Isolated phase shifted DC to DC converter with secondary side regulation and sense coil to reconstruct primary phase

• US 10,727,754 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2019
• Issued: 07/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Albertini, Pierluigi, Granato, Maurizio, Calabrese, Giacomo, Massolini, Roberto Giampiero, Mullenix, Joyce Marie, Frattini, Giovanni
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhang, Jue
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kyaw, Htet Z
• Application Number:
  US16/367,691
• Publication Number:
  US 20190229637A1
• Time in Patent Office: 488 Days
• Field of Search: 363 17
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0003 Details of control, feedback or regulation circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33584 Bidirectional converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33592 having a synchronous rectifier circuit or a synchronous freewheeling circuit at the secondary side of an isolation transformer
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/0807 concerning mainly a recovery circuit for the reference signal

Abstract

Disclosed examples include isolated dual active bridge (DAB) DC to DC converters with first and second bridge circuits, a transformer with a sense coil, and a secondary side control circuit to provide secondary side switching control signals to regulate an output voltage or current signal by controlling a phase shift angle between switching transitions of the secondary side switching control signals and switching transitions of a secondary side clock signal, where the secondary side control circuit includes a clock recovery circuit to synchronize the secondary side clock signal to transitions in a sense coil voltage signal of the sense coil.

Claims

1. An isolated dual active bridge DC to DC converter, comprising:

a transformer, including a primary winding, a secondary winding, and a sense coil;

a first bridge circuit, including a first bridge circuit input to receive an input signal, a first bridge circuit output coupled with the primary winding, and a plurality of primary switches individually coupled between the first bridge circuit input and the first bridge circuit output, the primary switches operative according to primary side switching control signals to provide a primary voltage signal to the first bridge circuit output;

a second bridge circuit, including a second bridge circuit input coupled to receive a secondary voltage signal from the secondary winding, a second bridge circuit output, and a plurality of secondary switches individually coupled between the second bridge circuit input and the second bridge circuit output, the secondary switches operative according to secondary side switching control signals to provide an output voltage or current signal at the second bridge circuit output;

a primary side control circuit configured to provide the primary side switching control signals according to a primary side clock signal; and

a secondary side control circuit including a clock recovery circuit, a delay locked loop (DLL) circuit and an analog front end circuit, the analog front end circuit including an input coupled to the sense coil to receive a sense coil voltage signal, a level shifting circuit, a filter circuit, and an output to provide a level shifted voltage signal according to the sense coil voltage signal, and the secondary side control circuit being configured to provide the secondary side switching control signals to regulate the output voltage or current signal by controlling a phase shift angle between switching transitions of the secondary side switching control signals and switching transitions of a secondary side clock signal;

the clock recovery circuit including an input connected to the output of the analog front end circuit to receive the level shifted voltage signal, and an output to provide a recovered clock signal including transitions corresponding to the transitions in the sense coil voltage signal, and the clock recovery circuit being configured to synchronize the secondary side clock signal to transitions in the sense coil voltage signal of the sense coil; and

the delay locked loop (DLL) circuit including;

a first input connected to the output of the clock recovery circuit to receive the recovered clock signal;

a second input connected to receive the secondary side clock signal; and

a DLL output to provide the secondary side clock signal having transitions corresponding to transitions in the recovered clock signal.

2. The DC to DC converter of claim 1, wherein the clock recovery circuit includes:

a sense amplifier, including an input that is AC coupled to the output of the analog front end circuit to receive the level shifted voltage signal, and an output to provide a sense amp output voltage signal; and

a deglitch circuit, including an input connected to the output of the sense amplifier to receive the level shifted voltage signal, and an output to provide the recovered clock signal with a transition corresponding to a first rising or falling edge of the sense coil voltage signal according to the level shifted voltage signal.

3. The DC to DC converter of claim 2, wherein the secondary side control circuit controls the switching transitions of the secondary side switching control signals to lag the switching transitions of a secondary side clock signal by the phase shift angle in a range between −

90 degrees and +90 degrees in each of a plurality of secondary side switching cycles.

4. The DC to DC converter of claim 3,

wherein the sense coil voltage signal has a waveform including the first rising edge transitioning from a maximum negative voltage level toward zero volts, a second rising edge extending to a maximum positive voltage level, a first falling edge extending from the maximum positive voltage level toward zero volts, and a second falling edge extending to the maximum negative voltage level;

and

wherein the deglitch circuit provides the recovered clock signal with a rising edge transition corresponding to the first rising edge of the sense coil voltage signal according to the level shifted voltage signal.

5. The DC to DC converter of claim 3,

wherein the first bridge circuit is a full bridge circuit, including four primary switches individually coupled between the first bridge circuit input and the first bridge circuit output;

and

wherein the second bridge circuit is a full bridge circuit, including four secondary switches individually coupled between the second bridge circuit input and the second bridge circuit output.

6. The DC to DC converter of claim 3, wherein the secondary side control circuit includes:

a delay circuit, including a first input to receive the secondary side clock signal, a second input to receive a control output signal to set the phase shift angle, and an output to provide a delay clock signal including transitions delayed by the phase shift angle from the switching transitions of the secondary side clock signal;

a secondary side driver circuit, including an input coupled with the output of the delay circuit to receive the delay clock signal, and a plurality of outputs to provide the secondary side switching control signals having switching transitions corresponding to the transitions of the delay clock signal; and

an output control circuit, including an output coupled with the second input of the delay circuit to provide the control output signal to set the phase shift angle according to the output voltage or current signal and a setpoint signal.

7. The DC to DC converter of claim 2, wherein the secondary side control circuit includes:

a delay circuit, including a first input to receive the secondary side clock signal, a second input to receive a control output signal to set the phase shift angle, and an output to provide a delay clock signal including transitions delayed by the phase shift angle from the switching transitions of the secondary side clock signal;

a secondary side driver circuit, including an input coupled with the output of the delay circuit to receive the delay clock signal, and a plurality of outputs to provide the secondary side switching control signals having switching transitions corresponding to the transitions of the delay clock signal; and

an output control circuit, including an output coupled with the second input of the delay circuit to provide the control output signal to set the phase shift angle according to the output voltage or current signal and a setpoint signal.

8. The DC to DC converter of claim 1, wherein the primary side control circuit includes:

a primary side driver circuit, including a plurality of outputs to provide the primary side switching control signals; and

a primary side timing circuit to provide the primary side clock signal to the primary side driver circuit to control timing of the primary side switching control signals.

9. An isolated dual active bridge DC to DC converter, comprising:

a transformer, including a primary winding, a secondary winding, and a sense coil;

a first bridge circuit, including a first bridge circuit input to receive an input signal, a first bridge circuit output coupled with the primary winding, and a plurality of primary switches individually coupled between the first bridge circuit input and the first bridge circuit output, the primary switches operative according to primary side switching control signals to provide a primary voltage signal to the first bridge circuit output;

a second bridge circuit, including a second bridge circuit input coupled to receive a secondary voltage signal from the secondary winding, a second bridge circuit output, and a plurality of secondary switches individually coupled between the second bridge circuit input and the second bridge circuit output, the secondary switches operative according to secondary side switching control signals to provide an output voltage or current signal at the second bridge circuit output;

a primary side control circuit configured to provide the primary side switching control signals according to a primary side clock signal; and

a secondary side control circuit configured to;

provide the secondary side switching control signals to regulate the output voltage or current signal by controlling a phase shift angle between switching transitions of the secondary side switching control signals and switching transitions of a secondary side clock signal; and

control the switching transitions of the secondary side switching control signals to lag the switching transitions of the secondary side clock signal by the phase shift angle in a range between −

90 degrees and +90 degrees in each of a plurality of secondary side switching cycles;

a sense coil voltage signal of the sense coil having a waveform including a first rising edge transitioning from a maximum negative voltage level toward zero volts, a second rising edge extending to a maximum positive voltage level, a first falling edge extending from the maximum positive voltage level toward zero volts, and a second falling edge extending to the maximum negative voltage level; and

the secondary side control circuit including a clock recovery circuit configured to synchronize the secondary side clock signal to;

transitions in the sense coil voltage signal; and

the first rising edge of the sense coil voltage signal according to the level shifted voltage signal.

10. The DC to DC converter of claim 9,

wherein the first bridge circuit is a full bridge circuit, including four primary switches individually coupled between the first bridge circuit input and the first bridge circuit output;

and

wherein the second bridge circuit is a full bridge circuit, including four secondary switches individually coupled between the second bridge circuit input and the second bridge circuit output.

11. The DC to DC converter of claim 9, wherein the secondary side control circuit includes:

a delay circuit, including a first input to receive the secondary side clock signal, a second input to receive a control output signal to set the phase shift angle, and an output to provide a delay clock signal including transitions delayed by the phase shift angle from the switching transitions of the secondary side clock signal;

a secondary side driver circuit, including an input coupled with the output of the delay circuit to receive the delay clock signal, and a plurality of outputs to provide the secondary side switching control signals having switching transitions corresponding to the transitions of the delay clock signal; and

an output control circuit, including an output coupled with the second input of the delay circuit to provide the control output signal to set the phase shift angle according to the output voltage or current signal and a setpoint signal.

12. A control circuit to regulate an output voltage or current signal of an isolated dual active bridge DC to DC converter having first and second bridge circuits and a transformer, the control circuit comprising:

a clock circuit to provide a secondary side clock signal;

a delay circuit, including a first input to receive the secondary side clock signal, a second input to receive a control output signal to set a phase shift angle, and an output to provide a delay clock signal including transitions delayed by the phase shift angle from switching transitions of the secondary side clock signal;

a secondary side driver circuit, including an input coupled with the output of the delay circuit to receive the delay clock signal, and a plurality of outputs to provide secondary side switching control signals having switching transitions corresponding to the transitions of the delay clock signal to operate switches of the second bridge circuit to generate the output voltage or current signal;

an output control circuit, including an output coupled with the second input of the delay circuit to provide the control output signal to set the phase shift angle according to the output voltage or current signal and a setpoint signal;

a clock recovery circuit configured to synchronize the secondary side clock signal to transitions in a sense coil voltage signal of a sense coil of the transformer; and

an analog front end circuit, including an input coupled to the sense coil to receive the sense coil voltage signal, a level shifting circuit, a filter circuit, and an output to provide a level shifted voltage signal according to the sense coil voltage signal;

the clock recovery circuit including an input connected to the output of the analog front end circuit to receive the level shifted voltage signal, and an output to provide a recovered clock signal including transitions corresponding to the transitions in the sense coil voltage signal; and

the clock circuit including a delay locked loop (DLL) circuit, including;

a first input connected to the output of the clock recovery circuit to receive the recovered clock signal;

a second input connected to receive the secondary side clock signal; and

a DLL output to provide the secondary side clock signal having transitions corresponding to transitions in the recovered clock signal.

13. The control circuit of claim 12, wherein the clock recovery circuit includes:

a sense amplifier, including an input that is AC coupled to the output of the analog front end circuit to receive the level shifted voltage signal, and an output to provide a sense amp output voltage signal; and

a deglitch circuit, including an input connected to the output of the sense amplifier to receive the level shifted voltage signal, and an output to provide the recovered clock signal with a transition corresponding to a first rising or falling edge of the sense coil voltage signal according to the level shifted voltage signal.

14. A control circuit to regulate an output voltage or current signal of an isolated dual active bridge DC to DC converter having first and second bridge circuits and a transformer, the control circuit comprising:

a clock circuit to provide a secondary side clock signal;

a delay circuit, including a first input to receive the secondary side clock signal, a second input to receive a control output signal to set a phase shift angle, and an output to provide a delay clock signal including transitions delayed by the phase shift angle from switching transitions of the secondary side clock signal;

a secondary side driver circuit, including an input coupled with the output of the delay circuit to receive the delay clock signal, and a plurality of outputs to provide secondary side switching control signals having switching transitions corresponding to the transitions of the delay clock signal to operate switches of the second bridge circuit to generate the output voltage or current signal, the secondary side driver circuit being configured to control the switching transitions of the secondary side switching control signals to lag the switching transitions of the secondary side clock signal by the phase shift angle in a range between −

90 degrees and +90 degrees in each of a plurality of secondary side switching cycles;

an output control circuit, including an output coupled with the second input of the delay circuit to provide the control output signal to set the phase shift angle according to the output voltage or current signal and a setpoint signal; and

a sense coil voltage signal of a sense coil of the transformer having a waveform including a first rising edge transitioning from a maximum negative voltage level toward zero volts, a second rising edge extending to a maximum positive voltage level, a first falling edge extending from the maximum positive voltage level toward zero volts, and a second falling edge extending to the maximum negative voltage level; and

a clock recovery circuit configured to synchronize the secondary side clock signal to;

transitions in the sense coil voltage signal; and

the first rising edge of the sense coil voltage signal according to the level shifted voltage signal.