Control of field-effect transistors of a power converter
AssigneeSignify Holding B.V.
InventorREINHOLD ELFERICH
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A mechanism for controlling the operation of a pair of transistors in a power converter. The length of one or more deadtimes in controlling the operation of the transistor is controlled responsive to a first sensing signal. The first sensing signal is itself responsive to an average or cumulative length of time that one or both transistors undergo reverse conduction when controlled to be in an off-state.
Claims14
A control system for a power converter comprising a first and second field-effect transistor to be synchronously controlled, wherein the control system is configured to:
- control the switching of the first and second field-effect transistors according to an iteratively repeated sequence comprising:
- a first period of time, during which the first field-effect transistor is on, and the second field-effect transistor is off;
- a second period of time, during which the first field-effect transistor is off, and the second field-effect transistor is off;
- a third period of time, during which the first field-effect transistor is off, and the second field-effect transistor is on;
- and
- a fourth period of time during which the first field-effect transistor is off, and the second field-effect transistor is off;
- receive a first sensing signal, being a sensing signal that changes responsive to an average or cumulative length of time that the first or second field-effect transistor conducts when off during a plurality of iterations of the iteratively repeated sequence,
- modify the length of the second and/or fourth period of time responsive to the first sensing signal, wherein:
- the first sensing signal is a sensing signal that changes responsive to an average or cumulative length of time that the first field-effect transistor conducts when off during a plurality of iterations of the iteratively repeated sequence;
- the iteratively repeated sequence comprises, during the fourth period of time modulating the length of the fourth period of time according to a modulation pattern;
- and
- the control system is further configured to;
- perform a demodulation procedure on the first sensing signal to determine whether or not the first sensing signal carries the modulation pattern;
- and
- control the total length of the iteratively repeated sequence responsive to whether or not the first sensing signal carries the modulation pattern.
A control system for a power converter comprising a first and second field-effect transistor to be synchronously controlled, wherein the control system is configured to:
- control the switching of the first and second field-effect transistors according to an iteratively repeated sequence comprising:
- a first period of time, during which the first field-effect transistor is on, and the second field-effect transistor is off;
- a second period of time, during which the first field-effect transistor is off, and the second field-effect transistor is off;
- a third period of time, during which the first field-effect transistor is off, and the second field-effect transistor is on;
- and
- a fourth period of time during which the first field-effect transistor is off, and the second field-effect transistor is off;
- receive a first sensing signal, being a sensing signal that changes responsive to an average or cumulative length of time that the first or second field-effect transistor conducts when off during a plurality of iterations of the iteratively repeated sequence,
- modify the length of the second and/or fourth period of time responsive to the first sensing signal, wherein the control system is further configured to:
- receive a third sensing signal, being a sensing signal that changes responsive to an average or cumulative size of any voltage steps that occur during switching of the first or second field-effect transistor from off to on or from on to off throughout a plurality of iterations of the iteratively repeated sequence;
- and
- modify the total length of the iteratively repeated sequence responsive to the third sensing signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.