Electricity: power supply or regulation systems – Output level responsive – Using a three or more terminal semiconductive device as the...
Patent
2000-02-02
2000-10-24
Berhane, Adolf Deneke
Electricity: power supply or regulation systems
Output level responsive
Using a three or more terminal semiconductive device as the...
363 65, H02M 3158
Patent
active
061372749
ABSTRACT:
A DC-to-DC converter having multiple power delivery channels, and including a current-sharing switching controller implemented as an integrated circuit, multi-channel circuitry (including parallel channels connected to one output node) external to the controller chip, and current sharing circuitry (including circuitry external to the controller chip and circuitry including current mirrors internal to the controller chip), and methods for generating PWM power switch control signals for use in (and performing DC-to-DC conversion using) such a DC-to-DC converter. Preferably, the current sharing circuitry generates individual channel current signals from voltage analogs thereof produced external to the controller chip, and superposes the individual channel current signals to produce an average current signal. Channel current error signals are generated by subtracting the individual channel current signals from the average current signal. The power switch control signal for each channel is generated in response to the channel current error signal for the appropriate channel and a feedback signal (an output voltage error signal) indicative of the output potential of the DC-to-DC converter relative to a reference potential, so that the DC-to-DC converter achieves a desired output potential with increased current sharing among the channels. The invention implements current sharing between channels of a DC-to-DC converter using simple circuitry external to the controller chip (and without an external bus which connects one channel to the other), and with simple, silicon-area efficient circuitry internal to the controller chip. Preferably, current mirror circuitry in the controller chip generates a set of identical average current signals, each of which is proportional to the average of the currents drawn from the individual channels, and additional current mirror circuitry generates a set of identical error current signals, each of which is an error current proportional to the difference between the DC-to-DC converter's output potential and a reference potential.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4924170 (1990-05-01), Henze
patent: 5477132 (1995-12-01), Canter et al.
patent: 5513094 (1996-04-01), Stanley
patent: 5724237 (1998-03-01), Hunter
patent: 5808453 (1998-09-01), Lee et al.
patent: 5834925 (1998-11-01), Chesavage
patent: 5847548 (1998-12-01), He et al.
patent: 5861738 (1999-01-01), Becker-Irvin et al.
patent: 5909108 (1999-06-01), He et al.
patent: 5945815 (1999-08-01), Elliott
Jovanovic et al., A Novel, Low-Cost Implementation of "Democratic" Load-Current Sharing of Paralleled Converter Modules, IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, vol. II, No. 4, Jul. 1996, pp. 604-611.
Ren-Hua Wu et al., Load-Current-Sharing Control for Parallel Operation to DC-to-DC Converters, IEEE Power Electronics Specialist Conference Record, 1993 pp. 101-107.
Berhane Adolf Deneke
National Semiconductor Corporation
LandOfFree
Switching DC-to-DC converter and conversion method with current does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Switching DC-to-DC converter and conversion method with current , we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Switching DC-to-DC converter and conversion method with current will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-1967588