POWER CONVERTER AND METHOD FOR REGULATING LINE TRANSIENT RESPONSE OF THE POWER CONVERTER

• US 20150378378A1
• Filed: 03/19/2015
• Published: 12/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics International N.V. (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics Incorporated (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Zhang, Hai Bo, Zeng, Zi Yu, Huang, Jerry
• Granted Patent: US 9,811,101 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/56 using semiconductor devices in series with the load as final control devices G05F1/461 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0022 the disturbance parameters being input voltage fluctuations
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/156 with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/158 including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load

Abstract

A power converter includes an input and an output with an energy storage circuit and a power switching circuit coupled between the input and the output. A feedback circuit generates a feedback voltage which is differentially compared to a reference in an error amplifier circuit to generate an error amplification signal. A comparator circuit generates a control signal for controlling on/off of the power switching circuit based on a first comparison signal related to the error amplification signal and a second comparison signal related to a charging current of the energy storage circuit. A regulating circuit is coupled between an output of the error amplifier circuit and an input of the comparator circuit for receiving the first comparison signal, the regulating circuit is configured to couple a voltage compensation signal related to an input voltage received by the input to an output of the error amplifier, so as to reduce a variation amount of the error amplification signal when the input voltage varies.

Claims

1. A power converter, comprising:

an input;

an output;

an energy storage circuit;

a power switching circuit coupled between the input and the output;

a feedback circuit coupled between the output and a ground and configured to generate a feedback voltage;

an error amplifier circuit configured to generate an error amplification signal based on the feedback voltage;

a comparator circuit configured to generate a control signal for controlling turn on and turn off of the power switching circuit based on a first comparison signal related to the error amplification signal and a second comparison signal related to a charging current of the energy storage circuit; and

a regulating circuit coupled between an output of the error amplifier circuit and an input of the comparator circuit for receiving the first comparison signal, the regulating circuit is configured to couple a voltage compensation signal related to an input voltage received by the input to an output of the error amplifier, so as to reduce a variation amount of the error amplification signal when the input voltage varies.

2. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein the regulating circuit comprises a first circuit branch, a second circuit branch, a third circuit branch, and a fourth circuit branch, wherein:

the first circuit branch is configured to generate a first current based on the input voltage;

the second circuit branch is connected to the first circuit branch so as to couple the first current to the third circuit branch;

the third circuit branch is connected to the second circuit branch so as to generate the voltage compensation signal based on the first current; and

the fourth circuit branch is connected to the third branch so as to couple the voltage compensation signal to an output of the error amplifier,

wherein the first comparison signal is provided by a node between the second circuit branch and the third circuit branch.

3. The power converter according to claim 2, wherein the first circuit branch comprises a first resistor, a second resistor, a third resistor and a voltage follower, wherein:

the first resistor and the second resistor are connected in series between the input and the ground;

an input of the voltage follower is connected to a node between the first resistor and the second resistor; and

the third resistor is coupled between an output of the voltage follower and the ground to generate the first current.

4. The power converter according to claim 3, wherein the first circuit branch further comprises a first MOS transistor connected in series between the third resistor and the second branch, the gate of the first MOS transistor being connected to an output of the voltage follower.

5. The power converter according to claim 2, wherein the second circuit branch comprises a first current mirror and a second current mirror, wherein:

one side of the first current mirror is connected to the first circuit branch to receive the first current, the other side of the first current mirror is connected to one side of the second current mirror, and the other side of the second current mirror is connected to the third circuit branch to couple the first current to the third circuit branch.

6. The power converter according to claim 2, wherein the third circuit branch comprises a fourth resistor.

7. The power converter according to claim 2, wherein the fourth circuit branch comprises a second MOS transistor connected in series between a power supply voltage and the third circuit branch, and the gate of the second MOS transistor is connected to an output of the error amplifier circuit.

8. The power converter according to claim 2, wherein the regulating circuit further comprises a fifth circuit branch for providing a second current, wherein the fifth circuit branch is connected in series between the third circuit branch and the ground to couple the second current to the third circuit branch.

9. The power converter according to claim 8, wherein the fifth circuit branch comprises a current source and a third current mirror, wherein the current source is connected to one side of the third current mirror, and wherein the other side of the third current mirror is connected to the third circuit branch.

10. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein the feedback circuit comprises a fifth resistor and a sixth resistor connected in series between the output and the ground, the feedback voltage being provided by a node between the fifth resistor and the sixth resistor.

11. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein the power switching circuit comprises a plurality of power switching transistor, and the power converter further comprises a driver circuit, wherein the driver circuit is configured to receive the control signal and provide a corresponding control voltage for each of the power switching transistors in the power switching circuit.

12. The power converter according to claim 11, wherein the power switching circuit comprises a first power switching transistor and a second power switching transistor, the energy storage circuit and the first power switching transistor are connected in series between the input and the output, and the second power switching transistor and a seventh resistor are connected in series between the ground and a node between the energy storage circuit and the first power switching transistor.

13. The power converter according to claim 12, wherein the first power switching transistor and the second power switching transistor are MOS transistors of different conductive types.

14. The power converter according to claim 1, further comprising a slope compensation circuit for performing slope compensation on the second comparison signal.

15. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein the energy storage circuit comprises an inductor.

16. The power converter according to claim 1, further comprising a sensing circuit for generating the second comparison signal based on the charging current of the energy storage circuit.

17. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein the error amplifier comprises an operational amplifier, an eighth resistor, and a capacitor, wherein an negative input terminal of the operational amplifier receives the feedback voltage, an positive input terminal of the operational amplifier receives a reference voltage, an output terminal of the operational amplifier outputs the error amplification signal, the eight resistor and the capacitor are connected in series between the output terminal of the operational amplifier and the ground.

18. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein the comparator circuit is a PWM comparator circuit.

19. A method for regulating line transient response for a power converter, wherein the power converter comprises an input, an output, and an energy storage circuit and a power switching circuit coupled between the input and the output, the method comprising:

generating a feedback voltage based on an output voltage from the output;

generating an error amplification signal based on the feedback voltage;

generating a control signal for controlling on/off of the power switching circuit based on a first comparison signal related to the error amplification signal and a second comparison signal related to a charging current of the energy storage circuit; and

coupling a voltage compensation signal related to an input voltage received by the input to the error amplification signal, so as to reduce a variation amount of the error amplification signal when the input voltage varies.

20. A circuit, comprising:

an inductor coupled between an input node and an intermediate node;

a first switch coupled between the intermediate node and a reference node;

a second switch coupled between the intermediate node and an output node;

a first voltage sensor configured to sense voltage at the output node and generate a feedback voltage;

an amplifier configured to compare the feedback voltage to a reference voltage to generate a difference voltage;

a second voltage sensor configured to sense voltage at the input node and generate an adjustment voltage;

a summation circuit configured to subtract the adjustment voltage from the difference voltage to generate a compensating voltage;

a current sensor configured to sense current in the inductor and generate a sense signal;

a comparator circuit configured to compare the sense signal to the compensating voltage to generate a pulse width modulated control signal; and

a driver circuit operating in response to the pulse width modulated control signal to control on and off actuation of the first and second switches.