This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2003-53106 filed on Jul. 31, 2003 and Korean Patent Application No. 2004-35536 filed on May 19, 2004 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to inverters. More specifically, the present invention relates to inverters of a phase shift full-bridge type.
2. Description of the Related Art
Converters are power devices for converting DC and AC voltages. AC/DC converters convert an AC signal into a DC signal, DC/DC converters convert a DC signal into a DC signal, and inverters invert a DC signal into an AC signal. Inverters are used, for example, in switching mode power supplies (SMPS).
Switches SA, SB, SC, and SD are turned on and off according to switching waveforms applied by PWM unit 200 and switch driver 100. The generated AC voltage is supplied to load CCFL through transformer TX.
PWM unit 200 comprises an oscillator, an error amplifier (Error Amp), a comparator (Comp1), and a control logic unit. The error amplifier receives a feedback signal from the feedback unit 300, and compares it with a reference voltage Vref, and the comparator compares an output of the error amplifier with a signal of the oscillator, and outputs result signals to the control logic unit. The control logic unit outputs for driving respective drivers of the switch driver 100, and comprises a toggle flip-flop (FF), a PWM latch, an XNOR gate, four OR gates, and delay circuits coupled to the OR gates.
In order to drive the inverter, switches SA, SB, SC, and SD are in some circuits turned on/off according to the phase shift full-bridge method.
The voltage at the primary of transformer TX is transmitted to the secondary only when the switches SA/SD and SB/SC are concurrently turned on, controlled by the signals OUT A, OUT B, OUT C, and OUT D.
For large duty the switches SA and SB in the left leg undergo zero voltage switching and the switches SC and SD in the right leg undergo zero voltage switching. But the switches SC and SD switch at higher currents than the switches SA and SB in the left leg, as shown in
When the duty is less, switches SA and SB in the left leg do not undergo zero voltage switching, but the switches SC and SD in the right leg undergo zero voltage switching. But the switches SC and SD switch at higher currents than the switches SA and SB in left leg, as shown in
Zero voltage switching provides an energy current path flowing to the secondary, when a switch is turned on after a diode coupled to a transistor is turned on. Zero voltage switching enhances the operational efficiency of MOSFETs.
Zero voltage switching reduces the operating temperature of MOSFETs. The temperature is substantially increased when no zero-current switching is performed since a large current flows to the MOSFET in the case of a low input voltage of Vin, and the temperature is substantially increased when no zero-voltage switching is performed since a high voltage is applied to the MOSFET in the case of a high input voltage of Vin.
In conventional inverters, for small duties, zero voltage switching isn't performed on the switches of the left leg and zero voltage switching is performed on the switches of the right leg. But the switches SC and SD switch at a higher current than the switches SA and SB in the left leg, as shown in
Briefly and generally, switches of a converter form a left leg and a right leg in a full bridge format to alternately perform zero voltage switching and same current switching.
In one aspect of the present invention, a converter comprises: a first switch group including a first switch and a second switch coupled in series between an input power source and a ground power source; a second switch group including a third switch and a fourth switch coupled in series between the input power source and the ground power source; a transformer having a primary inductor coupled between a node of the first and second switches and a node of the third and fourth switches, and transmitting a power to the secondary according to a conductive path determined by the first to fourth switches; a load combined to the secondary of the transformer; a feedback circuit for outputting a signal corresponding to the power transmitted to the load; a PWM (pulse width modulation) unit for outputting pulse signals for driving the first to fourth switches based on the signal transmitted from the feedback circuit; and a switch driver for driving the first to fourth switches according to the pulse signals output by the PWM unit. The PWM unit outputs pulse signals for controlling turning on/off operation of the first to fourth switches so that the first switch group and the second switch group may alternately perform zero voltage switching and alternately switch at the same current.
In another aspect of the present invention, a converter comprises: a first switch group including first and second switches coupled in series between an input power source and a ground power source; a second switch group including third and fourth switches coupled in series between the input power source and the ground power source; a transformer having a primary inductor coupled between a node of the first and second switches and a node of the third and fourth switches, and transmitting a power to the secondary according to a conductive path determined by the first to fourth switches; a load combined to the secondary of the transformer; a feedback circuit for outputting a signal corresponding to the power transmitted to the load; a PWM (pulse width modulation) unit for outputting pulse signals for driving the first to fourth switches based on the signal transmitted from the feedback circuit; and a switch driver for driving the first to fourth switches according to the pulse signals output by the PWM unit. The PWM unit outputs pulse signals for forming a first conductive path so that a current in the first direction may flow to the primary inductor by turning on the first and fourth switches, forming a first discharge path so that the current in the first direction may flow to the primary inductor by turning on the first and third switches, forming a second conductive path so that a current in the second direction opposite the first direction may flow to the primary inductor by turning on the second and third switches, and forming a second discharge path so that the current in second first direction may flow to the primary inductor by turning on the first and third switches.
In still another aspect of the present invention, a converter comprises: a first switch group including first and second switches coupled in series between an input power source and a ground power source; a second switch group including third and fourth switches coupled in series between the input power source and the ground power source; a transformer for transmitting a power from the input power source to a secondary according to the conductive path determined by the first to fourth switches coupled to a primary; a load combined to the secondary of the transformer; a feedback circuit for outputting a signal corresponding to the power transmitted to the load; a PWM (pulse width modulation) unit for outputting pulse signals for driving the first to fourth switches based on the signal transmitted from the feedback circuit; and a switch driver for driving the first to fourth switches according to the pulse signals output by the PWM unit. The PWM unit outputs pulse signals so that intervals in which the first and fourth switches are turned on are superimposed with each other and intervals in which the second and third switches are turned on are superimposed with each other when turning on the switches in the order of the fourth, first, third, second, first, fourth, second, and third switches.
In still yet another aspect of the present invention, a method for controlling a converter including a first switch group including first and second switches coupled in series between an input power source and a ground power source; a second switch group including third and fourth switches coupled in series between the input power source and the ground power source; and a transformer having a primary inductor coupled between a node of the first and second switches and a node of the third and fourth switches, and transmitting a power to the secondary according to a conductive path determined by the first to fourth switches, comprises: (a) turning on the first and fourth switches to form a first conductive path so that a current in the first direction may flow to the primary inductor, when the input power is supplied; (b) turning on the first and third switches to form a first discharge path so that the current in the first direction may flow to the primary inductor; (c) turning on the second and third switches to form a second conductive path so that a current in the second direction opposite the first direction may flow to the primary inductor; and (d) turning on the first and third switches to form a second discharge path so that the current in the second direction may flow to the primary inductor.
In still further another aspect of the present invention, a converter control method comprises: (a) generating pulse signals for turning on first and fourth switches for determining a first conductive path, and second and third switches for determining a second conductive path, when an input power is supplied; (b) selectively turning on the first to fourth switches according to the pulse signal and transmitting the input power to the secondary of a transformer from the primary thereof through the one of the first and second conductive paths; (c) generating a feedback signal from a load coupled to the secondary of the transformer; and (d) controlling the pulse signals for turning on the first to fourth switches through the feedback signal, wherein (a) comprises outputting pulse signals so that intervals in which the first and fourth switches are turned on are superimposed with each other, and intervals in which the second and third switches are turned on are superimposed with each other, when turning on the switches in the order of the fourth, first, third, second, first, fourth, second, and third, switches.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
In the following detailed description, embodiments of the invention are described simply by way of illustration. The invention includes modifications in various obvious respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not restrictive.
When an output signal T of flip-flop FFA is input to a clock signal terminal of flip-flop FFB, and an OR operation and an AND operation are performed on output signal T of flip-flop FFA, the driving waveforms of switch SA and switch SD cross in each period.
Time delay elements A, B, C, and D, coupled to input ends of NOR gates at the respective output terminals, supply a dead time to respective output signals so that switches SA and SB and switches SC and SD may not be concurrently turned on.
The operation of the inverter according to embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail.
Output signal T of flip-flop FFA determines the driving waveform of switch SA. Output signal T is toggled depending on a SYNC signal of the oscillator. An output signal T1 of flip-flop FFB is toggled depending on output signal T of flip-flop FFA. Therefore, the period of output signal T1 of flip-flop FFB is double of the period of output signal T of flip-flop FFA.
Further, an output signal XNOR of an exclusive NOR gate XNOR determines the driving waveform of switch SD. XNOR becomes high, when output signal T of flip-flop FFA corresponds to an output signal
Further, a driving waveform OUT A of switch SA is determined by an operation involving output signal T1 of flip-flop FFB, output signal T of flip-flop FFA, and output signal XNOR of the XNOR gate. The conventional driving waveform of switch SA is output when output signal T1 of flip-flop FFB is low, and the conventional driving waveform of switch SD is output, when output signal T1 of flip-flop FFB is high.
In a like manner, the driving waveform OUT D of switch SD is determined by an operation involving output signal T1 of flip-flop FFB, output signal T of flip-flop FFA, and output signal XNOR of the XNOR gate. The conventional driving waveform of switch SD is output, when output signal T1 of flip-flop FFB is low, and the conventional driving waveform of switch SA is output, when output signal T1 of flip-flop FFB is high.
In addition, the driving waveform OUT B of switch SB and the driving waveform OUT C of switch SC are inverted from the driving waveform OUT A of switch SA and the driving waveform OUT D of switch SD, respectively.
The waveforms A&D and B&C show the time intervals, when switches SA and SD, and SB and SC, respectively, are concurrently turned on. The final waveform indicates a voltage difference between nodes A and B.
According to the waveforms OUT A to OUT D of
At the moment, when switch SC is turned off, current flows through diode D4, and switch SD is turned on after diode D4 is turned on. Also, switch SB is turned off, and current is switched to diode D1 combined with switch SA before switch SA is turned on. In a like manner, switch SD is turned off, current flows to the primary of the transformer TX and diode D3 through capacitor C1 from switch SA, and switch SC is turned on after diode D3 is turned on. Switch SB is turned on after switch SA for turning on diode D2 is turned off. The time, when switches SB and SC and switches SA and SD are concurrently turned on, determines the energy supplied to transformer TX. This time is determined by a level output by an error amplifier.
To generate an output with the appropriate level, the error amplifier compares a feedback signal FB to a reference voltage VREF. The feedback signal FB represents the magnitude of the current flowing through a sense resistor R2, and corresponds to the total current flowing through the load CCFL. The value of the feedback signal FB is varied depending on the load state and the Error amp output of the error amplifier varies accordingly. The reference voltage VREF is a voltage corresponding to a reference current flowing through the load. The reference voltage VREF corresponds to a mean value of the feedback signal FB in the normal operation.
Up to now, DC to AC inverters have been described. Related embodiments of the invention include DC/DC converters for converting a DC voltage into another DC voltage.
While this invention has been described in connection with certain embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, a lamp can used as the load CCFL, but other loads including a resistive load and a capacitive load can also be used.
The inverter alternately applies conventional waveforms for driving switches SA and SD in each period, and applies the inverted SA and SD driving waveforms to the drivers of switches SB and SC. These driving waveforms allow the switches of the left leg and the right leg alternately perform zero voltage switching and switch at the same current when the duty is less. Such embodiments avoid the temperature of one leg being higher than that of the other. Further, the switches can have greater on resistance compared to the prior art.
Although the present invention and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. That is, the discussion included in this application is intended to serve as a basic description. It should be understood that the specific discussion may not explicitly describe all embodiments possible; many alternatives are implicit. It also may not fully explain the generic nature of the invention and may not explicitly show how each feature or element can actually be representative of a broader function or of a great variety of alternative or equivalent elements. Again, these are implicitly included in this disclosure. Where the invention is described in device-oriented terminology, each element of the device implicitly performs a function. Neither the description nor the terminology is intended to limit the scope of the claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10-2003-0053106 | Jul 2003 | KR | national |
10-2004-0035536 | May 2004 | KR | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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6396722 | Lin | May 2002 | B1 |
6618274 | Boylan et al. | Sep 2003 | B1 |
6804129 | Lin | Oct 2004 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20050128772 A1 | Jun 2005 | US |