Control circuit, time calculating unit, and operating method for control circuit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9231470-B2
Application number	US-201313803102-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2013
Priority date	Aug 21, 2012
Publication date	Jan 5, 2016
Grant date	Jan 5, 2016

Abstract

A control circuit, a time calculating unit, and operating method for control circuit are disclosed. The control circuit is operated in a power converter and coupled to a load. The control circuit includes an output stage and a time calculating unit. The time calculating unit receives a control signal and a reference voltage and provides a switch conducting signal to the output stage. The generation of the control signal is related to an output voltage of the power converter. When the difference between the control signal and the reference voltage becomes larger due to the change of the load, the time calculating unit dynamically increases an on-time of the switch conducting signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control circuit, operated in a power converter and coupled to a load, the control circuit comprising:
an output stage; and
a time calculating unit, coupled to the output stage, for receiving a control signal and a reference voltage and providing a switch conducting signal to the output stage; wherein the control signal is generated related to an output voltage of the power converter; when a difference between the control signal and the reference voltage becomes larger due to a change of the load, the time calculating unit dynamically increases an on-time of the switch conducting signal, the time calculating unit comprises a first current source, an operational amplifier, and a capacitor, the first current source provides a first current; when the control signal is larger than the reference voltage, the operational amplifier generates a second current source; the first current is a sum of a second current of the second current source and a charging current flowing through the capacitor.

2. The control circuit of claim 1 , wherein the time calculating unit comprises a first current source, a current mirror, an operational amplifier, a comparator, a capacitor, and a switch, the current mirror includes a first transistor and a second transistor, the first current source is coupled between the first transistor and a ground terminal, the capacitor is coupled between the second transistor and the ground terminal, two terminals of the switch are coupled to two sides of the capacitor respectively, the operational amplifier and the comparator are both coupled to a node between the second transistor and the capacitor.

3. The control circuit of claim 2 , wherein the first current source is related to an input voltage of the power converter, the first current source provides a first current to charge the capacitor through the current mirror, the operational amplifier is a voltage-to-current device used to receive the control signal and the reference voltage and selectively generate a second current source, the comparator receives a charging voltage of the capacitor and the output voltage of the power converter and outputs the switch conducting signal when the charging voltage is larger than the output voltage, the comparator stops outputting the switch conducting signal.

4. The control circuit of claim 1 , wherein when the load becomes larger, the control signal is increased and the difference between the control signal and the reference voltage also becomes larger accordingly, the second current of the second current source generated by the operational amplifier becomes larger and the charging current becomes smaller to cause the on-time of the switch conducting signal become longer.

5. The control circuit of claim 4 , wherein when the load becomes heavy-loaded from light-loaded, the operational amplifier linearly increases the second current of the second current source according to the difference between the control signal and the reference voltage to linearly increase the on-time of the switch conducting signal.

6. A time calculating unit, operated in a power converter and coupled to a load, the power converter comprising an output stage, the time calculating unit comprising:
a current mirror;
a capacitor, coupled between the current mirror and a ground terminal;
a first current source, coupled between the current mirror and the ground terminal, for providing a first current to charge the capacitor through the current mirror;
an operational amplifier, coupled to a node between the current mirror and the capacitor, for receiving a control signal and a reference voltage, wherein the control signal is generated related to an output voltage of the power converter; and
a comparator, coupled to the operational amplifier, the current mirror, the capacitor, and the output stage, for providing a switch conducting signal to the output stage;
wherein when a difference between the control signal and the reference voltage becomes larger due to a change of the load, the comparator dynamically increases an on-time of the switch conducting signal; the operational amplifier is a voltage-to-current device used to receive the control signal and the reference voltage and selectively generate a second current source; the comparator receives a charging voltage of the capacitor and the output voltage of the power converter and outputs the switch conducting signal.

7. The time calculating unit of claim 6 , wherein the current mirror includes a first transistor and a second transistor, the time calculating unit comprises a switch, and two terminals of the switch are coupled to two sides of the capacitor respectively, the first current source is related to an input voltage of the power converter.

8. The time calculating unit of claim 6 , wherein when the charging voltage is larger than the output voltage, the comparator stops outputting the switch conducting signal.

9. The time calculating unit of claim 8 , wherein when the control signal is larger than the reference voltage, the operational amplifier generates a second current source, the first current is a sum of a second current of the second current source and a charging current flowing through the capacitor; when the load becomes larger, the control signal is increased and the difference between the control signal and the reference voltage also becomes larger accordingly, the second current of the second current source becomes larger and the charging current becomes smaller to cause the on-time of the switch conducting signal become longer.

10. The time calculating unit of claim 9 , wherein when the load becomes heavy-loaded from light-loaded, the operational amplifier linearly increases the second current of the second current source according to the difference between the control signal and the reference voltage to linearly increase the on-time of the switch conducting signal.

11. An operating method for a control circuit operated in a power converter and coupled to a load, the control circuit comprising an output stage, the operating method comprising following steps of:
(a) receiving a control signal and a reference voltage and providing a switch conducting signal to the output stage, wherein the control signal is generated related to an output voltage of the power converter; and
(b) dynamically increasing an on-time of the switch conducting signal when a difference between the control signal and the reference voltage becomes larger due to a change of the load;
wherein the control circuit further comprises a first current source and a capacitor, the first current source provides a first current to charge the capacitor, the step (a) comprises following steps of:
(a1)) comparing the control signal with the reference voltage;
(a2) selectively generating a second current source according to a comparison result of the step (a1) ; and
(a3) comparing a charging voltage of the capacitor with the output voltage of the power converter.

12. The operating method of claim 11 , wherein the step (a) further comprises:
(a4) providing the switch conducting signal to the output stage according to a comparison result of the step (a3).

13. The operating method of claim 12 , wherein when the comparison result of the step (a3) is that the charging voltage is larger than the output voltage, the operating method performs the step (a4) to stop outputting the switch conducting signal to the output stage.

14. The operating method of claim 12 , wherein when the comparison result of the step (a1) is that the control signal is larger than the reference voltage, the operating method performs the step (a2) to genera

Assignees

• Upi Semiconductor Corp

Inventors

• Chen wei-ling

Classifications

• H02M3/156 Primary

  with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators · CPC title

• H02M2001/0016

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H02M1/00

  Details of apparatus for conversion · CPC title

• H02M2003/1566

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H02M3/1588 Primary

  comprising at least one synchronous rectifier element (H02M3/1582, H02M3/1584 take precedence) · CPC title