Control circuit for detecting a reverse current in a DC-DC converter

• US 7,821,236 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2007
• Issued: 10/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Takashi, Nagai, Ryuta, Hasegawa, Morihito
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Bao Q
• Application Number:
  US11/937,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20080136383A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,082 Days
• Field of Search: 323/222, 323/282, 323/284, 323/286
• US Class Current: 323/222
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0032 Control circuits allowing low power mode operation, e.g. in standby mode
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/1588 comprising at least one synchronous rectifier element H02M3/1582, H02M3/1584 take 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 DC-DC converter reducing reverse current and maintaining high conversion efficiency under a light load. The DC-DC converter perform pulse width modulation (PWM) or pulse frequency modulation (PFM) and includes a drive control circuit generating a first drive signal and a second drive signal activating and inactivating a first transistor and a second transistor in a complementary manner. A reversed flow detection circuit detects current flowing to the second transistor and generates a detection signal controlling activation and inactivation of the second transistor. A detection signal invalidation circuit, coupled to the reversed flow detection circuit and the drive control circuit, receiving an operation switch signal and invalidating the detection signal in response to the operation switch signal during at least a certain period of the PWM.

Claims

1. A DC-DC converter performing pulse width modulation or pulse frequency modulation and outputting an output voltage via a choke coil, the DC-DC converter comprising:

a first transistor receiving an input voltage;

a second transistor coupled to the first transistor, the choke coil being coupled to a node between the first and second transistors;

a drive control circuit, coupled to the first and second transistors, generating a first drive signal and a second drive signal activating and inactivating the first transistor and the second transistor in a complementary manner;

a reversed flow detection circuit detecting current flowing to the second transistor and generating a detection signal controlling activation and inactivation of the second transistor; and

a detection signal invalidation circuit, coupled to the reversed flow detection circuit and the drive control circuit, invalidating the detection signal in response to an operation switch signal during the pulse width modulation.

2. The DC-DC converter according to claim 1, wherein the second transistor and the reversed flow detection circuit function to configure an ideal diode during the pulse width modulation.

3. The DC-DC converter according to claim 1, wherein the reversed flow detection circuit stops operating during the pulse width modulation in response to the operation switch signal.

4. The DC-DC converter according to claim 3, wherein the reversed flow detection circuit includes:

a constant current source;

a current mirror;

a differential amplifier coupled to the current mirror; and

a coupling circuit coupling the constant current source to the current mirror, the coupling circuit uncoupling the constant current source and the current mirror during the pulse width modulation in response to the operation switch signal.

5. The DC-DC converter according to claim 1, wherein the reversed flow detection circuit operates in a normal operation mode or a low power consumption mode and executes the low power consumption mode during the pulse width modulation in response to the operation switch signal.

6. The DC-DC converter according to claim 5, wherein the reversed flow detection circuit includes:

a first constant current source;

a first current mirror coupled to the first constant current source;

a second constant current source;

a second current mirror;

a differential amplifier coupled to the first current mirror and the second current mirror; and

a coupling circuit coupling the second constant current source to the second current mirror, the coupling circuit uncoupling the second constant current source and the second current mirror during the pulse width modulation in response to the operation switch signal.

7. The DC-DC converter according to claim 1, wherein the DC-DC converter is operable in a continuous current mode or a discontinuous current mode, the drive control circuit constantly being operated in the continuous current mode when pulse width modulation is performed.

8. The DC-DC converter according to claim 1, wherein the drive control circuit activates and inactivates the first transistor to keep the output voltage constant when the operation switch signal has a first level during the pulse frequency modulation, and activates and inactivates the first transistor and the second transistor in a complementary manner to keep the output voltage constant when the operation switch signal has a second level during the pulse width modulation.

9. The DC-DC converter according to claim 1, wherein the drive control circuit includes:

an error amplification circuit comparing the output voltage or divided voltage of the output voltage with a reference voltage and generating an error signal;

a pulse signal generation circuit generating a pulse signal having a pulse width corresponding to the error signal;

a first driver circuit logically synthesizing the pulse signal and the second drive signal and generating the first drive signal;

a second driver circuit logically synthesizing the first drive signal and the detection signal and generating the second drive signal; and

a drive signal invalidation circuit, coupled between the first driver circuit and the second driver circuit, invalidating the first drive signal provided from the first driver circuit to the second driver circuit based on the operation switch signal, wherein;

the first driver circuit generates the first drive signal during the pulse width modulation based on the pulse signal and the second drive signal and generates the first drive signal during the pulse frequency modulation based on the pulse signal; and

the second driver circuit generates the second drive signal during the pulse width modulation based on the first drive signal and generates the second drive signal during the pulse frequency modulation based on the detection signal.

10. The DC-DC converter according to claim 9, wherein the drive control circuit further includes a tunneling prevention pulse generation circuit generating a tunneling prevention pulse inactivating the second transistor for a predetermined period from before the first transistor is activated until after the first transistor is activated.

11. The DC-DC converter according to claim 10, wherein:

the pulse signal generation circuit includes an oscillator generating a clock signal in a predetermined cycle; and

the tunneling prevention pulse generation circuit generates the tunneling prevention pulse in synchronization with the clock signal.

12. The DC-DC converter according to claim 1, wherein the detection signal invalidation circuit invalidates the detection signal in response to the operation switch signal during at least a certain period of the pulse width modulation.

21. The DC-DC converter according to claim 1, wherein the operation switch signal provides switching between a pulse width modulation mode and a pulse frequency modulation mode, and the detection signal invalidation circuit invalidates the detection signal when the operation switch signal indicates the pulse width modulation mode.

13. A DC-DC converter performing pulse width modulation or pulse frequency modulation and outputting an output voltage via a choke coil, the DC-DC converter comprising:

a first transistor receiving an input voltage;

a second transistor coupled to the first transistor, the choke coil coupled to a node between the first and second transistors;

a drive control circuit, coupled to the first and second transistors, generating a first drive signal and a second drive signal activating and inactivating the first transistor and the second transistor in a complementary manner; and

a reversed flow detection circuit detecting current flowing to the second transistor and generating a detection signal controlling activation and inactivation of the second transistor, wherein the reversed flow detection circuit receives an operation switch signal for switching between a pulse width modulation mode and a pulse frequency modulation mode and stops operating when the operation switch signal indicates the pulse width modulation mode.

14. A control circuit for a DC-DC converter that performs pulse width modulation or pulse frequency modulation and outputs an output voltage via a choke coil, the DC-DC converter including a first transistor receiving an input voltage, and a second transistor coupled to the first transistor, the choke coil being coupled to a node between the first and second transistors;

the control circuit comprising;

a drive control circuit, coupled to the first and second transistors, generating a first drive signal and a second drive signal activating and inactivating the first transistor and the second transistor in a complementary manner;

a reversed flow detection circuit detecting current flowing to the second transistor and generating a detection signal controlling activation and inactivation of the second transistor; and

a detection signal invalidation circuit, coupled to the reversed flow detection circuit and the drive control circuit, receiving an operation switch signal in response to the operation switch signal during the pulse width modulation mode.

15. The control circuit according to claim 14, wherein the reversed flow detection circuit operates in a normal operation mode or a low power consumption mode and executes the low power consumption mode during the pulse width modulation in response to the operation switch signal.

16. The control circuit according to claim 14, wherein the DC-DC converter is operable in a continuous current mode or a discontinuous current mode, and the drive control circuit constantly operates in the continuous current mode during the pulse width modulation.

17. The control circuit according to claim 14, wherein the operation switch signal is generated to have a first level during the pulse width modulation and a second level during the pulse frequency modulation.

18. The control circuit according to claim 14, wherein the drive control circuit activates and inactivates the first transistor to keep the output voltage constant when the operation switch signal has a first level during the pulse frequency modulation and activates and inactivates the first transistor and the second transistor to keep the output voltage constant when the operation switch signal has a second level during the pulse width modulation.

19. The control circuit according to claim 14, wherein the drive control circuit includes:

an error amplification circuit comparing the output voltage or divided voltage of the output voltage with a reference voltage and generating an error signal;

a pulse signal generation circuit generating a pulse signal having a pulse width corresponding to the error signal;

a first driver circuit logically synthesizing the pulse signal and the second drive signal and generating the first drive signal;

a second driver circuit logically synthesizing the first drive signal and the detection signal and generating the second drive signal; and

a drive signal invalidation circuit, coupled between the first driver circuit and the second driver circuit, invalidating the first drive signal provided from the first driver circuit to the second driver circuit based on the operation switch signal, wherein;

the first driver circuit generates the first drive signal during the pulse width modulation based on the pulse signal and the second drive signal and generates the first drive signal during the pulse frequency modulation based on the pulse signal; and

the second driver circuit generates the second drive signal during the pulse width modulation based on the first drive signal and generates the second drive signal during the pulse frequency modulation based on the detection signal.

22. The control circuit according to claim 14, wherein the operation switch signal provides switching between a pulse width modulation mode and a pulse frequency modulation mode, and the detection signal invalidation circuit invalidates the detection signal when the operation switch signal indicates the pulse width modulation mode.

20. A control circuit for a DC-DC converter performing pulse width modulation or pulse frequency modulation and outputting an output voltage via a choke coil, the DC-DC converter including a first transistor receiving an input voltage, and a second transistor coupled to the first transistor, the choke coil being coupled to a node between the first and second transistors;

the control circuit comprising;

a drive control circuit, coupled to the first and second transistors, generating a first drive signal and a second drive signal activating and inactivating the first transistor and the second transistor in a complementary manner; and

a reversed flow detection circuit detecting current flowing to the second transistor and generating a detection signal controlling activation and inactivation of the second transistor, wherein the reversed flow detection circuit receives an operation switch signal for switching between a pulse width modulation mode and a pulse frequency modulation mode and stops operation when the operation switch signal indicates the pulse width modulation mode.