Power supply circuit and power supply system

• US 8,031,490 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2007
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamashita, Mikihiro, Iwao, Seiichi, Kitamura, Hiroyasu
• Primary Examiner(s): Riley; Shawn
• Application Number:
  US12/438,193
• Publication Number:
  US 20100177537A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,505 Days
• Field of Search: 363/21.12, 363/56.11, 363/142
• US Class Current: 363/21.12
• 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 3/3385 with automatic control of output voltage or current H02M3/33561 takes 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

To provide a power supply circuit which can be applied worldwide without using a high withstand voltage switching element and can supply a load device with stable power. A charging section is arranged between a turn-off capacitor and a load coil. The charging section has the anode connected to the positive terminal of a feedback coil and the cathode connected to the cathode of a zener diode. Thus, when a voltage of a commercial power supply is high, the charging section operates, the turn-off capacitor is quickly charged, an on-period of a transistor is shortened, and an excessive voltage is prevented from being applied between the drain and the source of the transistor. At the same time, an output characteristic indicating relationship between the voltage of the commercial power supply and a current flowing in the load device is permitted to be flat.

Claims

1. A power supply circuit configured to self-oscillate by supply of power from a power supply section, the power supply circuit being comprising:

a resonance section including a resonance capacitor and a resonance coil, and adapted for supplying power to a load device;

an oscillation section including a first switching element connected in series to said resonance section and a feedback coil magnetically coupled to said resonance coil, and adapted for turning on and off said first switching element to cause said resonance section to self-oscillate;

a turn-off section including a second switching element and a turn-off capacitor connected between a control terminal of said second switching element and a negative electrode of the power supply section, wherein when an on-current which flows when said first switching element turns on reaches a predetermined level, said second switching element turns on to cause said first switching element to turn off; and

a first charging section including a diode of which an anode is connected to said feedback coil side, and a zener diode of which a cathode is connected to a cathode of said diode and of which an anode is connected to said turn-off capacitor side,

wherein said zener diode is operated when a voltage larger than a fixed value is outputted from the power supply section to charge said turn-off capacitor,

wherein said first charging section is connected in parallel and in multiple numbers, and

wherein each zener diode provided in each first charging section has a different breakdown voltage respectively.

2. The power supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein said first charging section includes a resistor, said resistor being connected at one end to an anode of said zener diode and at the other end to said turn-off capacitor.

3. The power supply circuit according to claim 2, further comprising a second charging section for charging said turn-off capacitor, aside from said first charging section.

4. The power supply circuit according to claim 3, wherein said second charging section is provided in multiple numbers.

5. The power supply circuit according to claim 4, wherein said second charging section is connected in parallel with said first charging section, and includes a smoothing section for smoothing the voltage of said feedback coil.

6. The power supply circuit according to claim 4, wherein said second charging section includes a resistor connected between a positive electrode of said power supply section and a control terminal of said second switching element.

7. A power supply system, comprising a power supply circuit and a load device according to claim 1, wherein

said load device comprises a magnetic coupler which is magnetically coupled with said resonance coil via an insulation member.

8. The power supply system according to claim 7, wherein

said magnetic coupler is made of a metal, and

said power supply circuit generates an eddy current in said metal to heat the same.

9. The power supply system according to claim 8, wherein

said load device comprises:

a load body section;

a supply section including a load coil magnetically coupled with said resonance coil, and adapted for supplying a current generated at said load coil to said load body section;

a current detection section for detecting a current supplied to said load body section; and

a control section for controlling said supply section such that the current detected by said current detection section is kept at a fixed value.

10. The power supply system according to claim 7, wherein

said load device comprises:

a load body section;

a supply section including a load coil magnetically coupled with said resonance coil, and adapted for supplying a current generated at said load coil to said load body section;

a current detection section for detecting a current supplied to said load body section; and

a control section for controlling said supply section such that the current detected by said current detection section is kept at a fixed value.

11. The power supply circuit according to claim 1, further comprising a second charging section for charging said turn-off capacitor, aside from said first charging section.

12. The power supply circuit according to claim 11, wherein said second charging section is provided in multiple numbers.

13. The power supply circuit according to claim 12, wherein said second charging section is connected in parallel with said first charging section, and includes a smoothing section for smoothing the voltage of said feedback coil.

14. The power supply circuit according to claim 12, wherein said second charging section includes a resistor connected between a positive electrode of said power supply section and a control terminal of said second switching element.

15. The power supply circuit according to claim 11, wherein said second charging section is connected in parallel with said first charging section, and includes a smoothing section for smoothing the voltage of said feedback coil.

16. The power supply circuit according to claim 11, wherein said second charging section includes a resistor connected between a positive electrode of said power supply section and a control terminal of said second switching element.