This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan application serial no. 110115301, filed on Apr. 28, 2021. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification.
The disclosure relates to a converter, and particularly relates to an LLC converter circuit.
An LLC converter is a DC/DC converter that includes an LLC resonant circuit composed of a leakage inductance and a magnetizing inductance of a transformer and a capacitor, a signal generation circuit (such as a half-bridge circuit) generating a square wave shaped voltage signal supplied to the LLC resonant circuit, and a rectifier circuit rectifying an output of the transformer.
In the LLC converter, in order to reduce variation in an output voltage during a load change, the output voltage or the like is used for feedback control of a switching frequency. However, in a general LLC converter, since the feedback control is performed by sending a signal output from a secondary side of the transformer back to a primary side of the transformer via an optocoupler, problems such as slow response speed and insufficient bandwidth may occur.
The disclosure provides an LLC converter circuit, in which problems of a conventional LLC converter circuit, such as slow response speed and insufficient bandwidth, can be reduced.
An LLC converter circuit of the disclosure includes a half-bridge switch circuit, a transformer, a resonant network, a sensing circuit, a control circuit, and a ramp voltage generation circuit. The half-bridge switch circuit has a first input terminal receiving an input voltage and a second input terminal. The half-bridge switch circuit is controlled by a first control signal and a second control signal to alternately connect an output terminal of the half-bridge switch circuit to the first input terminal and the second input terminal. The transformer includes a primary coil and a secondary coil. A first terminal of the primary coil is coupled to the output terminal of the half-bridge switch circuit. The secondary coil is coupled to an output terminal of the LLC converter circuit. The resonant network is coupled to the output terminal of the half-bridge switch circuit. The resonant network includes a resonant capacitor coupled between a second terminal of the primary coil and ground. The sensing circuit is coupled to the second terminal of the primary coil, and senses a voltage on the resonant capacitor to generate a sensing voltage. The control circuit is coupled to the sensing circuit and the half-bridge switch circuit, and generates the first control signal and the second control signal. The control circuit includes an amplifier circuit. The amplifier circuit generates a first threshold voltage and a second threshold voltage respectively at a first output terminal and a second output terminal of the amplifier circuit according to a first common-mode voltage and a feedback signal generated in response to an output voltage of the LLC converter circuit. The control circuit generates the first control signal and the second control signal according to the sensing voltage, the first threshold voltage and the second threshold voltage. The ramp voltage generation circuit is coupled to the control circuit. The ramp voltage generation circuit generates a ramp voltage according to the first control signal and the second control signal, so as to adjust the first common-mode voltage or adjust the first threshold voltage and the second threshold voltage.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the control circuit further includes a first comparator, a second comparator, and a logic control circuit. The first comparator has a positive input terminal and a negative input terminal respectively coupled to the first threshold voltage and the sensing voltage. The second comparator has a positive input terminal and a negative input terminal respectively coupled to the second threshold voltage and the sensing voltage. The logic control circuit is coupled to an output terminal of the first comparator and an output terminal of the second comparator. The logic control circuit generates the first control signal and the second control signal according to a comparison result of the first comparator and a comparison result of the second comparator.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the control circuit further includes a first adder circuit and a second adder circuit. The first adder circuit is coupled to the ramp voltage generation circuit, the first output terminal of the amplifier circuit, and the positive input terminal of the first comparator. The first adder circuit adds the ramp voltage and the first threshold voltage, so as to adjust the first threshold voltage to generate a third threshold voltage. The second adder circuit is coupled to the ramp voltage generation circuit, the second output terminal of the amplifier circuit, and the positive input terminal of the second comparator. The second adder circuit adds the ramp voltage and the second threshold voltage, so as to adjust the second threshold voltage to generate a fourth threshold voltage.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the control circuit further includes an adder circuit coupled to the ramp voltage generation circuit, the first common-mode voltage and an input terminal of the amplifier circuit. The adder circuit adds the ramp voltage and the first common-mode voltage, so as to adjust the first common-mode voltage to generate a second common-mode voltage.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the LLC converter circuit further includes a unity gain amplifier circuit having a positive input terminal coupled to the first common-mode voltage and having a negative input terminal and an output terminal coupled to each other. The output terminal of the unity gain amplifier circuit is coupled to the negative input terminal of the first comparator and the negative input terminal of the second comparator.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the LLC converter circuit further includes a feedback circuit coupled to the output terminal of the LLC converter circuit and an input terminal of the amplifier circuit. The feedback circuit generates the feedback signal according to the output voltage of the LLC converter circuit.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the LLC converter circuit includes a first output terminal and a second output terminal. The feedback signal includes a first feedback signal and a second feedback signal generated in response to a first output voltage on the first output terminal and a second output voltage on the second output terminal.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the ramp voltage generation circuit includes a first current source, a first switch, a second switch, a second current source, and a capacitor. The first current source is coupled to a reference voltage. The first switch is coupled between the first current source and an output terminal of the ramp voltage generation circuit. The second switch has one terminal coupled to the output terminal of the ramp voltage generation circuit. The second current source is coupled between the other terminal of the second switch and the ground. The capacitor is coupled between the output terminal of the ramp voltage generation circuit and the ground. The first switch and the second switch are controlled by the first control signal and the second control signal to change conduction state, thereby generating the ramp voltage at the output terminal of the ramp voltage generation circuit.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the sensing circuit is a voltage divider circuit or a high-pass filter circuit.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the sensing circuit includes a capacitor and a resistor. The resistor is coupled to the capacitor between the second terminal of the primary coil and the ground. The sensing voltage is generated on a common contact of the capacitor and the resistor.
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the sensing circuit includes a first capacitor and a second capacitor. The second capacitor is coupled to the first capacitor between the second terminal of the primary coil and the ground. The sensing voltage is generated on a common contact of the first capacitor and the second capacitor.
Based on the above, in the embodiments of the disclosure, the control circuit provides the first control signal and the second control signal according to the sensing voltage generated by sensing the voltage on the resonant capacitor of the primary side, so as to control the conduction state of the half-bridge switch circuit. In this way, by controlling on/off switching of the half-bridge switch circuit according to the sensing voltage from the primary side, response speed and bandwidth of the LLC converter circuit can be effectively improved.
Specifically, the half-bridge switch circuit 102 has a first input terminal and a second input terminal. In the present embodiment, the first input terminal of the half-bridge switch circuit 102 is coupled to an input voltage Vin, and the second input terminal of the half-bridge switch circuit 102 is coupled to ground. The half-bridge switch circuit 102 may be controlled by a control signal HG and a control signal LG to alternately connect the output terminal of the half-bridge switch circuit 102 to the first input terminal and the second input terminal, such that the half-bridge switch circuit 102 alternately outputs the input voltage Vin and a ground voltage. The input voltage Vin is a DC voltage. In the present embodiment, the half-bridge switch circuit 102 may be implemented by a transistor M1 and a transistor M2 connected in series between the first input terminal and the second input terminal. The transistor M1 and the transistor M2 are respectively coupled to the control signal HG and the control signal LG.
An output voltage of the half-bridge switch circuit 102 may be input to a primary coil of the transformer 106 via the resonant network 104, such that the transformer 106 performs voltage conversion according to a preset ratio. Then, an AC voltage output by the transformer 106 is converted into a DC voltage by the rectifier diodes D1 and D2 and the output capacitor CO, and an output voltage VO is generated on the output capacitor CO. The rectifier diode D1 is coupled between a first terminal of a secondary coil of the transformer 106 and the output terminal of the half-bridge switch circuit 102. The rectifier diode D2 is coupled between a second terminal of the secondary coil of the transformer 106 and the output terminal of the half-bridge switch circuit 102. The output capacitor CO is coupled between the output terminal of the half-bridge switch circuit 102 and a center tap contact. In the present embodiment, the resonant network 104 is an LLC resonant network and may include a resonant capacitor Cr, a resonant inductance Lr, and a magnetizing inductance Lm. The resonant inductance Lr is coupled to the output terminal of the half-bridge switch circuit 102 and a first terminal of the primary coil. The magnetizing inductance Lm is coupled between the first terminal and a second terminal of the primary coil. The resonant capacitor Cr is coupled between the second terminal of the primary coil and the ground. The resonant inductance Lr may be a leakage inductance of the transformer 106, or an inductance of an inductor provided independently of the transformer 106, or an inductance obtained by combining the leakage inductance of the transformer 106 with the inductance of the inductor.
The sensing circuit 108 may sense a voltage VCR on the resonant capacitor Cr and generate a sensing voltage VFF. According to a common-mode voltage VCM, a feedback signal VC generated by the feedback circuit 114 in response to the output voltage VO, a ramp voltage VRAMP generated by the ramp voltage generation circuit 112, and the sensing voltage VFF, the control circuit 110 may generate the control signals HG and LG. Specifically, the control circuit 110 may include an amplifier circuit. The amplifier circuit may generate two threshold voltages according to the common-mode voltage VCM and the feedback signal VC. According to these two threshold voltages and the sensing voltage VFF, the control circuit 110 may generate the control signals HG and LG. The control signals HG and LG may not only control a conduction state of the half-bridge switch circuit 102, but may also control the ramp voltage VRAMP generated by the ramp voltage generation circuit 112. The ramp voltage VRAMP generated by the ramp voltage generation circuit 112 may be used to adjust the common-mode voltage VCM or the aforesaid two threshold voltages. In this way, by controlling on/off switching of the half-bridge switch circuit 102 according to the sensing voltage VFF from the primary side of the transformer 106, response speed and bandwidth of the LLC converter circuit can be effectively improved.
In detail, as shown in
In addition, the control circuit 110 may include an adder circuit AD1, an amplifier circuit 204, a unity gain amplifier circuit 206, a comparator CP1, a comparator CP2, and a control logic circuit 208. The adder circuit AD1 is coupled between the output terminal of the ramp voltage generation circuit 112 and one input terminal of the amplifier circuit 204. Another input terminal of the amplifier circuit 204 receives the feedback signal VC generated by the feedback circuit 114 in response to the output voltage VO. A first output terminal and a second output terminal of the amplifier circuit 204 are respectively coupled to a positive input terminal of the comparator CP1 and a positive input terminal of the comparator CP2. Negative input terminals of the comparators CP1 and CP2 are coupled to the sensing circuit 108 to receive the sensing voltage VFF. The sensing circuit 108 may be, for example, a voltage divider circuit or a high-pass filter circuit. For example, as shown in
An input terminal of the unity gain amplifier circuit 206 is coupled to the common-mode voltage VCM, and an output terminal of the unity gain amplifier circuit 206 is coupled to the negative input terminals of the comparators CP1 and CP2, so that the common-mode voltage VCM is applied to the negative input terminals of the comparators CP1 and CP2, thereby adjusting a voltage level of the sensing voltage VFF. In the present embodiment, the unity gain amplifier circuit 206 may be implemented by, for example, an operational amplifier OP1 and a resistor R. In the operational amplifier OP1, a negative input terminal and an output terminal are coupled to each other. A positive input terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 is coupled to the common-mode voltage VCM. The resistor R is coupled between the output terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 and the negative input terminals of the comparators CP1 and CP2. Output terminals of the comparators CP1 and CP2 are coupled to the control logic circuit 208.
The switch SW1 and the switch SW2 may be respectively controlled by the control signal LG and the control signal HG to be turned on alternately to charge and discharge the capacitor CRAMP, thereby generating the ramp voltage VRAMP on the capacitor CRAMP. The adder circuit AD1 may add the ramp voltage VRAMP and the common-mode voltage VCM, so as to adjust a voltage level of the common-mode voltage VCM and generate a common-mode voltage VCMR. The amplifier circuit 204 may output a threshold voltage VH and a threshold voltage VL according to the common-mode voltage VCMR and the feedback signal VC. The comparator CP1 may compare the threshold voltage VH with the sensing voltage VFF after voltage level adjustment, and output a comparison result to the control logic circuit 208. Similarly, the comparator CP2 may compare the threshold voltage VL with the sensing voltage VFF after voltage level adjustment, and output a comparison result to the control logic circuit 208. According to the comparison results from the comparators CP1 and CP2, the control logic circuit 208 may generate the control signals HG and LG.
Specifically, the threshold voltages VH and VL, the common-mode voltage VCMR, the sensing voltage VFF, the control signals HG and LG, and the ramp voltage VRAMP of the present embodiment may be as shown in
As shown in
It is worth noting that the above embodiment has described an example where the LLC converter circuit has one output terminal. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto. For example,
As shown in
Similarly, the embodiment of
In summary, in the embodiments of the disclosure, the control circuit may provide two control signals according to the sensing voltage generated by sensing the voltage on the resonant capacitor of the primary side, so as to control the conduction state of the half-bridge switch circuit. In this way, by controlling on/off switching of the half-bridge switch circuit according to the sensing voltage from the primary side, response speed and bandwidth of the LLC converter circuit can be effectively improved.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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110115301 | Apr 2021 | TW | national |