Switching power supply circuit

• US 6,587,358 B1
• Filed: 05/21/2002
• Issued: 07/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2000
• 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): BERHANE, ADOLF D
• Application Number:
  US10/030,840
• Time in Patent Office: 406 Days
• Field of Search: 363/16, 363/19, 363/21.01, 363/21.02, 363/21.03, 363/97, 363/131
• US Class Current: 363/21.02
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33523 with galvanic isolation between input and output of both the power stage and the feedback loop
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/3385 with automatic control of output voltage or current H02M3/33561 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/4818 with means for adaptation of resonance frequency, e.g. by modification of capacitance or inductance of resonance circuits
• 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, which is small, lightweight, and highly efficient in power conversion, includes an insulating converter transformer, which is formed by a core with no gap and a primary and secondary winding wound on the core such that the mutual inductance between the windings exhibits an additive mode. A half-wave rectifier circuit is provided on the secondary side of the circuit and performs a rectification operation in the additive mode to obtain a secondary side DC output voltage. In a constant voltage control circuit system for stabilizing the secondary side output voltage, the switching frequency of a switching element is varied in response to the secondary side output voltage level to control the resonance impedance of a primary side parallel resonance circuit and the continuity angle of the switching element compositely.

Claims

1. A switching power supply circuit, comprising:

a smoothing rectifier for receiving an AC power supply, producing and outputting rectified smoothed DC input voltage having a level equal to that of the AC power supply;

an insulating converter transformer having a gapless core for obtaining a predetermined coupling efficiency and a primary winding and a secondary winding wound on said core with polarities such that an additive operation mode is provided;

a switching circuit for switching the DC input voltage on and off and outputting the switched voltage to said primary winding of said insulating converter transformer, thereby creating an alternating voltage at said secondary winding of said insulating converter transformer;

a primary side parallel resonance circuit formed from a leakage inductance component of said primary winding of said insulating converter transformer and a capacitance of a parallel resonance capacitor for operating said switching circuit in a voltage resonance type operation;

a DC output voltage circuit for receiving the alternating voltage at said secondary winding of said insulating converter transformer and performing a half-wave rectification on the alternating voltage to produce a secondary side DC output voltage having a level substantially equal to that of the rectified smoothed DC input voltage; and

a constant voltage control circuit for varying a switching frequency of said switching circuit in response to a level of the secondary side DC output voltage to control a resonance impedance of said primary side parallel resonance circuit and vary a continuity angle of said switching circuit so as to perform constant voltage control of the secondary side DC output voltage.

2. A switching power supply circuit according to claim 1, further comprising a secondary side parallel resonance capacitor connected in parallel to said secondary winding of said insulating converter transformer so that a secondary side parallel resonance circuit is formed from a leakage inductance component of said secondary winding of said insulating converter transformer and a capacitance of said secondary side parallel resonance capacitor in order to satisfy a load power condition higher than a predetermined level.

3. A switching power supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein

said constant voltage control circuit comprises an orthogonal control transformer as a saturable reactor having a detection winding and a driving winding connected in series to said primary winding of said insulating converter transformer and a control winding whose winding direction is orthogonal to those of said detection winding and said driving winding, and control ably varies the switching frequency by varying a control current to said control winding in response to a level of the secondary side DC output voltage so as to vary an inductance of said driving winding,

said switching circuit comprises a series resonance circuit formed from a series connection of at least said driving winding and a resonance capacitor, and

said power supply circuit further comprises a self-excited oscillation drive circuit for driving said switching circuit in a self-excited manner in response to a resonance output of said series resonance circuit.

4. A switching power supply circuit according to claim 3, wherein said detection winding and said driving winding are formed from the same type of material as used for said control winding.

5. A switching power supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein said switching circuit includes a separately excited drive circuit for driving said switching circuit in a separately excited manner, and said constant voltage control circuit controllably varies an on period of said switching circuit while keeping an off period of said switching circuit fixed in response to a level of the secondary side DC output voltage to controllably vary the switching frequency.

6. A switching power supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein said switching circuit comprises a Darlington circuit, which includes a bipolar transistor.

8. A switching power supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein said switching circuit comprises an insulated gate bipolar transistor.

9. A switching power supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein said switching circuit comprises an electrostatic induction thyristor.

7. A switching power supply circuit according to claimn 1, wherein said switching circuit comprises a MOS field effect transistor.