Inductive conversion device and energy control method

• US 8,305,054 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2010
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpha & Omega Semiconductor, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Alpha & Omega Semiconductor, Inc. (Alpha & Omega Semiconductor, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Chen, Ke-Horng, Wu, Jean-Shin, Tsai, Yu-Nong, Fan, Ming-Yan
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, RAJNIKANT B
• Application Number:
  US12/686,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20110089917A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,028 Days
• Field of Search: 323/222, 323/224, 323/225, 323282-285, 361152-159
• US Class Current: 323/225
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/009 having two or more independently controlled outputs for DC-DC converter with intermediate AC H02M3/33561
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/1584 with a plurality of power processing stages connected in parallel

Abstract

An energy control method for a inductive conversion device comprising: determination of individual error of multiple output voltages; determination of peak current based on the errors, determination of total energy through the peak current and charging to at least one inductor according to the peak current, whereas the inductor will store the total energy.

Claims

1. An energy control method of an inductive conversion device having a plurality of output voltages, the energy control method comprising the step of:

a. determining each individual error of said plurality output voltages;

b. generating a peak current based on the errors; and

C. charging to at least one inductor according to peak current, wherein said at least one inductor stores the total energy of a system powered by the inductive conversion device;

the total energy is delivered through said plurality of output voltages;

a total output voltage error is the square root of the sum of the square of each output voltage error; and

the sum of the positive output voltage error and that of the negative output voltage error equals to the total energy.

2. The energy control method of claim 1, wherein the peak current is an upper limit of a current charging the inductor for each charging cycle.

3. The energy control method of claim 1, wherein the total energy is an energy demand of the system.

4. The energy control method of claim 1, wherein the total energy is the sum of energy of each output.

5. The energy control method of claim 1, wherein the output voltage is a positive voltage or a negative voltage.

6. The energy control method of claim 5, wherein the output voltage is a single voltage output or multiple voltages simultaneously output.

7. The energy control method of claim 6, whereas the output voltage is multiple voltages simultaneously output, the sequence of load charging is determined according to the peak current and the load applied.

8. The energy control method of claim 1 further comprising a step of providing a reference voltage as a basis for determining the output voltage error.

9. The energy control method of claim 1 further comprising an input voltage for providing a current for charging the inductor.

10. The energy control method of claim 9, whereas the output voltage is higher than the input voltage.

11. The energy control method of claim 1, wherein the peak current is a function of total output voltage error.

12. The energy control method of claim 1, wherein the peak current is a system transconductance function of the total voltage error.

13. The energy control method of claim 12, wherein the charging current with a rising slope is limited to a maximum as the peak current.

14. An inductive energy conversion device comprises:

A switch circuit electrically connected to at least an inductor to control charging and discharging of the inductor therefore providing a plurality of output voltages;

A current sensor electrically connected to the inductor for sensing an inductive current flowing through the inductor;

A peak current generator electrically connected to the switch circuit, whereas the peak current generator receives errors of the output voltages and generates a peak current corresponding to the errors;

A comparator set electrically connected to the peak current generator, whereas the comparator set compares the peak current with the inductive current and the errors, and generates a plurality of voltage signals; and

A control circuit electrically connected to the comparator set, whereas the control circuit receives the plurality of voltage signals to generate a plurality of control signals for controlling the switch circuit thus controlling the charging and discharging of the inductor.

15. The inductive energy conversion device of claim 14, further comprising a plurality of error amplifiers electrically connected to the peak current generator with the error of the output voltage amplified by the error amplifier with a reference voltage as basis and input into the peak current generator.

16. The inductive energy conversion device in claim 15, wherein the control circuit generates the reference voltage according to the voltage signal received.

17. The inductive energy conversion device in claim 14, further comprises a slope compensator electrically connected to a current sensor for compensating for the error generated due to variation of the inductive current.

18. The inductive energy conversion device of claim 14, wherein the inductive current sensed by the current sensor is converted to a voltage through a resistor and input to the comparator set.

19. The inductive energy conversion device of claim 14, wherein the switch circuit comprises a plurality of transistor switches controlled by the control signals generated by the control circuit.

20. The inductive energy conversion device of claim 16, wherein the peak current generator dynamically generates the peak current according to the output voltage errors.