Power conversion apparatus and method of controlling the same

• US 7,881,082 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2007
• Issued: 02/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sanken Electric Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Sanken Electric Company Limited
• Inventors: Sato, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Sterrett; Jeffrey L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Finch, III; Fred E
• Application Number:
  US11/877,157
• Publication Number:
  US 20080101103A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,197 Days
• Field of Search: 363/21.02, 363/21.03, 363/21.04, 363/21.12, 363 5609- 5611, 363/97, 363/131
• US Class Current: 363/97
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/44 Circuits or arrangements for compensating for electromagnetic interference in converters or inverters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33507 with automatic control of the output voltage or current, e.g. flyback converters H02M3/33561, H02M3/33569 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/53803 with automatic control of output voltage or current
• 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 conversion apparatus includes a series circuit having a first switching element and a second switching element, the series circuit being connected to a DC power source in parallel, a resonant circuit including a capacitor and a primary winding of a transformer, the resonant circuit being connected to one of the first and second switching elements in parallel, an intermittent signal generator, a controller to control the start and stop of a switching operation of the first and second switching elements according to the intermittent signal, a current detector to detect a resonant current passing through the resonant circuit, and a timing generator to generate a timing signal when the detected resonant current satisfies a resonant condition. After the switching operation of the first and second switching elements is suspended according to the intermittent signal, the controller resumes the switching operation in response to the timing signal.

Claims

1. A power conversion apparatus, comprising:

a series circuit including a first switching element and a second switching element, the series circuit being connected to a DC power source in parallel;

a resonant circuit including a capacitor and a primary winding of a transformer, the resonant circuit being connected to one of the first and second switching elements in parallel;

an intermittent signal generator configured to generate an intermittent signal of triggering an intermittent operation according to a state of a load connected to a secondary winding of the transformer;

a controller configured to drive the first and second switching elements during a steady period and to control the start and stop of a switching operation of the first and second switching elements according to the intermittent signal from the intermittent signal generator during a suspension period in which the switching operation of the first and second switching elements is suspended according to the intermittent signal from the intermittent signal generator;

a current detector configured to detect a resonant current passing through the resonant circuit; and

a timing generator configured to generate a timing signal when the resonant current detected by the current detector satisfies a resonant condition, wherein,

after the switching operation of the first and second switching elements is suspended according to the intermittent signal from the intermittent signal generator, the controller resumes the switching operation in response to the timing signal from the timing generator,

during the suspension period, the controller keeps one of the first and second switching elements in an ON state and the other in an OFF-state,

the timing generator generates the timing signal when a positive period is detected in the resonant current passing through the ON-state one of the first and second switching elements during the suspension period, and,

in response to the timing signal from the timing generator, the controller turns on the OFF-state one of the first and second switching elements and off the ON-state one.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the current detector detects the resonant current from a voltage of one of the transformer and capacitor that form the resonant circuit.

3. A method of controlling a power conversion apparatus that includes a series circuit having a first switching element and a second switching element, the series circuit being connected to a DC power source in parallel, a resonant circuit including a capacitor and a primary winding of a transformer, the resonant circuit being connected to one of the first and second switching elements in parallel, an intermittent signal generator configured to generate an intermittent signal of instructing an intermittent operation according to one of an external instruction and a load connected to a secondary winding of the transformer, and a controller configured to drive the first and second switching elements during a steady period and to control, according to the intermittent signal from the intermittent signal generator, the start and stop of a switching operation of the first and second switching elements, during a suspension period in which the switching operation of the first and second switching elements is suspended according to the intermittent signal from the intermittent signal generator, the method comprising:

detecting a resonant current passing through the resonant circuit;

generating a timing signal when the detected resonant current satisfies a resonant condition; and

after the switching operation of the first and second switching elements is suspended according to the intermittent signal from the intermittent signal generator, resuming the switching operation in response to the generated timing signal,

during the suspension period, the controller keeps one of the first and second switching elements in an ON state and the other in an OFF-state,

the timing generator generates the timing signal when a positive period is detected in the resonant current passing through the ON-state one of the first and second switching elements during the suspension period, and,

in response to the timing signal from the timing generator, the controller turns on the OFF-state one of the first and second switching elements and off the ON-state one.