POWER CONVERTER CONTROLLER WITH ANALOG CONTROLLED VARIABLE CURRENT CIRCUIT

• US 20160134187A1
• Filed: 04/03/2015
• Published: 05/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Power Integrations Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Power Integrations Incorporated
• Inventors: Pregitzer, Ricardo Luis Janezic, Mao, Mingming, Pastore, Tiziano, Zhang, Michael Yue, Gaknoki, Yury
• Granted Patent: US 9,484,814 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0009 Devices or circuits for detecting current in a converter
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 39/044 continuously H05B39/042 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/3575 by means of dummy loads or bleeder circuits, e.g. for dimmers
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/3725 Switched mode power supply [SMPS]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/375 using buck topology
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/38 using boost topology
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/385 using flyback topology
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/00 Energy efficient lighting technologies, e.g. halogen lamps or gas discharge lamps

Abstract

A bleeder controller for controlling a magnitude of a variable current conducted by bleeder circuitry between input terminals of a device is disclosed. The magnitude of the variable current is controllable in response to a control signal. The bleeder controller includes a dimming detector to classify a half line cycle as leading-edge-dimmed or a trailing-edge-dimmed in response to at least one of an input current sense signal and an input voltage sense signal.

Claims

1. A bleeder controller for controlling a magnitude of a variable current conducted by bleeder circuitry between input terminals of a device, wherein the magnitude of the variable current is controllable in response to a control signal, the bleeder controller comprising:

a control signal output to be coupled to output the control signal to the bleeder circuitry;

an input current sense input to be coupled to receive an input current sense signal representative of a current input into the input terminals of the device;

an input voltage sense input to be coupled to receive an input voltage sense signal representative of a voltage across the input terminals of the device;

a dimming detector to classify, based on at least one of the input current sense signal and the input voltage sense signal, a present half line cycle to the device as a leading-edge-dimmed half line cycle; and

control signal circuitry to set the control signal that is output to the control signal output, the control signal circuitry comprising;

timer circuitry to define;

an initial time period after a leading edge of the leading-edge-dimmed half line cycle, and

a subsequent time period after the initial time period, wherein the initial time period and the subsequent time period are both within the leading-edge-dimmed half line cycle; and

one or more amplifiers to compare the input current sense signal with a first current threshold during the initial time period and with a second current threshold during the subsequent time period, wherein the second current threshold is lower than the first current threshold, and wherein the control signal circuitry sets the control signal in response to results of the comparisons to maintain the current input into the input terminals above the first current threshold during the initial time period and above the second current threshold during the subsequent time period.

2. The bleeder controller of claim 1, wherein the control signal circuitry is to enter a leading-edge-dimmed window in response to the classification, by the dimming detector, of the present half line cycle as leading-edge-dimmed.

3. The bleeder controller of claim 2, wherein, within the leading-edge-dimmed window, for input voltages greater than a voltage threshold and prior to a leading edge of each half line cycle, the control signal circuitry sets the control signal so that the current input into the input terminals remains above the first current threshold.

4. The bleeder controller of claim 3, wherein the leading-edge-dimmed window has a duration of a number N half line cycles, wherein the number N is 4 or more half line cycles.

5. The bleeder controller of claim 4, wherein the number N is 6 or more half line cycles.

6. The bleeder controller of claim 1, wherein the one or more amplifiers generate one or more control signals representative of a magnitude that the current input into the input terminals is below the respective of the first current threshold and the second current threshold.

7. The bleeder controller of claim 6, wherein the bleeder circuitry comprises a current amplifier, and wherein the one or more control signals are one or more currents.

8. The bleeder controller of claim 1, wherein the first current threshold is approximately three times the second current threshold.

9. A bleeder controller for controlling a magnitude of a variable current conducted by bleeder circuitry between input terminals of a device, wherein the magnitude of the variable current is controllable in response to a control signal, the bleeder controller comprising:

a control signal output to be coupled to output the control signal to the bleeder circuitry;

an input current sense input to be coupled to receive an input current sense signal representative of a current input into the input terminals of the device;

an input voltage sense input to be coupled to receive an input voltage sense signal representative of an input voltage across the input terminals of the device;

a dimming detector to classify, based on at least one of the input current sense signal and the input voltage sense signal, a half line cycle to the device as a trailing-edge-dimmed; and

control signal circuitry to set the control signal, the control signal circuitry including a latch to latch the bleeder controller in a trailing-edge-dimming mode in response to a classification, by the dimming detector, of a number N consecutive half line cycles as trailing-edge-dimmed, wherein, in the trailing-edge-dimming mode, for input voltages greater than a voltage threshold, the control signal circuitry sets the control signal to maintain the current input into the input terminals above a current threshold.

10. The bleeder controller of claim 9, wherein:

the device is to be coupled to a rectifier having an output, and

when in the trailing-edge-dimming mode for input voltages less than the voltage threshold, the control signal circuitry sets the control signal to conduct a current of a sufficient magnitude to discharge the output of the rectifier within each trailing-edge-dimmed half line cycle.

11. The bleeder controller of claim 10, wherein the latch is to reset only after the input voltage across the input terminals of the device falls to zero.

12. The bleeder controller of one of claim 10, wherein the number N is 4 or more.

13. The bleeder controller of claim 10, wherein the number N is 6 or more.

14. The bleeder controller of claim 9, wherein the control signal circuitry further comprises comparator circuitry to compare the input current sense signal with a reference that represents the current threshold and output the control signal, wherein the control signal is representative of a magnitude that the current input into the input terminals is below the current threshold.

15. The bleeder controller of claim 14, wherein the bleeder circuitry comprises a current amplifier, and wherein the control signal is a current.

16. A bleeder controller for controlling the magnitude of a variable current conducted by bleeder circuitry between input terminals of a device, wherein the magnitude of the variable current is controllable in response to a control signal, the bleeder controller comprising:

a control signal output to be coupled to output the control signal to the bleeder circuitry;

an input current sense input to be coupled to receive an input current sense signal representative of a current input into the input terminals of the device;

an input voltage sense input to be coupled to receive an input voltage sense signal representative of a voltage across the input terminals of the device;

a dimming detector to classify, based on at least one of the input current sense signal and the input voltage sense signal, half line cycles to the device as dimmed; and

control signal circuitry to set the control signal, the control signal circuitry to enter a dimming window in response to a classification, by the dimming detector, of a number K successive half line cycles as dimmed, wherein the dimming window has a duration of a number N half line cycles;

wherein, within the dimming window for input voltages greater than a voltage threshold, the control signal circuitry sets the control signal to maintain the current input into the input terminals above a current threshold.

17. The bleeder controller of claim 16, wherein the number K is at least four (4) and the number N is at least four (4).

18. The bleeder controller of claim 16, wherein the number K is at least six (6) and the number N is at least six (6).

19. The bleeder controller claim 16, wherein the control signal circuitry is further to extend the dimming window by a number P half line cycles in response to classification, by the dimming detector, a half line cycle within the dimming window as dimmed.

20. The bleeder controller of claim 19, wherein the number P is at least 2.

21. The bleeder controller of claim 20, wherein the number P is at least 4.

22. A device comprising:

a dimming detector to classify, based on at least one of an input current sense signal and an input voltage sense signal, a present half line cycle as one or more of;

a dimmed half line cycle,

a leading-edge-dimmed half line cycle, and

a trailing-edge-dimmed half line cycle.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein the dimming detector comprises:

a dimmed signal output to be coupled to output a dimmed-half-line-cycle signal indicative of classification of the present half line cycle as dimmed,

a leading-edge-dimmed signal output to output a leading-edge-dimmed-half-line-cycle signal indicative of classification of the present half line cycle as leading-edge-dimmed, and

a trailing-edge-dimmed signal output to output a trailing-edge-dimmed-half-line-cycle signal indicative of classification of the present half line cycle as trailing-edge-dimmed.