Resonant power conversion apparatus and controlling method thereof

• US 9,362,835 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2014
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FSP-Powerland Technology Inc., FSP Technology Inc.
• Original Assignee: FSP-Powerland Technology Inc., FSP Technology Inc.
• Inventors: Xu, Ming, Duan, Fei-Yue
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Nguyen
• Application Number:
  US14/460,381
• Publication Number:
  US 20150109830A1
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 363/15, 363/16, 363/17, 363/21.02, 363/21.03, 363 97- 98
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0058 by employing soft switching techniques, i.e. commutation of transistors when applied voltage is zero or when current flow is zero using an auxiliary actively switched resonant commutation circuit connected to an intermediate DC voltage or between two push-pull branches of an inverter bridge H02M7/4811; in resonant inverters H02M7/4815; in inverters operating from a resonant DC source H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/01 Resonant DC/DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33571 Half-bridge at primary side of an isolation transformer
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier

Abstract

A resonant power conversion apparatus and a controlling method of the resonant power conversion apparatus are provided. The resonant power conversion apparatus includes a switch-based resonant converter and a controller. The switch-based resonant converter is configured to supply power to a load. The controller is coupled to the switch-based resonant converter and the load and configured to control switching of the switch-based resonant converter to regulate power conversion of the switch-based resonant converter. The controller has a voltage control loop and a current control loop. The controller detects a driving state of the load and enables one of the voltage control loop and the current control loop according to the detection result to adjust a switching frequency of the switch-based resonant converter.

Claims

1. A resonant power conversion apparatus comprising:

a switch-based resonant converter configured to supply power to a load; and

a controller coupled to the switch-based resonant converter and the load and configured to control switching of the switch-based resonant converter to regulate power conversion of the switch-based resonant converter,

wherein the controller has a voltage control loop and a current control loop, the controller detects a driving state of the load, and enables one of the voltage control loop and the current control loop according to a result of detecting the driving state of the load to adjust a switching frequency of the switch-based resonant converter,

wherein the controller detects a load current flowing through the load and a driving voltage applied to the load,

when the controller determines the load current is smaller than a predetermined current, the controller enables the voltage control loop to adjust the switching frequency according to the driving voltage, and

when the controller determines the load current is larger than or equal to the predetermined current, the controller enables the current control loop to adjust the switching frequency according to the load current.

2. The resonant power conversion apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein

when the voltage control loop is enabled, the controller raises the switching frequency in response to an increase of the driving voltage, and

when the current control loop is enabled, the controller lowers the switching frequency in response to an increase of the load current.

3. The resonant power conversion apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the controller comprises:

a voltage comparator configured to compare the driving voltage with a reference voltage, the voltage comparator generating a voltage error signal according to a result of comparing the driving voltage with the reference voltage;

a first proportional regulator coupled to the voltage comparator, the first proportional regulator being configured to regulate the voltage error signal and accordingly generating a first regulating signal;

a current comparator configured to compare the load current with a reference current, the current comparator generating a current error signal according to a result of comparing the load current with the reference current;

a second proportional regulator coupled to the current comparator, the second proportional regulator being configured to regulate the current error signal and accordingly generating a second regulating signal; and

a loop selecting circuit coupled to the first proportional regulator and the second proportional regulator and configured to generate a switching frequency signal according to one of the first regulating signal and the second regulating signal,

wherein the voltage comparator, the first proportional regulator, and the loop selecting circuit constitute the voltage control loop,

wherein the current comparator, the second proportional regulator, and the loop selecting circuit constitute the current control loop.

4. The resonant power conversion apparatus as recited in claim 3, wherein the loop selecting circuit comprises:

a selection switch coupled to the first proportional regulator and the second proportional regulator, the selection switch being controlled by an over-current determining signal to select one of the first regulating signal and the second regulating signal as a control signal, wherein the over-current determining signal is associated with a result of comparing the load current with the predetermined current;

a voltage controlling oscillator coupled to the selection switch, the voltage controlling oscillator receiving the control signal and accordingly generating the switching frequency signal, wherein a frequency of the switching frequency signal is associated with the switching frequency.

5. The resonant power conversion apparatus as recited in claim 3, wherein the loop selecting circuit comprises:

a first voltage controlling oscillator coupled to the first proportional regulator, the first voltage controlling oscillator receiving the first regulating signal and accordingly generating a first frequency signal; and

a second voltage controlling oscillator coupled to the second proportional regulator, the second voltage controlling oscillator receiving the second regulating signal and accordingly generating a second frequency signal,

wherein the loop selecting circuit selects one of the first frequency signal and the second frequency signal as the switching frequency signal according to an over-current determining signal,

wherein the over-current determining signal is associated with a result of comparing the load current with the predetermined current.

6. The resonant power conversion apparatus as recited in claim 3, wherein the controller further comprises:

a first amplitude limiting circuit coupled between the first proportional regulator and the loop selecting circuit and configured to limit amplitude of the first regulating signal; and

a second amplitude limiting circuit coupled between the second proportional regulator and the selection switch and configured to limit amplitude of the second regulating signal, wherein the loop selecting circuit generates the switching frequency signal according to one of the first regulating signal and the second regulating signal after the amplitude of the first regulating signal and the amplitude of the second regulating signal are limited.

7. The resonant power conversion apparatus as recited in claim 3, wherein the controller further comprises:

a pulse width modulation generator coupled to the loop selecting circuit and configured to control the switching of the switch-based resonant converter through generating at least one pulse width modulation signal according to the switching frequency signal.

8. The resonant power conversion apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the switch-based resonant converter comprises:

a bridge switching circuit being switched on or off based on a control of the at least one pulse width modulation signal, wherein the at least one pulse width modulation signal is generated by the controller;

a resonant and transforming circuit coupled to the bridge switching circuit, the resonant and transforming circuit having at least one resonant capacitor, the at least one resonant capacitor being charged or discharged in response to switching of the bridge switching circuit;

a rectifying and filtering circuit coupled to the resonant and transforming circuit and the load and configured to rectify and filter an output of the resonant and transforming circuit, the rectifying and filtering circuit accordingly generating a driving voltage; and

a clamping circuit coupled to the resonant and transforming circuit and configured to clamp a voltage across the at least one resonant capacitor within a range of a first voltage.

9. A controlling method of a resonant power conversion apparatus, the resonant power conversion apparatus comprising a switch-based resonant converter and a controller, the controlling method comprising:

controlling switching of the switch-based resonant converter, such that the switch-based resonant converter converts power and supplies the power to a load;

detecting a driving state of the load by detecting a load current flowing through the load and a driving voltage applied to the load; and

enabling one of a voltage control loop and a current control loop of the controller according to a result of detecting the driving state to adjust a switching frequency of the switch-based resonant converter by steps comprising;

determining whether the load current is greater than or equal to a predetermined current;

if the load current is smaller than the predetermined current, enabling the voltage control loop to adjust the switching frequency according to the driving voltage, and

if the load current is larger than or equal to the predetermined current, enabling the current control loop to adjust the switching frequency according to the load current.

10. The controlling method as recited in claim 9, wherein

when the voltage control loop is enabled, the controller raises the switching frequency in response to an increase of the driving voltage, and

when the current control loop is enabled, the controller lowers the switching frequency in response to an increase of the load current.

11. The controlling method as recited in claim 9, wherein the step of adjusting the switching frequency of the switch-based resonant converter according to the driving voltage comprises:

comparing the driving voltage with a reference voltage and generating a voltage error signal according to a result of comparing the driving voltage with the reference voltage;

regulating the voltage error signal and accordingly generating a first regulating signal; and

applying the first regulating signal as a control signal and generating a switching frequency signal according to the control signal, wherein a frequency of the switching frequency signal is associated with the switching frequency.

12. The controlling method as recited in claim 11, wherein the step of adjusting the switching frequency of the switch-based resonant converter according to the load current comprises:

comparing the load current with a reference current and generating a current error signal according to a result of comparing the load current with the reference current;

regulating the current error signal and accordingly generating a second regulating signal; and

applying the second regulating signal as a control signal and generating a switching frequency signal according to the control signal, wherein a frequency of the switching frequency signal is associated with the switching frequency.

13. The controlling method as recited in claim 12, wherein the step of adjusting the switching frequency of the switch-based resonant converter according to the driving voltage or the load current further comprises:

generating at least one pulse width modulation signal according to the switching frequency signal; and

controlling the switching of the switch-based resonant converter according to the at least one pulse width modulation signal.