DC-DC converter capable of soft starting function by slowly raising reference voltage

• US 6,198,258 B1
• Filed: 04/25/2000
• Issued: 03/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ROHM Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: ROHM Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Ando, Hiroaki, Hoshino, Taichi, Adachi, Kengo
• Primary Examiner(s): Riley, Shawn
• Application Number:
  US09/557,985
• Time in Patent Office: 315 Days
• Field of Search: 323/222, 323/901, 323/283, 323/284, 323/288
• US Class Current: 323/222
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/36 Means for starting or stopping converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/156 with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 323/901 Starting circuits

Abstract

A DC-DC converter includes an oscillation circuit for oscillating at a predetermined frequency and generating a pulse with a predetermined pulse width, a reference voltage generating circuit for generating a reference voltage, means mounted in the reference voltage generating circuit for slowly rising the reference voltage, a switching circuit for chopping the current inputted from a DC primary electric power source in accordance with the pulse, and feedback control means for stopping/restarting the oscillation of the oscillation circuit on the basis of the voltage that the output of the switching circuit is smoothed and including the reference voltage with a detection voltage upon stopping control, so that the DC-DC converter having a soft starting function is provided with a simple structure and a compact size without utilizing a PWM circuit and a VCO.

Claims

1. A DC-DC converter comprising:

an oscillation circuit for oscillating a predetermined frequency and generating a pulse with a predetermined pulse width;

a reference voltage generating circuit for generating a reference voltage;

means mounted in said reference voltage generating circuit for slowly rising said reference voltage;

a switching circuit for chopping the current inputted from a DC primary electric power source in accordance with said pulse; and

feedback control means for stopping/restarting the oscillation of said oscillation circuit on the basis of the voltage that the output of said switching circuit is smoothed and further comprising said reference voltage with a detection voltage upon stopping control.

2. A DC-DC converter according to claim 1, wherein there is provided in said switching circuit an over current detection circuit for performing a detection as to whether the current of said switching circuit exceeds over a predetermined threshold value according to an over current or not.

3. A DC-DC converter according to claim 2, wherein stopping/restarting means is mounted between said oscillation circuit and said feedback control means &

said over current detection circuit, for stopping/restarting the oscillation of said oscillation circuit in accordance with the detection of said over current detection circuit in addition to the control of said feedback control means.

4. A DC-DC converter according to claim 3, wherein stopping/restarting means includes a logic circuit.

5. A DC-DC converter according to claim 1, wherein said switching circuit is composed of a transistor and a diode, and is controlled by the output from said oscillation circuit.

6. A DC-DC converter comprising:

an oscillation circuit for oscillating at a predetermined frequency and generating a pulse with a predetermined pulse width;

feedback control means for stopping/restarting the oscillation of the oscillation circuit by inputting a feedback control signal to the oscillation circuit; and

a switching circuit for chopping current inputted from a DC primary electric power source in accordance with the pulse from the oscillation circuit,

wherein the feedback control means includes a reference voltage generating circuit for generating a reference voltage and means for slowly raising the reference voltage connected between the reference voltage generating circuit and ground.

7. The DC-DC converter according to claim 6, wherein the oscillation circuit includes a condenser, a first constant current circuit for charging the condenser, a second constant current circuit for discharging the condenser, and a buffer with hysteresis.

8. The DC-DC converter according to claim 6, wherein the means for slowly raising the reference voltage includes a condenser.

9. The DC-DC converter according to claim 8, wherein the reference voltage generating circuit includes:

a band gap voltage source;

a first constant current circuit for discharging the condenser with a first current;

a second constant current circuit for charging the condenser with a second current;

a transistor connected between the first constant current circuit and the second constant current circuit; and

a difference amplifier circuit for driving the transistor in accordance with a difference between a voltage of the condenser and an output voltage of the band gap voltage source.

10. The DC-DC converter according to claim 9, wherein the second current is larger than the first current.

11. The DC-DC converter according to claim 9, wherein the reference voltage generating circuit further includes a voltage follower connected to the condenser.

12. The DC-DC converter according to claim 6, wherein the feedback control means further includes a resistive potential divider circuit including a series of resistors connected between an output of the switching circuit and ground for generating a detection voltage, and a comparing circuit for generating the feedback control signal by comparing the detection voltage and the reference voltage.

13. The DC-DC converter according to claim 12, wherein the oscillation of the oscillation circuit is stopped when the detection voltage exceeds the reference voltage.

14. The DC-DC converter according to claim 6, wherein the feedback control signal is generated on the basis of an output voltage that is an output of the switching circuit which is smoothed by a smoothing circuit attached to the DC-DC converter.

15. The DC-DC converter according to claim 6, further comprising an over current detection circuit including a resistor connected to a transistor in the switching circuit, a threshold voltage generating circuit for generating a threshold voltage, and a comparator for generating an over current detection signal by comparing an over current detection voltage generated due to the resistor connected to the transistor in the switching circuit and the threshold voltage.

16. The DC-DC converter according to claim 15, wherein the over current detection signal becomes effective when the detection voltage exceeds the threshold voltage.

17. The DC-DC converter according to claim 15, further comprising stopping/restarting means for receiving the feedback control signal and the over current detection signal as inputs and outputting a signal to the oscillation circuit.

18. The DC-DC converter according to claim 17, wherein the stopping/restarting means includes a logic circuit.

19. The DC-DC converter according to claim 17, wherein the stopping/restarting means stops the oscillation of the oscillation circuit when at least one of the feedback control signal and the over current detection signal becomes effective.

20. The DC-DC converter according to claim 15, wherein the feedback control means further includes a resistive potential divider circuit including a series of resistors connected between an output of the switching circuit and ground for generating a detection voltage, and a comparing circuit for generating the feedback control signal by comparing the detection voltage and the reference voltage.

21. A DC-DC converter comprising:

an oscillation circuit for oscillating at a predetermined frequency and generating a pulse with a predetermined pulse width;

feedback control means for stopping/restarting the oscillation of the oscillation circuit by inputting a feedback control signal to the oscillation circuit, including a reference voltage generating circuit for generating a reference voltage and means for slowly raising the reference voltage connected between the reference voltage generating circuit and ground; and

a switching circuit for chopping current inputted from a DC primary electric power source in accordance with the pulse from the oscillation circuit;

an over current detection circuit including a resistor connected to a transistor in the switching circuit, a threshold voltage generating circuit for generating a threshold voltage, and a comparator for generating an over current detection signal by comparing an over current detection voltage generated due to the resistor connected to the transistor and the threshold voltage; and

stopping/restarting means for receiving the feedback control signal and the over current detection signal as inputs and providing an output to the oscillation circuit.

22. The DC-DC converter according to claim 21, wherein the feedback control means further includes a resistive potential divider circuit including a series of resistors connected between an output of the switching circuit and ground for generating a detection voltage, and a comparing circuit for generating the feedback control signal by comparing the detection voltage and the reference voltage.

23. The DC-DC converter according to claim 21, wherein the reference voltage generating circuit includes:

a band gap voltage source;

a first constant current circuit for discharging the means for slowly rising the reference voltage with a first current;

a second constant current circuit for charging the means for slowly rising the reference voltage with a second current;

a transistor connected between the first constant current circuit and the second constant current circuit;

a difference amplifier circuit for driving the transistor connected between the first constant current circuit and the second constant current circuit in accordance with a difference between a voltage of the means for slowly rising the reference voltage and output voltage of the band gap voltage source.

24. A circuit comprising:

an electric power source for supplying an electric power;

a DC-DC converter having an input connected to the electric power source, and an output; and

a load connected to the output of the DC-DC converter;

wherein the DC-DC converter comprises;

an inductance element section connected to the input;

a switching circuit for chopping current inputted from the electric power source through the inductance element section in accordance with the pulse from the oscillation circuit;

an oscillation circuit for oscillating at a predetermined frequency and generating a pulse with a predetermined pulse width; and

feedback control means for stopping/restarting the oscillation of the oscillation circuit by inputting a feedback control signal to the oscillation circuit,

wherein the feedback control means includes a reference voltage generating circuit for generating a reference voltage and means for slowly raising the reference voltage connected between the reference voltage generating circuit and ground.

25. The circuit according to claim 24, wherein the DC-DC converter further comprises an over current detection circuit including a resistor connected to a transistor in the switching circuit, a threshold voltage generating circuit for generating a threshold voltage, and a comparator for generating an over current detection signal by comparing an over current detection voltage generated due to the resistor connected to the transistor in the switching circuit and the threshold voltage.

26. The circuit according to claim 25, wherein the DC-DC converter further comprises stopping/restarting means for receiving the feedback control signal and the over current detection signal as inputs and outputting a signal to the oscillation circuit.

27. The circuit according to claim 24, further comprising a smoothing circuit connected to the output in parallel with the load for stabilizing the output of the DC-DC converter.