# US 12,015,347 B2 · Control circuit for power converter apparatus of DC to DC converter for converting reference voltage to DC voltage > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,015,347 B2 - Document ID: US12015347B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/596,219 - Filed: 2021-06-24 - Published: 2022-12-29 - Granted: 2024-06-18 - Earliest claimed: 2021-06-24 - Assignees: Nisshinbo Micro Devices Inc. - Applicants: Nisshinbo Micro Devices Inc. - Inventors: Masayuki Imura - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12015347B2 ## CPC - H02M 3/158: including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load - H02M 1/0032: {Control circuits allowing low power mode operation, e.g. in standby mode} - H02M 1/08: Circuits specially adapted for the generation of control voltages for semiconductor devices incorporated in static converters - Y02B 70/10: Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes - H02M: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF (transformers H01F; dynamo-electric converters H02K47/00; controlling transformers, reactors or choke coils, control or regulation of electric motors, generators or dynamo-electric converters H02P) - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS ## Abstract A control circuit for a power converter apparatus includes a reference voltage source that generates a predetermined reference voltage; an output voltage detection circuit having a capacitor that charges the output voltage or a corresponding voltage, the output voltage detection circuit detecting a drop in the output voltage based on a voltage across the capacitor; a feedback voltage output circuit including two voltage-divider resistors connected in series with each other with a voltage divider ratio set according to the reference voltage and the output voltage, the feedback voltage output circuit outputting a feedback voltage obtained by dividing the output voltage; a voltage comparison circuit that compares the reference voltage with the feedback voltage, and outputs a comparison result signal; and a drive control circuit configured to control intermittent operation in accordance with the comparison result signal and a detection signal of the output voltage detection circuit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A control circuit for a power converter apparatus that converts a first DC voltage into a predetermined second DC voltage, and outputs the second DC voltage as an output voltage, the control circuit comprising: a reference voltage source that generates a predetermined reference voltage; an output voltage detection circuit having a capacitor that charges the output voltage or a corresponding voltage, the output voltage detection circuit detecting a drop in the output voltage based on a voltage across the capacitor, and outputting a detection signal indicating that the drop is detected; a feedback voltage output circuit including two voltage-divider resistors connected in series with each other with a voltage divider ratio set according to the reference voltage and a setting voltage of the output voltage, the feedback voltage output circuit outputting a feedback voltage obtained by dividing the output voltage; a voltage comparison circuit that compares the reference voltage with the feedback voltage, and outputs a comparison result signal indicating comparison result; and a drive control circuit configured to control intermittent operation in accordance with the comparison result signal and the detection signal of the output voltage detection circuit, wherein in the intermittent operation, the power converter apparatus repeats (i) a switching interval during which the power converter apparatus performs switching operation to convert the first DC voltage and (ii) a switching stop interval during which the switching operation is stopped, and during the switching interval, the output voltage detection circuit charges a charge voltage, the charge voltage being obtained by which the capacitor subtracts a predetermined drop voltage from the output voltage, or the charge voltage corresponding to the subtracted voltage, and during the switching stop interval, based on the voltage of the capacitor and the output voltage, the output voltage detection circuit detects a drop of the output voltage to output the detection signal. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A power converter apparatus that converts a first DC voltage into a predetermined second DC voltage, and outputs the second DC voltage as an output voltage, wherein the power converter apparatus comprises the control circuit of claim 1, and the power converter apparatus is a boosting DC to DC converter. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The power converter apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the drive control circuit restarts operation of the reference voltage source, the feedback voltage output circuit, and the voltage comparison circuit, based on the detection signal. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The control circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drive control circuit stops operation of any of the reference voltage source, the feedback voltage output circuit, and the voltage comparison circuits when the feedback voltage remains above the reference voltage for a predetermined time based on the comparison result signal. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The control circuit as claimed in claim 4, wherein the drive control circuit restarts operation of the reference voltage source, the feedback voltage output circuit, and the voltage comparison circuit, based on the detection signal. ### Claim 6 A control circuit for a power converter apparatus that converts a first DC voltage into a predetermined second DC voltage, and outputs the second DC voltage as an output voltage, the control circuit comprising: a reference voltage source that generates a predetermined reference voltage; an output voltage detection circuit having a capacitor that charges the output voltage or a corresponding voltage, the output voltage detection circuit detecting a drop in the output voltage based on a voltage across the capacitor, and outputting a detection signal indicating that the drop is detected; a feedback voltage output circuit including two voltage-divider resistors connected in series with each other with a voltage divider ratio set according to the reference voltage and the output voltage, the feedback voltage output circuit outputting a feedback voltage obtained by dividing the output voltage; a voltage comparison circuit that compares the reference voltage with the feedback voltage, and outputs a comparison result signal indicating comparison result; and a drive control circuit configured to control intermittent operation in accordance with the comparison result signal and the detection signal of the output voltage detection circuit, wherein the drive control circuit stops operation of any of the reference voltage source, the feedback voltage output circuit, and the voltage comparison circuits when the feedback voltage remains above the reference voltage for a predetermined time based on the comparison result signal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The control circuit as claimed in claim 6, wherein the drive control circuit restarts operation of the reference voltage source, the feedback voltage output circuit, and the voltage comparison circuit, based on the detection signal. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) A power converter apparatus that converts a first DC voltage into a predetermined second DC voltage, and outputs the second DC voltage as an output voltage, wherein the power converter apparatus comprises the control circuit of claim 2, and the power converter apparatus is a boosting DC to DC converter. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The power converter apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the drive control circuit restarts operation of the reference voltage source, the feedback voltage output circuit, and the voltage comparison circuit, based on the detection signal. ### Claim 10 A control method for a power converter apparatus that converts a first DC voltage into a predetermined second DC voltage, and outputs the second DC voltage as an output voltage, the control method comprising steps of: by a reference voltage source, generating a predetermined reference voltage; by an output voltage detection circuit having a capacitor that charges the output voltage or a corresponding voltage, detecting a drop in the output voltage based on the voltage of the capacitor, and outputting a detection signal; by a feedback voltage output circuit, outputting a feedback voltage obtained by dividing the output voltage, by using two voltage-divider resistors connected in series with each other with a voltage divider ratio set according to the reference voltage and a setting voltage of the output voltage; by a voltage comparison circuit, comparing the reference voltage with the feedback voltage, and outputting a comparison result signal indicating comparison result; and controlling intermittent operation according to the comparison result signal and the detection signal, wherein in the intermittent operation, the power converter apparatus repeats (i) a switching interval during which the power converter apparatus performs switching operation to convert the first DC voltage and (ii) a switching stop interval during which the switching operation is stopped, and during the switching interval, the output voltage detection circuit charges a charge voltage, the charge voltage being obtained by which the capacitor subtracts a predetermined drop voltage from the output voltage, or the charge voltage corresponding to the subtracted voltage, and during the switching stop interval, based on the voltage of the capacitor and the output voltage, the output voltage detection circuit detects a drop of the output voltage to output the detection signal. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The control method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a step of stopping operation of any of the reference voltage source, the feedback voltage output circuit, and the voltage comparison circuit when such a condition that the feedback voltage is above the reference voltage continues for a predetermined time interval of time based on the comparison result signal. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The control method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a step of restarting the operation of the reference voltage source, the feedback voltage output circuit, and the voltage comparison circuit based on the detection signal. ### Claim 13 A control method for a power converter apparatus that converts a first DC voltage into a predetermined second DC voltage, and outputs the second DC voltage as an output voltage, the control method comprising steps of: by a reference voltage source, generating a predetermined reference voltage; by a capacitor that charges the output voltage or a corresponding voltage, detecting a drop in the output voltage based on the voltage of the capacitor, and outputting a detection signal; by a feedback voltage output circuit, outputting a feedback voltage obtained by dividing the output voltage, by using two voltage-divider resistors connected in series with each other with a voltage divider ratio set according to the reference voltage and the output voltage; by a voltage comparison circuit, comparing the reference voltage with the feedback voltage, and outputting a comparison result signal indicating comparison result; and controlling intermittent operation according to the comparison result signal and the detection signal; and a step of stopping operation of any of the reference voltage source, the feedback voltage output circuit, and the voltage comparison circuit when such a condition that the feedback voltage is above the reference voltage continues for a predetermined time interval of time based on the comparison result signal. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The control method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a step of restarting the operation of the reference voltage source, the feedback voltage output circuit, and the voltage comparison circuit based on the detection signal.