Switching power converter and control system

• US 8,076,920 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cirrus Logic Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cirrus Logic Incorporated
• Inventors: Melanson, John L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhane, Adolf
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, EMILY P
• Application Number:
  US11/864,121
• Time in Patent Office: 1,537 Days
• Field of Search: 363/15, 363/16, 363/74, 363/78, 363/79, 363/100, 363/108, 363/143, 363/89, 363/39, 363/44, 363/45, 363/46, 323/242, 323/246, 323/259, 323/268, 323282-285, 323/288, 323/344, 323/351, 323/905, 323/207, 323/299, 324410-412, 315/225, 315/247
• US Class Current: 323/299
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0022 the disturbance parameters being input voltage fluctuations
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/4208 Arrangements for improving power factor of AC input
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/005 using Cuk converters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/3725 Switched mode power supply [SMPS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/30 Semiconductor lamps, e.g. solid state lamps [SSL] light emitting diodes [LED] or organic LED [OLED]
• 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 switching power converter tracks a time-varying input voltage during each cycle of the input voltage to provide power factor correction. The switching power converter includes a switch with a frequency and duty cycle modulated control signal. The switch controls the transfer of energy between the input and output of the switching power converter. The frequency of the control signal is greater than a frequency of the input signal. The control signal frequency is modulated during each cycle of the input voltage so that energy transferred from the switching power tracks the energy supplied to the switching power converter.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a switching power converter, wherein the switching power converter comprises;

an input stage comprising;

an input node to receive a time-varying input signal; and

a first inductor coupled to the input node;

an output stage, coupled to the input stage, the output stage comprising;

a capacitor; and

a second inductor coupled to the capacitor;

a switch, coupled to the input stage and the output stage, to control energy transfer to the capacitor and from the capacitor to a load; and

a switch state controller, coupled to the switch, to monitor the time-varying input signal and to supply a switching power converter control signal to the switch to modulate a switching frequency of the switch in accordance with amplitude changes of the input signal, wherein the switching frequency of the switch is greater than a frequency of the input signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the switch state controller is configured to increase the switching frequency of the switch as the amplitude of the input signal increases and is further configured to decrease the switching frequency of the switch as the amplitude of the input signal decreases.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the switch state controller is further configured to control a duty cycle of the control signal using a feedback signal representing an output characteristic of the switching power converter.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the switch state controller is further configured to provide power factor correction for the switching power converter.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the switch state controller is further configured to cause the switching power converter to supply approximately constant current to a load with the input stage of the switching power converter operating in discontinuous inductor current mode.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the switch is further configured to control a first input current to the first inductor.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a dimmer input, coupled to the switch state controller, to receive a dimming input signal; and

a light source; and

wherein during the steady-state operation of the switch state controller, the control signal is modified to cause the switch to cause the output stage to generate an output current responsive to the dimming input signal to dim the light source.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the light source comprises at least one light emitting diode.

21. The lighting system of claim 1 wherein the switching power converter comprises a boost converter, and a voltage across the capacitor during operation of the switching power converter is greater than a voltage of the time-varying input signal.

23. The lighting system of claim 1 wherein:

the capacitor includes a first terminal coupled to the switch and a second terminal coupled to the second inductor; and

the output stage further comprises a diode coupled between the second terminal to the capacitor and a reference node.

9. A method comprising:

monitoring a time-varying input signal to a switching power converter;

monitoring a boost capacitor voltage of a boost capacitor of the switching power converter; and

supplying a pulse width modulated switching power converter control signal to modulate a switching frequency of a switch of the switching power converter in accordance with amplitude changes of the input signal so that the switch controls both energy transfer to the boost capacitor and from the boost capacitor to a load, wherein the frequency of the control signal is greater than a frequency of the input signal.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

increasing the frequency of the control signal as the amplitude of the input signal increases; and

decreasing the frequency of the control signal as the amplitude of the input signal decreases.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

controlling a duty cycle of the control signal is controlled using a feedback signal representing an output characteristic of the switching power converter.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

controlling a duty cycle of the control signal using a feedback signal representing an output characteristic of the switching power converter.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

modulating the frequency of the control signal to provide power factor correction for the switching power converter.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein supplying a switching power converter control signal further comprises modifying a duty cycle of the control signal and the frequency of the control signal to cause the switching power converter to supply approximately constant current to a load.

15. The method of claim 9

receiving a dimming input signal;

and

modifying the control signal to cause the switch to cause the switching power converter to generate an output current responsive to the dimming input signal to dim a light source.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the light source comprises at least one light emitting diode.

24. The method of claim 9 wherein:

the switching power converter further comprises an inductor and a diode;

the boost capacitor includes a first terminal coupled to the switch and a second terminal coupled to the inductor; and

the diode is coupled between the second terminal to the boost capacitor and a reference node.

17. A lighting system comprising:

a switching power converter comprising an input stage, a driver stage having a capacitor to receive energy from the input stage, a switch coupled to the input and driver stages, an input to receive a time-varying input signal, and an output stage having a capacitor;

a switch state controller, coupled to the switch, to generate a frequency and duty cycle modulated switch control signal to control conductivity of the switch, wherein during operation of the switch state controller the switch state controller modulates a switching frequency of the switch in accordance with amplitude changes of the input signal, wherein the switching frequency of the switch is greater than a frequency of the input signal, and the switch state controller controls a duty cycle of the control signal to control an output voltage of the switch state controller and to control energy transfer to the capacitor; and

a light source coupled to the switching power converter.

18. The lighting system of claim 17 wherein the switch state controller is configured to increase the switching frequency of the switch as the amplitude of the input signal increases and is further configured to decrease the switching frequency of the switch as the amplitude of the input signal decreases.

19. The lighting system of claim 17 further comprising:

a dimmer input, coupled to the switch state controller, to receive a dimming input signal; and

wherein during the steady-state operation of the switch state controller, the control signal is modified to cause the switch to cause the output stage to generate an output current responsive to the dimming input signal to dim the light source.

20. The lighting system of claim 17 wherein the light source comprises at least one light emitting diode.

22. The lighting system of claim 17 wherein the switching power converter comprises a boost converter, and a voltage across the capacitor during operation of the switching power converter is greater than a voltage of the time-varying input signal.

25. The lighting system of claim 17 wherein:

the output stage of the switching power converter further comprises an inductor and a diode;

the capacitor includes a first terminal coupled to the switch and a second terminal coupled to the inductor; and

the diode is coupled between the second terminal to the capacitor and a reference node.