SELF-DRIVEN AC-DC SYNCHRONOUS RECTIFIER FOR POWER APPLICATIONS

• US 20170179846A1
• Filed: 03/03/2017
• Published: 06/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2010
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: City University of Hong Kong
• Original Assignee: City University of Hong Kong
• Inventors: Choi, Ho Wing, Hui, Shu Yuen Ron, Zhong, Wenxing
• Granted Patent: US 10,256,742 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/06 using discharge tubes without control electrode or semiconductor devices without control electrode
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/217 using semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/2173 in a biphase or polyphase circuit arrangement H02M7/2176 takes precedence; voltage multipliers H02M7/25
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/219 in a bridge configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/2195 the switches being synchronously commutated at the same frequency of the AC input voltage
• 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

Systems, methods, and devices that employ self-driven gate-drive circuitry to facilitate controlling power switches to emulate a diode bridge to synchronously rectify a power signal are presented. A single-phase or multi-phase synchronous rectifier can comprise at least a first pair of switches of a first conducting path and a second pair of switches of a second conducting path that can form or emulate a diode bridge. To facilitate emulating turn-on and turn-off conditions of a diode, a switch can be turned on when voltage across the switch is forward-biased and turned off when switch current is reversed; also, there can be at least one current-controlled switch in each conducting path. Self-driven gate-drive circuitry employs low power components that can facilitate controlling respective switching of the at least first pair and second pair of switches, wherein switching of the switches is also controlled at start-up to emulate a diode bridge.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a set of power switches that receive an input power signal and rectify the input power signal to generate a rectified power signal as an output to facilitate synchronous rectification of the input power signal; and

a self-driven gate-drive (SDGD) subsystem that facilitates control of respective switching of respective power switches of the set of power switches, wherein the SDGD subsystem is powered by the rectified power signal or the input power signal, wherein the SDGD subsystem comprises a set of capacitors comprising a first capacitor and a second capacitor, and wherein the SDGD subsystem controls respective charging of the first capacitor and the second capacitor to facilitate maintaining a first power switch of the set of power switches in a first switch state during a non-steady state phase of operation of the system until the SDGD subsystem is determined to be operating in steady state.