AVERAGE INDUCTOR CURRENT CONTROL USING VARIABLE REFERENCE VOLTAGE

• US 20130069609A1
• Filed: 12/13/2011
• Published: 03/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpha & Omega Semiconductor, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Yung-I Chang
• Inventors: CHANG, YUNG-I
• Granted Patent: US 8,884,600 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 323/282
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/46 wherein the variable actually regulated by the final control device is dc G05F1/625 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0025 Arrangements for modifying reference values, feedback values or error values in the control loop of a converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/156 with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators

Abstract

A variable reference voltage generation unit used in DC/DC converter includes a sample-hold valley inductor current unit electrically connected to a reference voltage generation unit. The sample-hold valley inductor current unit receives the valley inductor current and converts it into the valley voltage. The reference voltage generation unit receives and converts a current signal two times of a designated current into a voltage signal two times of a designated voltage. The voltage signal two times of reference voltage is then subtracted by the valley voltage to produce the new reference voltage to compare with an inductor voltage for controlling the switching of a switching transistor of the DC/DC convertor.

Claims

1. An average inductor current mode voltage control method for a DC/DC converter comprising the following steps:

receiving a current signal two times of a designated current and converting the current signal into a voltage signal two times of a designated voltage;

converting a valley inductor current produced by an inductor in the DC/DC converter into a valley voltage; and

subtracting the valley voltage from the voltage signal two times of the designated voltage to generate a reference voltage that controls the switching of a transistor switch in the DC/DC converter.

2. The average inductor current mode voltage control method of claim 1, further comprising a step of comparing the reference voltage to an inductor voltage produced by an inductor of the DC/DC converter yielding a compared result.

3. The average inductor current mode voltage control method of claim 2, wherein when the reference voltage and the inductor voltage are equal, the compared result is a cut-off signal that turns off the transistor switch.

4. The average inductor current mode voltage control method of claim 2, wherein when the reference voltage and the inductor voltage are not equal, the compared result is an on-state signal that keeps the transistor switch on.

5. The average inductor current mode voltage control method of claim 1, wherein the designated current is an average inductor current of the inductor in the DC/DC converter and the designated voltage is an average inductor voltage of the inductor.

6. The average inductor current mode voltage control method of claim 1, wherein the DC/DC converter is a constant off-time DC/DC converter.

7. The average inductor current mode voltage control method of claim 1, wherein the designated voltage, the valley voltage and the new reference voltage are generated from a variable reference voltage generation unit.

8. A variable reference voltage generation unit in a DC-DC converter comprising:

a sample-hold valley inductor current unit receiving a valley inductor current produced from an inductor and converting the valley inductor current into a valley voltage; and

a reference voltage generation unit, electrically connected to the sample-hold valley inductor current unit, receiving a current signal two times of a designated current and then converting the current signal two times of the designated current into a voltage signal two times of a designated voltage

wherein a reference voltage is generated by subtracting the valley voltage from the voltage signal two times of the designated voltage.

9. The variable reference voltage generation unit of claim 8, further comprising a comparator comparing the reference voltage with an inductor voltage produced by the inductor.

10. The variable reference voltage generation unit of claim 9, wherein when the reference voltage equals to the inductor voltage, the comparator provides a cut-off signal that turns off a transistor switch of the DC/DC converter.

11. The variable reference voltage generation unit of claim 9, wherein when the new reference voltage is not equal to the inductor voltage, the comparator provides an on-state signal that keeps a transistor switch of the DC/DC converter on.

12. The variable reference voltage generation unit of claim 8, wherein the designated current is an average inductor current of the inductor.

13. The variable reference voltage generation unit of claim 8, wherein the DC/DC converter is a constant off-time DC/DC converter.

14. The variable reference voltage generation unit of claim 8, wherein the sample-hold valley inductor current unit comprises a switch connected to an operational amplifier and a capacitor, and a transistor switch having a gate connected to an output end of the operational amplifier, a source connected to a resistor and a drain connected to the reference voltage generation unit respectively.

15. The variable reference voltage generation unit of claim 14, wherein the transistor switch is a thin film transistor (TFT).

16. The variable reference voltage generation unit of claim 8, wherein the reference voltage generation unit comprises an operational amplifier for receiving the current signal two times of the designated current, a transistor switch having a gate connected to an output end of the operational amplifier, a source connected to a first resistor and a drain connected to a current mirror, wherein the current mirror is connected to a second resistor and to the sample-hold valley inductor current unit at a joint between the current mirror and the second resistor, wherein a reference voltage is generated by subtracting the valley voltage generated from the sample-hold valley inductor current unit from the voltage signal two times of the designed voltage.

17. The variable reference voltage generation unit of claim 16, wherein the transistor switch is a thin film transistor (TFT).