Driving circuit and driving method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11664747-B2
Application number	US-202117338871-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 4, 2021
Priority date	Jun 9, 2020
Publication date	May 30, 2023
Grant date	May 30, 2023

Abstract

A driving circuit for driving a piezoelectric load, can include: a rechargeable power supply; a power stage circuit coupled between the rechargeable power supply and the piezoelectric load; where during a first operation interval of an operation period, the rechargeable power supply charges the piezoelectric load through the power stage circuit, such that a power supply voltage signal provided to the piezoelectric load in the first operation interval corresponds to a reference voltage in a first interval; and where during a second operation interval of the operation period, the piezoelectric load charges the rechargeable power supply through the power stage circuit, such that the power supply voltage signal in the second operation interval corresponds to the reference voltage in a second interval.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A driving circuit for driving a piezoelectric load, the driving circuit comprising:
a) a rechargeable power supply;
b) a power stage circuit coupled between the rechargeable power supply and the piezoelectric load;
c) wherein during a first operation interval of an operation period, the rechargeable power supply charges the piezoelectric load through the power stage circuit, such that a power supply voltage signal provided to the piezoelectric load in the first operation interval corresponds to a reference voltage in a first interval; and
d) wherein during a second operation interval of the operation period, the piezoelectric load charges the rechargeable power supply through the power stage circuit, such that the power supply voltage signal in the second operation interval corresponds to the reference voltage in a second interval.

2. The driving circuit of claim 1 , wherein operation states of the power stage circuit are controlled to adjust the power supply voltage signal in the first operation interval to change with the reference voltage in the first interval, and to adjust the power supply voltage signal in the second operation interval to change with the reference voltage in the second interval.

3. The driving circuit of claim 1 , wherein during the first operation interval, the power stage circuit is controlled to operate in a forward direction to charge the piezoelectric load.

4. The driving circuit of claim 1 , wherein during the second operation interval, the power stage circuit is controlled to operate in a reverse direction to discharge the piezoelectric load.

5. The driving circuit of claim 1 , wherein when the reference voltage increases, the power stage circuit operates in a forward direction, and when the reference voltage decreases, the power stage circuit operates in a reverse direction.

6. The driving circuit of claim 1 , wherein the power stage circuit comprises a first switch and a second switch, and the power stage circuit is controlled to operate in a forward direction or in a reverse direction by controlling operation states of the first switch and the second switch.

7. The driving circuit of claim 1 , wherein a waveform of the reference voltage is a sine wave with a trough value not less than zero.

8. The driving circuit of claim 1 , wherein the reference voltage in the first interval is a rising part of the reference voltage within a period, and the reference voltage in the second interval is a falling part of the reference voltage within the period.

9. The driving circuit of claim 1 , further comprising N voltage output circuits configured to drive N piezoelectric loads in one-to-one correspondence, wherein N is a positive integer , and wherein:
a) the N voltage output circuits are connected in parallel with each other; and
b) for each of the N voltage output circuits, the voltage output circuit comprises a selection switch, the selection switch is connected in series with the piezoelectric load driven by the voltage output circuit, and the voltage output circuit is switched on or off by controlling switching states of the selection switch.

10. The driving circuit of claim 6 , further comprising a control circuit having a first control circuit and a second control circuit, wherein the first control circuit is configured to generate a first control signal to control switching states of the first switch, and the second control circuit is configured to generate a second control signal to control switching states of the second switch.

11. The driving circuit of claim 10 , wherein during the first operation interval, the first control circuit generates the first control signal according to a compensation signal, and the second control circuit generates the second control signal according to a drain-source voltage of the second switch, wherein the compensation signal indicates a difference between the reference voltage and a sampling signal characterizing the power supply voltage signal.

12. The driving circuit of claim 10 , wherein during the second operation interval, the first control circuit generates the first control signal according to a drain-source voltage of the first switch, and the second control circuit generates the second control signal according to a compensation signal, wherein the compensation signal indicates a difference between the reference voltage and a sampling signal characterizing the power supply voltage signal.

13. The driving circuit of claim 1 , wherein the power stage circuit is configured as one of: a bidirectional boost-buck converter, a bidirectional buck-boost converter, a bidirectional Cuk converter, a bidirectional Zeta-Sepic converter, a bidirectional flyback converter, a bidirectional forward converter, a bidirectional push-pull converter, a bidirectional half-bridge converter, and a bidirectional full-bridge converter.

14. The driving circuit of claim 6 , wherein the power stage circuit further comprises a transformer comprising a primary winding and a secondary winding, wherein the primary winding and the first switch are connected in series at a first end of the power stage circuit, and the secondary winding and the second switch are connected in series at a second end of the power stage circuit.

15. The driving circuit of claim 6 , wherein the power stage circuit further comprises an inductor, wherein the inductor and the first switch are connected in series at a first end of the power stage circuit, one terminal of the second switch is coupled to a common end of the inductor and the first switch, and the other terminal of the second switch is configured as a high potential end of a second end of the power stage circuit.

16. A driving method for a driving circuit comprising a rechargeable power supply and a power stage circuit coupled between the rechargeable power supply and a piezoelectric load, the method comprising:
a) during a first operation interval of an operation period, charging by the rechargeable power supply, the piezoelectric load through the power stage circuit, such that a power supply voltage signal provided to the piezoelectric load in the first operation interval corresponds to a reference voltage in a first interval; and
b) during a second operation interval of the operation period, charging by the piezoelectric load, the rechargeable power supply through the power stage circuit, such that the power supply voltage signal in the second operation interval corresponds to the reference voltage in a second interval.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein operation states of the power stage circuit are controlled to adjust the power supply voltage signal in the first operation interval to change with the reference voltage in the first interval, and to adjust the power supply voltage signal in the second operation interval to change with the reference voltage in the second interval.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein during the first operation interval, the power stage circuit is controlled to operate in a forward direction to charge the piezoelectric load; and during the second operation interval, the power stage circuit is controlled to operate in a reverse direction to discharge the piezoelectric load.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein when the reference voltage increases, the power stage circuit operates in a forward direction, and when the reference voltage decreases, the power stage circuit operates in a reverse direction.

20. The method of claim 16 , wherein the reference voltage in the first interval is a rising part

Assignees

• Silergy Semiconductor Technology Hangzhou Ltd

Inventors

• Xu Zhiwei
• Fang Chiqing
• Zhao Chen

Classifications

• H02N2/062 Primary

  Small signal circuits; Means for controlling position or derived quantities, e.g. for removing hysteresis · CPC title

• Y02B70/10

  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 · CPC title

• H02M3/33584

  Bidirectional converters · CPC title

• H02M3/1584 Primary

  with a plurality of power processing stages connected in parallel · CPC title

• H02N2/067

  generating drive pulses · CPC title