Two-stage switching power supply

• US 8,194,417 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2010
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Delta Electronics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Delta Electronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Chang, Shih-Hsien
• Primary Examiner(s): Riley, Shawn
• Application Number:
  US12/693,403
• Publication Number:
  US 20100225289A1
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: 363/16, 363/21.02, 363/21.03
• US Class Current: 363/16
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/007 Plural converter units in cascade push-pull DC/DC converters with pre-regulator H02M3/3374; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC stage including a high frequency transformer H02M7/4807; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC conversion stage generating periodically varying voltages H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/28 using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode to produce the intermediate ac

Abstract

A two-stage switching power supply includes a first-stage power circuit, a second-stage power circuit, an output detecting circuit and a power control unit. The first-stage power circuit includes a first switching circuit. By conducting or shutting off the first switching circuit, an input voltage is converted into a bus voltage. The second-stage power circuit includes a second switching circuit. By conducting or shutting off the second switching circuit, the bus voltage is converted into an output voltage. The output detecting circuit generates an output detecting signal according to the output voltage. The power control unit controls operations of the first and second switching circuits according to the output detecting signal. A first-stage voltage gain value of the first-stage power circuit and a second-stage voltage gain value of the second-stage power circuit are altered with the output detecting signal, so that the output voltage is maintained at a rated value.

Claims

1. A two-stage switching power supply for receiving an input voltage and generating an output voltage, said two-stage switching power supply comprising:

a first-stage power circuit connected to a power bus for receiving an input voltage, and comprising a first switching circuit, wherein said input voltage is converted into a bus voltage by conducting or shutting off said first switching circuit;

a second-stage power circuit connected to said power bus for receiving said bus voltage, and comprising a second switching circuit, wherein said bus voltage is converted into said output voltage by conducting or shutting off said second switching circuit;

an output detecting circuit connected to said second-stage power circuit and generating an output detecting signal according to said output voltage and/or an output current; and

a power control unit connected to a control terminal of said first switching circuit of said first-stage power circuit and a control terminal of said second switching circuit of said second-stage power circuit for controlling operations of said first switching circuit and said second switching circuit according to said output detecting signal, wherein a first-stage voltage gain value of said first-stage power circuit and a second-stage voltage gain value of said second-stage power circuit are altered as said output detecting signal is changed, so that said output voltage or said output current is maintained at a rated value, wherein said bus voltage is dynamically adjusted according to said output detecting signal.

2. The two-stage switching power supply according to claim 1 wherein power control unit comprises:

a first-stage control circuit connected to said control terminal of said first switching circuit of said first-stage power circuit and said output detecting circuit for controlling operations of said first switching circuit, so that said first-stage voltage gain value of said first-stage power circuit is dynamically altered according to said output detecting signal; and

a second-stage control circuit connected to said control terminal of said second switching circuit of said second-stage power circuit and said output detecting circuit for controlling operations of said second switching circuit, so that said second-stage voltage gain value of said second-stage power circuit is dynamically altered according to said output detecting signal.

3. The two-stage switching power supply according to claim 2 wherein said first-stage control circuit and said second-stage control circuit are pulse width modulation controllers, pulse frequency modulation controllers or digital signal processors, which are integrated into a single chip.

4. The two-stage switching power supply according to claim 1 wherein if the magnitude of said output detecting signal is within a first signal value range between a first output detecting signal value and a second output detecting signal value, a first duty cycle or said first-stage voltage gain value of said first-stage power circuit is dynamically adjusted by said power control unit according to said output detecting signal, and if the magnitude of said output detecting signal is within a second signal value range between a third output detecting signal value and a fourth output detecting signal value, a second operating frequency or said second-stage voltage gain value of said first-stage power circuit is dynamically adjusted by said power control unit according to said output detecting signal.

5. The two-stage switching power supply according to claim 4 wherein the magnitude of said output detecting signal is in direct proportion to said output voltage and/or said output current.

6. The two-stage switching power supply according to claim 5 wherein if the magnitude of said output detecting signal is within said first signal value range, said first duty cycle is decreased and said first-stage voltage gain value is decreased as said output detecting signal is increased, and if the magnitude of said output detecting signal is within said second signal value range, said second operating frequency is increased but said second-stage voltage gain value is decreased as said output detecting signal is increased.

7. The two-stage switching power supply according to claim 5 wherein if the magnitude of said output detecting signal is smaller than said first signal value range, said first duty cycle is adjusted to a maximum value and said first-stage voltage gain value is adjusted to a maximum value by said power control unit, and if the magnitude of said output detecting signal is larger than said first signal value range, said first duty cycle is adjusted to a minimum value and said first-stage voltage gain value is adjusted to a minimum value by said power control unit.

8. The two-stage switching power supply according to claim 5 wherein if the magnitude of said output detecting signal is smaller than said second signal value range, said second operating frequency is adjusted to a minimum value but said second-stage voltage gain value is adjusted to a maximum value by said power control unit, and if the magnitude of said output detecting signal is larger than said second signal value range, said second operating frequency is adjusted to a maximum value but said second-stage voltage gain value is adjusted to a minimum value by said power control unit.

9. The two-stage switching power supply according to claim 4 wherein the magnitude of said output detecting signal is in reverse proportion to said output voltage and/or said output current.

10. The two-stage switching power supply according to claim 9 wherein if the magnitude of said output detecting signal is within said first signal value range, said first duty cycle is increased and said first-stage voltage gain value is increased as said output detecting signal is increased, and if the magnitude of said output detecting signal is within said second signal value range, said second operating frequency is decreased but said second-stage voltage gain value is increased as said output detecting signal is increased.

11. The two-stage switching power supply according to claim 9 wherein if the magnitude of said output detecting signal is smaller than said first signal value range, said first duty cycle is adjusted to a minimum value and said first-stage voltage gain value is adjusted to a minimum value by said power control unit, and if the magnitude of said output detecting signal is larger than said first signal value range, said first duty cycle is adjusted to a maximum value and said first-stage voltage gain value is adjusted to a maximum value by said power control unit.

12. The two-stage switching power supply according to claim 9 wherein if the magnitude of said output detecting signal is smaller than said second signal value range, said second operating frequency is adjusted to a maximum value but said second-stage voltage gain value is adjusted to a minimum value by said power control unit, and if the magnitude of said output detecting signal is larger than said second signal value range, said second operating frequency is adjusted to a minimum value but said second-stage voltage gain value is adjusted to a maximum value by said power control unit.

13. The two-stage switching power supply according to claim 1 further comprising a bus capacitor, which is connected to a power output terminal of said first-stage power circuit, a power input terminal of said second-stage power circuit and said power bus, for filtering off high-frequency noise contained in said bus voltage.

14. The two-stage switching power supply according to claim 1 wherein said first-stage power circuit includes:

a first inductor having a first end connected to said first switching circuit and a second end connected to a negative terminal of said power bus;

a first capacitor having an first end connected to said negative terminal of said power bus and said second end of said first inductor and a second end connected to a positive terminal of said power bus;

a first-stage rectifier circuit having an output terminal connected to said second end of said first capacitor for rectifying said input voltage into a rectified input voltage; and

a first diode having a cathode connected to positive terminal of said power bus and an anode connected to said first end of said first inductor.

15. The two-stage switching power supply according to claim 14 wherein said first inductor further includes a current-induction winding for inducing a current of said first inductor and issuing a corresponding first inductor current inducing signal, said first-stage power circuit further includes a charging current detecting circuit serially connected to a charging loop of said first inductor for generating a charging current detecting signal according to a charging current of the first inductor, said power control unit is further connected to said current-induction winding and said charging current detecting circuit, and said operations of said first switching circuit are adjusted according to said charging current detecting signal and said first inductor current inducing signal, so that the envelop curve of an input current is similar to the waveform of said input voltage.

16. The two-stage switching power supply according to claim 15 wherein said charging current detecting circuit is a charging detecting resistor or a current transformer.

17. The two-stage switching power supply according to claim 1 wherein said second-stage power circuit comprises:

a second capacitor having an end connected to said second switching circuit; and

a transformer including a primary winding assembly and a first secondary winding assembly, said primary winding assembly having a first end connected to the other end of said second capacitor and a second end connected to said negative terminal of said power bus and said second switching circuit, wherein said second switching circuit is conducted or shut off under control of said second-stage control circuit, so that electrical energy of said bus voltage is magnetically transmitted from said primary winding assembly to said first secondary winding assembly to generate said output voltage.

18. The two-stage switching power supply according to claim 17 further comprising an output current detecting circuit, which is serially connected to a loop of said output current for detecting said output current and generating a corresponding output current detecting signal, wherein an input end of said output detecting circuit is connected to an output terminal of said output current detecting circuit, said output current detecting signal is altered as said output current is changed, and said output detecting circuit generates said output detecting signal according to said output voltage and said output current detecting signal.

19. The two-stage switching power supply according to claim 18 wherein said output current detecting circuit is an output detecting resistor or a current transformer.

20. The two-stage switching power supply according to claim 19 wherein said transformer further comprises a second secondary winding assembly, and said second-stage power circuit further comprises:

a second-stage rectifier circuit interconnected between a secondary side of said transformer and a power output terminal of said second-stage power circuit; and

an output capacitor connected to said power output terminal of said second-stage power circuit.