Control circuit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016006358-A1
Application number	US-201414503417-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 1, 2014
Priority date	Jul 1, 2014
Publication date	Jan 7, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A control circuit is adapted for controlling a converter. The converter includes a transformer and a power switch. The control circuit includes a current sensing unit, a current emulating unit, and a control unit. The current sensing unit senses a current flowing through the power switch coupled to a primary winding of the transformer. The current emulating unit determines a propagation delay period according to a voltage transient time of an auxiliary winding of the transformer and a turn-off time of the power switch, and retrieves several sampling times in a conduction period of the power switch according to the propagation delay period. The current emulating unit obtains a peak current and a valley current according to the sampling voltages corresponding to the sampling times. The control unit generates a control signal configured to control the power switch according to the peak current and the valley current.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A control circuit for controlling an input power or an output current of a converter, wherein the converter comprises a transformer and a power switch, and the power switch is electrically coupled to a primary winding of the transformer, the control circuit comprising:
a current sensing unit electrically coupled to the power switch, the current sensing unit configured to sense a current flowing through the power switch, and to convert the current into a voltage; a current emulating unit electrically coupled to an auxiliary winding of the transformer, the power switch, and the current sensing unit, the current emulating unit configured to determine a propagation delay period according to a voltage transient time of the auxiliary winding and a turn-off time of the power switch, to retrieve a plurality of sampling times in a conduction period of the power switch according to the propagation delay period, to obtain a plurality of sampling voltages at the sampling times by the current sensing unit, and to obtain a peak current and a valley current flowing through the power switch according to the sampling voltages; a control unit configured to generate a control signal according to the peak current and the valley current, wherein the control signal is configured to control the power switch so as to control the input power or the output current of the converter.

2 . The control circuit of claim 1 , wherein the sampling times comprises a first sampling time, a second sampling time, and a third sampling time, wherein a time interval between the first sampling time and the second sampling time is substantially equal to the propagation delay period, and the third sampling time is the turn-off time of the power switch.

3 . The control circuit of claim 2 , wherein the current emulating unit is configured to subtract a first sampling voltage corresponding to the first sampling time from a sum of a second sampling voltage corresponding to the second sampling time and a third sampling voltage corresponding to the third sampling time so as to obtain a peak voltage corresponding to the peak current.

4 . The control circuit of claim 2 , wherein the sampling times further comprises a fourth sampling time, wherein a time interval between the fourth sampling time and the first sampling time is substantially equal to a time interval between the first sampling time and a conduction time of the power switch.

5 . The control circuit of claim 4 , wherein the current emulating unit is configured to subtract a fourth sampling voltage corresponding to the fourth sampling time from two times of the first sampling voltage so as to obtain a valley voltage correspond to the valley current.

6 . The control circuit of claim 4 , wherein the control circuit further comprises a lead edge blanking unit electrically coupled to the current sensing unit and the current emulating unit, the lead edge blanking unit is configured to delay the current emulating unit for a blanking period when the power switch is conducted.

7 . The control circuit of claim 6 , wherein the time interval between the fourth sampling time and the first sampling time, the time interval between the first sampling time and the conduction time of the power switch, and the blanking period are substantially the same.

8 . The control circuit of claim 1 , wherein the current emulating unit comprises:
a sample and hold circuit configured to sample the sampling voltages at the sampling times; and a current calculating circuit configured to receive and calculate the sampling voltages so as to obtain the peak current and the valley current.

9 . The control circuit of claim 8 , wherein the current calculating circuit comprises:
a current mirror configured to convert the sampling voltage into a plurality of sampling currents; and an analog adder/subtractor configured to calculate the sampling currents so as to obtain the peak current and the valley current.

10 . The control circuit of claim 8 , wherein the current calculating circuit comprises:
an analog-to-digital converter configured to receive the sampling voltages, and to convert the sampling voltages into a plurality of digital codes; a digital adder/subtractor configured to receive and calculate the digital codes, and to generate a digital signal; and a digital-to-analog converter configured to receive the digital signal, and to convert the digital signal into the peak current and the valley current.

11 . The control circuit of claim 1 , wherein the control unit comprises:
an integrator unit electrically coupled to the current emulating unit, the integrator circuit configured to integrate the peak current and the valley current so as to obtain an emulated voltage; and an error amplifier unit configured to compare the emulated voltage with a reference voltage so as to generate an error signal; wherein the control unit generates the control signal according to the error signal.

12 . The control circuit of claim 11 , wherein the control unit further comprises:
a conduction time control unit electrically coupled to the error amplifier unit, the conduction time control unit configured to generate the control signal according to the error signal; a zero current detection unit electrically coupled to the auxiliary winding, the zero current detection unit is configured to generate an enable signal according to the voltage transient time of the auxiliary winding; and a flip-flop unit configured to determine whether to output the control signal to the power switch according to the enable signal.

13 . The control circuit of claim 11 , wherein the control unit further comprises:
a comparison unit configured to compare a current signal sensed by the current sensing unit with the error signal so as to generate the control signal; and a flip-flop unit configured to determine to whether to output the control signal to the power switch according to an oscillation signal.

14 . The control circuit of claim 1 , the control unit comprises:
an integrator unit electrically coupled to the current emulating unit, the integrator circuit configured to integrate the peak current and the valley current so as to obtain an emulated voltage; and a first error amplifier unit configured to compare the emulated voltage with a first reference voltage so as to generate a first error signal; a second error amplifier unit configured to compare a voltage of the auxiliary winding with a second reference voltage so as to generate a second error signal; a selection unit configured to output corresponding one of the first error signal and the second error signal; a comparison unit configured to compare a current signal sensed by the current sensing unit with the corresponding one of the first error signal and the second error signal so as to generate the control signal; and a flip-flop unit configured to determine to output the control signal to the power switch according to an oscillation signal.

Assignees

• Univ Nat Taiwan

Inventors

• Chen Yaow-Ming
• Wu Cheng-Nan

Classifications

• H02M3/33507 Primary

  with automatic control of the output voltage or current, e.g. flyback converters (H02M3/33561, H02M3/33569 take precedence) · CPC title

• H02M1/0025

  Arrangements for modifying reference values, feedback values or error values in the control loop of a converter · CPC title

• H02M1/0009

  Devices or circuits for detecting current in a converter · CPC title

• H02M3/33523

  with galvanic isolation between input and output of both the power stage and the feedback loop · CPC title