscillation circuit between a first direction and a second direction, and a transformation circuit that outputs a current generated in the oscillation circuit and converts the current into a DC current. The switch controller disconnects the electrical connection between the oscillation circuit and the DC voltage source before the direction of the voltage applied to the oscillation circuit is switched from the first direction to the second direction, and connects the electrical connection between the oscillation circuit and the DC voltage source and switches the direction of the voltage applied to the oscillation circuit to the second direction after a current flowing through the oscillation circuit has been outputted to the transformation circuit.

Claims

1. A DC/DC conversion apparatus, comprising:

a DC voltage source that outputs a DC power supply voltage;

an oscillation circuit electrically connected to the DC voltage source;

a plurality of switch elements;

a switch controller that connects an electrical connection between the DC voltage source and the oscillation circuit and disconnects the electrical connection between the DC voltage source and the oscillation circuit during a time other than a dead-zone time, wherein the dead-zone time occurs when switching turn-on and turn-off of the plurality of switch elements, and switches a direction of a voltage applied to the oscillation circuit between a first direction and a second direction by switching turn-on and turn-off of the plurality of switch elements; and

a transformation circuit that outputs a current generated in the oscillation circuit and converts the current into a DC current;

wherein

the switch controller disconnects the electrical connection between the oscillation circuit and the DC voltage source before the direction of the voltage applied to the oscillation circuit is switched from the first direction to the second direction, and connects the electrical connection between the oscillation circuit and the DC voltage source and switches the direction of the voltage applied to the oscillation circuit to the second direction after a current flowing through the oscillation circuit has been outputted to the transformation circuit.

2. The DC/DC conversion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the switch controller connects the electrical connection between the oscillation circuit and the DC voltage source and switches the direction of the voltage applied to the oscillation circuit to the second direction, when the current flowing through the oscillation circuit has been outputted to the transformation circuit and then after passing through a specified latency.

3. The DC/DC conversion apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the switch controller disconnects the electrical connection between the oscillation circuit and the DC voltage source before the direction of the voltage applied to the oscillation circuit is switched from the second direction to the first direction, and connects the electrical connection between the oscillation circuit and the DC voltage source and switches the direction of the voltage applied to the oscillation circuit to the first direction after the current flowing through the oscillation circuit has been outputted to the transformation circuit.

4. The DC/DC conversion apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the switch controller connects the electrical connection between the oscillation circuit and the DC voltage source and switches the direction of the voltage applied to the oscillation circuit to the first direction, when the current flowing through the oscillation circuit has been outputted to the transformation circuit and then after passing through the specified latency.

5. The DC/DC conversion apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the switch controller connects the electrical connection between the oscillation circuit and the DC voltage source and switches the direction of the voltage applied to the oscillation circuit to the first direction before the current flowing through the oscillation circuit is outputted to the transformation circuit, such that a parasitic capacitance on a switch element being turned on when the direction of the voltage applied to the oscillation circuit is switched to the first direction is charged by a remaining portion of the current flowing through the oscillation circuit.

6. The DC/DC conversion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the switch controller connects the electrical connection between the oscillation circuit and the DC voltage source and switches the direction of the voltage applied to the oscillation circuit to the second direction before the current flowing through the oscillation circuit is outputted to the transformation circuit, such that a parasitic capacitance on a switch element being turned on when the direction of the voltage applied to the oscillation circuit is switched to the second direction is charged by a remaining portion of the current flowing through the oscillation circuit.

7. The DC/DC conversion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of switch elements include a first switch element, a second switch element, a third switch element, and a fourth switch element, in which:

a connection point between the first switch element and the third switch element is connected with a positive side of the DC voltage source;

a connection point between the second switch element and the fourth switch element is connected with a negative side of the DC voltage source;

a connection point between the first switch element and the second switch element is connected with one terminal of the oscillation circuit; and

a connection point between the third switch element and the fourth switch element is connected with the other terminal of the oscillation circuit.

8. The DC/DC conversion apparatus according to claim 7, wherein actions of turn-on or turn-off of the first switch element and the second switch element are opposite and actions of turn-on or turn-off of the third switch element and the fourth switch element are opposite within one cycle.

9. The DC/DC conversion apparatus according to claim 7, wherein time lengths of turn-on or turn-off of the first switch element and the third switch element are equal or substantially equal, time lengths of turn-on or turn-off of the second switch element and the fourth switch element are equal or substantially equal, and time lengths of turn-on of the second switch element and the fourth switch element are greater than time lengths of turn-on of the first switch element and the third switch element within one cycle.

10. The DC/DC conversion apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the first switch element is turned off and the second switch element is turned on when the first switch element and the fourth switch element are turned on and the second switch element and the third switch element are turned off, and the fourth switch element is turned off and the third switch element is turned on when the current flowing through the oscillation circuit is reduced to zero;

and

the third switch element is turned off and the fourth switch element is turned on when the second switch element and the third switch element are turned on and the first switch element and the fourth switch element are turned off, and the second switch element is turned off and the first switch element is turned on when the current flowing through the oscillation circuit is reduced to zero.

11. The DC/DC conversion apparatus according to claim 10, wherein an inductor is provided in the oscillation circuit and a first detector is provided on the inductor, the first detector detects a first current flowing through the inductor and the switch controller determines whether the first current is reduced to zero.

12. The DC/DC conversion apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the transformation circuit includes a transformer, a primary side of the transformer being connected in series with the oscillation circuit, and a parasitic capacitance is provided at the primary side of the transformer;

and

a second detector is provided on the primary side of the transformer, the second detector detects a second current flowing through the parasitic capacitance and the switch controller determines whether a difference between the first current and the second current is reduced to zero.

13. The DC/DC conversion apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the first switch element is turned off and the second switch element is turned on when the first switch element and the fourth switch element are turned on and the second switch element and the third switch element are turned off, and the fourth switch element is turned off and the third switch element is turned on when the current flowing through the oscillation circuit is reduced to greater than zero and less than or equal to a first threshold;

and

the third switch element is turned off and the fourth switch element is turned on when the second switch element and the third switch element are turned on and the first switch element and the fourth switch element are turned off, and the second switch element is turned off and the first switch element is turned on when the current flowing through the oscillation circuit is reduced to greater than zero and less than or equal to the first threshold.

14. The DC/DC conversion apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the first threshold refers to a current value that makes a turn-on voltage of the third switch element or the first switch element is equal or substantially equal to zero.

15. The DC/DC conversion apparatus according to claim 13, wherein an inductor is provided in the oscillation circuit and a first detector is provided on the inductor, the first detector detects a first current flowing through the inductor and the switch controller determines whether the first current is reduced to greater than zero and less than or equal to the first threshold.

16. The DC/DC conversion apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

the transformation circuit includes a transformer, a primary side of the transformer is connected in series with the oscillation circuit, and a parasitic capacitance is provided at the primary side of the transformer;

and

a second detector is provided on the primary side of the transformer, the second detector detects a second current flowing through the parasitic capacitance and the switch controller determines whether a difference between the first current and the second current is reduced to greater than zero or less than or equal to the first threshold.

17. The DC/DC conversion apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a transformer is included in the transformation circuit, synchronous rectification switches are connected at two terminals of a secondary side of the transformer, respectively;

and

the synchronous rectification switches are turned on respectively when the first switch element and the third switch element are turned on, and turned off respectively when the fourth switch element and the second switch element are turned off.