Power converter with bias voltage regulation circuit

• US 9,203,307 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2012
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IDEAL Industries Lighting, LLC (Ideal Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CREE Incorporated (Wolfspeed, Inc.)
• Inventors: Walters, Michael, Ni, Liqin
• Primary Examiner(s): STERRETT, JEFFREY L
• Application Number:
  US13/664,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20140119077A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,126 Days
• Field of Search: 323/285
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0006 Arrangements for supplying an adequate voltage to the control circuit of converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0022 the disturbance parameters being input voltage fluctuations
• 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 3/158 including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/06 using discharge tubes without control electrode or semiconductor devices without control electrode

Abstract

A power conversion circuit includes a voltage boost circuit configured to generate an output voltage in response to an input voltage, a boost controller configured to control operation of the voltage boost circuit, and a bias voltage generation circuit configured to generate a bias voltage. The bias generation circuit is configured to regulate a level of the bias voltage in response to a level of the input voltage.

Claims

1. A power conversion circuit, comprising:

a voltage boost circuit configured to generate an output voltage in response to an input voltage;

a boost controller configured to control operation of the voltage boost circuit in response to a bias voltage; and

a bias voltage generation circuit configured to generate the bias voltage, wherein the bias voltage generation circuit is configured to regulate a level of the bias voltage in response to a level of the input voltage;

wherein the bias voltage generation circuit is configured to detect the level of the input voltage and to increase the level of the bias voltage in response to detecting that the input voltage is below a threshold voltage level.

2. The power conversion circuit of claim 1, wherein the bias voltage generation circuit comprises a comparator that is configured to compare a level of the input voltage with the threshold voltage level.

3. The power conversion circuit of claim 1, wherein the voltage boost circuit comprises a switch, wherein the boost controller is configured to generate a pulse width modulation signal that controls operation of the switch, and wherein the bias voltage generation circuit is configured to detect the level of the input voltage by measuring an on-time of the pulse width modulation signal.

4. The power conversion circuit of claim 1, wherein the voltage boost circuit comprises a boost inductor configured to receive a rectified input voltage, a boost diode coupled to the boost inductor a boost capacitor coupled to the boost diode, a compound switch including a first switch coupled to the boost inductor and a second switch coupled to the first switch, wherein the boost controller is configured to control a state of the second switch;

and

wherein the bias voltage generation circuit comprises a bias capacitor coupled to a bias node, a bias rectifier coupled between the first switch and the bias node, and a switch between a control terminal of the first switch and the bias node;

wherein the bias voltage generation circuit is configured to disconnect the control terminal of the first switch from the bias node in response to detecting that the input voltage is below the threshold voltage level.

5. The power conversion circuit of claim 4, wherein the bias voltage generation circuit is further configured to compare a level of a current in the boost inductor to a current threshold and to connect the control terminal of the first switch to the bias node in response to the current in the boost inductor exceeding the current threshold.

6. The power conversion circuit of claim 4, further comprising:

a control bias circuit coupled to the control terminal of the first switch and configured to maintain a voltage on the control terminal of the first switch at a voltage level that is higher than a voltage level at the bias node when the control terminal of the first switch is disconnected from the bias node.

7. The power conversion circuit, of claim 6, wherein the bias voltage generation circuit is configured to maintain the first switch in an on-state by disconnecting the control terminal of the first switch from the bias node when either the level of the input voltage is below the threshold voltage level or the voltage level at the bias node is below a lower bias voltage threshold.

8. The power conversion circuit of claim 7, wherein the bias voltage generation circuit is configured to compare the voltage at the bias node to an upper bias voltage threshold and to connect the control terminal of the first switch to the bias node in response to detecting that the voltage at the bias node is greater than the upper bias threshold voltage.

9. A power conversion circuit, comprising:

a voltage boost circuit configured to generate an output voltage in response to a rectified input voltage signal, the voltage boost circuit including a first energy storage element;

a boost controller configured to control operation of the voltage boost circuit; and

a bias voltage generation circuit configured to generate a bias voltage for operating the boost controller, wherein the bias voltage generation circuit comprises a second energy storage element, and wherein the bias voltage generation circuit is configured to transfer energy from the first energy storage element to the second energy storage element in response to a level of the rectified input voltage signal being below a threshold voltage level.

10. A method of operating a power conversion circuit, comprising:

generating an output voltage in response to an input voltage;

generating a bias voltage for powering a control circuit;

regulating a level of the bias voltage in response to a level of the input voltage;

detecting the level of the input voltage; and

increasing the level of the bias voltage in response to detecting that the input voltage is below a threshold voltage level.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising comparing a level of the input voltage with the threshold voltage level.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the power conversion circuit comprises a switch, the method further comprising:

generating a pulse width modulation signal that controls operation of the switch; and

detecting the level of the input voltage by measuring an on-time of the pulse width modulation signal.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the switch comprises a compound switch including a first switch coupled to a boost inductor and a second switch coupled to the first switch, the method further comprising:

disconnecting a control terminal of the first switch from a bias node at which the bias voltage is output in response to detecting that the input voltage is below a threshold voltage level.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising comparing a level of a current in the boost inductor to a current threshold;

and

connecting the control terminal of the first switch to the bias node in response to the current in the boost inductor exceeding the current threshold.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

maintaining a voltage on the control terminal of the first switch at a voltage level that is higher than a voltage level at the bias node when the control terminal of the first switch is disconnected from the bias node.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising maintaining the first switch in an on-state by disconnecting the control terminal of the first switch from the bias node when either the level of the input voltage is below the threshold voltage level or the voltage level at the bias node is below a lower bias voltage threshold.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

comparing the voltage at the bias node to an upper bias voltage threshold and connecting the control terminal of the first switch to the bias node in response to detecting that the voltage at the bias node is greater than the upper bias threshold voltage.

18. A power conversion circuit, comprising:

a voltage boost circuit configured to generate an output voltage in response to an input voltage, wherein the voltage boost circuit includes a cascade switch including a high voltage switch and a control switch wherein the high voltage switch comprises an enhancement mode MOSFET;

a boost controller configured to control operation of the control switch; and

a bias voltage generation circuit coupled to a gate and to a source of the high voltage switch, wherein the bias voltage generation circuit is configured to provide a first gate voltage to the gate of the high voltage switch that is sufficient to turn on the high voltage switch when the control switch is in an ON state;

a gate bias circuit coupled to the gate of the high voltage switch and to an output terminal of the voltage boost circuit, wherein the gate bias circuit is configured to provide a second gate voltage to the gate of the high voltage switch that is higher than the first gate voltage.

19. The power conversion circuit of claim 18:

wherein the bias voltage generation circuit comprises a bias capacitor having a first terminal coupled to a bias voltage supply node and a second terminal coupled to ground, and a bias selection switch coupled between the bias voltage supply node and the gate of the high voltage switch;

wherein the source of the high voltage switch is coupled to the bias voltage supply node; and

wherein the bias voltage generation circuit is configured to selectively couple the gate of the high voltage switch to the bias supply node through the bias selection switch in response to a voltage level at the bias supply node.

20. The power conversion circuit of claim 18, Wherein each of the first gate voltage and the second gate voltage is sufficient to place the control switch into a saturated mode.

21. The power conversion circuit of claim 18, wherein the second gate voltage is sufficient to turn on the high voltage switch when the control switch is in an OFF state.