Power supply driver circuit

• US 20060113979A1
• Filed: 11/28/2005
• Published: 06/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Renesas Technology Corporation (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: Kudo, Ryotaro, Kanouda, Akihiko, Tateno, Koji, Sase, Takashi, Ishigaki, Takuya
• Granted Patent: US 7,138,786 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 323/282
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0009 Devices or circuits for detecting current in a converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/1588 comprising at least one synchronous rectifier element H02M3/1582, H02M3/1584 take precedence
• 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

Abstract

A power supply driver circuit with low power losses and desired response characteristics with respect to changes in output and its miniaturization is provided. In a driver IC constituting a switched-mode power supply equipment controlling the switching, by pulse width modulation, of first and second power transistors passing a current in a coil, and outputting a voltage bucked or boosted from an input voltage, current sensing with desired responsiveness is enabled by providing a switching transistor between an inverted input terminal and a non-inverted input terminal of an operational amplifier, preventing, while the second power transistor is ON, the generation of a potential which is undefined when first power transistor is ON, i.e. when the second power transistor is OFF, and maintaining a node potential in a state in which the potential is well defined.

Claims

1. A power supply driver circuit constituting a switched-mode power supply equipment controlling, by pulse-width modulation (PWM), switching of a power semiconductor device passing a current in an inductor, and outputting a voltage converted from an input voltage, comprising:

a current sensing semiconductor device in which drain terminals of the current sensing semiconductor device and said power semiconductor device, or collector terminals thereof, are coupled together, the same drive voltage being applied to control terminals thereof;

a current sensing resistor coupled to the source terminal or emitter terminal of said current sensing semiconductor device;

an operational amplifier circuit having a first input terminal connected to a first node which is a connection node connecting said current sensing resistor and said current sensing semiconductor device and a second terminal supplied with a voltage of the same potential as a source voltage or emitter voltage of said power semiconductor device; and

a current sensing circuit which has a feedback loop formed so that a pair of input terminals of said operational amplifier circuit have the same potential, and outputs a signal emanating in said current sensing resistor as a current sensing signal;

wherein a route passing the current in the current sensing circuit is ensured regardless of a switching state to make an undefined potential well defined.

2. A power supply driver circuit according to claim 1, wherein said power semiconductor device comprises two power semiconductor devices connected in series between a first and a second power supply voltage terminal, and said current sensing semiconductor device has its drain terminal or its collector terminal coupled to a drain or collector terminal of one of said two power semiconductor devices, which is connected to a low-potential side power supply voltage terminal.

3. A power supply driver circuit according to claim 1, wherein said current sensing circuit comprises a voltage down element and a first switch operable in response to a drive control signal, and said voltage down element and said first switch are connected in series between a gate terminal or a base terminal of a semiconductor device connected between an output node of said operational amplifier and the ground potential, and the ground potential.

4. A power supply driver circuit according to claim 1, comprising a second switch connected between one input terminal of said operational amplifier and the ground potential, and operating on the basis of a drive control signal, wherein said second switch, in a first state in which the potential of one input terminal of said operational amplifier becomes undefined due to the fact that said power semiconductor device is put in a switched state, maintains a node potential of a second state in which the potential is well defined.

5. A power supply driver circuit according to claim 1, comprising a third switch, connected between one input terminal of said operational amplifier and a node to which are connected the source terminal or emitter terminal of said current sensing semiconductor device and one terminal of said current sensing resistor and operating on the basis of a drive control signal, wherein said third switch, when said power semiconductor device is in a switched state, forces one input terminal of said operational amplifier to the ground potential.

6. A power supply driver circuit according to claim 4, comprising a third switch, connected between one input terminal of said operational amplifier and the source terminal or emitter terminal of said current sensing semiconductor device, and operating on the basis of a drive control signal, wherein when said power semiconductor device is in a switched state, one input terminal of said operational amplifier is forced to the ground potential.

7. A power supply driver circuit according to claim 1, comprising a discharge resistor connected between a node to which are connected the source terminal or the emitter terminal of said current sensing semiconductor device and one terminal of said current sensing resistor, and the ground potential, which discharges the current generated during a first state.

8. A power supply driver circuit according to claim 1, comprising an inverter circuit inverting the signal of the gate drive voltage or the base drive voltage of said power semiconductor device connected to the low potential side power supply voltage terminal and generating a drive control signal.

9. A power supply driver circuit according to claim 1, wherein the signal of the gate drive voltage or the base drive voltage of the power semiconductor device connected to the high potential side power supply voltage circuit is level-shifted to generate a drive control signal.

10. A power supply driver circuit according to claim 5, comprising a timing setting means for setting an arbitrary timing of the voltages of the drive control signals of said first to third switches.

11. A power supply driver circuit according to claim 5, comprising a signal width setting means for setting the time width of the drive control signals of said first to third switches to an arbitrary time.