Power converter and method of power conversion
AssigneeSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
InventorsJin-Hyuck Yu, Dong-Jin Keum
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A power converter includes a power converting unit and a driving circuit. The power converting unit generates a DC output voltage based on a pull up driving signal, a pull down driving signal, and a DC input voltage. The driving circuit compensates for an inductor peak current, and performs in a pulse-frequency-modulation (PFM) mode and a pulse-width-modulation (PWM) mode to generate the pull-up driving signal and the pull-down driving signal based on the DC output voltage and the compensated inductor peak current. The power converter performs a mode transition between the PFM and PWM modes at a uniform load current, even when a magnitude of the DC output voltage varies.
Claims17
A power converter comprising:
- a power converting unit configured to generate an inductor peak current and a DC output voltage responsive to the inductor peak current, based on a pull-up driving signal, a pull-down driving signal and a DC input voltage;
- a zero-current detecting circuit configured to compare a voltage signal of a sensing node within the power converting unit and a ground voltage to generate a zero-current detecting signal in response to a first detection voltage signal;
- and
- a driving circuit configured to compensate for the inductor peak current, and perform in a pulse-frequency-modulation (PFM) mode and a pulse-width-modulation (PWM) mode to generate the pull-up driving signal and the pull-down driving signal based on the DC output voltage, the zero-current detecting signal and the compensated inductor peak current, the driving circuit comprising
- a comparator configured to compare the DC output voltage with a reference voltage to generate the first detection voltage signal,
- a current sensor configured to compensate for the inductor peak current and detect the compensated inductor peak current to generate a current-sensing output signal, and
- a switch-driving-signal generator configured to perform in the PFM mode or the PWM mode based on the first detection voltage signal, the zero-current detecting signal and the current-sensing output signal, to generate the pull-up driving signal and the pull-down driving signal.
A power converter comprising:
- a power converter unit configured to receive an input voltage and to generate an inductor peak current and an output voltage responsive to a pull-up driving signal and a pull-down driving signal;
- a current sensor connected to the power converter unit and configured to provide a first peak current detection signal responsive to a sensed current from the power converter unit, a compensated inductor peak current responsive to a level of the output voltage, and a second peak current detection signal responsive to the first peak current detection signal and the compensated inductor peak current;
- a comparator configured to generate a first detection voltage signal responsive to comparison of a reference voltage to a feedback voltage corresponding to the output voltage;
- and
- a switch driving signal generator configured to generate the pull-up driving signal and the pull-down driving signal responsive to the first detection voltage signal and the second peak current detection signal,
- wherein the switch driving signal generator is configured to perform switching between a pulse-frequency-modulation (PFM) mode and a pulse-width-modulation (PWM) mode at a uniform load current responsive to the first detecting voltage signal and the second current detection signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.