Power converter and magnetic structure thereof

• US 20070279022A1
• Filed: 05/08/2007
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Delta Electronics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Delta Electronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Chen, Wei, Lu, Zeng-Yi
• Application Number:
  US11/797,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20070279022A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 323/272
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0064 Magnetic structures combining different functions, e.g. storage, filtering or transformation
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/1584 with a plurality of power processing stages connected in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/1588 comprising at least one synchronous rectifier element H02M3/1582, H02M3/1584 take 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 power converter includes a power generating unit, a first transformer, a first switching unit, a second switching unit, a first inductor and a power outputting unit. The power generating unit generates a power signal. The first and second switching units are electrically connected to the power generating unit and respectively generate a first switching signal and a second switching signal according to the power signal. The first transformer is electrically connected to the first switching unit and the second switching unit and has a first winding and a second winding. The first and second switching signals are respectively inputted to first ends of the first and second windings. The first inductor is electrically connected to the second end of the first winding and a second end of the second winding. The power outputting unit is electrically connected to the first inductor and the second end of the second winding.

Claims

1. A power converter comprising:

a power generating unit for generating a power signal;

a first switching unit electrically connected to the power generating unit to generate a first switching signal according to the power signal;

a second switching unit electrically connected to the power generating unit to generate a second switching signal according to the power signal;

a first transformer electrically connected to the first switching unit and the second switching unit and having a first winding and a second winding, each of which has a first end and a second end, wherein the first switching signal is inputted to the first end of the first winding, and the second switching signal is inputted to the first end of the second winding;

a first inductor electrically connected to the second ends of the first winding and the second winding; and

a power outputting unit electrically connected to the first inductor and the second end of the second winding.

2. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein a phase difference between the first switching signal and the second switching signal is 180 degrees.

3. The power converter according to claim 1, further comprising a capacitor electrically connected to the power outputting unit, wherein the capacitor and the first inductor form a low pass filter.

4. The power converter according to claim 1, further comprising:

a third switching unit electrically connected to the power generating unit to generate a third switching signal according to the power signal; and

a second transformer electrically connected to the third switching unit and the first transformer and having a third winding and a fourth winding, each of which has a first end and a second end,

wherein the first end of the third winding is electrically connected to the second end of the second winding of the first transformer, the first end of the fourth winding is electrically connected to the third switching unit, and the third switching signal is inputted to the fourth winding.

5. The power converter according to claim 4, wherein the power outputting unit is electrically connected to the second end of the third winding and the second end of the fourth winding.

6. The power converter according to claim 4, wherein the first inductor is electrically connected to the second end of the third winding.

7. The power converter according to claim 4, further comprising a second inductor electrically connected to the first inductor and the second end of the third winding.

8. The power converter according to claim 7, wherein the power outputting unit is further electrically connected to the second inductor and the second end of the fourth winding of the second transformer.

9. The power converter according to claim 4, wherein phase differences between the first switching signal, the second switching signal and the third switching signal are 120 degrees.

10. The power converter according to claim 4, further comprising a third inductor electrically connected to the first inductor and the second end of the fourth winding.

11. The power converter according to claim 4, wherein:

the first switching unit has a first switching element and a second switching element, both of which are electrically connected to the first winding in parallel;

the second switching unit has a first switching element and a second switching element, both of which are electrically connected to the second winding in parallel; and

the third switching unit has a first switching element and a second switching element, both of which are electrically connected to the fourth winding in parallel.

12. The power converter according to claim 4, wherein the first switching unit, the second switching unit or the third switching unit is a bipolar transistor (BJT) or a field effect transistor (FET).

13. A magnetic structure of a power converter, comprising:

a first magnetic body;

a first coil wound around the first magnetic body; and

a second coil wound around the first magnetic body substantially in parallel with the first coil, wherein a portion of the second coil is disposed opposite to the first coil.

14. The magnetic structure according to claim 13, wherein the first magnetic body has a first groove, and the first coil is wound between one side of the first magnetic body and the first groove.

15. The magnetic structure according to claim 14, wherein the second coil is wound between the one side of the first magnetic body and around another side of the first magnetic body opposite to the one side of the first magnetic body.

16. The magnetic structure according to claim 14, further comprising a third coil, which is substantially parallel to the second coil and wound between the first groove and another side opposite to the one side.

17. The magnetic structure according to claim 14, wherein the first magnetic body further has a second groove, the second groove and the first groove are opposite to each other and are disposed alternately, and the second coil is wound between the second groove and the one side.

18. The magnetic structure according to claim 13, wherein the first magnetic body has a plurality of first grooves and a plurality of second grooves opposite to the first grooves, and the first grooves and the second grooves are disposed alternately.

19. The magnetic structure according to claim 18, wherein the first coil is wound between the two adjacent first grooves, the second coil is wound between the two adjacent second grooves, and the first coil and the second coil are disposed alternately.

20. The magnetic structure according to claim 13, wherein the first magnetic body has a U-shaped or I-shaped cross-sectional area substantially perpendicular to the first coil.

21. The magnetic structure according to claim 13, further comprising a second magnetic body for covering at least one portion of the first magnetic body, the first coil and the second coil.

22. The magnetic structure according to claim 13, wherein a distance between the first coil and the second coil exists.

23. The magnetic structure according to claim 13, further comprising a first annular core, wherein first annular core and the first coil wound around the first coil form a first inductor.

24. The magnetic structure according to claim 13, further comprising a second annular core, wherein the second annular core and the first coil and the second coil wound around the second annular core form a first transformer.

25. The magnetic structure according to claim 13, wherein a length of one side of the first magnetic body is greater than a sum of widths of the first coil and the second coil.