Capacitor charging methods and apparatus

• US 7,646,616 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2005
• Issued: 01/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allegro Microsystems Incorporated (Sanken Electric Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Allegro Microsystems Incorporated (Sanken Electric Company Limited)
• Inventors: Wen, Sihua, Mangtani, Vijay R., Wekhande, Shashank S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Bao Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran; Nguyen
• Application Number:
  US11/125,300
• Publication Number:
  US 20060250824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,709 Days
• Field of Search: 363/20, 363/21.12, 363/30, 363/56.09
• US Class Current: 363/21.12
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33507 with automatic control of the output voltage or current, e.g. flyback converters H02M3/33561, H02M3/33569 take precedence

Abstract

A capacitor charging circuit is provided with a primary side output voltage sensing circuit for generating a control signal indicative of whether the output voltage has reached a desired level. The control signal is unaffected by voltage spikes occurring when the main switch is turned off. In one embodiment, the circuit filters the primary side voltage for comparison to a reference voltage in order to provide the control signal. In another embodiment, an AND gate provides the control signal indicating that the output voltage has reached the desired level only in response to the primary side voltage being greater than a reference voltage and the secondary current being discontinuous. In a further embodiment, an AND gate provides the control signal indicating that the output voltage has reached the desired levels only in response to a predetermined delay occurring after the primary side voltage becomes greater than a reference voltage and the secondary current being discontinuous. According to a further aspect of the invention, an auxiliary switch is provided to reduce the reverse recovery time of the output diode in order to speed up the capacitor charging time.

Claims

1. Apparatus for measuring the output voltage of a capacitor charging circuit having a transformer with a primary winding coupled to a switch and a secondary winding coupled to an output capacitor across which the output voltage of the capacitor charging circuit is provided, comprising:

a filter coupled to the switch to filter a voltage at the switch and at the primary winding to provide a filtered signal; and

a comparator having a first input responsive to the filtered signal, a second input coupled to a reference voltage, and an output at which is provided a control signal indicative of whether the output voltage of the capacitor charging circuit across the output capacitor has increased to a desired level.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the filter comprises a resistor and a capacitor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a sample and hold circuit coupled to the filter to provide a DC voltage having a level substantially equal to the peak voltage of the filtered signal, wherein the DC voltage is coupled to the first input of the comparator.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the sample and hold circuit comprises a diode and a capacitor.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a level shifter coupled between the switch and the filter for shifting the level of the switch voltage.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the level shifter comprises a resistor divider.