Input overvoltage protection using current limit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9680383-B2
Application number	US-201514884592-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 15, 2015
Priority date	Nov 7, 2014
Publication date	Jun 13, 2017
Grant date	Jun 13, 2017

Abstract

A controller for use in a power converter includes a state selection circuit coupled to receive an input voltage sense signal representative of an input voltage, a switch current sense signal representative of a switch current of a power switch, and a feedback signal representative of an output quantity of the power converter. The state selection circuit is coupled to generate an input voltage signal in response to the input voltage sense signal, an input current signal in response to the switch current sense signal, and an input threshold signal in response to the feedback signal. A state machine circuit is coupled to the state selection circuit to generate a drive signal in response to the input voltage signal, the input current signal, and the input threshold signal to switch the power switch to control a transfer of energy from an input to an output of the power converter.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A controller for use in a power converter, comprising:
a state selection circuit coupled to receive an input voltage sense signal, a switch current sense signal, and a feedback signal, wherein the input voltage sense signal is representative of an input voltage of the power converter, wherein the switch current sense signal is representative of a switch current of a power switch of the power converter, wherein the feedback signal is representative of an output quantity of the power converter, wherein the state selection circuit is coupled to determine an input overvoltage in response to the input voltage sense signal, wherein the state selection circuit is coupled to determine a switch current overload in response to the switch current sense signal, and wherein the state selection circuit is coupled to determine an output overload in response to the feedback signal, wherein the state selection circuit includes:
a voltage comparator coupled to receive the input voltage sense signal and a peak voltage signal, wherein the voltage comparator is coupled to output an input voltage signal in response to the input voltage sense signal and the peak voltage signal;
a current limit comparator coupled to receive the switch current sense signal and a current limit signal wherein the current limit comparator is coupled to output an input current signal in response to the switch current sense signal and the current limit signal; and
a feedback comparator coupled to receive the feedback signal and a feedback threshold signal, wherein the feedback comparator is coupled to output an input threshold signal in response to the feedback signal and the feedback threshold signal; and

a state machine circuit coupled to the state selection circuit to receive the input voltage signal, the input current signal, and the input threshold signal, wherein the state machine circuit is coupled to generate a drive signal in response to the input voltage signal, the input current signal, and the input threshold signal to control switching of the power switch to control a transfer of energy from an input of the power converter to an output of the power converter, wherein an output current of the power converter is coupled to be in phase with the input voltage of the power converter, and wherein the output current of the power converter is coupled to be reduced in response to a reduction of a switching frequency of the drive signal within a half line cycle.

2. The controller of claim 1 wherein the state machine circuit is further coupled to reduce a switching frequency of the drive signal if the input voltage sense signal is greater than the peak voltage signal.

3. The controller of claim 1 wherein the state machine circuit is further coupled to reduce a switching frequency of the drive signal if the switch current sense signal reaches the current limit signal.

4. The controller of claim 1 wherein the state machine circuit is further coupled to reduce a switching frequency of the drive signal if the feedback signal is greater than the feedback threshold signal.

5. The controller of claim 1 wherein the input voltage sense signal is coupled to be responsive to a rectified voltage responsive to the input voltage of the power converter.

6. The controller of claim 5 wherein the controller is coupled to measure a peak voltage of each half line cycle of the rectified voltage of the input voltage of the power converter, wherein the state machine circuit is further coupled to reduce a switching frequency of the drive signal if a peak voltage of a current half line cycle of the rectified voltage is greater than a peak voltage of a preceding half line cycle of the rectified voltage by a threshold voltage amount.

7. The controller of claim 1 wherein the controller is coupled to measure a switch current envelope in response to the switch current sense signal, wherein the state machine circuit is further coupled to reduce a switching frequency of the drive signal if the switch current envelope reaches a threshold current limit.

8. The controller of claim 1 wherein the controller is coupled to measure an average value of the feedback signal, wherein the state machine circuit is further coupled to reduce a switching frequency of the drive signal if the average value of the feedback signal reaches a threshold feedback signal value.

9. A method of controlling a power converter, comprising:
generating a drive signal to control switching of a power switch to control a transfer of energy from an input of the power converter to an output of the power converter;
receiving an input voltage sense signal representative of an input voltage of the power converter;
receiving a switch current sense signal representative of a switch current of the power switch;
receiving a feedback signal representative of an output quantity of the power converter;
reducing a switching frequency of the drive signal if the input voltage sense signal is greater than a peak voltage signal;
reducing a switching frequency of the drive signal if the switch current sense signal is greater than a current limit signal;
reducing a switching frequency of the drive signal if the feedback signal is greater than a feedback threshold signal; and
further reducing an output current of the power converter in response to said reducing the switching frequency of the drive signal.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising rectifying the input voltage to generate a rectified voltage, wherein the input voltage sense signal is responsive to the rectified voltage.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising measuring a peak voltage of each half line cycle of the rectified voltage of the input voltage of the power converter, wherein said reducing the switching frequency of the drive signal if the input voltage sense signal is greater than the peak voltage signal comprises reducing the switching frequency of the drive signal if a peak voltage of a current half line cycle of the rectified voltage is greater than a peak voltage of a preceding half line cycle of the rectified voltage by a threshold voltage amount.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising measuring a switch current envelope in response to the switch current sense signal, wherein said reducing the switching frequency of the drive signal if the switch current sense signal is greater than the current limit signal comprises reducing a switching frequency of the drive signal if the switch current envelope reaches a threshold current limit.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising measuring an average value of the feedback signal in response to the feedback signal, wherein said reducing the switching frequency of the drive signal if the feedback signal is greater than the feedback threshold signal comprises reducing the switching frequency of the drive signal if the average value of the feedback signal reaches a threshold feedback signal value.

14. A power converter, comprising:
an energy transfer element coupled between an input of the power converter and an output of the power converter;
a power switch coupled to the energy transfer element; and
a controller coupled to generate a drive signal coupled to control switching of the power switch to control a transfer of energy from the input of the power converter to the output of the power converter, wherein the controller includes:
a state selection circuit coupled to receive an input voltage sense signal, a switch current sense signal, and a feedback signal, wherein the input voltage sense signal is representative of an input voltage of the power converter, wherein the switch current sense sig

Assignees

• Power Integrations Inc

Inventors

• Mao Mingming
• Pregitzer Ricardo Luis Janezic
• Zhang Michael Yue
• Pastore Tiziano

Classifications

• H02M1/42

  Circuits or arrangements for compensating for or adjusting power factor in converters or inverters · CPC title

• Y02B70/12

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H02M3/33515 Primary

  with digital control · CPC title

• H02M1/32 Primary

  Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection · CPC title

• H02M3/335

  using semiconductor devices only · CPC title