regulation of the output voltage of a power supply employing a flyback-type self-oscillating DC--DC converter employing a transformer. The primary winding circuit of the transformer senses a current recirculation loop for discharging the energy cyclically stored in an auxiliary winding of the self-oscillation loop of the converter such as to represent a replica of the circuit of the secondary winding of the transformer and by summing a signal representative of the level of the energy stored in the auxiliary winding with a drive signal on a control node of a driver of the power switch of the converter.
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0. 11. A power-supply circuit, comprising:
an output terminal; a transformer having a primary winding, having an auxiliary winding, and having a secondary winding coupled to the output terminal and operable to generate an output voltage on the output terminal; a device having a variable conductivity and operable to control a flow of current through the primary winding; and a regulation circuit including the auxiliary winding and a sense element coupled to the device and operable to conduct the current the regulation circuit operable to maintain the output voltage at a constant or an approximately constant level by coupling a regulation signal to the sense element during a period in which the device has a high conductivity.
0. 29. A method for generating a regulated output voltage, the method comprising:
storing flyback energy by allowing a charging current to flow through a primary transformer winding during a charging period; controlling the duration of the charging period by combining a regulating current with the charging current during the charging period; generating a primary flyback voltage across the primary transformer winding after the charging period; generating an auxiliary flyback voltage across an auxiliary transformer winding in response to the primary flyback voltage; generating the regulating current from the auxiliary flyback voltage; generating a secondary flyback voltage across a secondary transformer winding in response to the primary flyback voltage; and generating the regulated output voltage from the secondary flyback voltage.
0. 24. A method for regulating an output voltage, the method comprising:
storing flyback energy by allowing a charging current to flow through a primary transformer winding and through a sense element during a charging period; controlling the duration of the charging period by coupling a regulating signal to the sense element during the charging period; generating a primary flyback voltage across the primary transformer winding after the charging period; generating an auxiliary flyback voltage across an auxiliary transformer winding in response to the primary flyback voltage; generating the regulating signal from the auxiliary flyback voltage; generating a secondary flyback voltage across a secondary transformer winding in response to the primary flyback voltage; and generating the output voltage from the secondary flyback voltage.
0. 20. A power-supply circuit, comprising:
an input terminal; an output terminal operable to provide an output voltage; a primary transformer winding coupled to the input terminal; a secondary transformer winding coupled to the output terminal, the secondary transformer winding being electrically isolated from and magnetically coupled to the primary transformer winding; a switching device having a first drive terminal coupled to the primary transformer winding, having a second drive terminal, and having a control terminal; and a regulation circuit comprising, an auxiliary transformer winding that is electrically isolated from the secondary transformer winding and that is magnetically coupled to the primary and secondary transformer windings, a sense element coupled to the second drive terminal of the switching device, and wherein the regulation circuit is operable to regulate the output voltage by, generating a regulation signal, and coupling the regulation signal to the sense element while energy is being stored in the primary transformer winding. 1. A self-oscillating, DC--DC converter, comprising:
a transformer having a primary winding coupled to a primary circuit and a secondary winding coupled to a secondary circuit, said primary circuit including a first switch, functionally connected in series with the primary winding, having a first terminal thereof coupled to an input node; a sensing resistance functionally connected between said first switch and a common potential node of the circuit, said first switch being driven by a self-oscillation circuit composed of at least an auxiliary winding having a first and a second terminal magnetically coupled to said primary winding and a first capacitor connected between a control element of said first switch and an intermediate connection node between said auxiliary winding and said first capacitor; a second switch device capable of shortcircuiting said control element of deactivating said first switch to said common potential node when a current through the primary winding reaches a preestablished level; at least a second capacitor connected between a second terminal of said auxiliary winding and said common potential node; at least a diode having an anode coupled to said common potential node and a cathode coupled to said intermediate connection node; and at least a zener diode connected between said second terminal of said auxiliary winding and a control element of said second switch device.
3. A DC--DC voltage regulating circuit, comprising:
an input voltage terminal; a first switch; a primary winding serially coupled between said input voltage terminal and said first switch; a secondary winding magnetically coupled to said primary winding; a sensing resistance serially coupled between said first switch and a common potential node; and a self-oscillation circuit coupled to a first control terminal of said first switch, wherein said self-oscillation circuit comprises an auxiliary winding magnetically coupled to said primary winding and having a first node and a first intermediate node; a first capacitive element coupled between said first node and said common potential node; a first diode having an anode coupled to said common potential node and a cathode coupled to said first intermediate node; a second capacitive element coupled between said first intermediate node and said first control terminal of said first switch; a first resistive element coupled between said input voltage terminal and said first control terminal of said first switch; a second switch device coupled between said first control terminal of said first switch and said common potential node and having a second control terminal coupled to a second intermediate node connecting said first switch and said sensing resistance; and a second diode coupled between said first node and said second control terminal.
0. 28. A power-supply circuit, comprising:
an input terminal; a supply terminal; a regulated output terminal operable to provide an output voltage; a primary transformer winding coupled to the input terminal; a secondary transformer winding coupled to the regulated output terminal, the secondary transformer winding being electrically isolated from and magnetically coupled to the primary transformer winding; a switching device having a first drive terminal coupled to the primary transformer winding, having a second drive terminal, and having a control terminal; and a regulation circuit comprising, an auxiliary transformer winding that has first and second terminals, that is electrically isolated from the secondary transformer winding, and that is magnetically coupled to the primary and secondary transformer windings, a sense element coupled between the supply terminal and the second drive terminal of the switching device, a diode coupled between the supply terminal and the first terminal of the auxiliary winding, a capacitor coupled between the supply terminal and the second terminal of the auxiliary winding, a transistor having a first drive terminal coupled to the supply terminal, a second drive terminal coupled to the control terminal of the switching device, and a control terminal coupled to the second drive terminal of the switching device, and a zener diode coupled between the second terminal of the auxiliary transformer winding and the control terminal of the transistor.
2. The self-oscillating, DC--DC converter, according to
6. The circuit of
7. The circuit of
8. The circuit of
9. The circuit of
0. 12. The power-supply circuit of
0. 13. The power-supply circuit of
0. 14. The power-supply circuit of
0. 15. The power-supply circuit of
0. 16. The power-supply circuit of
0. 17. The power-supply circuit of
0. 18. The power-supply circuit of
the secondary winding is operable to provide an output current to the output terminal; and the regulation circuit controls the conductivity of the device by periodically varying the conductivity of the device from the high conductivity to a low conductivity at a frequency that is proportional to the output current.
0. 19. The power-supply circuit of
0. 21. The power-supply circuit of
0. 22. The power-supply circuit of
0. 23. The power-supply circuit of
the regulation signal comprises a regulation current; and the regulation circuit is operable to cause the regulation current to flow through the sense element.
0. 25. The method of
the regulating signal comprises a regulating current; the sense element comprises an input terminal; and controlling the duration of the charging current comprises summing the regulating and charging currents at the input terminal of the sense element.
0. 26. The method of
the regulating signal comprises a regulating current; and controlling the duration of the charging current comprises causing the regulating current to flow through the sense element.
0. 27. The method of
the regulating signal comprises a regulating current; and controlling the duration of the charging period comprises causing the regulating current to flow through the sense element.
0. 30. The method of
storing the flyback energy comprises reducing the impedance of a switching device coupled in series with the primary transformer winding; and generating the primary flyback voltage comprises increasing the impedance of the switching device in response to the combination of the charging and regulating currents.
0. 31. The method of
0. 32. The method of
controlling the duration of the charging period comprises summing the charging and regulating currents; and generating the primary flyback voltage comprises increasing the impedance of a switching device coupled in series with the primary transformer winding when the sum of the charging and regulating currents equals or exceeds a predetermined value.
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A flyback-type self-oscillating DC--DC converter uses the primary winding side circuit of a transformer to regulate the output voltage of a power supply.
Switching power supplies offer remarkable advantages in terms of volume, weight and electrical efficiency if compared with traditional transformer-type power supplies functioning at the mains frequency. However, due to the complexity of the electronic circuitry employed, these switching power supplies are rather costly. One of the architectures most frequently used is based on the use of a flyback-type, DC--DC converter.
In a flyback system, energy is stored within the primary winding inductance of the transformer during a conduction phase of a power transistor (switch), functionally connected in series with the primary winding and is transferred to the secondary winding of the transformer during a subsequent phase of non-conduction of the switch, which is driven at a relatively high frequency, for example, by a local oscillator having a frequency in the order of tens of kHz.
In switching power supplies, the voltage at the input of the DC--DC converter is not regulated. Commonly, in a power supply connectable to the mains, the input voltage of the converter is a nonregulated voltage as obtained by rectifying the mains voltage by a Wien bridge and leveling it by a filtering capacitor. Therefore this voltage is a nonregulated DC voltage whose value depends on the mains voltage that can vary from 180 VAC to 264 VAC in Europe and from 90 VAC to 130 VAC in America.
A diagram of a flyback-type, self-oscillating primary side circuit of a power supply connectable to the mains is shown in FIG. 1.
At the turning on instant, the voltage VINDC produces a current i in the resistance R1 that has normally a high ohmic value. This current charges the gate-source capacitance of the power switch T1, which, in the example shown, is an isolated-gate, field effect transistor. The gate-source voltage increases in time according to the following approximate equation:
where VGS indicates the voltage between the gate and the source of transistor T1. CGS is the gate-source capacitance, i is the current that flows through R1 and t is time.
When the voltage VGS reaches the threshold value VTHR, the transistor begins to drive a current IP while the drain voltage VDS decreases because of the voltage drop provoked by the current IP on the inductance L of the primary winding NP of the transformer.
Therefore, a voltage equal to VINDC-VDS is generated at the terminals of the primary winding NP. This voltage, reduced according to the turn ratio N1/NP between the primary winding NP and the auxiliary winding N1 belonging to the self-oscillating circuit, is also applied between the gate node G and the common ground node of the circuit through a capacitor C2. This voltage, which is in phase with the voltage present on the primary winding NP, provokes a further increase of the voltage between the gate node G and the source node S of the transistor T1, which therefore is driven to a state of full conduction. Therefore the voltage on the inductance L of the primary winding NP is approximately equal to the rectified input voltage VINDC and the current that flows through the primary winding of the transformer has a value given by the following equation:
On the other hand, the current IP also flows in the resistance R2 provoking a voltage drop thereon given by IP·R2. Even this voltage drop grows linearly in time until it reaches conduction threshold value VBE of the second (transistor) switch T2.
By entering into a state of conduction, the transistor T2
With reference to the diagram of FIG. 2 and to the waveforms shown in
During the subsequent flyback phase, when the transistor T1 is not conductive, the voltage on the diode D1 cathode becomes negative and a recirculation current IS1 can circulate in the loop composed of the diode D1, the winding N1 and the capacitor C3. Therefore, the capacitor C3 is charged by the recirculation current IS1 and the voltage on it rises. By calling VZ the voltage of the zener diode D2, when the following condition is fulfilled:
the diode D2 begins to conduct, thus forcing a current through the resistance R3.
By calling iZ the current that flows through the diode D2, the equation of the recirculation loop that includes the base-emitter junction of the transistor D2 T2 and the resistances R2 and R3 becomes:
If iZ increases due to an increment of the voltage VC3 reached by the capacitor C3 when charging, IP and consequently TON must proportionally decrease in value in accordance with equation (2). Therefore, a lower amount of energy will be stored in the inductance L of the primary winding of the transformer and, as a consequence, a lower recirculation current IS1 will flow during the next flyback phase in order to keep the voltage VC3 constant and equal to a value given by VZ+VBE.
Thus, during a flyback phase, the voltage applied to the N1 winding is constant and equal to:
where VD1 represent the voltage drop through the diode D1 when conducting.
Even the voltage VS2 that develops on the secondary winding NS of the transformer will be constant during the flyback phase and will have a value given by:
by combining equations (3), (5) and (6), we obtain:
and the output voltage VOUT becomes:
wherein VD3 indicates the voltage drop on the diode D3 when conducting.
Equation (8) contains only constant terms therefore the resulting output voltage VOUT will be constant too. In particular, if N2=N1 and VD1=VD3, the output voltage becomes:
Therefore the above described circuit permits the regulation of the output voltage of the secondary side circuit of the transformer-type DC--DC converter by implementing the necessary control in the primary side circuit of the converter by the addition of only three components, namely: D1, D2 and C3, according to the embodiment shown.
In practice, by the addition of the components D1 and C3, a recirculation loop is realized for a discharge current of the energy stored in the auxiliary winding N1 of the self-oscillation circuit, which substantially replicates the secondary side output loop of the converter. By means of the zener diode D2, a current iZ is then injected on the driving node of the transistor T2, the current is representative of the charge level reached by the inductance of the auxiliary winding N1 of the self-oscillation circuit, during a phase of conduction of the switch D1 T1. This current iZ produces a voltage drop on the resistance R3, which is in turn summed to the voltage drop IP·R2 during the conduction phase of the switch T1, thus regulating the turn-on interval TON and therefore the energy stored in the inductance L of the primary winding of the transformer.
The system is perfectly capable of regulating the output voltage VOUT upon the changing of the input voltage VINDC as well as of the output current IOUT.
In fact, if the output current increases, a larger amount of energy must be transferred from the primary winding NP to the secondary winding NS during the flyback phase so that a lower amount of energy remains available from the inductance of the auxiliary winding N1 to charge the capacitor C3. Therefore the voltage reached by C3 upon charging will be lower. As a consequence, the current iZ will also be lower and the current IP will proportionally increase in order to fulfill the following equation:
The increase of the current IP increments the energy stored in the inductance L of the primary winding NP and this increased energy will be available during the flyback phase. Therefore the system is capable to supply the additional energy required by the rise of the output current IOUT, thus keeping constant the output voltage VOUT.
The way the increase of the output current IOUT provokes an increase of the conduction interval TON of the switch T1, and therefore a consequent reduction of the converter switching frequency, to allow the current IP to reach a higher peak value should be remarked.
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