SWITCHING CONTROL CIRCUIT AND SWITCHING POWER SUPPLY DEVICE

• US 20110211376A1
• Filed: 02/28/2011
• Published: 09/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Original Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Inventors: HOSOTANI, Tatsuya
• Granted Patent: US 8,576,584 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 363/97
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0032 Control circuits allowing low power mode operation, e.g. in standby mode
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/32 Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33523 with galvanic isolation between input and output of both the power stage and the feedback loop
• 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 switching control IC outputs a rectangular wave signal from an output terminal thereof to a driving circuit. A feedback circuit compares a value of a divided voltage of a voltage across output terminals of a switching power supply device with a reference voltage, generates a feedback signal, and inputs the feedback signal into a feedback terminal of the switching control IC. A capacitor and a Zener diode are connected between the feedback terminal and a ground terminal. The Zener diode is selectively connected, and a voltage at the feedback terminal is changed in accordance with the presence of the Zener diode. A voltage at the feedback terminal is detected, and one of a latch method and a hiccup method is selected as a method for an overcurrent protection operation in accordance with the detected voltage.

Claims

1. A switching control circuit for use in a power conversion circuit in a switching power supply device and includes a semiconductor integrated circuit to control a switching element, the switching control circuit comprising:

a plurality of external terminals including a feedback signal input terminal arranged to receive a feedback signal that is generated by the power conversion circuit in response to an operation of the switching control circuit;

an output voltage stabilization control unit configured to control stabilization of an output voltage in accordance with a signal input into the feedback signal input terminal; and

a protected operation mode setting unit configured to detect a voltage induced by an external circuit that is connected to the feedback signal input terminal and that includes a resistor element or a semiconductor element, as a determination target signal, and to set one of a hiccup mode in which an oscillation period and a suspension period are repeated and a latch mode in which oscillation is stopped in accordance with the determination target signal in an overload state or an overvoltage output state.

2. The switching control circuit according to claim 1, wherein the determination target signal is a voltage signal whose voltage range is different from that of the feedback signal, and the protected operation mode setting unit sets one of the hiccup mode and the latch mode in accordance with a voltage of the determination target signal.

3. The switching control circuit according to claim 1, further comprising a constant current circuit, wherein the external circuit induces a voltage determined in accordance with a current from the constant current circuit.

4. The switching control circuit according to claim 1, wherein the determination target signal is detected while the power conversion circuit in the switching power supply device is in the overload state.

5. The switching control circuit according to claim 1, wherein the determination target signal is detected while an operation of the power conversion circuit in the switching power supply device is stopped.

6. The switching control circuit according to claim 1, wherein the determination target signal is detected immediately after the power conversion circuit in the switching power supply device has been started.

7. The switching control circuit according to claim 1, wherein a phototransistor in a photocoupler is connected to the feedback signal input terminal, and the photocoupler inputs the feedback signal.

8. The switching control circuit according to claim 7, wherein, in the overload state, the voltage of the determination target signal is increased with an increase in an impedance of the phototransistor, and the protected operation mode setting unit determines whether the voltage of the determination target signal is limited to a predetermined voltage by the resistor element or the semiconductor element connected to the feedback signal input terminal and sets the hiccup mode or the latch mode in accordance with a result of the determination.

9. The switching control circuit according to claim 1, wherein the protected operation mode setting unit determines that a current state is the overload state when a period in which the voltage of the determination target signal exceeds a predetermined voltage becomes longer than a predetermined determination period, detects the determination target signal after the predetermined determination period has elapsed, a voltage at the feedback signal input terminal has become approximately 0 V, a switching operation has been stopped, and then a predetermined timer period has elapsed, and sets one of the latch mode and the hiccup mode when the voltage of the determination target signal is higher than a reference voltage set in the switching control circuit and the other one of the latch mode and the hiccup mode when the voltage of the determination target signal is lower than the reference voltage.

10. The switching control circuit according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor element is a Zener diode.

11. The switching control circuit according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor element is a transistor.

12. The switching control circuit according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor element is an operational amplifier.

13. A switching power supply device in which the switching control circuit according to claim 1 is included in a power conversion circuit.