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US 2018/0026537 A1Published application
Output voltage control in overcurrent conditions for switching converters
AssigneeSTMicroelectronics S.r.l.
InventorsJeanpierre VICQUERY, Emilio VOLPI
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for controlling a converter are provided. In the method and apparatus, a converter is operated in accordance with a duty cycle and based on a difference between a feedback signal representing an output voltage of the converter and a reference signal. An overcurrent condition is detected in the converter. In response to detecting the overcurrent condition, the duty cycle used to operate the converter is limited and the reference signal is made to track the feedback signal to mitigate an output voltage overshoot at an end of the overcurrent condition.
Claims19
A device comprising:
- a voltage converter having an input and an output and being configured to receive, at the input, a control signal for operating the voltage converter in accordance with a duty cycle and provide, at the output, an output voltage;
- a voltage control stage having a first input coupled to the output of the voltage converter, a second input, a third input and an output coupled to the input of the voltage converter and configured to:
- receive, at the first input, a feedback voltage signal representative of the output voltage,
- receive, at the second input, a reference voltage signal,
- receive, at the third input, an overcurrent protection signal,
- generate the control signal based on a difference between the feedback voltage signal and the reference voltage signal,
- limit the duty cycle of the control signal in response to the overcurrent protection signal being asserted, and
- output the control signal at the output of the voltage control stage;
- and
- an overcurrent control stage having an input coupled to the output of the voltage converter and an output coupled to the third input of the voltage control stage and configured to detect an overcurrent condition in the voltage converter, assert the overcurrent protection signal in response detecting the overcurrent condition and output the overcurrent protection signal at the output of the overcurrent control stage;
- and
- a reference voltage control stage having an input coupled to the output of the overcurrent control stage and an output coupled to the second input of the voltage control stage and configured to receive the overcurrent protection signal, in response to the overcurrent protection signal being asserted, enable a reference voltage control phase that causes the reference voltage signal to track the feedback voltage signal and the control signal to be limited during the overcurrent condition, and output the reference voltage signal at the output of the reference voltage control stage.
9 more elements
A device comprising:
- a voltage control stage configured to receive a reference voltage signal and a feedback voltage signal representative of an output voltage of a converter and output, based on a difference between the feedback voltage signal and the reference voltage signal, a control signal for operating the converter in accordance with a duty cycle, the voltage control stage being configured to receive an overcurrent protection signal and limit the duty cycle when the overcurrent protection signal is asserted;
- an overcurrent control stage configured to detect an overcurrent condition in the converter, and assert the overcurrent protection signal in response to detecting the overcurrent condition;
- and
- a reference voltage control stage configured to enable a reference voltage control phase in response to the overcurrent protection signal being asserted and cause the reference voltage signal to track the feedback voltage signal when the reference voltage control phase is enabled.
1 more element
A method comprising:
- operating a converter in accordance with a duty cycle and based on a difference between a feedback signal representing an output voltage of the converter and a reference signal;
- detecting an overcurrent condition in the converter;
- in response to detecting the overcurrent condition:
- limiting the duty cycle used to operate the converter;
- and
- causing the reference signal to track the feedback signal to mitigate an output voltage overshoot at an end of the overcurrent condition;
- determining that a voltage level of the reference signal that tracks the feedback signal has returned to its voltage level prior to detecting the overcurrent condition in the converter;
- and
- ceasing tracking the reference signal to the feedback signal in response to determining that the voltage level of the reference signal that tracks the feedback signal has returned to its voltage level prior to detecting the overcurrent condition.
6 more elements
(canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.