Method and apparatus reducing overshoot in a power supply controller

• US 6,154,377 A
• Filed: 10/08/1999
• Issued: 11/28/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Power Integrations Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Power Integrations Incorporated
• Inventors: Balakrishnan, Balu, Djenguerian, Alex B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Riley, Shawn
• Application Number:
  US09/415,706
• Time in Patent Office: 417 Days
• Field of Search: 363/21, 363/49, 363/97, 363/131
• US Class Current: 363/21.01
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/36 Means for starting or stopping converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/335 using semiconductor devices only

Abstract

A power supply controller with reduced overshoot at the power supply output during start up. In one embodiment, a power supply controller for a switched mode power supply includes a drain terminal to be coupled to a primary winding of a power supply transformer, a source terminal to be coupled to ground and a control terminal. The control terminal is to be coupled to provide bias supply power to the power supply controller and receive a feedback current from the power supply output. The control terminal is also to be coupled to an external capacitor to provide power to the power supply controller during normal operation. The power supply controller includes a charging circuit and a logic circuit to maintain the voltage at the control terminal at a control terminal regulation voltage during start up.

Claims

1. A power supply controller, comprising:

a control terminal to supply power to the power supply controller, the control terminal coupled to receive a bias supply current and a feedback current from an output of a power supply;

a charging circuit coupled between the control terminal and a drain terminal, the charging circuit to maintain a control terminal regulation voltage at the control terminal during a start up condition of the power supply.

2. The power supply controller of claim 1 further comprising a logic circuit coupled to the charging circuit, the logic circuit to indicate to the charging circuit the start up condition of the power supply and if a voltage at the control terminal is less than the control terminal regulation voltage.

3. The power supply controller of claim 2 further comprising:

the drain terminal to be coupled to a primary winding of a transformer of the power supply;

a source terminal to be coupled to ground; and

a power switch coupled between the drain terminal and the source terminal, the power switch to control the output of the power supply, the power switch to be switched in response to the feedback current.

4. The power supply controller of claim 3 further comprising a control circuit coupled to the control terminal and the power switch, the control circuit to switch the power switch in response to the feedback current.

5. The power supply controller of claim 4 wherein the logic circuit is further coupled to control circuit, the logic circuit to indicate to the charging circuit the start up condition of the power supply, if the voltage at the control terminal is less than the control terminal regulation voltage and an off condition of the power switch.

6. The power supply controller of claim 4 wherein the control circuit is further coupled to receive a signal representative of a current through the power switch, the control circuit to switch the power switch in response to the signal representative of the current through the power switch.

7. The power supply controller of claim 2 further comprising:

a start up circuit coupled to the logic circuit, the start up circuit to indicate the start up condition of the power supply to the logic circuit; and

a regulator circuit coupled to the logic circuit and coupled between the control terminal and the control circuit, the regulator circuit to indicate if the voltage at the control terminal is less than the control terminal regulation voltage.

8. A method for controlling a power supply, comprising:

charging a control terminal to a control terminal regulation voltage of a power supply controller to start up the power supply;

charging an output of the power supply to an output regulation voltage after the control terminal is charged to the control terminal regulation voltage; and

maintaining the control terminal at the control terminal regulation voltage with a charging circuit coupled between the control terminal and a drain terminal as the output of the power supply is charged to the output regulation voltage during start up of the power supply.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein maintaining the control terminal at the control terminal regulation voltage comprises charging the control terminal with the charging circuit during a period of time when a voltage at the control terminal falls below the control terminal regulation voltage during start up of the power supply.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein charging the output of the power supply to the output regulation voltage comprises switching a power switch of the power supply controller, the power switch coupled to a primary winding of a transformer of the power supply.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein maintaining the control terminal at the control terminal regulation voltage comprises switching the charging of the control terminal to be charged with the charging circuit in alternating fashion with the power switch during a period of time when a voltage at the control terminal falls below the control terminal regulation voltage during start up of the power supply.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising supplying a feedback current from the output of the power supply to the control terminal and a bias supply current from a bias winding of the transformer to the control terminal to charge the control terminal after start up of the power supply.

13. A power supply controller, comprising:

a power switch coupled between a drain terminal and a source terminal, the drain terminal to be coupled to a primary winding of a transformer of a power supply, the source terminal to be coupled to ground;

a control circuit to switch the power switch in response to a feedback current received at a control terminal from an output of the power supply, the control terminal to supply power to the power supply controller, the control terminal to be charged by the feedback current and a bias supply current received from a bias winding of the transformer; and

a charging circuit coupled between the control terminal and the drain terminal, the charging circuit to charge the control terminal before the power switch is switched, the charging circuit to maintain a control terminal regulation voltage at the control terminal before the output of the power supply is charged to an output regulation voltage during start up of the power supply.

14. The power supply controller of claim 13 further comprising a logic circuit coupled to the charging circuit to charge the control terminal in response to the logic circuit.

15. The power supply controller of claim 14 further comprising a regulator circuit coupled to the control terminal, the logic circuit and the control circuit, the regulator circuit to indicate to the logic circuit when a voltage at the control terminal is less than the control terminal regulation voltage.

16. The power supply controller of claim 15 further comprising a start up circuit coupled to the logic circuit and the control circuit, the start up circuit to indicate to the logic circuit when the power supply is in start up.

17. The power supply controller of claim 16 wherein the logic is further coupled to the control circuit, the logic circuit to be switched in response to the control circuit in an alternating fashion with the power switch.

18. The power supply controller of claim 17 wherein the logic circuit comprises first, second and third switches coupled in series between the charging circuit and the source terminal, the first switch to be switched in response to the regulator circuit, the second switch to be switched in response to the control circuit and the third switch to be switched in response to start up circuit.

19. The power supply controller of claim 13 wherein the charging circuit comprises a current source coupled between the drain terminal and the control terminal, the current source to be activated in response to the logic circuit.

20. The power supply controller of claim 13 wherein the power switch comprises a power metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) coupled between the drain terminal and the source terminal, the power MOSFET to be switched in response to the control circuit.

21. The power supply controller of claim 15 wherein the regulator circuit comprises a shunt regulator coupled to the control terminal, the shunt regulator to extract an excess feedback current from the bias supply current from the control terminal, the excess feedback current coupled to be received by the control circuit, the power switch to be switched in response to the excess feedback current.

22. The power supply controller of claim 16 wherein the start up circuit comprises soft start circuitry coupled to the control circuit, the control circuit to switch the power supply circuit in response to the soft start circuitry.