Wide range single-phase/polyphase switching power supply

• US 5,668,705 A
• Filed: 11/30/1995
• Issued: 09/16/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Balch, Richard A., Ridley, Raymond B., Germer, Warren R., Elmore, David D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hecker, Stuart N.
• Application Number:
  US08/563,408
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• Field of Search: 363/21
• US Class Current: 363/21.16
• 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 7/2176 comprising a passive stage to generate a rectified sinusoidal voltage and a controlled switching element in series between such stage and the output

Abstract

A wide range single-phase/polyphase switching power supply is presented. The power supply comprises first and second full wave bridge circuits. The rectified outputs of the bridge circuits are connected to a preregulator circuit, i.e., a FET circuit, where the primary input voltage from bridge circuits is limited. The output of the preregulator circuit is presented to a filter circuit. A current mode controller circuit operates at a fixed frequency with a variable duty cycle. An output of the current mode controller circuit drives the gate of a switching FET, at the fixed frequency and variable duty cycle. The aforementioned filtered voltage signal and the drain of the switching FET are connected across a first winding on the primary side of a flyback transformer. A second winding on the primary side of the flyback transformer is connected across Vcc, the supply voltage of the current mode controller circuit. The winding on the secondary side of the flyback transformer is connected to a voltage and filter circuit. Feedback is provided by an opto-isolator from the output voltage back to the compensation input of the current mode controller circuit. A voltage reference V_REF is used in the feedback by an error correction amplifier to provide the feedback signal. The power supply of the present invention is particularly well suited for use with electronic electricity meters as such allows a common voltage reference for the power supply and the meter to be used. In a preferred embodiment, the second full wave bridge circuit is carried on a separate circuit board. The attachment of the second bridge circuit board on the main power supply circuit board converts the power supply from a single phase power supply to a polyphase power supply.

Claims

1. A power supply comprising:

a first bridge circuit receptive to a first phase of a source, said first bridge circuit for generating a rectified signal thereof;

a preregulator circuit for limiting the voltage of said rectified signal, said voltage being substantially over 300 volts, to provide a preregulated signal;

a controller circuit for generating a control signal having a frequency and a duty cycle;

a flyback transformer receptive to said preregulated signal;

a switching circuit for switching said preregulated signal through a first primary winding of said flyback transformer, in response to said control signal, to provide a voltage output signal at a secondary winding of said flyback transformer; and

a voltage feedback circuit comprising an opto-isolated feedback circuit, for providing a feedback signal indicative of said output signal to said controller circuit, said control signal being varied, in response to said feedback signal, to compensate for variations in said voltage output signal.

2. The power supply of claim 1 wherein said preregulator circuit comprises a field effect transistor.

3. The power supply of claim 1 wherein said controller circuit comprises a current mode controller circuit with said frequency being fixed and said duty cycle being varied.

4. The power supply of claim 1 wherein said switching circuit comprises a field effect transistor.

5. The power supply of claim 1 further comprising:

a transformer feedback circuit connecting a supply voltage of said controller circuit to a second primary winding of said flyback transformer.

6. The power supply of claim 1 further comprising:

a current sense circuit connected to said switching circuit and said controller circuit for sensing current flow of said preregulated signal through said first primary winding of said flyback transformer.

7. The power supply of claim 1 further comprising:

a battery circuit for providing a battery backup signal for said voltage output signal.

8. The power supply of claim 1 further comprising:

a second bridge circuit receptive to at least one of second and third phases of the source, said second bridge circuit for generating a rectified output thereof, said preregulator circuit for limiting the voltage of combined said rectified signals from said first and second bridge circuits to provide said preregulated signal.

9. The power supply of claim 8 further comprising:

a first circuit board having said first bridge circuit, said preregulator circuit, said controller circuit, said flyback transformer, said switching circuit and said voltage feedback circuit thereon; and

a second circuit board having said second bridge circuit thereon, said first and second circuit boards including connections for providing electrical interconnection between said first and second circuit boards, whereby said first and second circuit boards are electrically connected.

10. The power supply of claim 1 further comprising:

a first filter circuit for filtering said preregulated signal.

11. The power supply of claim 10 wherein said first filter circuit comprises:

a pair of series connected capacitors.

12. The power supply of claim 1 further comprising:

a bootstrap circuit connected to said controller circuit for startup thereof.

13. The power supply of claim 12 wherein said bootstrap circuit comprises:

a plurality of series connected resistors.

14. A power supply comprising:

a first circuit board having single phase power supply circuitry thereon; and

a second circuit board having circuitry thereon for converting said single phase power supply circuitry to polyphase power supply circuitry, said first and second circuit boards including connections for providing electrical interconnection between said first and second circuit boards, whereby said first and second circuit boards are electrically connected.

15. The power supply of claim 14 wherein said single phase power supply circuitry comprises:

a first bridge circuit receptive to a first phase of a source, said first bridge circuit for generating a rectified signal thereof;

a preregulator circuit for preregulating said rectified signal to provide a preregulated signal;

a controller circuit for generating a control signal having a frequency and a duty cycle;

a flyback transformer receptive to said preregulated signal;

a switching circuit for switching said preregulated signal through a first primary winding of said flyback transformer, in response to said control signal, to provide a voltage output signal at a secondary winding of said flyback transformer; and

a voltage feedback circuit for providing a feedback signal indicative of said output signal to said controller circuit, said control signal being varied in response to said feedback signal to compensate for variations in said voltage output signal.

16. The power supply of claim 15 wherein said circuitry for converting said single phase power supply circuitry to said polyphase power supply circuitry comprises:

a second bridge circuit receptive to at least one of second and third phases of the source, said second bridge circuit for generating a rectified output thereof, said preregulator circuit for preregulating combined said rectified signals from said first and second bridge circuits to provide said preregulated signal.

17. An electronic electricity meter comprising:

electronic electricity metering circuitry having a voltage and ground reference, said electronic electricity metering circuitry for measuring energy delivered to a connected load; and

a power supply receptive to the energy delivered, said power supply generating voltage signals to power said electronic electricity metering circuitry, said power supply utilizing said voltage and ground reference from said electronic electricity metering circuitry.

18. The electronic electricity meter of claim 17 wherein said electronic electricity metering circuitry includes a data acquisition platform defining said voltage and ground reference.

19. The electronic electricity meter of claim 17 wherein said power supply includes an error correction amplifier utilizing said voltage and ground reference from said electronic electricity metering circuitry.

20. The electronic electricity meter of claim 17 wherein said power supply comprises:

a first bridge circuit receptive to a first phase of the energy delivered, said first bridge circuit for generating a rectified signal thereof;

a preregnlator circuit for preregulating said rectified signal to provide a preregulated signal;

a controller circuit for generating a control signal having a frequency and a duty cycle;

a flyback transformer receptive to said preregulated signal;

a switching circuit for switching said preregulated signal through a first primary winding of said flyback transformer, in response to said control signal, to provide a voltage output signal at a secondary winding of said flyback transformer; and

a voltage feedback circuit for providing a feedback signal indicative of said output signal to said controller circuit, said control signal being varied in response to said feedback signal to compensate for variations in said voltage output signal.

21. The electronic electricity meter of claim 20 wherein said power supply further comprises:

a second bridge circuit receptive to at least one of second and third phases of the energy delivered, said second bridge circuit for generating a rectified output thereof, said preregulator circuit for limiting the voltage of combined said rectified signals from said first and second bridge circuits to provide said preregulated signal.

22. The electronic electricity meter of claim 21 wherein said power supply further comprises:

a first circuit board having said first bridge circuit, said preregulator circuit, said controller circuit, said flyback transformer, said switching circuit and said voltage feedback circuit thereon; and

a second circuit board having said second bridge circuit thereon, said first and second circuit boards including connections for providing electrical interconnection between said first and second circuit boards, whereby said first and second circuit boards are electrically connected.

23. A method for providing a voltage output signal, comprising the steps of:

rectifying a first phase of a source to provide a first rectified signal;

rectifying at least one of second and third phases of the source to provide a second rectified signal thereof;

limiting the voltage of said first and second rectified signal to provide a preregulated signal;

switching said preregulated signal through a first primary winding of a flyback transformer, in response to a control signal having a frequency and a duty cycle, to provide a voltage output signal at a secondary winding of said flyback transformer;

providing a feedback signal indicative of said voltage output signal to said controller circuit; and

varying said control signal in response to said feedback signal to compensate for variations in said voltage output signal.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said step of varying comprises varying said duty cycle of said control signal.