Apparatus providing protection for power converter

• US 7,847,533 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2009
• Issued: 12/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries LLC (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: System General Corporation (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Inventors: Yang, Ta-Yung, Lin, Chien-Yuan, Chen, Tso-Min
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MATTHEW VAN
• Application Number:
  US12/550,397
• Publication Number:
  US 20090316451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 464 Days
• Field of Search: 323/265, 323/268, 323/271, 323282-285
• US Class Current: 323/284
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/32 Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection
• 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 switching circuit for a power converter includes an oscillation circuit, a first circuit, and a first comparator. The oscillation circuit generates a switching signal for regulating an output of the power converter. The first circuit generates a threshold signal. The first comparator is coupled to receive a signal representative of a current through a power switch. Besides, the first comparator generates a control signal in response to the signal and the threshold signal. A frequency of the switching signal is increased in response to the enabling of the control signal.

Claims

1. A switching circuit for a power converter, comprising:

an oscillation circuit directly generating a switching signal for regulating an output of the power converter, the oscillator circuit further receives a control signal and a frequency of the switching signal is varied according to the control signal directly;

a first circuit generating a threshold signal; and

a first comparator coupled to receive a signal representative of a current through a power switch, the first comparator generating the control signal in response to the signal and the threshold signal, wherein the frequency of the switching signal is increased in response to enabling of the control signal.

2. The switching circuit as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a second comparator coupled to compare the signal representative of the current through the power switch with a current-limit threshold signal such that the power switch is turned off in response to an output of the second comparator when a current limit set by the current-limit threshold signal is exceeded.

3. The switching circuit as claimed in claim 2, wherein the threshold signal is lower than the current-limit threshold signal.

4. The switching circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the switching circuit is a pulse width modulation circuit that generates the switching signal coupled to be received by the power switch to regulate the output of the power converter.

5. The switching circuit as claimed in claim 2, wherein the switching circuit generates the switching signal controlled in response to an output of the first comparator and the output of the second comparator such that the switching signal is coupled to protect the power switch.