Primary only constant voltage/constant current (CVCC) control in quasi resonant convertor

• US 7,830,676 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2008
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MyPAQ Holdings Ltd. (Transpacific IP Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Flextronics America LLC (Flextronics International Limited)
• Inventors: Telefus, Mark, Roohparvar, Farza Bob
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Bao Q
• Application Number:
  US12/079,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20080239760A1
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 363/16, 363/21.02, 363/21.03, 363/21.12
• US Class Current: 363/21.02
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/01 Resonant DC/DC converters
• 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 3/33571 Half-bridge at primary side of an isolation transformer
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33573 Full-bridge at primary 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

Abstract

A power supply apparatus and method of regulating is provided. A converter circuit includes a primary switching element and an auxiliary switching element. The auxiliary switching element is for transferring a reflected voltage signal. A transformer includes a primary and a secondary, the primary is coupled with the converter circuit. The primary and the secondary each comprise a single winding. An output rectifier circuit is coupled with the secondary of the transformer. A resonant circuit is included in the converter circuit and is coupled with the primary. The resonant circuit includes one or more resonance capacitors that are configured for providing a transformer resonance. The transformer resonance comprises the reflected voltage signal, the capacitance of the one or more resonance capacitors and a parasitic capacitance of the transformer. The reflected voltage signal is reflected from the secondary to the primary. A current feedback circuit is coupled between the primary and a controller. A virtual output current feedback loop is provided for regulating an output current using the reflected voltage signal.

Claims

1. A power-supply apparatus comprising:

a converter circuit comprising a primary switching element and an auxiliary switching element, the auxiliary switching element for transferring a reflected voltage signal;

a transformer comprising a primary and a secondary, the primary coupled with the converter circuit, the primary comprising a single winding and the secondary comprising a single winding;

an output rectifier circuit coupled with the secondary of the transformer;

a resonant circuit included in the converter circuit, the resonant circuit being coupled with the primary, the resonant circuit comprising one or more resonance capacitors, the one or more resonance capacitors configured for providing a transformer resonance, the transformer resonance comprising the reflected voltage signal, the capacitance of the one or more resonance capacitors and a parasitic capacitance of the transformer, the reflected voltage signal received at the resonant circuit via the auxiliary switching element, the reflected voltage signal being reflected from the secondary to the primary; and

a current feedback circuit coupled with the primary, the current feedback circuit comprising an electrical lead coupled between a terminal of the primary and an input of a controller of the converter circuit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a virtual output current feedback loop, the virtual output current feedback loop providing an output current reference signal to the converter circuit via the current feedback circuit, the output current reference signal being generated from the reflected voltage signal, the output current reference signal being proportional to a sensed current signal sampled by the current feedback circuit, the converter circuit responsive to the output current reference signal in regulating an output current.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a voltage feedback circuit including a voltage divider coupled with the controller and coupled with the primary for sampling the reflected voltage.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the primary switching element and the auxiliary switching element each comprise an n-type MOSFET transistor.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the current feedback circuit includes a current limiting element coupled with the primary.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and the second resonance capacitors are coupled in parallel with the primary.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller includes a pulse width modulation (PWM) circuit coupled with the primary switching element.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the PWM circuit regulates a duty cycle of the primary switching element.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the converter circuit comprises a flyback converter.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the converter circuit comprises one of a forward converter, a push-pull converter, a half bridge converter and a full bridge converter.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the output rectifier circuit comprises one of a diode, a half-wave rectifier, and a full-wave rectifier.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an output capacitor coupled with the output rectifier circuit.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a resonant tank of the resonant circuit includes the one or more resonance capacitors, coupled with one or more diodes, coupled with the auxiliary switching element, coupled with an inductance of the primary.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the resonant tank produces a voltage potential used to power the controller.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a charge pump comprising one more capacitors and a diode is used to store and to couple a produced voltage potential to the controller.

16. A method of regulating a power supply apparatus comprising:

generating a reflected voltage signal in a transformer comprising a primary and a secondary, the reflected voltage signal being reflected from the secondary to the primary, the primary being coupled with a converter circuit, the primary comprising a single winding and the secondary comprising a single winding;

transferring the reflected voltage signal from the primary to the converter circuit, the converter circuit comprising a primary switching element and an auxiliary switching element, the auxiliary switching element for transferring the reflected voltage signal;

generating a transformer resonance with a resonant circuit included in the converter circuit, the resonant circuit being coupled with the primary, the resonant circuit comprising one or more resonance capacitors, the one or more resonance capacitors configured for providing the transformer resonance, the one or more resonance capacitors and an inductance of the transformer forming a resonant tank; and

modifying a duty cycle of the primary-switch based on an output current using a current feedback circuit coupled with the primary, the current feedback circuit comprising an electrical lead coupled between a terminal of the primary and an input of a controller of the converter circuit.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the controller includes a pulse width modulation (PWM) circuit coupled with the primary switching element.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the PWM circuit regulates the duty cycle of the primary switching element.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the transformer resonance comprises the reflected voltage signal, the capacitance of the one or more resonance capacitors and a parasitic capacitance of the transformer.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising a virtual output current feedback loop, the virtual output current feedback loop providing an output current reference signal to the converter circuit via the current feedback circuit, the output current reference signal being generated from the reflected voltage signal, the output current reference signal being proportional to a sensed current signal sampled by the current feedback circuit, the converter circuit responsive to the output current reference signal in regulating the output current.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising controlling a reset timing of the transformer using the resonant circuit.

22. The method of claim 16, further comprising a voltage feedback circuit including a voltage divider coupled with the controller and coupled with the primary for sampling the reflected voltage.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the primary switching element and the auxiliary switching element each comprise an n-type MOSFET transistor.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and the second resonance capacitors are coupled in parallel with the primary.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein the converter circuit comprises a flyback converter.

26. The method of claim 16, wherein the converter circuit comprises one of a forward converter, a push-pull converter, a half bridge converter and a fall bridge converter.

27. The method of claim 16, further comprising an output rectifier circuit coupled with the secondary of the transformer.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising an output capacitor coupled with the output rectifier circuit.

29. The method of claim 16, wherein the resonant tank of the resonant circuit further includes the auxiliary switching element and one or more diodes coupled with the auxiliary switching element, the one or more diodes also coupled with the one or more resonance capacitors.

30. The method of claim 16, wherein a charge pump comprising one more capacitors and a diode is used to store and to couple a produced voltage potential to the controller.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the resonant tank produces a voltage potential used to power the controller.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein a produced voltage potential is supplied without using an additional transformer winding in addition to a single primary winding and a single secondary winding.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein the auxiliary switching element is self-oscillating, the self-oscillating being driven by the reflected voltage and an oscillating energy of the resonant tank.

34. The method of claim 29, wherein the auxiliary switching element is driven by the controller.

35. The method of claim 29, wherein the auxiliary switching element is driven by a switch driving circuit that is external to the converter circuit.

36. The method of claim 16, wherein the duty cycle is modified by sampling a sensed current signal across the primary of the transformer and comparing the sampled sensed current signal with an output current reference value to determine a target duty cycle based on an output current requirement.

37. A power supply apparatus comprising:

an input capacitor coupled across an input node;

a converter circuit comprising a primary switching element and an auxiliary switching element, the auxiliary switching element for transferring a reflected voltage signal;

a transformer comprising a primary and a secondary, the primary coupled with the converter circuit, the primary comprising a single winding and the secondary comprising a single winding;

an output rectifier circuit coupled with the secondary of the transformer;

a resonant circuit included in the converter circuit, the resonant circuit being coupled with the primary, the resonant circuit comprising one or more resonance capacitors, the one or more resonance capacitors configured for providing a transformer resonance, the transformer resonance comprising the reflected voltage signal, the capacitance of the one or more resonance capacitors and a parasitic capacitance of the transformer, the reflected voltage signal received at the resonant circuit via the auxiliary switching element, the reflected voltage signal being reflected from the secondary to the primary; and

a current feedback circuit coupled with the primary, the current feedback circuit comprising an electrical lead coupled between a terminal of the primary and an input of a controller of the converter circuit.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, further comprising a virtual output current feedback loop, the virtual output current feedback loop providing an output current reference signal to the converter circuit via the current feedback circuit, the output current reference signal being generated from the reflected voltage signal, the output current reference signal being proportional to a sensed current sampled by the current feedback circuit, the converter circuit responsive to the output current reference signal in regulating an output current.

39. The apparatus of claim 37, further comprising a voltage feedback circuit including a voltage divider coupled with the controller and coupled with the primary for sampling the reflected voltage.