DC-DC converter

• US 8,432,139 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2012
• Issued: 04/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sanken Electric Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Sanken Electric Company Limited
• Inventors: Suzuki, Takamune
• Primary Examiner(s): Han, Jessica
• Application Number:
  US13/354,869
• Publication Number:
  US 20120187934A1
• Time in Patent Office: 466 Days
• Field of Search: 323/222, 323282-285, 323/288, 323/351, 326/88
• US Class Current: 323/222
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/156 with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/158 including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load

Abstract

A DC-DC converter includes: a high-side MOSFET as a main switching element which is driven by using a bootstrap capacitor; a low-side MOSFET as a synchronous rectifier, wherein a series circuit of the high-side MOSFET and the low-side MOSFET is connected to a DC power supply; and a coil and a smoothing capacitor, which are serially connected between the drain and the source of the low-side MOSFET; an overvoltage protection unit, which clamps an overvoltage; an overcurrent interrupting unit, which interrupts an overcurrent that flows when the overvoltage protection unit clamps the overvoltage; and a protection circuit, wherein the protection circuit includes: a differential-voltage detecting unit detecting the voltage of both ends of the bootstrap capacitor; and a control unit that, when the voltage detected by the differential-voltage detecting unit exceeds a predetermined value, turns OFF the low-side MOSFET and turns ON the high-side MOSFET.

Claims

1. A DC-DC converter, which is a synchronous step-down DC-DC converter, the DC-DC converter comprising:

a high-side MOSFET as a main switching element, which is driven by using a bootstrap capacitor;

a low-side MOSFET as a synchronous rectifier, wherein a series circuit of the high-side MOSFET and the low-side MOSFET is connected to a DC power supply; and

a coil and a smoothing capacitor, which are serially connected between the drain and the source of the low-side MOSFET, wherein a direct current is output from the terminals of the smoothing capacitor by turning ON/OFF the high-side MOSFET and the low-side MOSFET complementarily;

an overvoltage protection unit, which clamps an overvoltage when the direct current output voltage of the smoothing capacitor exceeds a predetermined value;

an overcurrent interrupting unit, which interrupts an overcurrent that flows when the overvoltage protection unit clamps the overvoltage; and

a protection circuit,

wherein the protection circuit comprises;

a differential-voltage detecting unit detecting the voltage of both ends of the bootstrap capacitor; and

a control unit that, when the voltage detected by the differential-voltage detecting unit exceeds a predetermined value, turns OFF the low-side MOSFET and turns ON the high-side MOSFET.

2. A DC-DC converter, which is a synchronous step-down DC-DC converter, the DC-DC converter comprising:

a high-side MOSFET as a main switching element, which is driven by using a bootstrap capacitor;

a low-side MOSFET as a synchronous rectifier, wherein a series circuit of the high-side MOSFET and the low-side MOSFET is connected to a DC power supply; and

a coil and a smoothing capacitor, which are serially connected between the drain and the source of the low-side MOSFET, wherein a direct current is output from the terminals of the smoothing capacitor by turning ON/OFF the high-side MOSFET and the low-side MOSFET complementarily; and

a protection circuit,

wherein the protection circuit comprises;

a differential-voltage detecting unit detecting the voltage of both ends of the bootstrap capacitor;

a control unit that, when the voltage detected by the differential-voltage detecting means exceeds a predetermined value, turns OFF the low-side MOSFET,

a switching element which is connected in parallel with the bootstrap capacitor;

a voltage detecting unit, when the voltage of both ends of the bootstrap capacitor exceeds a predetermined value, turns ON the switching element; and

an element, which is provided between the terminal of the bootstrap capacitor at the high voltage side and the drain terminal of the switching element, and which is meltdown due to a current that flows when the switching element is turned on.