The invention relates to electronics and microelectronic circuitry. In particular, the invention is directed to integrated power supplies, circuit drivers, and control methods.
It is sometimes desirable to use components with high current requirements in portable electronic apparatus. Problems arise, however with driving high-current devices using common batteries. On the one hand, battery voltage must be sufficient to drive the high-current devices. On the other hand, the current requirements may be so high that there is a risk of damaging the batteries. An example is the use of powerful LEDs as flash elements in small cameras. Overall, this is a desirable implementation in order to reduce battery drain, reduce cost, and minimize device size compared to xenon flash systems. Commonly available Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) batteries often used in such applications are limited in their voltage capacities, however, and are often incapable of withstanding the high currents required for driving the LEDs.
Due to these and other problems and potential problems, improved approaches for providing relatively high-current drivers for use with common battery power sources would be useful and advantageous contributions to the arts.
In carrying out the principles of the present invention, in accordance with preferred embodiments, the invention provides advances in the arts with novel methods and apparatus directed to useful for power supplies, converters, and drivers.
According to one aspect of the invention, a preferred embodiment of a circuit includes at least one high series resistance super-capacitor coupled for driving a load. The super-capacitors(s) are electrically connected with a power supply for charging. A low resistance driver circuit is connected for regulating power supplied from the super-capacitors to the load based on output current detection.
According to another aspect of the invention, in a presently preferred embodiment, a circuit includes high series resistance super-capacitors charged by a battery power source. The super-capacitors are coupled for driving a load consisting of one or more LEDs. The voltage requirements of the LEDs are such that driving them directly with the battery power source would be impractical. A low resistance driver circuit is connected for regulating power supplied from the super-capacitors to the load based on load current.
According to still another aspect of the invention, in examples of preferred embodiments, the above-described circuits may be implemented using parallel and/or series combinations of super-capacitors, driver circuits, and load components.
According to another aspect of the invention, in a preferred embodiment, high series resistance super-capacitors are coupled for driving a load. A low resistance driver circuit connected for regulating power from the super-capacitors to the load includes a PWM switch control.
According to another aspect of the invention, preferred embodiments encompass methods for using high series resistance super-capacitors to drive loads including steps for charging the super-capacitors and subsequently regulating their output to the load by using feedback sensed at the load.
According to additional aspects of the invention, preferred methods of the invention include steps for dynamically compensating for ambient conditions, load component mismatch, or other variations in output requirements.
The invention has advantages including but not limited to one or more of the following, energy efficiency, area efficiency, and cost-effectiveness in providing high drive currents in systems using relatively low voltage batteries. These and other advantageous features and benefits of the present invention can be understood by one of skilled in the arts upon careful consideration of the detailed description of representative embodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings.
The present invention will be more clearly understood from consideration of the following detailed description and drawings in which:
References in the detailed description correspond to like references in the various drawings unless otherwise noted. Descriptive and directional terms used in the written description such as right, left, back, top, bottom, upper, side, et cetera, refer to the drawings themselves as laid out on the paper and not to physical limitations of the invention unless specifically noted. The drawings are not to scale, and some features of embodiments shown and discussed are simplified or amplified for illustrating principles and features, as well as anticipated and unanticipated advantages of the invention.
Addressing the challenges of driving high-current devices in apparatus in which power availability, size and cost are important factors, the inventors have developed an approach using super-capacitors. Generally, the super-capacitors are charged using available battery power and are then used to drive the high-current devices at suitable intervals. Techniques and associated circuitry have been developed for maintaining charge on the super-capacitors and for controlling the supply of current to the driven devices. In an example of a preferred embodiment, a fully-integrated power supply and multi-channel driver for LED applications is configured to charge super-capacitors using a DC/DC synchronous switching boost regulator with fully integrated power switches, internal compensation, and full fault protection. A very low resistance driver is used to energize the driven load, in this example LEDs, with minimal loss of super-capacitor rail voltage headroom. The charging of the super-capacitors is preferably accomplished operating in a regulation mode by providing current feedback to the boost regulator. Preferably, operating in a standby mode the circuitry draws very little quiescent current and periodically refreshes the charge on the super-capacitors as needed.
The study, design, experimentation, and refinement of the techniques and circuitry using super-capacitors in the manner described has led to the development of useful advances in the art. It has been determined that with sufficient capacitor capacity, a minimal voltage drop is incurred as a result of a brief current pulse needed for a single high-current load event. As long as the capacitor can be replenished by a boost regulator operating from the battery, there is ample voltage and current available for each event without putting excessive strain on the battery. In the presently preferred exemplary embodiment of a flash LED controller, a current pulse of approximately 30-50 ms is used. Super-capacitors having suitable characteristics for such applications also tend to have relatively high Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR). This is a potential problem given conventional approaches to flash LED driver design in that the voltage drop across the ESR of the capacitor(s) may be excessive, leading to insufficient current availability for driving the flash LED. As an example, two 2.7V capacitors in series can be safely charged to 5.4V. With a combined ESR of 250 mΩ and a load current of 4 A, the voltage drop across the ESR is 1V. With the forward voltage drop of a typical LED at about 4V, only 400 mV of headroom remains for the driver circuit. Additionally, some discharge of the capacitor must also be expected during the flash event. This is generally on the order of about 100-200 mV. This problem has been addressed by developing ways to drive the load providing the required current as efficiently as practical taking into account changes in the current level as the capacitor is discharged, differing current requirements at the load(s), e.g., due to variations in the characteristics of individual LEDs, and temperature-dependent variations in forward voltage drop of the load(s).
As shown in
Another example of a preferred implementation for using high ESR super-capacitors for driving a load is to pulse width modulate (PWM) the switch so that the average current through the load is set to a desired value independent of the variation in peak current caused by variations in the forward voltage drop of the load. It is desirable to choose a switching frequency which is above the audible band, but still low enough to favor system efficiency and effective regulation of the average load current during an operating cycle. In the LED example shown and described, the period under load is on the order of approximately 30-50 ms. Thus, the period of a 20 kHz PWM frequency being 50 μS, a pulse count of roughly 1000 can easily be achieved for one flash cycle. This has been found to be ample to ensure accurate regulation of the flash current. Additionally, the pulse period of 50 μS is sufficient to facilitate accurate measurement of the peak current flowing through the drive transistor using analog IC design techniques familiar to those skilled in the arts.
It should be appreciated that the invention may be practiced in implementing a flash mode, for powering episodic high-intensity events such as a camera flash, and a sustained mode for longer term operation such as for a portable projector or lighting application. In some applications it may be preferable to provide a system switchable between the two modes. In either case, the operational mode is preferably monitored by a watch dog timer for protection. The timer can be switched between a flash mode and a sustained mode. For example, a maximum value selected for a flash mode event may correspond to a maximum duration of 1 second, and 1280 seconds (˜21 minutes) for a sustained mode event. When operated to drive a load in a sustained mode, such as for use as a flashlight or to provide a constant light source for recording video, a small section of the large power FET used for flash drive is used to drive the LEDs in sustained mode. In sustained mode, the power FET is operated as a linear current sink, which is preferably user-programmable, the mode being selected by a user via a serial interface.
In a boost regulator adapted for use with the invention, compensation is preferably optimized for using a combination of high-ESR super capacitors and low-ESR ceramic capacitors to supply the large short-term current demands of the load elements and their associated drivers. Preferably, it includes flexibility to be used for a wide range of output voltages, corresponding to a wide range of forward voltages. The regulator is configured to automatically transition between pulse frequency modulation (PFM) and PWM modes to maximize efficiency based on the load demand. The PFM architecture includes power saving circuitry to minimize battery drain, even when the boost regulator is enabled full time. Preferably circuitry is configured for very low current PFM hysteretic power saving features. When the regulator detects very light load conditions, it operates in a low duty cycle condition limited by minimum duty cycle detection in the regulator. This can cause the output voltage to reach an overvoltage condition although this voltage level is very close to the normal output voltage level with less than 3% difference and typically around 1 to 2% higher than the normal operational voltage. When this level of output voltage is detected, a low power mode is entered whereby the device is turned off for power savings. The regulator however maintains the voltage on the output capacitors(s) by monitoring the output voltage and turning on when an undervoltage is detected. This undervoltage level is also typically less than 3% below normal operating voltage and typically 1 to 2% below the normal operational voltage. Upon detection of the undervoltage level, the circuit is turned on to charge the output capacitor(s). In this way, the regulator operates in a low power mode to conserve power hysteritically. This low power mode sustains the charge on the output super-capacitor(s) while conserving power for the large majority of the time when the super-capacitor is charged.
Various alternative embodiments may be implemented without departure from the principles of the invention. For example, in order to drive a larger load, such as a number of LEDs in series 318, a larger number of super-capacitors 316 may be placed in series and/or parallel combinations in order to apply the same methods. This configuration 300 is shown in
While the making and using of various exemplary embodiments of the invention are discussed herein, it should be appreciated that the present invention provides inventive concepts which can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. It should be understood that the invention may be practiced with various types of apparatus having load requirements similar to that shown and described with respect to exemplary LED driver applications without altering the principles of the invention. For purposes of clarity, detailed descriptions of functions, components, and systems familiar to those skilled in the applicable arts are not included. The methods and apparatus of the invention provide one or more advantages including but not limited to, providing efficient energy storage and utilization using storage capacitors for driving high current devices. While the invention has been described with reference to certain illustrative embodiments, those described herein are not intended to be construed in a limiting sense. For example, variations or combinations of steps or materials in the embodiments shown and described may be used in particular cases without departure from the invention. Various modifications and combinations of the illustrative embodiments as well as other advantages and embodiments of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the arts upon reference to the drawings, description, and claims.
This application is entitled to priority based on Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/308,830 filed on Feb. 26, 2010, which is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference. This application and the Provisional patent application have at least one common inventor.
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