POWER CONTROL CIRCUIT

• US 20100066336A1
• Filed: 10/29/2007
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ROHM Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: ROHM Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Araki, Kyoichiro, Yamamoto, Isao, Nakahara, Hironori, Imanaka, Yoshinori
• Granted Patent: US 8,093,876 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 323/284
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/32 Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/156 with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators

Abstract

A control circuit 10 according to the present invention transits to a first current limiter mode when an output current of a DC-DC converter circuit reaches an upper limit current or greater in a normal mode; transits to the normal mode when the output current falls below the upper limit current in the first current limiter mode; transits to a second current limiter mode when a first predetermined period elapses without a transition to the normal mode in the first current limiter mode; and transits to the normal mode when a second predetermined period elapses in the second current limiter mode.

Claims

1. A control circuit that sends a control signal to a switch driver circuit that drives a CMOS switch serving as a component of a DC-DC converter circuit, wherein

the CMOS switch is configured of a PMOS transistor connected to a direct current power supply and an NMOS transistor connected to a ground, and

the control circuit is configured:

to transit to a first current limiter mode when an output current of the DC-DC converter circuit reaches an upper limit current or greater in a normal mode;

to transit to the normal mode when the output current falls below the upper limit current in the first current limiter mode;

to transit to a second current limiter mode when a first predetermined period elapses in the first current limiter mode without a transition to the normal mode;

to transit to the normal mode when a second predetermined period elapses in the second current limiter mode;

to send the control signal to the switch driver circuit when the control circuit transits to the first current limiter mode, the control signal instructing to put the PMOS transistor into an intermittent OFF state; and

to send the control signal to the switch driver circuit when the control circuit transits to the second current limiter mode, the control signal instructing to put the PMOS transistor into a continuous OFF state.

2. The control circuit according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit is further configured:

to transit to an overshoot mode when an output voltage of the DC-DC converter circuit increases at a predetermined or greater inclination in the first current limiter mode; and

to send the control signal to the switch driver circuit when the control circuit transits to the overshoot mode, the control signal instructing to alternately switch each of the PMOS transistor and the NMOS transistor between an ON state and an OFF state.

3. A control circuit that sends a control signal to a switch driver circuit that drives a CMOS switch serving as a component of a DC-DC converter circuit, wherein

the CMOS switch is configured of a PMOS transistor connected to a direct current power supply and an NMOS transistor connected to a ground, and

the control circuit is configured:

to transit to a first burst mode when an output voltage of the DC-DC converter circuit reaches a reference voltage or greater while the NMOS transistor is in an ON state in a normal mode;

to transit to a second burst mode when a third predetermined period elapses in the first burst mode without a transition to the normal mode;

to transit to the normal mode when a transition in an output of a hysteresis comparator to which the output voltage is inputted is detected in the first burst mode or the second burst mode;

to send the control signal to the switch driver circuit when the control circuit transits to the first burst mode, the control signal instructing to put each of the PMOS transistor and the NMOS transistor into a continuous OFF state; and

to send the control signal to the switch driver circuit when the control circuit transits to the second burst mode, the control signal instructing to put each of the PMOS transistor and the NMOS transistor into the continuous OFF state and to narrow a hysteresis width of the hysteresis comparator.

4. The control circuit according to claim 3, wherein the control circuit is further configured:

to transit to an overshoot mode when an output voltage of the DC-DC converter circuit increases at a predetermined or greater inclination in the first burst mode; and

to send the control signal to the switch driver circuit when the control circuit transits to the overshoot mode, the control signal instructing to alternately switch each of the PMOS transistor and the NMOS transistor between an ON state and an OFF state.

5. A control circuit that sends a control signal to a switch driver circuit that drives a CMOS switch serving as a component of a DC-DC converter circuit, wherein

the CMOS switch is configured of a PMOS transistor connected to a direct current power supply and an NMOS transistor connected to a ground, and

the control circuit is configured:

to transit to an overshoot mode when an output voltage of the DC-DC converter circuit increases at a predetermined or greater inclination in a normal mode;

to transit to a first current limiter mode when an output current of the DC-DC converter circuit reaches an upper limit current or greater after a fourth predetermined period elapses in the overshoot mode;

to transit to a first burst mode when the output voltage of the DC-DC converter circuit reaches a reference voltage or greater while the NMOS transistor is in an ON state after the fourth predetermined period elapses in the overshoot mode;

to transit to the normal mode when the control circuit does not transit to the first current limiter mode or the first burst mode after the fourth predetermined period elapses in the overshoot mode;

to send the control signal to the switch driver circuit when the control circuit transits to the overshoot mode, the control signal instructing to alternately switch each of the PMOS transistor and the NMOS transistor between an ON state and an OFF state;

to send the control signal to the switch driver circuit when the control circuit transits to the first current limiter mode, the control signal instructing to put the PMOS transistor into an intermittent OFF state; and

to send the control signal to the switch driver circuit when the control circuit transits to the first burst mode, the control signal instructing to put each of the PMOS transistor and the NMOS transistor into a continuous OFF state.

6. The control circuit according to claim 5, wherein the control circuit transits to the overshoot mode when an output voltage of the DC-DC converter circuit increases at a predetermined or greater inclination in the first burst mode.

7. The control circuit according to claim 5, wherein the control circuit transits to the overshoot mode when an output voltage of the DC-DC converter circuit increases at a predetermined or greater inclination in the first current limiter mode.

8. The control circuit according to claim 7, wherein the control circuit transits to the overshoot mode when the output voltage of the DC-DC converter circuit increases at a predetermined or greater inclination in the first burst mode.