Patent ID: 7339804
Filing Date: 2008-03-04
Classification: H02M

Abstract:
1. A DC-DC converter comprising: a switching element connected to a DC power supply through a primary winding of a transformer; a control circuit which controls a turning on and off of the switching element; an activation circuit which activates the control circuit by supplying a power supply voltage to the control circuit; a first rectifying and smoothing circuit which supplies a first output voltage to a load, the first output voltage being obtained by rectifying and smoothing a voltage generated in a secondary winding of the transformer; a second rectifying and smoothing circuit which supplies a second output voltage, as a power supply, to the control circuit, the second output voltage being obtained by rectifying and smoothing a voltage generated in a tertiary winding of the transformer; an overcurrent protection circuit which limits an output current to be supplied to the load when overloaded; an overcurrent detection circuit which detects that the load is in an overcurrent state, and which outputs a detection signal during a period, when the overcurrent protection circuit is operated; and an activation current switching circuit which switches outputs from the activation circuit so as to output a first activation current generated from the DC power supply at a time when the control circuit is activated, and so as to output a second activation current, which is smaller than the first activation current, during a period when the detection signal is outputted from the overcurrent detection circuit after the control circuit is activated, wherein the control circuit controls the output current when overloaded, by intermittently turning on and off the switching element in a case where the second output voltage from the second rectifying and smoothing circuit is lowered by an operation of the overcurrent protection circuit, and the activation circuit supplies a voltage, as the power supply voltage, to the control circuit, the voltage being obtained by getting the activation circuit charged with any of the first and second activation currents, which are switched by the activation current switching circuit.