Switching power supply circuit

• US 6,317,337 B1
• Filed: 11/07/2000
• Issued: 11/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yasumura, Masayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Peter S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Laxton, Gary L.
• Application Number:
  US09/708,854
• Time in Patent Office: 371 Days
• Field of Search: 363/15, 363/16, 363/19, 363/21.04, 363/21.08, 363/97, 363/131
• US Class Current: 363/21.04
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/3385 with automatic control of output voltage or current H02M3/33561 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes

Abstract

A switching power supply circuit has an insulated converter transformer with a gap for a loose coupling. on the secondary side, a parallel resonant capacitor is connected parallel to a secondary winding, and a full-wave rectification circuit produces a secondary-side DC output voltage for increasing a maximum load power. On the primary side, an ordinary full-wave rectification circuit, rather than a voltage doubler rectifying circuit, inputs a rectified and smoothed voltage having a level corresponding to the level of an AC input voltage. A constant-voltage control circuit system for stabilizing a secondary output voltage varies a switching frequency depending on the level of the secondary output voltage to perform composite control over a resonant impedance of a primary parallel resonant circuit and a conduction angle of the switching element.

Claims

1. A switching power supply circuit comprising:

rectifying and smoothing means for being supplied with a commercial AC power supply, generating a rectified and smoothed voltage having a level nearly equal to the level of the commercial AC power supply, and outputting the generated rectified and smoothed voltage as a DC input voltage;

an insulated converter transformer having magnetical cores with a gap to provide a loose magnetical coupling coefficient, for transmitting a primary-side power to a secondary side;

switching means for turning on and off periodically said DC input voltage with a switching element and outputting a pulsating voltage to a primary winding of said insulated converter transformer;

a primary-side parallel resonant circuit comprising at least an inductance including a leakage inductance of the primary winding of said insulated converter transformer and a capacitance of a parallel resonant capacitor, for causing said switching means to operate in a voltage-resonant manner;

a secondary-side parallel resonant circuit including a secondary-side parallel resonant capacitor connected parallel to a secondary winding of said insulated converter transformer, said secondary-side parallel resonant circuit comprising an inductance of the secondary winding including a leakage inductance of said insulated converter transformer and the capacitance of said secondary-side parallel resonant capacitor;

DC output voltage generating means for being supplied with an alternating voltage induced across the secondary winding of said insulated converter transformer, and rectifying the alternating voltage by way of full-wave rectification to generate a secondary-side DC output voltage; and

voltage regulating means for varying a switching frequency of said switching element depending on the level of said secondary-side DC output voltage to effect composite control on a resonant impedance of said primary-side parallel resonant circuit and a conduction angle of said switching element thereby to perform constant-voltage control over a secondary-side output voltage.

2. A switching power supply circuit according to claim 1, comprising a series resonant circuit of at least a drive winding and a resonant capacitor which are connected in series with each other, and further comprising:

a self-excited oscillation drive circuit for driving said switching element in a self-excited manner based on a resonant output from said series resonant circuit;

said voltage regulating means having a crossed transformer as a saturable reactor including a detecting winding, said driving winding connected in series to the primary winding of said insulated converter transformer, and a control winding which are wound perpendicularly to said detecting and drive windings, the arrangement being such that a control current variable dependent on the secondary-side DC output voltage is supplied to said control winding to vary an inductance of said drive winding thereby to variably control the switching frequency.

3. A switching power supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein said switching means comprises an externally excited drive circuit for driving said switching element in an externally excited manner;

said constant-voltage control means comprising means for keeping a turning off period of said switching element constant and variably controlling a turning on period of said switching element depending on the level of said secondary-side DC output voltage for variably controlling said switching frequency.

4. A switching power supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein said switching means comprises a Darlington circuit providing bipolar transistors as one switching element.

5. A switching power supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein said switching means comprises a MOS field-effect transistor as said switching element.

6. A switching power supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein said switching means comprises an insulated-gate bipolar transistor as said switching element.

7. A switching power supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein said switching means comprises a static induction thyristor as said switching element.