Half-bridge LLC resonant converter with self-driven synchronous rectifiers

• US 7,796,408 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2008
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Chih-Liang Wang, GlacialTech, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Chih-Liang Wang, GlacialTech, Inc.
• Inventors: Yu, Ching-Sheng, Wang, Chih-Liang
• Primary Examiner(s): Laxton; Gary L
• Assistant Examiner(s): QUDDUS, NUSRAT
• Application Number:
  US12/346,527
• Publication Number:
  US 20090244933A1
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: 363/15, 363/17, 363 2102- 2104, 363/21.06, 363/21.07, 363/21.1, 363/21.11, 363/97, 363/127
• US Class Current: 363/21.06
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0058 by employing soft switching techniques, i.e. commutation of transistors when applied voltage is zero or when current flow is zero using an auxiliary actively switched resonant commutation circuit connected to an intermediate DC voltage or between two push-pull branches of an inverter bridge H02M7/4811; in resonant inverters H02M7/4815; in inverters operating from a resonant DC source H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33592 having a synchronous rectifier circuit or a synchronous freewheeling circuit at the secondary side of an isolation transformer
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier

Abstract

The present invention discloses a half-bridge LLC resonant converter with self-driven synchronous rectifiers, which utilizes a primary IC controller and a gate driver to drive the secondary synchronous rectifiers. In correspondence with the gate drive output voltages of the primary IC controller to the primary switch transistors, the gate driver for the secondary synchronous rectifiers comprises a differential transformer if the primary IC controller outputs two ground-referenced gate drive voltages, which cannot directly drive the primary switch transistors but can be imposed on the differential transformer; or comprises a DC shifter, a DC restorer and a differential transformer if the primary IC controller outputs two gate-source voltages, which can directly drive the primary switch transistors but cannot be imposed on the differential transformer. The drive voltages of the primary switch transistors are unipolar; however the drive voltage of the secondary synchronous rectifiers can be bipolar or unipolar. Under the valid operation mode, this converter can decrease the rectifier conduction losses to increase the power converter efficiency.

Claims

1. A half-bridge LLC resonant converter with self-driven secondary synchronous rectifiers, comprising:

a first primary switch transistor and a second primary switch transistor connected between an external voltage source and a primary ground terminal in a half-bridge configuration, wherein a drain terminal of said first primary switch transistor is connected to said external voltage source, a source terminal of said first primary switch transistor and a drain terminal of said second primary switch transistor are commonly connected to a node P, and a source terminal of said second primary switch transistor is connected to said primary ground terminal;

an LLC resonant tank connected between said node P and said primary ground terminal, wherein said LLC resonant tank comprises a resonant capacitor, a resonant inductor, and a magnetizing inductor connected in series, and said magnetizing inductor is provided by a primary winding of a power transformer;

a secondary power loop connected between a first secondary winding and a second secondary winding of said power transformer, wherein said secondary power loop comprises a first secondary synchronous rectifier transistor, a second secondary synchronous rectifier transistor and a filter capacitor, said first secondary synchronous rectifier transistor and said second secondary synchronous rectifier transistor are connected in a center-tapped common source rectifier configuration between said first and said second secondary windings of said power transformer a source terminal of said first secondary synchronous rectifier transistor and a source terminal of said second secondary synchronous rectifier transistor are commonly connected to a secondary ground terminal, the other two terminals of said first secondary winding and said second secondary winding are connected to an output voltage terminal, and said filter capacitor is connected between said output voltage terminal and said secondary ground terminal;

a primary IC controller providing two primary driving pulses to respectively drive said first primary switch transistor and said second primary switch transistor; and

a gate driver connected between said primary IC controller and gates of said first secondary synchronous rectifier transistor and said second secondary synchronous rectifier transistor for converting said two primary driving pulses of said first primary switch transistor and said second primary switch transistor into two secondary driving pulses of said first secondary synchronous rectifier transistor and said second secondary synchronous rectifier transistor, wherein said gate driver comprises;

a differential transformer;

a DC shifter comprising a shifter capacitor and a pulse transformer, wherein said pulse transformer comprises a primary winding and a secondary winding, said shifter capacitor and said primary winding of said pulse transformer are serially connected between gate of said first primary switch transistor and said node P to convert said primary driving pulse of said first primary switch transistor to an AC pulse on said primary winding of said pulse transformer; and

a DC restorer comprising a restorer capacitor and a restorer diode, wherein an anode of said restorer diode is connected to one terminal of said secondary winding of said pulse transformer and said primary ground terminal, and said restorer capacitor is connected between a cathode of said restorer diode and the other terminal of said secondary winding of said pulse transformer to convert said AC pulse to a DC pulse referring to said primary ground terminal.

2. The half-bridge LLC resonant converter with self-driven secondary synchronous rectifiers according to claim 1, wherein said differential transformer comprises a primary winding and two secondary windings, two terminals of said primary winding of said differential transformer are connected to said cathode of said restorer diode and a gate of said second primary switch transistor, said two secondary windings are constructed in a center-tapped configuration at said secondary ground terminal and connected to gates of said first secondary synchronous rectifier and said second secondary synchronous rectifier, for providing two secondary driving pulses to respectively drive said first secondary synchronous rectifier transistor and said second secondary synchronous rectifier transistor.

3. The half-bridge LLC resonant converter with self-driven secondary synchronous rectifiers according to claim 2, further comprising two combination circuits respectively connected between said two secondary windings of said differential transformer and gates of said first secondary synchronous rectifier transistor and said second secondary synchronous rectifier transistor, and each of said two combination circuits comprises a half-wave rectifier and a fast turn-off circuit, said two half-wave rectifiers rectify two secondary bipolar pulses to two secondary unipolar pulses for driving said first secondary synchronous rectifier transistor and said second secondary synchronous rectifier transistor, and said two fast turn-off circuits quickly turns off said first secondary synchronous rectifier transistor and said second secondary synchronous rectifier transistor.

4. The half-bridge LLC resonant converter with self-driven secondary synchronous rectifiers according to claim 3, wherein each of said half-wave rectifiers comprises a diode and a resistor and said fast turn-off circuit comprises a diode and a PNP bipolar transistor.

5. The half-bridge LLC resonant converter with self-driven secondary synchronous rectifiers according to claim 1, wherein said gate driver further comprises a a signal distributor, said differential transformer comprises a primary winding and a secondary winding, two terminals of said primary winding of said differential transformer are connected to said cathode of said restorer diode and a gate of said second primary switch transistor, two terminals of said secondary winding of said differential transformer are respectively connected to gates of said first secondary synchronous rectifier transistor and said second secondary synchronous rectifier transistor, said signal distributor comprises two diodes with a common-anode configuration at the secondary ground terminal and two cathodes of said two diodes of said signal distributor are respectively connected to gates of said first secondary synchronous rectifier transistor and said second secondary synchronous rectifier transistor.