BURST MODE RESONANT POWER CONVERTER WITH HIGH CONVERSION EFFICIENCY

• US 20110085354A1
• Filed: 07/22/2010
• Published: 04/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acbel Polytech Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Acbel Polytech Incorporated
• Inventors: Wang, Yen-Lung, Lin, Wei-Liang
• Granted Patent: US 8,339,813 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 363/21.02
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0035 using burst mode control
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/007 Plural converter units in cascade push-pull DC/DC converters with pre-regulator H02M3/3374; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC stage including a high frequency transformer H02M7/4807; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC conversion stage generating periodically varying voltages H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/4225 using a non-isolated boost converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/01 Resonant DC/DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33507 with automatic control of the output voltage or current, e.g. flyback converters H02M3/33561, H02M3/33569 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33571 Half-bridge at primary side of an isolation transformer
• 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 burst mode resonant power converter with high conversion efficiency has a rectifier, a power factor correction circuit, a resonant circuit, a controller, and a burst mode triggering unit. The maximum frequency switching end of the controller is connected to a maximum frequency variable circuit. When the load is medium or heavy, the maximum frequency variable circuit increases the maximum switch frequency of the controller. When the load is in the no-load or the light conditions, it reduces the maximum switch frequency thereof. Therefore, the controller reduces the number of times that the resonant circuit switches the bridge switch circuit. The conduction cycle of the 50% pulse signal output to the bridge switch circuit becomes longer. Larger energy can be transmitted at a time to the secondary coil of the transformer. This increases the overall efficiency.

Claims

1. A burst mode resonant power converter with high conversion efficiency, comprising:

a rectifier receiving an AC power for converting the AC power to sinusoidal DC power and outputting the sinusoidal DC power;

a power factor correction (PFC) circuit detecting a voltage and a current of the sinusoidal DC power for adjusting a power factor thereof, and outputting DC power;

wherein the PFC circuit comprises an energy-storing inductor, a power switch, a power factor controller, and an energy-storing capacitor, one end of the energy-storing inductor connected to an output end of the rectifier and the other end of the energy-storing inductor connected to the power switch and the energy-storing capacitor;

a resonant circuit comprising a transformer, a resonant unit, a bridge switch circuit and an output capacitor;

wherein the transformer has a primary coil and a secondary coil, the resonant unit is connected between the bridge switch circuit and the primary coil, the output capacitor is connected to the secondary coil, the resonant unit is connected to the bridge switch circuit, and the bridge switch circuit comprises a high side switch and a low side switch connected in series;

a power factor controller comprising a reference voltage input end and an output end;

wherein the reference voltage input end is connected to the energy-storing capacitor via a first voltage divider, and the output end is connected to the power switch of the PFC circuit;

a resonant controller comprising multiple output ends, an output voltage feedback end, a maximum switch frequency setting end and a burst mode triggering end, wherein the output ends are connected to the power switch of the PFC circuit and the bridge switch circuit of the resonant circuit, and the output voltage feedback end is connected to the output capacitor of the resonant circuit via a photo coupler;

a maximum frequency variable circuit connected to the maximum switch frequency setting end and coupled to the transformer for detecting a magnitude of a transformer current, determining a load state, and providing a maximum switch frequency that is lower than the maximum switch frequency for medium or heavy load when the load is in a no-load condition or a light load condition; and

a burst mode trigging unit connected to the burst mode triggering end and the photo coupler and referring to a magnitude of a voltage output by the power converter to output a triggering signal to the burst mode trigging end when the load is in the no-load condition or the light load condition;

wherein the burst mode trigging unit further comprises a comparator and an electronic switch, the comparator has an inverting input end connected to the photo coupler, a non-inverting input end connected to a fixed reference voltage, and an output end connected to the electronic switch to determine on and off of the electronic switch, and the electronic switch is connected to the burst mode triggering end of the controller.

2. The burst mode resonant power converter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the maximum frequency variable circuit comprises:

a load state detecting unit coupled to the transformer to detect its resonant current and thereby determining the load state;

a first resistor connected to the maximum switch frequency setting end of the controller; and

a second resistor connected with a switch in series and then both being further connected with the first resistor in parallel, with a control end of the switch connected to the load state detecting unit.

3. The burst mode resonant power converter as claimed in claim 2, wherein the load detector comprises:

an auxiliary coil coupled to the primary coil of the transformer and connected to the filter capacitor via a diode to detect the resonant current and convert it to a corresponding voltage; and

a filter capacitor connected to the control end of the switch of the maximum frequency variable circuit.

4. The burst mode resonant power converter as claimed in claim 2, wherein the load state detecting unit comprises:

a second voltage divider having two resistors connected in series and connected to the primary coil of the transformer; and

a filter capacitor being connected in parallel with one of the resistors of the voltage divider, varying its voltage according to the current on the primary coil, the filter capacitor connected to the control end of the switch of the maximum frequency variable circuit.

5. The burst mode resonant power converter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first voltage divider comprises:

an upper resistor and a lower resistor connected in series, a node between the upper and the lower resistors is connected to the reference voltage end of the controller, and the upper resistor is connected to the energy-storing capacitor of the PFC circuit.

6. The burst mode resonant power converter as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first voltage divider comprises:

an upper resistor and a lower resistor connected in series, a node between the upper and the lower resistors is connected to the reference voltage end of the controller, and the upper resistor is connected to the energy-storing capacitor of the PFC circuit.

7. The burst mode resonant power converter as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first voltage divider comprises:

an upper resistor and a lower resistor connected in series, a node between the upper and the lower resistors is connected to the reference voltage end of the controller, and the upper resistor is connected to the energy-storing capacitor of the PFC circuit.

8. The burst mode resonant power converter as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first voltage divider comprises:

an upper resistor and a lower resistor connected in series, a node between the upper and the lower resistors is connected to the reference voltage end of the controller, and the upper resistor is connected to the energy-storing capacitor of the PFC circuit.

9. The burst mode resonant power converter as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first voltage divider is further connected with a resistor and a switch element, the resistor is connected to the electronic switch of the burst mode triggering unit via the switch, the switch element is connected in series with the resistor, connected to the first voltage divider, and coupled with the electronic switch of the burst mode triggering unit.

10. The burst mode resonant power converter as claimed in claim 6, wherein the first voltage divider is further connected with a resistor and a switch element, the resistor is connected to the electronic switch of the burst mode triggering unit via the switch, the switch element is connected in series with the resistor, connected to the first voltage divider, and coupled with the electronic switch of the burst mode triggering unit.

11. The burst mode resonant power converter as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first voltage divider is further connected with a resistor and a switch element, the resistor is connected to the electronic switch of the burst mode triggering unit via the switch, the switch element is connected in series with the resistor, connected to the first voltage divider, and coupled with the electronic switch of the burst mode triggering unit.

12. The burst mode resonant power converter as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first voltage divider is further connected with a resistor and a switch element, the resistor is connected to the electronic switch of the burst mode triggering unit via the switch, the switch element is connected in series with the resistor, connected to the first voltage divider, and coupled with the electronic switch of the burst mode triggering unit.

13. The burst mode resonant power converter as claimed in claim 11, wherein the switch element is a diode with its anode connecting to the resistor and its cathode connecting to the electronic switch of the burst mode triggering unit.

14. The burst mode resonant power converter as claimed in claim 12, wherein the switch element is a diode with its anode connecting to the resistor and its cathode connecting to the electronic switch of the burst mode triggering unit.

15. The burst mode resonant power converter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the secondary coil of the transformer is a center-tapped secondary coil.

16. The burst mode resonant power converter as claimed in claim 2, wherein the secondary coil of the transformer is a center-tapped secondary coil.

17. The burst mode resonant power converter as claimed in claim 3, wherein the secondary coil of the transformer is a center-tapped secondary coil.

18. The burst mode resonant power converter as claimed in claim 4, wherein the secondary coil of the transformer is a center-tapped secondary coil.

19. The burst mode resonant power converter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the power factor controller and the resonant controller are integrated as a combined controller.

20. The burst mode resonant power converter as claimed in claim 2, wherein the power factor controller and the resonant controller are integrated as a combined controller.