Method and apparatus for measuring the switching current of power converter operated at continuous current mode

• US 7,965,528 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2008
• Issued: 06/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries LLC (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: System General Corporation (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Inventors: Li, Chuh-Ching, Lin, Li, Hsu, Sheng-Fu, Chen, Jung-Sheng, Yang, Ta-Yung
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhane; Adolf
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham; Emily
• Application Number:
  US12/255,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20090310388A1
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• Field of Search: 363/20, 363/21.01, 363/21.12, 363/21.13, 363/21.18, 363/95, 363/97
• US Class Current: 363/95
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/0092 measuring current only all subgroups of G01R19/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/40 Testing power supplies testing photovoltaic devices H02S50/10
• 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

An apparatus for detecting a switching current of the power converter, wherein the apparatus includes a signal generation circuit, a sample-and-hold circuit, and a calculating circuit. The signal generation circuit generates a sample signal in accordance with the pulse width of a switching signal. The sample-and-hold circuit is coupled to receive the sample signal and switching current signal for generating a first current signal and a second current signal. The calculating circuit is coupled to receive the first current signal and the second current signal for generating output signals. The switching signal is used for switching the magnetic device of the power converter, and the switching current signal is correlated to the switching current of the power converter; the output signals are correlated to the value of the switching current of the power converter.

Claims

1. A method for detecting a switching current of a power converter, comprising:

generating a sample signal in accordance with a pulse width of a switching signal of the power converter;

sampling the waveform of the switching current during the period of the switching signal and the sample signal for generating a first current signal and a second current signal;

generating output signals in accordance with the first current signal and the second current signal;

wherein the switching signal is used for switching a transformer, and the output signals are correlated to the value of the switching current; and

wherein a pulse width of the sample signal is a ratio of a pulse width of the switching signal.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, in which the ratio is a constant.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, in which the output signals are generated in accordance with the constant of the ratio.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, in which the output signals comprising a DC-output signal and an AC-output signal, the DC-output signal is correlated to a continuous current of the switching current, and the AC-output signal is correlated to a ramp current of the switching current.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, in which the output signals are generated in accordance with the constant of a ratio, and the AC-output signal is generated in accordance with the constant of the ratio and the differential of the first current signal and the second current signal.

6. An apparatus for detecting a switching current of the power converter, comprising:

a signal generation circuit generating a sample signal in accordance with a pulse width of a switching signal;

a sample-and-hold circuit configured to receive the sample signal and switching current signal for generating a first current signal and a second current signal; and

a calculating circuit configured to receive the first current signal and the second current signal for generating output signals;

wherein the switching signal is used for switching a transformer, and the output signals are correlated to the value of the switching current of the power converter; and

wherein a pulse width of the sample signal is a ratio of a pulse width of the switching signal.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, in which the ratio is a constant.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, in which the sample-and-hold circuit is configured to sample the switching current signal during a period of the switching signal and the sample signal.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, in which the output signals comprise a DC-output signal and an AC-output signal, the DC-output signal is correlated to a continuous current of the switching current, and the AC-output signal is correlated to the ramp current of the switching current.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, in which the output signals are generated in accordance with the constant of a ratio, and the AC-output signal is generated in accordance with the constant of the ratio and the differential of the first current signal and the second current signal.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, in which the signal generation circuit, comprising:

a charge circuit coupled to charge a capacitor and generate a slope signal and a level signal in response to the switching signal;

a divider generating a divided-signal in accordance with the level signal; and

an output circuit generating the sample signal in response to the divided-signal and the slope signal

wherein the level signal is correlated to the pulse width of the switching signal, and the divided-signal is a ratio of the level signal.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, in which the sample-and-hold circuit, comprising:

a first capacitor coupled to the switching current signal to generate a first sample signal in response to the switching signal;

a second capacitor coupled to the switching current signal to generate a second sample signal in response to the sample signal;

a first V-to-I circuit to generate a first V-to-I current in accordance with the first sample signal;

a second V-to-I circuit to generate a second V-to-I current in accordance with the second sample signal;

a first current mirror generating the first current signal in response to the first V-to-I current; and

a second current mirror generating the second current signal in response to the differential of the first V-to-I current and the second V-to-I current.

13. A method for detecting a switching current of a power converter, comprising:

generating a switching current signal in accordance with the switching current of the power converter;

defining a peak point and a sampled point in a waveform of the switching current signal;

calculating output signals according to the slope between the peak point and the sampled point; and

generating a continuous current and a ramp current in response to a current and a pulse width of the sample point and the peak point,

wherein the output signals comprise a DC-output signal and an AC-output signal, the DC-output signal is correlated to the continuous current of the switching current, and the AC-output signal is correlated to the ramp current of the switching current.