Dual mode power supply controller with charge balance multipliers and charge balance multiplier circuits

• US 9,998,027 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2016
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• 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, Hu, Qingcong
• Primary Examiner(s): Torres-Rivera, Alex
• Application Number:
  US15/359,737
• Publication Number:
  US 20170077833A1
• Time in Patent Office: 566 Days
• Field of Search: 323207, 323222, 323282, 323283, 323284, 323285
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0009 Devices or circuits for detecting current in a converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0016 Control circuits providing compensation of output voltage deviations using feedforward of disturbance parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/08 Circuits specially adapted for the generation of control voltages for semiconductor devices incorporated in static converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/156 with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/217 using semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/14 using electrical feedback from LEDs or from LED modules
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/38 using boost topology
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/39 Circuits containing inverter bridges

Abstract

A circuit for generating an output current includes a control signal generating circuit that is configured to generate a control signal. The control signal is a function of a level of an analog input voltage signal, and a level of the output current is a function of a level of an analog input current signal and the level of the analog input voltage signal.

Claims

1. A power conversion circuit, comprising:

a voltage boost circuit including a boost inductor, the voltage boost circuit being configured to generate an output voltage in response to an input voltage; and

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

wherein the boost controller is configured to generate an error signal by multiplying a current signal and a voltage signal; and

wherein the power conversion circuit further comprises a multiplier circuit for multiplying the current signal by the voltage signal, the multiplier circuit comprising;

a switched current source that is controlled by a control signal;

a control signal generating circuit that is configured to generate the control signal, wherein a duty cycle of the control signal is proportional to a level of the voltage signal; and

a balance capacitor coupled to the switched current source;

wherein a level of output current output by the multiplier circuit is proportional to a product of a level of the current signal and the level of the voltage signal;

the power conversion circuit further comprising;

an output current mirror coupled to the balance capacitor;

wherein the switched current source receives the current signal as an input; and

wherein the balance capacitor is charged by the switched current source with the duty cycle corresponding to the control signal and is discharged through the output current mirror.

2. The power conversion circuit of claim 1, wherein the output current is given as:

I_PK=(V_COMP*I_CH)/V_LIMIT

where I_PK is the output current, V_COMP is an analog input voltage signal, I_CH is a switched current with the duty cycle corresponding to the control signal and formed from a varying analog input current signal, and V_LIMIT is a reference voltage.

3. The power conversion circuit of claim 2, wherein a first charge that is stored in the balance capacitor is given as (I_CH−

I_PK)DTs, where D is the duty cycle of the control signal and Ts is a period of the control signal, and wherein a charge that is discharged from the balance capacitor is given as I_PK(1−

D)Ts.

4. The power conversion circuit of claim 3, further comprising:

a hysteretic inverter having an input coupled to the balance capacitor; and

a switch coupled to an output of the hysteretic inverter and configured to control the switched current source.

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

an output inverter having an input coupled to the output of the hysteretic inverter and configured to generate an output signal having an amplitude that is proportional to the voltage signal.

6. The power conversion circuit of claim 5, further comprising:

a filter configured to filter the output signal of the output inverter; and

an amplifier configured to amplify a filtered output signal of the filter.

7. The power conversion circuit of claim 1, wherein the output current is given by:

I_PK=I_CH*V_COMP*K

wherein I_PK is the output current, I_CH is a switched current with the duty cycle corresponding to the control signal and formed from a varying analog input current signal, V_COMP is an analog input voltage signal, and K is a constant.

8. A power conversion circuit, comprising:

a voltage boost circuit including a boost inductor, the voltage boost circuit being configured to generate an output voltage in response to an input voltage; and

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

wherein the boost controller is configured to generate an error signal by multiplying a current signal and a voltage signal; and

wherein the power conversion circuit further comprises a multiplier circuit for multiplying the current signal by the voltage signal, the multiplier circuit comprising;

a switched current source that is controlled by a control signal;

a control signal generating circuit that is configured to generate the control signal, wherein a duty cycle of the control signal is proportional to a level of the voltage signal; and

a balance capacitor coupled to the switched current source;

wherein a level of output current output by the multiplier circuit is proportional to a product of a level of the current signal and the level of the voltage signal;

wherein the power conversion circuit further comprises;

an output current mirror coupled to the balance capacitor;

wherein the switched current source receives an analog input current signal as an input; and

wherein the balance capacitor is charged by a current output by the switched current source and is discharged through the output current mirror.

9. A power conversion circuit, comprising:

a voltage boost circuit including a boost inductor, the voltage boost circuit being configured to generate an output voltage in response to an input voltage; and

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

wherein the boost controller is configured to generate an error signal by multiplying a current signal and a voltage signal; and

wherein the power conversion circuit further comprises a multiplier circuit for multiplying the current signal by the voltage signal, the multiplier circuit comprising;

a switched current source that is controlled by a control signal;

a control signal generating circuit that is configured to generate the control signal, wherein a duty cycle of the control signal is proportional to a level of the voltage signal; and

a balance capacitor coupled to the switched current source;

wherein a level of output current output by the multiplier circuit is proportional to a product of a level of the current signal and the level of the voltage signal;

wherein the switched current source receives a reference current as an input, and wherein the balance capacitor is charged by an analog input current signal and is discharged by the switched current source.