# Patent

## Title
Variable frequency timing circuit for a power supply control circuit

## Abstract

An example integrated circuit controller includes a pulse width modulation (PWM) circuit and a timing circuit. The PWM circuit controls a switch to regulate an output of a power supply in response to a switch current flowing through the switch and in response to a clock signal having a switching period. The timing circuit provides the clock signal and includes a timing capacitor where the switching period of the clock signal is equal to a charging time that the timing capacitor charges to an upper reference voltage plus a discharging time that the timing capacitor discharges to a lower reference voltage. The timing circuit increases the charging time of the timing capacitor by decreasing a rate at which the timing capacitor is charged to increase the switching period of the clock signal if an on time of the switch is greater than or equal to a threshold time.

## Background
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is related to co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 13/193,411, entitled “Varying Switching Frequency and Period of a Power Supply Controller,” filed on the same day herewith.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to power supplies, and more specifically, the present invention relates to controllers for switched mode power supplies.
2. Background
Electronic devices use power to operate. Switched mode power supplies are commonly used due to their high efficiency, small size and low weight to power many of today's electronics. Conventional wall sockets provide a high voltage alternating current. In a switching power supply a high voltage alternating current (ac) input is converted to provide a well regulated direct current (dc) output through an energy transfer element. In operation, a switch is utilized to provide the desired output by varying the duty cycle (typically the ratio of the on-time of the switch to the total switching period), varying the switching frequency or varying the number of pulses per unit time of the switch in a switched mode power supply.
The switched mode power supply also includes a controller which usually provides output regulation by sensing and controlling the output in a closed loop. The controller may receive a feedback signal representative of the output and the controller varies one or more parameters in response to the feedback signal to regulate the output to a desired quantity. Various modes of control may be utilized. One mode of control is known as pulse width modulation (PWM) peak current mode control. In PWM peak current mode control, the switch remains on until the current in the switch reaches a current limit. Once the current limit is reached, the controller turns the switch off for the remainder of the switching period. In general, a higher current limit results in a longer on-time of the switch and a bigger duty ratio. However, for controllers operating in continuous conduction mode (CCM) with large duty ratios (typically for duty ratios greater than 50%), small error signal perturbations may cause sub-harmonic oscillation to occur.



BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the invention are described with reference to the following figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example switched mode power supply utilizing a controller, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating an example switching current waveform of the switched mode power supply of FIG. 1.
FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating a further example of a switching current waveform of the switched mode power supply of FIG. 1 utilizing current mode pulse width modulation (PWM) control.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example switching current waveform of FIG. 1 utilizing a control scheme in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a controller in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating an example voltage waveform of the timing circuit of FIG. 4.
FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating another example voltage waveform of the timing circuit of FIG. 4.
FIG. 5C is a diagram illustrating another example voltage waveform utilizing a non-linear slope of the timing circuit of FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating various embodiments of the voltage waveform of FIGS. 5A and 5B.
FIG. 7 is a function block diagram of a timing circuit, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a timing diagram illustrating various waveforms of voltages and currents of the timing circuit of FIG. 7.
FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram of a timing circuit, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a timing diagram illustrating various waveforms of voltages and currents of the timing circuit of FIG. 9.



DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Embodiments of a controller with a variable switching frequency and period are described herein. In the following description numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the techniques described herein can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring certain aspects.
Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “one example” or “an example” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment”, “in an embodiment”, “one example” or “an example” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable combinations and/or subcombinations in one or more embodiments or examples. In addition, it is appreciated that the figures provided herewith are for explanation purposes to persons ordinarily skilled in the art and that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.
Various modes of control may be utilized to regulate the output of a power supply. One mode of control is known as pulse width modulation (PWM) current mode control. In PWM current mode control, the switch remains on until the current in the switch reaches a current limit or the maximum duty ratio has been reached. In one embodiment, the current limit is the peak current of the switch. Once the current limit is reached, the controller turns the switch off for the remainder of the switching period. In general, a higher current limit results in a longer on-time of the switch and a larger duty ratio. However, for controllers operating in continuous conduction mode (CCM) with large duty ratios (typically for duty ratios greater than 50%), small error signal perturbations may cause sub-harmonic oscillation to occur. In particular, sub-harmonic oscillation may occur for conventional PWM current mode control where the switching frequency (and therefore the switching period TS) does not vary.
Typical methods to prevent sub-harmonic oscillation include varying the current limit with the duty ratio. In such a case, the current limit is not fixed and the current limit is a linearly decreasing ramp as the duty ratio increases. This is typically known as slope compensation. However, there are disadvantages to utilizing slope compensation. For example, in continuous conduction mode (CCM), output power is proportional to the peak current of the switch and the peak current decreases as the current limit linearly decreases. As a result the output power would decrease for high duty ratios. Slope compensation also erodes the loop bandwidth and phase margin benefits of PWM current mode control. To offset the decrease in output power, the current limit may be increased overall. However, power supply components, such as the switch, transformer, clamp circuit, and output rectifier, would need to be rated for higher current values. This approach has its drawbacks, since the higher the current rating for a component typically means an increase in the size of the component. As a result, utilizing current limit slope compensation would result in tradeoffs between size and output power.
With conventional PWM peak current mode control, where the switching frequency is not varied by the controller, sub-harmonic oscillation may occur at high duty ratios when in continuous conduction mode. As a result of sub-harmonic oscillation, the off-times of the switch may vary dramatically from one switching period to the next creating large ripple at the output voltage. Sub-harmonic oscillation may also reduce the maximum output power capability of the power supply. Thus, embodiments of the present invention reduce the likelihood of sustained sub-harmonic oscillation and the resultant large variations in off-time by varying the switching frequency (and therefore the switching period TS) after some critical time tC when sub-harmonic oscillation may occur. In one embodiment, the total switching period TS is varied by a multiple of the difference between the on-time tON and the critical time tC. In a further embodiment, the off-time tOFF of the switch is varied by a multiple of the difference between the on-time tON and the critical time tC. In one embodiment, the multiple is a fractional amount. In one example, this results in a substantially fixed off-time tOFF over consecutive switching cycles. By varying the switching frequency when the on-time is greater than the critical time tC, the likelihood of sustained sub-harmonic oscillation is reduced. As will be further discussed, embodiments of the present invention include altering a timing circuit voltage to vary the switching frequency.
Referring first to FIG. 1, a diagram of an example switched mode power supply 100 is illustrated including input VIN 102, an energy transfer element T1 104, a primary winding 106 of the energy transfer element T1 104, a secondary winding 108 of the energy transfer element T1 104, a switch S1 110, a clamp circuit 112, a rectifier D1 114, an output capacitor C1 116, a load 118, an output quantity UO, an output voltage VO, an output current IO, a feedback circuit 120, a controller 122, a feedback signal UFB 124, a current sense input 126, a drive signal 128, and switch current ID 130. The topology of the example switched mode power supply 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 is of the flyback regulator type, which is just one example of a switched mode power supply topology which may benefit from the teachings of the present invention. It is appreciated that other known topologies and configurations of switched mode power supply regulators may also benefit from the teachings of the present invention.
The switched mode power supply 100 provides output power to the load 118 from an unregulated input VIN 102. In one embodiment the input VIN 102 is a rectified and filtered ac line voltage. In another embodiment, the input voltage VIN 102 is a dc input voltage. The input VIN 102 is coupled to the energy transfer element T1 104. In some embodiments of the present invention the energy transfer element T1 104 may be a coupled inductor. In some other embodiments of the present invention the energy transfer element T1 104 may be transformer. In the example of FIG. 1, the energy transfer element T1 104 includes two windings, a primary winding 106 and secondary winding 108. NP and NS are the number of turns for the primary winding 106 and secondary winding 108 respectively. The primary winding 106 is further coupled to the active switch S1 110, which is then further coupled to the input return 111. In addition, the clamp circuit 112 is coupled across the primary winding 106 of the energy transfer element T1 104. The secondary winding 108 of the energy transfer element T1 104 is coupled to the rectifier D1 114. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the rectifier D1 114 is exemplified as a diode and the secondary winding 108 is coupled to the anode end of the diode. However, in some embodiments the rectifier D1 114 may be a transistor used as a synchronous rectifier. Both the output capacitor C1 116 and the load 118 are coupled to the rectifier D1 114. In the example of FIG. 1, the rectifier D1 114 is exemplified as a diode and both the output capacitor C1 116 and the load 118 are coupled to the cathode end of the diode. An output is provided to the load 118 and may be provided as either an output voltage VO, output current IO, or a combination of the two.
In addition, the switched mode power supply 100 further comprises circuitry to regulate the output which is exemplified as output quantity UO. In general, the output quantity UO is either an output voltage VO, output current IO, or a combination of the two. A feedback circuit 120 is coupled to sense the output quantity UO. In one embodiment, the feedback circuit 120 may sense the output quantity UO from the output of the power supply 100. In another embodiment, the feedback circuit 120 may sense the output quantity from an additional winding of the energy transfer element T1 104. Controller 122 is further coupled to the feedback circuit 120 and comprises several terminals. At one terminal, the controller 122 receives a feedback signal UFB 124 from the feedback circuit 120. The controller 122 further includes terminals for the current sense input 126 and the drive signal 128. The current sense input 126 senses the switch current ID 130 in switch S1 110. In addition, the controller 122 provides a drive signal 128 to the switch S1 110 to control various switching parameters. Examples of such parameters may include switching frequency, switching period, duty cycle, or respective on and off times of the switch S1 110.
In operation, the switched mode power supply 100 of FIG. 1 provides output power to the load 118 from an unregulated input VIN 102, such as an unregulated input voltage. The switched mode power supply 100 utilizes the energy transfer element T1 104 to transform the voltage from the input VIN 102 between the primary 106 and secondary 108 windings. The clamp circuit 112 is coupled to the primary winding 106 of the energy transfer element T1 104 to limit the maximum voltage on the switch S1 110. In one embodiment, the clamp circuit 112 limits the maximum voltage on the switch S1 110. Switch S1 110 is opened and closed in response to the drive signal 128 received from the controller 122. In some embodiments, the switch S1 110 may be a transistor and the controller 122 may include integrated circuits and/or discrete electrical components. In one embodiment, controller 122 and switch S1 110 are included together into a single integrated circuit 132. In one example, integrated circuit 132 is a monolithic integrated circuit. In another example, integrated circuit 132 is a hybrid integrated circuit.
In operation, the switching of switch S1 110 produces a pulsating current at the rectifier D1 114. The current in rectifier D1 114 is filtered by output capacitor C1 116 to produce a substantially constant output voltage VO, output current IO, or a combination of the two at the load 118.
The feedback circuit 120 senses the output quantity UO to provide the feedback signal UFB 124 to the controller 122. In the example of FIG. 1, the controller 122 also receives the current sense input 126 which relays the sensed current ID 130 in the switch S1 110. The switch current ID 130 may be sensed in a variety of ways, such as for example the voltage across a discrete resistor or the voltage across the transistor when the transistor is conducting.
The controller 122 outputs a drive signal 128 to operate the switch S1 110 in response to various system inputs to substantially regulate the output quantity UO to the desired value. With the use of the feedback circuit 120 and the controller 122, the output of the switched mode power supply 100 is regulated in a closed loop.
In addition, the controller 122 includes a timing circuit (discussed in more detail below) which defines the switching cycle of the switch S1 110 with a switching period of TS and a switching frequency of fS, where TS=1/fS.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the controller 122 may utilize a control scheme which varies the switching frequency fS when the on-time tON of the switch S1 110 is greater than a critical time tC. In a further embodiment, the controller 122 decreases the switching frequency fS (or in other words, extends the switching period TS) when the on-time tON of the switch S1 110 is greater than a critical time tC. For a fixed load, the switching period (and switching frequency) of the controller 122 may be a fixed period when the on-time is less than the critical time and the controller 122 varies the switching period (or switching frequency) when the on-time tON of the switch S1 110 is greater than a critical time tC.
As mentioned above, the switching period TS may vary by some multiple of the difference between the on-time tON and the critical time tC. In some embodiments, the multiple is a value less than 1. By varying the switching frequency fS when the switch has an on-time tON longer than a critical time tC, which corresponds to a large duty ratio, sub-harmonic oscillation may be prevented. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, sub-harmonic oscillation may be prevented by modulating the switching frequency fS (and the switching period TS) of switch S1 110 in response to the on-time tON of the switch S1 110. As will be further discussed, when the on-time tON of the switch S1 110 is greater than the critical time tC, a timing circuit included in the controller changes to an alternative charging mode. Once the switch S1 110 turns off, the timing circuit resumes to a normal charging mode. By selecting the rate of charge of the timing circuit capacitor during the alternative charging mode, sub-harmonic oscillation may be prevented.
The switching current of various conduction modes is illustrated in FIG. 2A. A diagram of an example switching current waveform of the power supply 100 of FIG. 1 is illustrated including a switching period TS 204, a switch on-time tON 206, a switch off-time tOFF 208, trapezoidal shape 210, and triangular shape 212. FIG. 2A illustrates the general waveforms of the switch current ID 202 over time in both continuous conduction mode (CCM) and discontinuous conduction mode (DCM).
During any switching period TS 204, switch S1 110 may conduct in response to the drive signal 128 from the controller 122 to regulate the output UO. The switching period TS 204 may be separated into two sections of time: switch on-time tON 206 and switch off-time tOFF 208. Switch on-time tON 206 denotes the portion of the switching period TS 202 which the switch S1 110 is conducting. Switch off-time tOFF 208 denotes the remaining portion of the switching period TS 202 when the switch S1 110 is not conducting. The current waveform of FIG. 2 shows two fundamental modes of operation. The trapezoidal shape 210 is characteristic of continuous conduction mode (CCM) whereas the triangular shape 212 is characteristic of discontinuous conduction mode (DCM). During CCM, the switch current ID 202 is substantially non-zero immediately after the start of the switch on-time tON 206 and steadily increases throughout the switch on-time tON 208. At DCM, the switch current ID 202 is substantially zero immediately after the beginning of the switch on-time tON 206 and steadily increases throughout the switch on-time tON 206. During the switch off-time tOFF 204, the switch current ID 202 is substantially zero for both CCM and DCM.
Sub-harmonic oscillation generally occurs when conventional controllers utilize PWM current mode control and operate in CCM at duty ratios greater than or equal to 50%. FIG. 2B demonstrates the general waveform of switch current ID of FIG. 1 with respect to time when PWM current mode control of the switch S1 110 is used to regulate the output quantity UO. FIG. 2B illustrates switch current ID 214, switching period TS 216, switch on-time tON 218, switch off-time tOFF 220, and a current limit ILIM 222. In the example of FIG. 2B, the controller 122 is operating in CCM.
The switch S1 110 conducts at the beginning of each switching period TS 216. Switch S1 110 conducts until the switch current ID 214 reaches the current limit ILIM 222. In one example, control of the current limit ILIM 222 at a constant switching period TS 216 (otherwise known as fixed switching frequency fS) maintains the peak of the switch current ID 214 at a value required to regulate the output quantity UO. In general, a higher current limit ILIM 222 results in a longer switch on-time tON 218. In some embodiments of the present invention, the current limit ILIM 222 is also the peak primary current IPEAK. The regulation is accomplished by a PWM technique known as fixed frequency PWM current mode control, fixed frequency PWM current programmed control, and/or peak current mode control.
It should be appreciated however, that the term “fixed frequency control” does not necessarily entail that the switching frequency fS of the switch S1 110 remains unchanged. Instead, the use of the term “fixed frequency control” may merely indicate that the switching frequency fS of the switch is not used as a control variable to regulate the output quantity UO. For the example of fixed frequency PWM current mode control, the value of the current limit ILIM 222 is utilized as the control variable to regulate the output quantity UO. For various embodiments, varying the switching frequency fS to prevent sub-harmonic oscillation may still be utilized along fixed frequency control modes since the switching frequency fS is not utilized as a control variable to regulate the output quantity UO. In addition, frequency modulation for EMI emissions (also referred to as frequency jitter) may also be utilized with varying of the switching frequency to prevent sub-harmonic oscillation.
Referring next to FIG. 3, a diagram of example switching current waveform ID of the power supply 100 utilizing a control scheme which varies the switching frequency fS and the off-time tOFF of the switch is illustrated including switch current ID 302, switching periods TS 304, 306, 308, and 310, base period T0 312, critical time tC 314, a first current limit ILIM1 316, a second current limit ILIM2 318, a third current limit ILIM3 320, and a fourth current limit ILIM4 322. In addition, each switching period TS 304, 306, 308, and 310 has a respective on-time tON and off-time tOFF. As shown in FIG. 3, switching periods TS 308 and 310 also include a respective extended on-time IONX, a base off-time tOFFB, and extension periods TX 324 and 326.
As mentioned above with respect to FIG. 2B, switch S1 110 conducts at the beginning of every switching period TS until the current limit for the respective switching period TS is reached. FIG. 3 illustrates the controller 122 operating in CCM and utilizing current mode control. As mentioned above, a larger current limit typically results in a longer on-time tON. In general, how quickly the switch current ID 302 increases to the current limit is partially dependant on the input voltage VIN 102 and the inductance LP of the primary winding 106.
During switching period TS 304, the switch current ID 302 increases until it reaches the first current limit ILIM1 316. As illustrated, the on-time tON during the switching period TS 304 is less than the critical time tC 314. As a result, the switching period TS 304 and the off-time tOFF are not altered and as a result the switching period TS 304 is fixed to be substantially equal to the base period T0 312. In one embodiment, critical time tC 314 is substantially equal to one half the base period T0 312, or mathematically:




  
    t
    C
  
  =
  
    
      1
      2
    
    ⁢
    T
    ⁢
    
      
    
    ⁢
    0.
  




The value of the critical time tC is the point in time which sub-harmonic oscillation may occur if the switching frequency does not change.

During switching period TS 306, the switch current ID 302 increases until it reaches the second current limit ILIM2 318. As illustrated, the on-time tON during switching period TS 306 is substantially equal to critical time tC 314 and the switching period TS 306 and the off-time tOFF are not altered. Thus the switching period TS 306 is also fixed to be substantially equal to the base period T0 312. When the on-time tON is substantially less than or equal to critical time tC 314, as shown in switching periods TS 304 and 306, the controller 122 is in a normal operating mode where switching periods TS 304 and 306 are a fixed switching period. In one embodiment, a fixed switching period is a switching period that does not vary and is predetermined according to a set frequency of a timing circuit (e.g., an oscillator) included in controller 122).
However, during switching period TS 308, the switch current ID 302 increases until it reaches the third current limit ILIM3 320. As illustrated, the on-time tON during switching period TS 308 is greater than critical time tC 314. In accordance with the embodiment of FIG. 3, the switching period TS 308 is extended beyond the base period T0 312 by extension period TX 324. As will be further discussed, the length of extension period TX 324 is dependent on how long the on time tON extends past the critical time tc 314. In other words, how much the switching period TS 308 is extended depends on the difference between the on-time tON and the critical time tC 314, also shown as extended on-time IONX in switching period TS 308 (tONX=tON−tC).
During switching period TS 310, the switch current ID 302 increases until it reaches the fourth current limit ILIM4 322. As illustrated, the on-time tON during switching period TS 310 is greater than critical time tC 314 and the switching period TS 310 and as a result is extended beyond the base period T0 312 by extension period TX 326. The length of the extension period TX 326 is dependent on the extended on-time IONX during switching period TS 310.
As illustrated by switching periods 308 and 310, the switching period TS may be expressed as a function of the base period T0 312 and the extension period TX:

TS=T0+TX  (1)

The length of the extension period TX is dependent on the extended on-time IONX during the respective switching period TS. As described above with reference to switching periods 304 and 306, the switching period is fixed and substantially equal to the base period T0 312 when the on-time tON is less than or equal to the critical time tC 314. Also, the extension periods TX 324 and 326 may be written as:

TX=k(tON−tC)=ktONX  (2)

Where k is an extension coefficient and 0≦k. In one embodiment, the extension coefficient k is a constant. In another embodiment, the extension coefficient k is not constant (as will be further discussed). It should be appreciated, that an extension in the switching period TS results in a decrease in the switching frequency fS. In one embodiment, the value of the extension coefficient k may depend on various parameters of the controller 122 (such as parameters of a timing circuit of the controller 122, extended on-time tONX, base period T0, on-time tON, or the duty ratio D). By determining the value of the extension coefficient k, sub-harmonic oscillation may be prevented. In other words, by determining how much the extended on-time tONX affects the switching period TS, sub-harmonic oscillation may be prevented. As illustrated by equations 1 and 2, the switching period TS may vary by a multiple of the difference between the on-time tON and the critical time tC 314.

Further, the off-time tOFF may vary from the base off-time tOFFB and the amount of variation is also dependant on the difference between the on-time tON and the critical time tC 314 (tONX). As illustrated, the off-time tOFF may be expressed as a function of the base off-time tOFFB and extension period TX when the on-time tON is greater than the critical time tC 314:

tOFF=tOFFB+TX  (3)

where the base off-time tOFFB is the difference between the base period T0 312 and the on-time tON: tOFFB=T0−tON. In other words, the base off-time tOFFB represents the value of the off-time tOFF if the switching period TS was not extended past the base period T0 312 in accordance with embodiments. It should be noted that the off-time tOFF is substantially equal to the base off-time tOFFB when the on-time tON is less than or equal to the critical time tC 314. By substituting equation (2) into equation (3), the off-time may be expressed as:

tOFF=tOFFB+ktONX  (4)

As shown by equation 4, the off-time tOFF may vary by a multiple of the difference between the on-time tON and the critical time tC 314.

Further, sub-harmonic oscillation may also be prevented by ensuring the off-time tOFF is greater than or equal to a limit determined by the base period T0 and the on-time tON:




  
    
      
        
          t
          OFF
        
        ≥
        
          
            T
            ⁢
            
              
            
            ⁢
            
              0
              2
            
          
          
            4
            ⁢
            
              
            
            ⁢
            
              t
              ON
            
          
        
      
    
    
      
        (
        5
        )
      
    
  




Utilizing equation (5), the switching period TS may be expressed as:





  
    
      
        
          T
          S
        
        ≥
        
          
            t
            ON
          
          +
          
            
              T
              ⁢
              
                
              
              ⁢
              
                0
                2
              
            
            
              4
              ⁢
              
                
              
              ⁢
              
                t
                ON
              
            
          
        
      
    
    
      
        (
        6
        )
      
    
  




Utilizing equations (5) and (6), the switching period TS may then be manipulated and expressed as a function of the base period T0, the extended on-time tONX, and the extension coefficient k such as equations (1) and (2):





  
    
      
        
          T
          S
        
        ≥
        
          
            T
            ⁢
            
              
            
            ⁢
            0
          
          +
          
            
              (
              
                
                  t
                  ONX
                
                
                  
                    
                      T
                      ⁢
                      
                        
                      
                      ⁢
                      0
                    
                    2
                  
                  +
                  
                    t
                    ONX
                  
                
              
              )
            
            ⁢
            
              t
              ONX
            
          
        
      
    
    
      
        (
        7
        )
      
    
  




From equation (7), the extension coefficient k is a function of the extended on-time tONX and the base period T0:





  k
  =
  
    
      
        t
        ONX
      
      
        
          
            T
            ⁢
            
              
            
            ⁢
            0
          
          2
        
        +
        
          t
          ONX
        
      
    
    .
  




As such, in one embodiment, sub-harmonic oscillation may be prevented when the switching period TS is greater than or equal to the quantity illustrated in equation (7).

Referring next to FIG. 4, a block diagram of an example of controller 122 is illustrated including a pulse width modulation (PWM) block 402 and a timing circuit 404. The PWM block 402 includes a comparator 406, an OR gate 408, and a latch 412. Further illustrated in FIG. 4 is the feedback circuit 120, feedback signal UFB 124, current sense signal 126, drive signal 128, DCMAX signal 410, clock signal 416, and on-time signal UON 418.
The controller 122 includes PWM block 402 and timing circuit 404. PWM block 402 is coupled to receive the current sense signal 126 and feedback signal UFB 124. The PWM block 402 is also coupled to the timing circuit 404 to receive the clock signal 416. Optionally, the PWM block 402 may also receive DCMAX signal 410 from the timing circuit 404. Utilizing the clock signal 416, DCMAX signal 410, current sense signal 126 and the feedback signal UFB 124, the PWM block 402 outputs the drive signal 128.
PWM block 402 further includes comparator 406, OR gate 408, and latch 412. The comparator 406 is coupled to receive current sense signal 126 and feedback signal UFB 124. In the example shown, the current sense signal 126 is received at the non-inverting input of comparator 406 while the feedback signal UFB 124 is received at the non-inverting input of comparator 406. In one embodiment, the feedback signal UFB 124 is a voltage signal or a current signal and may be representative of the current limit of the switch S1 110. In another embodiment, comparator 406 receives a variable current limit that is determined responsive to a value of feedback signal UFB 124. Further, the current sense signal 126 is a voltage signal or a current signal and is representative of the switch current ID 130. When the value of the current sense signal 126 is greater than the value of the current limit provided by the feedback signal UFB 124, the output of comparator 406 is logic high. Otherwise, the output of comparator 406 is logic low.
The output of comparator 406 couples to one input of OR gate 408.
The other input of OR gate 408 is coupled to receive the DCMAX signal 410. DCMAX signal 410 is a rectangular waveform with varying lengths of logic high and logic low sections. In one example, the falling edge of the logic high section corresponds to the maximum duty ratio DMAX. In another example, the length of the logic high section is substantially the same as the maximum on-time TMAX (corresponding to the maximum duty ratio DMAX) of the switch S1 110. However, the small circle at the input of the OR gate 408 indicates that the OR gate 408 receives the inverted DCMAX signal 410.
The latch 412 couples to OR gate 408 and to timing circuit 404. In the example shown, the latch 412 is an S-R latch and the timing circuit 404 is coupled to provide the clock signal 416 to the set-input of latch 412. The clock signal 416 is a rectangular pulse waveform and the amount of time between consecutive rising edges is substantially equal to the switching period TS. Further, the output of OR gate 408 is coupled to the reset-input of latch 412. The latch 412 then outputs the drive signal 128 to the switch S1 110. Drive signal 128 is a rectangular waveform with varying lengths of logic high and logic low sections. In one embodiment, the logic high sections correspond to an on-time of switch S1 110 while logic low sections correspond to an off-time of switch S1 110.
The timing circuit 404 receives the on-time signal UON 418 and outputs the clock signal 416 to the PWM block 402. Optionally, the timing circuit 404 may also output the DCMAX signal 410 to the PWM block 402. In one embodiment, on-time signal UON 418 provides information regarding the on-time of the switch S1 110 and is a rectangular pulse waveform with varying lengths of logic high and logic low sections. In one example, the drive signal 128 may be utilized for the on-time signal, such that the timing circuit 404 is coupled to an output of latch 412 to receive on-time signal UON 418A. Alternatively, the current sense signal 126 may be utilized for the on-time signal UON 418, such that the timing circuit 404 is coupled to receive on-time signal UON 418B. In yet another example, the output of comparator 406 may be utilized for the on-time signal UON 418, such that the timing circuit 404 is coupled to the output of comparator 406 to receive on-time signal UON 418C.
The timing circuit 404 provides the switching period TS to the PWM block 402 via the clock signal 416. That is, in one example, the period of clock signal 416 is the switching period TS. In one example, an oscillator may be utilized for the timing circuit 404. Utilizing the on-time tON of the switch S1 110 provided by the on-time signal UON 418, the timing circuit 404 varies the switching period TS by a multiple of the difference between the on-time tON and the critical time tC. In embodiments, the timing circuit 404 does not vary the switching period TS unless the on-time tON is greater than the critical time tC. In one embodiment, the clock signal 416 is a rectangular pulse waveform. In one embodiment, the rising edge of the clock signal 416 indicates the beginning of switching period TS.
In operation, when the clock signal 416 pulses to a logic high value signaling the beginning of a switching period TS. The output of the latch 412 transitions to a logic high value (due to the logic high at the S-input) and the drive signal 128 turns the switch S1 110 on. In one embodiment, clock signal 416 quickly falls to a logic low value and the output of the latch 412 remains at the logic high value. If either the output of comparator 406 is logic high (corresponding to when the value of the current sense signal 126 is greater than the value of the current limit provided by the feedback signal UFB 124) or the inverted DCMAX signal 410 is logic high (or both), the output of OR gate 408 is logic high. When the latch 412 receives a logic high value at the reset-input, the drive signal 128 (i.e. output of the latch 412) transitions to a logic low value and the switch S1 110 is turned off. Examples of timing waveforms for the clock signal 416 and DCMAX signal 410 will be discussed with respect to FIG. 8.
Referring next to FIG. 5A, a diagram illustrating an example voltage waveform VTIM 528 of the timing circuit 404 of FIG. 4 is shown including a lower reference voltage VL 530, an upper reference voltage VH 532, a critical voltage VC 531, a max duty ratio voltage VDM 533, and critical time tC 514. Further illustrated in FIG. 5A is switch current ID 502, switching periods TS 504, 506, 508, and 510, base period T0 512, critical time tC 514, a first current limit ILIM1 516, a second current limit ILIM2 518, a third current limit ILIM3 520, and a fourth current limit ILIM4 522. In addition, each switching period TS 504, 506, 508, and 510 has a respective on-time tON and off-time tOFF. As shown in FIG. 5A, switching periods TS 508 and 510 also include a respective extended on-time tONX, a base off-time tOFFB, and extension periods TX 524 and 526.
The waveform representing the switch current ID 502 is similar to the switch current ID 302 illustrated in FIG. 3 along with corresponding reference numbers. FIG. 5A further illustrates one example of a timing voltage VTIM 528 for the respective switch current ID 502. In one embodiment, timing circuit 404 includes a timing capacitor (discussed below), wherein the timing voltage VTIM 528 is the voltage across the timing capacitor. In each switching period, the timing voltage VTIM 528 increases until it reaches the upper reference voltage VH 532 and then decreases with slope m3 until the lower reference voltage VL 530 is reached. However, timing circuit 404 may include two modes for charging the capacitor to the upper reference voltage VH 532. In a normal charging mode the timing voltage VTIM 528 increases with a slope m1 until the upper reference voltage VH 532 is reached. When the on-time tON is greater than the critical time tC, the timing circuit 404 switches to an alternative charging mode and the timing voltage VTIM 528 charges with two or more slopes (e.g., m1 and m2), that are either positive or zero. In one embodiment, at the end of the on-time tON, the timing circuit 404 changes from the alternative charging mode to the normal charging mode (i.e., returns to charging with slope m1). In addition, the timing circuit 404 may utilize four reference voltages (e.g., the upper reference voltage VH, the lower reference voltage VL, the max duty ratio voltage VDM, and the critical voltage VC). The critical voltage VC indicates when the timing circuit is at 50% of the base period T0 512.
At the beginning of each switching period, the timing voltage VTIM 528 begins at the lower reference voltage VL 530 and increases to the upper reference voltage VH 532. Once at the upper reference voltage VH 532, the timing voltage VTIM 528 decreases until it reaches the lower reference voltage VL 530. When the timing voltage VTIM 528 reaches the lower reference voltage VL 530, the current switching period has ended and a new switching period has begun. As such, the time for the timing voltage VTIM 528 to rise to the upper reference voltage VH 532 and subsequently decrease to the lower reference voltage VL 530 determines the length of the switching period TS.
During switching period TS 504, the on-time tON is less than the critical time tC 514 and the switching period TS 504 is not extended beyond the base period T0 512. As a result, the timing circuit 404 operates in a normal charging mode. As shown by FIG. 5A, the timing voltage VTIM 528 rises to the upper reference voltage VH 532 with slope m1 and falls to the lower reference voltage VL 530 with slope m3 without interruption. In one embodiment, the magnitude of slope m3 is a multiple of the magnitude of slope m1, or mathematically: |m3|=α|m1|, where α≧1. In one embodiment: α=3.
During switching period TS 506, the on-time tON is substantially equal to the critical time tC 514 and the switching period TS 506 is not extended beyond the base period T0 512. Similar to switching period TS 504, the timing circuit 404 operates in a normal charging mode and the timing voltage VTIM 528 rises to the upper reference voltage VH 532 with slope m1 and falls to the lower reference voltage VL 530 with slope m3 without interruption.
During switching period TS 508, the on-time tON is greater than the critical time tC 514. As a result, the timing circuit 404 operates in an alternative charging mode and the switching period TS 508 is extended beyond the base period T0 512. In the example of FIG. 5A, the timing voltage waveform VTIM 528 rises with slope m1 until the on-time tON is substantially equal to the critical time tC 514. When the critical time tC 514 is reached, the timing circuit 404 switches to an alternative charging mode and the slope of timing voltage VTIM 528 then decreases to a slope m2. As further shown in FIG. 5A, the critical voltage VC 531 corresponds to the value of the timing voltage VTIM 528 when the on-time tON is substantially equal to the critical time tC 514. In another embodiment, when the timing voltage waveform VTIM 528 reaches the critical voltage VC 531, the timing circuit 404 switches to the alternative charging mode and the timing voltage waveform VTIM 528 increases with slope m2.
In the example shown in FIG. 5A, the slope m2 is equal to zero; m2=0. Thus, in this example, when the slope of timing voltage VTIM 528 is zero (i.e., slope m2=0) then the timing voltage VTIM 528 is maintained at a constant value. As will be further discussed, the ratio between slope m2 and slope m3 (and subsequently slope m1) may be expressed in terms of the duty ratio. The timing voltage VTIM 528 is maintained with slope m2 until the switch S1 110 is turned off. Once the switch S1 110 is turned off, the timing voltage waveform VTIM 528 rises again with slope m1 until the upper reference voltage VH 532 and then falls with slope m3 to the lower reference voltage VL 530. FIG. 5A illustrates that slope m2 is constant. In another embodiment, slope m2 is not constant, resulting in a non-linear increase of the timing voltage VTIM.
During switching period TS 510, the on-time tON is greater than the critical time tC 514. However, the on-time tON during switching period TS 510 is longer than the on-time tON during switching period TS 508. In other words, the extended on-time tONX during switching period TS 510 is longer than the extended on-time tONX during switching period TS 508. Similar to the previous switching period, the timing voltage VTIM 528 rises with slope m1 until the on-time tON is substantially equal to the critical time tC 514. Once the critical time tC 514 is reached, the timing voltage VTIM 528 is maintained with slope m2 for the remainder of the on-time tON. Once the switch S1 110 is turned off, the timing voltage VTIM 528 rises again with slope m1 until the upper reference voltage VH 532 and then falls with slope m3 to the lower reference voltage VL 530.
As mentioned above with respect to FIG. 3, the switching period TS may be expressed in terms of the base period T0 512 and the extension period TX. Further, the extension period TX may be expressed in terms of the extended on-time tONX. By combining equations (1) and (2), the switching period TS may be expressed as:

TS=T0+ktONX  (8)

where tONX=tON−tC. As mentioned above, the value of the extension coefficient k may be partially determined by the properties of the controller 122 and the timing circuit 404. For timing circuit 404 with an alternative charging mode, once the on-time tON is greater than the critical time tC, the extension coefficient k may be proportional to the ratio of slop m2 to m1. For example, the extension coefficient k may be the difference between the value of one and the ratio of slope m2 to slope m1, expressed as:





  
    
      
        k
        =
        
          1
          -
          
            
            
              
                m
                2
              
              
                m
                1
              
            
            
          
        
      
    
    
      
        (
        9
        )
      
    
  




By combining equation (8) and equation (9), the switching period TS may be expressed as:





  
    
      
        
          T
          S
        
        =
        
          
            T
            ⁢
            
              
            
            ⁢
            0
          
          +
          
            
              (
              
                1
                -
                
                  
                    m
                    2
                  
                  
                    m
                    1
                  
                
              
              )
            
            ⁢
            
              t
              ONX
            
          
        
      
    
    
      
        (
        10
        )
      
    
  




As illustrated in equation (10), the switching period TS may vary by some multiple of the difference between the on-time tON and the critical time tC. Further, the switching period TS can also be expressed in terms of the duty ratio D, slope m1, slope m2, and the base period T0:





  
    
      
        
          T
          S
        
        =
        
          
            T
            ⁢
            
              
            
            ⁢
            0
            ⁢
            
              (
              
                1
                +
                
                  
                  
                    
                      m
                      2
                    
                    
                      m
                      1
                    
                  
                  
                
              
              )
            
          
          
            2
            ⁢
            
              (
              
                1
                -
                D
                +
                
                  D
                  ⁢
                  
                    
                    
                      
                        m
                        2
                      
                      
                        m
                        1
                      
                    
                    
                  
                
              
              )
            
          
        
      
    
    
      
        (
        11
        )
      
    
  




As mentioned above, the compensation coefficient k may equal:





  k
  =
  
    
      
        t
        ONX
      
      
        
          
            T
            ⁢
            
              
            
            ⁢
            0
          
          2
        
        +
        
          t
          ONX
        
      
    
    .
  




By comparing equation (10) with equation (7), we can determine a boundary relationship for slope m2 and m1. For stability:





  
    
      
        
          1
          -
          
            
            
              
                m
                2
              
              
                m
                1
              
            
            
          
        
        ≥
        
          
            t
            ONX
          
          
            
              
                T
                ⁢
                
                  
                
                ⁢
                0
              
              2
            
            +
            
              t
              ONX
            
          
        
      
    
    
      
        (
        12
        )
      
    
  




Which can be simplified to:





  
    
      
        
          
          
            
              m
              2
            
            
              m
              1
            
          
          
        
        ≤
        
          1
          
            1
            +
            
              
                2
                ⁢
                
                  t
                  ONX
                
              
              
                T
                ⁢
                
                  
                
                ⁢
                0
              
            
          
        
      
    
    
      
        (
        13
        )
      
    
  




In one embodiment, sub-harmonic oscillation may be prevented by utilizing equation (13) to determine the ratio between slope m2 and slope m1.

In another embodiment of the present invention, for a constant slope m2, the ratio of slope m2 and m1 is partially determined by the maximum duty ratio:





  
    
      
        
          
          
            
              m
              2
            
            
              m
              1
            
          
          
        
        ≤
        
          
            1
            -
            
              D
              MAX
            
          
          
            D
            MAX
          
        
      
    
    
      
        (
        14
        )
      
    
  




As such, the boundary equation for the compensation coefficient k of equation (9) may also be expressed as:




  
    
      
        k
        ≥
        
          
            
              2
              ⁢
              
                D
                MAX
              
            
            -
            1
          
          
            D
            MAX
          
        
      
    
    
      
        (
        15
        )
      
    
  




For the example of FIG. 5A, slope m2 is substantially zero and the extension coefficient k is substantially one. As such, the extension period TX (the amount of time which the switching period TS is extended beyond the base period T0 512) is substantially equal to the extended on-time tONX. As will be further discussed with respect to FIG. 5C, the slope m2 may vary as a function of the duty ratio and/or on-time tON.
FIG. 5B further illustrates another example timing voltage waveform VTIM 528 of the timing circuit 404 of FIG. 4. Similar to FIG. 5A, FIG. 5B illustrates the lower reference voltage VL 530, the upper reference voltage VH 532, critical voltage VC 531, max duty ratio voltage VDM 533 and critical time tC 514. Further illustrated in FIG. 5B is switch current ID 502, switching periods TS 504, 506, 508, and 510, base period T0 512, critical time tC 514, first current limit ILIM1 516, second current limit ILIM2 518, third current limit ILIM3 520, and fourth current limit ILIM4 522. In addition, each switching period TS 504, 506, 509, and 511 has a respective on-time tON and off-time tOFF. As shown in FIG. 5B, switching periods TS 509 and 511 also include a respective extended on-time tONX, a base off-time tOFFB, and extension periods TX 524 and 526.
FIG. 5B illustrates a similar voltage waveform VTIM 528 as FIG. 5A, however, the slope m2 shown is a non-zero slope. As illustrated in switching periods TS 509 and 511, the voltage waveform VTIM 528 rises with slope m1 until the on-time tON is substantially equal to the critical time tC 514. Once the critical time tC 514 is reached, the timing voltage VTIM 528 increases with slope m2 for the remainder of the on-time tON. Once the switch S1 110 is turned off, the timing voltage VTIM 528 rises again with slope m1 until the upper reference voltage VH 532 and then falls with slope m3 to the lower reference voltage VL 530. FIG. 5B illustrates that slope m2 is constant, resulting in a linear increase of the timing voltage VTIM. In another embodiment, slope m2 is not constant, resulting in a non-linear increase of the timing voltage VTIM.
Further illustrated in FIG. 5B is max duty ratio voltage VDM 533. As will be further discussed with respect to FIGS. 7 and 8, if the timing voltage waveform VTIM 528 reaches the max duty ratio voltage VDM 533 before the switch S1 110 is turned off, the DCMAX signal 410 is enabled and the switch S1 110 is turned off. Fixing the max duty ratio voltage VDM 533 ensures a minimum off-time tOFF of the switch S1 110 and further prevents sub-harmonic oscillation.
For the example shown in FIG. 5B, the maximum duty ratio DMAX is substantially 66%. By utilizing equation (14) and (15) the slope m2 is substantially one-half of slope m1, or mathematically:




  
    
    
      m
      2
    
    
  
  =
  
    
      1
      2
    
    ⁢
    
      
        
        
          m
          1
        
        
      
      .
    
  




As a result, the extension coefficient k is substantially one-half (as shown in equation 9) and the extension period TX (the amount of time which the switching period TS is extended beyond the base period T0 512) is substantially equal to one-half the extended on-time tONX.

FIG. 5C illustrates a similar voltage waveform VTIM 528 as FIGS. 5A and 5B, however, the slope m2 is a variable slope. As illustrated in switching periods TS 538 and 540, the voltage waveform VTIM 528 rises with slope m1 until the on-time tON is substantially equal to the critical time tC 514. Once the critical time tC 514 is reached, the timing voltage VTIM 528 increases with variable slope m2 for the remainder of the on-time tON. Once the switch S1 110 is turned off, the timing voltage VTIM 528 rises again with slope m1 until the upper reference voltage VH 532 and then falls with slope m3 to the lower reference voltage VL 530. However, the slope m2 is variable. In one embodiment, the slope m2 may vary as a function of the duty ratio D.
As mentioned above with regards to equation (14), when slope m2 is constant, the ratio between slope m2 and slope m1 may be expressed in terms of the maximum duty ratio DMAX:




  
    
    
      
        m
        2
      
      
        m
        1
      
    
    
  
  ≤
  
    
      
        1
        -
        
          D
          MAX
        
      
      
        D
        MAX
      
    
    .
  




However, by varying the slope m2 within each switching period, the switching frequency fS may very less from the base frequency than if the slope m2 was kept constant. In other words, by varying the slope m2, there is less of a reduction in the switching frequency than if a constant slope m2 was utilized. Similar to equation (14), in one embodiment, the ratio between the slope m2 and slope m1 may be expressed in terms of the duty ratio:





  
    
      
        
          
          
            
              m
              2
            
            
              m
              1
            
          
          
        
        =
        
          
            1
            -
            D
          
          D
        
      
    
    
      
        (
        16
        )
      
    
  




Equation (9) illustrates that the extension coefficient k may be expressed as a function of slope m2 and slope m1. As such, the extension coefficient k is also variable and adaptable with the duty ratio D. Further, by substituting equation (16) into equation (10) above, the switching period TS may be expressed in terms of the duty ratio D and the base period T0 when slope m2 is non-zero:





  
    
      
        
          T
          S
        
        =
        
          
            T
            ⁢
            
              
            
            ⁢
            0
          
          
            4
            ⁢
            
              (
              
                1
                -
                D
              
              )
            
            ⁢
            D
          
        
      
    
    
      
        (
        17
        )
      
    
  




In yet another embodiment, slope m2 is equal to zero, where equation (17) can be further simplified to:




  
    
      
        
          T
          S
        
        =
        
          
            T
            ⁢
            
              
            
            ⁢
            0
          
          
            2
            ⁢
            
              (
              
                1
                -
                D
              
              )
            
          
        
      
    
    
      
        (
        18
        )
      
    
  




Referring next to FIG. 6, a diagram illustrating various embodiments of the timing voltage waveform VTIM 602 with slope m2 of timing circuit 404 is shown including a lower reference voltage VL 604, an upper reference voltage VH 606, a critical voltage VC 605, a max duty ratio voltage VDM 607, a critical time tC 608, an on-time tON 610, an extended on-time tONX 612, a base off-time tOFFB 614, a slope m1 616, a slope m2 618 and a slope m3 619. Further illustrated is timing waveforms 622, 624, and 626. FIG. 6 illustrates the changes to the respective switching period TS and off-time tOFF of each timing waveform 622, 624, 626 with varying values of slope m2 618. Further included in FIG. 6 is waveform 620 (in dashed lines) which illustrates the properties of a conventional controller that does not include an alternative charging mode as disclosed herein.
As shown in FIG. 6, the timing voltage VTIM 602 increases until the upper reference voltage VH 606. Once the upper reference voltage VH 606 is reached the timing voltage VTIM 602 decreases until the lower reference voltage VL 604 is reached. The time it takes for the timing voltage VTIM 602 to reach the upper reference voltage VH 606 and then fall to the lower reference voltage VL 604 is substantially the switching period TS for the particular switching cycle. In examples, the timing circuit 404 may alter the switching period or switching frequency by altering the rate of increase to the upper reference voltage VH 606, the rate of decrease to the lower reference voltage VL 604, or both.
In further embodiments, the controller 122, and subsequently the timing circuit 404, switches to an alternative charging mode when the on-time tON 610 is greater than the critical time tC 608. In other words, the switching period and switching frequency are varied once the on-time tON 610 is greater than the critical time tC 608. In addition, illustrated in FIG. 6 is critical voltage VC 605 which corresponds to the value of the timing voltage VTIM 602 when the on-time tON 610 is substantially equal to the critical time tC 608. In one embodiment, the controller 122, and subsequently the timing circuit 404, switches to an alternative charging mode when the timing voltage VTIM 602 reaches the critical voltage VC 605. As will be illustrated, how much the switching period and switching frequency are varied depends partially on the properties of the alternative charging mode of timing circuit 404.
Waveforms 622, 624, and 626 each illustrate the timing voltage VTIM 602 increasing at the beginning of on-time tON 610 with slope m1 616 until the on-time tON 610 is substantially equal to the critical time tC 608. Once the critical time tC 608 is reached or the critical voltage VC 605 is reached, the timing voltage VTIM 602 switches to an alternative charging mode if the switch S1 110 is still on. In other words, timing voltage VTIM 602 increases with slope m2 618 for the remainder of the on-time tON 610 past the critical time tC 608, otherwise referred to as extended on-time tONX 612.
However, waveform 620 illustrates a timing voltage of a conventional controller that does not include an alternative charging mode as disclosed herein. As a result, the switching period TS for waveform 620 is substantially equal to the base period T0 628. In addition, the off-time for waveform 620 is substantially equal to the base off-time tOFFB 614. As shown in FIG. 6, the resultant waveform 620 is the same as the timing waveform when the on-time tON is less than or equal to the critical time tC. Thus, sub-harmonic oscillation may still occur when duty ratios are greater than 50%.
For waveform 622, slope m2 618 is substantially equal to one-half slope m1 616, or mathematically:




  
    
    
      m
      2
    
    
  
  =
  
    
      1
      2
    
    ⁢
    
      
        
        
          m
          1
        
        
      
      .
    
  




As a result (and further shown by equation (10)), the switching period T1 630 of waveform 622 is extended past the base period T0 628 by one-half the extended on-time tONX 612, or mathematically:





  
    T
    ⁢
    
      
    
    ⁢
    1
  
  =
  
    
      T
      ⁢
      
        
      
      ⁢
      0
    
    +
    
      
        1
        2
      
      ⁢
      
        
          t
          ONX
        
        .
      
    
  




In addition, the off-time tOFF1 of waveform 622 is also extended past the base off-time tOFFB 614 by one-half the extended on-time tONX 612.

For waveform 624, slope m2 618 is substantially equal one-quarter slope m1 616, or mathematically:




  
    
    
      m
      2
    
    
  
  =
  
    
      1
      4
    
    ⁢
    
      
        
        
          m
          1
        
        
      
      .
    
  




As a result (and further shown by equation (10)), the switching period T2 632 of waveform 624 is extended past the base period T0 628 by three-quarters of the extended on-time tONX 612, or mathematically:





  
    T
    ⁢
    
      
    
    ⁢
    1
  
  =
  
    
      T
      ⁢
      
        
      
      ⁢
      0
    
    +
    
      
        3
        4
      
      ⁢
      
        
          t
          ONX
        
        .
      
    
  




In addition, the off-time tOFF2 of waveform 624 is also extended past the base off-time tOFFB 614 by three-quarters the extended on-time tONX 612.

For waveform 626, slope m2 618 is substantially equal to zero, or mathematically: m2=0. As a result (and further shown by equation (10)), the switching period T3 634 of waveform 626 is extended past the base period T0 628 by the extended on-time tONX 612, or mathematically: T1=T0+tONX. The off-time tOFF3 of waveform 626 is also extended past the base off-time tOFFB 614 by the extended on-time tONX 612. In particular, when slope m2 618 is substantially equal to zero, the off-time tOFF3 is substantially fixed for each switching cycle. Thus, in one embodiment, the off-time of the switch is fixed by holding the timing voltage VTIM 602 to a constant value until the switch S1 110 turns off. Continuing with this example, after the switch S1 110 turns off, the timing voltage VTIM 602 is allowed to resume increasing to the upper reference voltage at slope m1. Accordingly, the off-time is fixed to the remaining time that it takes VTIM 602 to reach the upper reference voltage VH 606 plus the time it takes VTIM 602 to fall to the lower reference voltage VL 604. This fixed off-time is exemplified in FIG. 6 as tOFF3.
For waveforms 622, 624, and 626, once the switch S1 110 turns off and the off-time begins, the timing circuit 404 (and as a result the timing voltage VTIM 602) returns to a normal charging mode. As discussed above, the timing voltage VTIM 602 continues to increases with slope m1 616 until the upper reference voltage VH 606 is reached. The timing voltage VTIM 602 then decreases with slope m3 619 until the lower reference voltage VL 604 is reached.
By selecting the value of slope m2 618, sub-harmonic oscillation may be prevented. As mentioned above, when the ratio between slope m2 618 and the magnitude of slope m1 616 adheres to:




  
    
      
      
        
          m
          2
        
        
          m
          1
        
      
      
    
    ≤
    
      
        1
        -
        D
      
      D
    
  
  ,




sub-harmonic oscillation may be prevented. In one embodiment, slope m2 618 is one-half of slope m1 616. As shown in FIG. 6, the smaller the value of slope m2 618 with respect to slope m1 616, the longer the switching period TS is extended beyond the base period T0 628. However, output power of the power supply 100 for a given core size of an energy transfer element is proportional to the switching frequency fS. The longer the switching period TS, the smaller the switching frequency fS, may result in needing a larger core to deliver the amount of output power needed.

As mentioned above, frequency modulation for EMI emissions (also referred to as frequency jitter) may also be utilized with varying of the switching frequency in accordance with embodiments described. In one embodiment, frequency jitter may be accomplished by varying the slope m1 616. In another embodiment, frequency jitter may be accomplished by varying the slope m2 618.
Referring next to FIG. 7, an example timing circuit 704 (which may be utilized as timing circuit 404 of FIG. 4) is illustrated, including a lower reference voltage VL 702, an upper reference voltage VH 701, max duty ratio voltage VDM 705, comparators 706 and 708, a latch 710, a current source 712 with charge current IC, a current sink 714 with discharge current IDIS, a current source 716 with extension current IEXT, and capacitor 718 (i.e., a timing capacitor) with timing voltage VTIM. The timing circuit 704 further includes AND gates 720 and 722, monostable multivibrators 724 and 726, a comparator 727 and a latch 728. Further illustrated in FIG. 7 are DCMAX signal 410, clock signal 416, on-time signal UON 418, critical signal (CRT) 730, and extension signal (EXT) 732. Further shown are switches S2, S3 and S4.
The current sources 712 and 716 charge capacitor 718 with charge current IC and extension current IEXT, respectively, to an upper reference voltage VH 701. The magnitudes of the charge current IC and the extension current IEXT determine the value of slopes m1 and m2, respectively, discussed with respect to FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C and 6. Once the timing voltage VTIM of the capacitor 718 reaches the upper reference voltage VH 701, the capacitor 718 is discharged through current sink 714 with discharge current IDIS until the timing voltage VTIM across the capacitor 718 reaches the lower reference voltage VL 702. The magnitude of the discharge current IDIS determines the value of slope m3. In one embodiment, an additional current source (not shown) coupled to capacitor 718, in addition to current sources 712 and 716, may be included to implement frequency jitter. In this example, the additional current source would provide a triangular current waveform (jitter current) to vary the value of slope m1.
The difference between the upper reference voltage VH 701 and the lower reference voltage VL 702 is referred herein as the amplitude swing of the timing circuit 404. In one embodiment, the amplitude swing of the timing circuit 404 is fixed. When the amplitude swing is fixed, the time it takes for the voltage VTIM of capacitor 718 to charge to the upper reference voltage VH 701 and discharge to the lower reference voltage VL 702 determines the frequency and period of timing circuit 404. The timing voltage VTIM of capacitor 718 increases and decreases depending on the value of the charge current IC, extension current IEXT, and discharge current IDIS. In other words, the magnitudes of the charge current IC, extension current IEXT, and discharge current IDIS may determine the frequency of timing circuit 404 and therefore vary the switching frequency fS and switching period TS of switch S1 110.
As mentioned above, in some embodiments the timing circuit 404 varies the switching frequency fS and switching period TS when the on-time tON of the switch S1 110 is greater than a critical time tC. As will be further discussed, in one example timing circuit 404 utilizes the extension current IEXT to vary the frequency of timing circuit 404 and therefore vary the switching frequency fS and switching period TS of switch S1 110 when the on-time tON of the switch S1 110 is greater than a critical time tC. An example of the altered frequency of the timing circuit 404 due to the magnitude of the extension current IEXT is illustrated with respect to FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C, 6, and 8.
Capacitor 718 is coupled to comparators 706 and 708 such that the timing voltage VTIM is received at the inverting terminal of comparator 706 and the non-inverting terminal of comparator 708. Further, the non-inverting terminal of comparator 706 receives the lower reference voltage VL 702 while the inverting terminal of comparator 708 receives the upper reference voltage VH 701. The timing voltage VTIM waveform is illustrated in FIG. 8 as waveform VTIM. Further examples of timing voltage VTIM waveform may be found with respect to FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C and 6. The outputs of comparators 706 and 708 couple to the inputs of latch 710. In the example shown, the output of comparator 706 is received at the S-input of latch 710 while the output of comparator 708 is received at the R-input of latch 710.
Further, the output of comparator 706 is received at monostable multivibrator 726 to generate the clock signal 416. In one embodiment, the monostable multivibrator 726 outputs a pulse at the rising edge (in other words, the transition from a logic low value to a logic high value) of the output of comparator 706. In other words, the monostable multivibrator 726 outputs a pulse when the timing voltage VTIM is equal to the lower reference voltage VL 702. In embodiments, the timing circuit 704 alters the amount of time it takes for the timing voltage VTIM to reach the lower reference voltage VL 702 by altering the speed at which the capacitor 718 charges to the upper reference voltage VH 701 and therefore altering the switching frequency fS and switching period of TS of the switch S1 110.
Outputs of comparators 706 and 708 are received at the inputs of the latch 710. One output of latch 710 is received at AND gate 722 while the other output of latch 710 is coupled to control switching of the switch S3. AND gate 722 is coupled to receive extension signal EXT 732 from AND gate 720. However, the small circle at the input of AND gate 722 which receives the extension signal EXT 732 denotes that the AND gate 722 receives the inverse of the extension signal EXT 732. In the example shown, extension signal EXT 732 is generated from on-time signal UON 418 and the output of monostable multivibrator 724. Monostable multivibrator 724 receives on-time signal UON 418 and outputs a pulse at the rising of the on-time signal UON 418, herein referred to as the critical signal CRT 730. The length of the pulse of critical signal CRT 730 is substantially equal to the critical time tC and the time between rising edges of the critical signal 730 is substantially equal to the switching period of TS. Critical signal CRT 730 provides information regarding the critical time tC. In the example shown, the small circle at the input of AND gate 720 which receives the critical signal 730 denotes that the AND gate 720 receives the inverse of the critical signal 730. As will be further shown in FIG. 8, the extension signal EXT 732 is logic high when the drive signal 128 is logic high and the critical signal CRT is logic low. In other words, the extension signal EXT 732 is logic high when the on-time tON is greater than the critical time tC and the length of the logic high section is the extended on-time tONX as discussed with FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C, and 6. The EXT signal 732 provides information regarding the extended on-time tONX as discussed with FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C, 6 and 8. The extension signal EXT 732 is coupled to control switching of the switch S4.
Capacitor 718 is coupled to comparator 727 such that the timing voltage VTIM is received at the non-inverting input of comparator 727. Further, the max duty ratio voltage VDM 705 is received at the inverting input of comparator 727. As mentioned above, the max duty ratio voltage VDM 705 ensures a minimum off-time of the switch S1 110. The max duty ratio voltage VDM 705 corresponds to the value of the timing voltage VTIM when the switch S1 110 has reached the maximum duty ratio DMAX. In one embodiment, the maximum duty ratio is 62%. On-time signal UON 418 is received at one input of latch 728. In the example shown, the on-time signal UON 418 is received at the S-input of latch 728. The latch 728 also receives the output of comparator 727. Utilizing the output of comparator 727 and the on-time signal UON 418, latch 728 outputs the DCMAX signal 410. In operation, at the rising edge of on-time signal UON 418, DCMAX signal 410 transitions to a logic high value. The DCMAX signal 410 then transitions to a logic low value when the output of comparator 708 is logic low. In other words, the DCMAX signal 410 transitions to a logic low value when the timing voltage VTIM is equal to the max duty ratio voltage VDM 705.
As mentioned above, the inverse of the extension signal EXT 722 is received at one input of AND gate 722 while the output of latch 710 is received at another input of AND gate 722. The output of AND gate 722 is coupled to control switching of switch S2. The output of AND gate 722 is logic high (corresponding to a closed switch S2) when the output of latch 710 is logic high and the extension signal EXT 732 is logic low. In other words, the switch S2 is closed when the output of latch 710 is logic high and the switch S1 110 is not in the extended on-time tONX.
In operation, the capacitor 718 charges when switch S2 is closed at the beginning of the switching period and the timing voltage VTIM increases with a slope determined by the charging current IC and the size of capacitor 718. When the timing voltage VTIM reaches the upper reference voltage VH 701, switch S2 turns off, switch S3 turns on and the capacitor 718 discharges with a slope determined by discharge current IDIS and the size of capacitor 718 until the timing voltage VTIM reaches the lower reference voltage VL 702.
However, if the controller switches to an alternative charging mode because on-time tON is greater than the critical time tC (otherwise known as the extended on-time tONX), the extension signal EXT 732 transitions to a logic high value. If the timing voltage VTIM is also less than the upper reference voltage VH 701, switch S2 opens and switch S4 closes and the capacitor 718 charges with a slope determined by extension current IEXT. The capacitor 718 may return to the normal charging mode (e.g., where the capacitor 718 charges with a slope determined by the charging current IC only) when the switch S4 turns off and switch S2 turns on. The switch S4 turns off and switch S2 turns on when the switch S1 110 turns off or the max duty ratio voltage VDM 705 is reached. Thus, in the illustrated embodiment, capacitor 718 is charged with current source 712 only when timing circuit 704 is in the normal charging mode and is charged with current source 716 only when timing circuit 704 is in the alternative charging mode, where current IEXT is less than current IC.
Referring next to FIG. 8, a timing diagram illustrating various waveforms of voltages and currents of the timing circuit 704 of FIG. 7 is shown including a switch current ID 802, a on-time signal UON 804, a critical signal CRT 806, an extension signal EXT 808, a timing voltage VTIM 810, a clock signal CLK 812, and a DCMAX signal 814. Further illustrated in FIG. 8 are switching periods TS 816, 818, and 820. Illustrated in each switching period TS 816, 818, and 820 are respective on-time tON, off-time tOFF, critical time tC, extended on-time tONX, base period T0. Switching periods TS 818 and 820 also illustrate an extension period TX. The timing voltage VTIM 810 also illustrates an upper reference voltage VH, a max duty ratio voltage VDM, and a lower reference voltage VL. In addition, timing voltage VTIM 810 may increase to the upper reference voltage VH with slope m1 or slope m2.
During switching period TS 816, the on-time tON is less than the critical time tC. At the beginning of switching period TS 816, the clock signal CLK 812 pulses to a logic high value and the drive signal 804 transitions to a logic high value. As shown in FIG. 8, the clock signal CLK 812 quickly falls to a logic low value. The switch S1 110 turns on and the switch current ID 802 begins to increases. When the switch current ID 802 reaches the current limit ILIM, the switch S1 110 turns off and the on-time signal UON 804 transitions to the logic low value. The critical signal CRT 806 is logic high at the start of the switching period TS 816 and transitions to the logic low value at the critical time tC. However, since there is no portion of time in which the on-time signal UON 804 is logic high and the critical signal CRT 806 is logic low, the extension signal EXT 808 is logic low for the entirety of switching period TS 816. As a result, switch S4 does not turn on and the timing voltage VTIM 810 increases with slope m1 (corresponding to when capacitor 718 is charged by current source 712 with charge current IC) until the upper reference voltage VH is reached.
As shown, DC MAX signal 814 transitions to the logic high value at the start of the switching period TS 816 and transitions to the logic low value when the max duty ratio voltage VDM is reached. Once the timing voltage VTIM 810 reaches the upper reference voltage VH, switch S2 turns off while switch S3 turns on and the timing voltage VTIM 810 decreases with slope m3 (corresponding to capacitor 718 discharging through current sink 714 with discharge current IDIS) until the lower reference voltage VL is reached. As shown in FIG. 8, the magnitude of slope m3 is three times the magnitude of slope m1. Clock signal CLK 812 pulses to the logic high value indicating the start of switching period TS 818 when the lower reference voltage VL is reached.
During switching period TS 818, the on-time tON is greater than the critical time tC, however, the switch current ID 802 reaches the current limit ILIM before the DC MAX signal 814 transitions to the logic low value. The clock signal CLK 812 pulses to a logic high value and the switch S1 110 turns on. The on-time signal UON 418 transitions to a logic high value and the switch current ID 802 begins to increase. As shown in FIG. 8, the switch current ID 802 has not yet reached the current limit ILIM at the critical time tC. When the critical time tC is reached, the critical signal CRT 806 transitions to the logic low value. Since the on-time signal UON 804 is still logic high when the critical signal 806 is logic low, the extension signal EXT 808 is logic high for the portion of the switching period TS 818 when the on-time tON is greater than the critical time tC. The length of time which the extension signal EXT 808 is logic high is substantially equal to the extended on-time tONX.
At the beginning of switching period TS 818, when the extension signal EXT 808 is logic low, switch S4 is off and switch S2 is on. The timing voltage VTIM 810 charges with slope m1 (corresponding to when capacitor 718 is charged by current source 712 with charge current IC) while the extension signal EXT 808 continues in the logic low state. When the extension signal EXT 808 transitions to the logic high value, switch S2 turns off while switch S4 turns on and the timing voltage VTIM 810 charges with slope m2 (corresponding to when capacitor 718 is charged by current source 716 with extension current IEXT). Once the extension signal EXT 808 transitions to the logic low value (corresponding to the switch S1 110 turns off and the on-time signal UON 804 transitions to the logic low value), switch S4 turns off while switch S2 turns on and the timing voltage VTIM 810 resumes charging with slope m1 until the upper reference voltage VH is reached. Once the timing voltage VTIM 810 reaches the upper reference voltage VH, switch S2 turns off while switch S3 turns on and the timing voltage VTIM 810 decreases with slope m3 (corresponding to capacitor 718 discharging through current sink 714 with discharge current IDIS) until the lower reference voltage VL is reached. Clock signal CLK 812 pulses to the logic high value indicating the start of switching period TS 820 when the lower reference voltage VL is reached.
During switching period TS 820, the on-time tON is greater than the critical time tC, however, the switch current ID 802 does not reach the current limit ILIM before the DC MAX signal 814 transitions to the logic low value. As a result, the drive signal 804 transitions to the logic low value because the maximum duty ratio DMAX was reached. At the beginning of switching period TS 820, the clock signal CLK 812 pulses to a logic high value and switch S1 110 turns on. The on-time signal UON 418 transitions to a logic high value and the switch current ID 802 begins to increases. As shown in FIG. 8, the switch current ID 802 has not reached the current limit ILIM at the critical time tC. When the critical time tC is reached, the critical signal CRT 806 transitions to the logic low value. Since the drive signal 804 is still logic high when the critical signal 806 is logic low, the extension signal EXT 808 is logic high for the remainder of the on-time tON which is greater than the critical time tC. When the extension signal EXT 808 is logic low, switch S4 is off and switch S2 is on and the timing voltage VTIM 810 charges with slope m1. When the extension signal EXT 808 transitions to the logic high value, switch S2 turns off while switch S4 turns on and the timing voltage VTIM 810 charges with slope m2. The DC MAX signal 814 transitions to the logic high value at the start of the switching period TS 818 and transitions to the logic low value when timing voltage VTIM 810 reaches the max duty ratio voltage VDM. As illustrated in switching period TS 820, the timing voltage VTIM 810 reaches the max duty ratio voltage VDM before the switch current ID 802 reaches the current limit ILIM. As a result, the drive signal 128 transitions to the logic low value in response to the DC MAX signal 814 and the switch S1 110 turns off (corresponding to the end of the on-time tON as shown by on-time signal UON 418 in switching period TS 820). In addition, switch S4 turns off and switch S2 turns on and the timing voltage VTIM 810 increases with slop m1 until the upper reference voltage VH is reached. Once the timing voltage VTIM 810 reaches the upper reference voltage VH, switch S2 turns off while switch S3 turns on and the timing voltage VTIM 810 decreases with slope m3 until the lower reference voltage VL is reached. Extension signal EXT 808 also transitions to the logic low value because the on-time signal UON 418 has transitioned to the logic low value.
Referring next to FIG. 9, another example timing circuit 904 (which may be utilized as timing circuit 404 of FIG. 4) is illustrated including an upper reference voltage VH 901, a lower reference voltage VL 902, a critical voltage VC 903, a max duty ratio voltage VDM 905, comparators 906 and 908, a latch 910, a current source 912 with charge current IC, a current sink 914 with discharge current IDIS, a current source 916 with extension current IEXT, and capacitor 918 with timing voltage VTIM. The timing circuit 904 further includes AND gates 920 and 922, a comparator 924, monostable multivibrator 726, a comparator 927 and a latch 928. Further illustrated in FIG. 9 are DCMAX signal 410, clock signal 416, on-time signal UON 418, critical signal CRT 930, and extension signal EXT 932. FIG. 9 illustrates the use of voltage thresholds to determine the critical time tC and thus, when to turn on and off switches S2, S3, and S4.
Many of the elements illustrated in FIG. 9 couple and function as mentioned above to similarly named and numbered elements of FIG. 7. However, instead of monostable multivibrator 724 to generate the critical signal CRT 730, comparator 924 is utilized to generate the critical signal CRT 930. Comparator 924 is coupled to capacitor 918 and receives the timing voltage VTIM. In one embodiment, the timing voltage VTIM is received at the non-inverting input of comparator 924. The comparator 924 further receives the critical voltage VC 903 at the inverting input. As mentioned above, the critical voltage VC 903 corresponds to the value of the timing voltage VTIM when the on-time tON is substantially equal to the critical time tC. Comparator 924 utilizes the timing voltage VTIM and the critical voltage VC 903 to output the critical signal CRT 930 to one input of AND gate 920. When the timing voltage VTIM is less than the critical voltage VC 903, the output of comparator 924 is logic low. Once the timing voltage VTIM reaches the critical voltage VC 903, the output of the comparator 924 transitions to a logic high value. The output of AND gate 920 (extension signal EXT 932) is logic high when both the critical signal CRT 930 is logic high and the on-time signal UON 418 is logic high.
Referring next to FIG. 10, another timing diagram illustrating various waveforms of voltages and currents of the timing circuit 904 of FIG. 9 is shown including a switch current ID 1002, a on-time signal UON 1004, a critical signal CRT 1006, an extension signal EXT 1008, a timing voltage VTIM 1010, a clock signal CLK 1012, and a DCMAX signal 1014. Further illustrated in FIG. 10 are switching periods TS 1016, 1018, and 1020. Illustrated in each switching period TS 1016, 1018, and 1020 are respective on-time tON, off-time tOFF, critical time tC, extended on-time tONX, and base period T0. Switching periods TS 1018 and 1020 also illustrate an extension period TX. The timing voltage VTIM 1010 also illustrates an upper reference voltage VH, a max duty ratio voltage VDM, a critical voltage VC, and a lower reference voltage VL. In addition, timing voltage VTIM 1010 may increase to the upper reference voltage VH with slope m1 or slope m2 while the timing voltage VTIM 1010 may decrease to the lower reference voltage VL with slope m3.
The waveforms illustrated in FIG. 10 are comparable to similarly named and numbered waveforms of FIG. 8. However, due to the use of comparator 724 and the critical voltage VC 903, the critical signal CRT 1006 varies from critical signal CRT 806 illustrated in FIG. 8. In the example illustrated in FIG. 8, the critical signal CRT 806 shown was logic high at the beginning of each switching period TS and remained logic high until the on-time tON was substantially equal to the critical time tC. Once a time period substantially equal to the critical time elapsed, the critical signal CRT 806 transitioned to the logic low value for the remainder of the switching period. The extension signal EXT 808 would only transition to the logic high value when the drive signal 804 was logic high at the same time that the critical signal CRT 806 was logic low.
In the example illustrated in FIG. 10, the critical signal CRT 1006 is at the logic low value at the beginning of each switching period TS 1016, 1018 and 1020. The critical signal CRT 1006 transitions to the logic high value when the timing voltage VTIM 1010 reaches the critical voltage VC, (corresponding to output of comparator 924 in FIG. 9). The critical signal CRT 1006 remains at the logic high value as the timing voltage VTIM 1010 increases to the upper reference voltage VH (with either slope m1, slope m2, or both). As the timing voltage VTIM 1010 decreases to the lower reference voltage VL, the critical signal CRT 1006 remains at the logic high value until the timing voltage VTIM 1010 falls below the critical voltage VC. Once the VTIM 1010 falls below the critical voltage VC, the critical signal CRT 1006 transitions to the logic low value for the remainder of the switching period.
While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments, examples and applications thereof, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.

## Claims

1. An integrated circuit controller for use in a switching power supply, the controller comprising:
a pulse width modulation (PWM) circuit to be coupled to control a switch to regulate an output of the power supply in response to a switch current flowing through the switch and in response to a clock signal having a switching period; and
a timing circuit coupled to the PWM circuit to provide the clock signal, wherein the timing circuit includes a timing capacitor where the switching period of the clock signal is equal to a charging time that the timing capacitor charges to an upper reference voltage plus a discharging time that the timing capacitor discharges to a lower reference voltage, wherein the timing circuit increases the charging time of the timing capacitor by decreasing a rate at which the timing capacitor is charged to increase the switching period of the clock signal if an on time of the switch is greater than or equal to a threshold time.

2. The integrated circuit controller of claim 1, wherein the switching period of the clock signal is a fixed switching period when the on time of the switch is less than the threshold time.

3. The integrated circuit controller of claim 2, wherein the threshold time is equal to one-half the fixed switching period.

4. The integrated circuit controller of claim 1, wherein the timing circuit increases the switching period by an amount of time that is responsive to a difference in time between the on time of the switch and the threshold time.

5. The integrated circuit controller of claim 4, wherein the amount of time that the timing circuit increases the switching period is proportional to the difference in time between the on time of the switch and the threshold time.

6. The integrated circuit controller of claim 1, wherein the PWM circuit is coupled to turn off the switch in response to the switch current reaching a current limit.

7. The integrated circuit controller of claim 6, wherein the PWM circuit is coupled to receive a feedback signal representative of the output of the power supply and wherein the current limit is a variable current limit responsive to the feedback signal.

8. The integrated circuit controller of claim 1, wherein the switch is included in the integrated circuit controller.

9. A switching power supply, comprising:
an energy transfer element coupled to transfer energy between and input and an output of the switching power supply;
a switch coupled to control the transfer of energy through the energy transfer element; and
a controller coupled to provide a drive signal to control the switch to regulate the output of the switching power supply, wherein the controller includes:
a pulse width modulation (PWM) circuit coupled to generate the drive signal in response to a switch current flowing through the switch and in response to a clock signal having a switching period; and
a timing circuit coupled to the PWM circuit to provide the clock signal, wherein the timing circuit includes a timing capacitor where the switching period of the clock signal is equal to a charging time that the timing capacitor charges to an upper reference voltage plus a discharging time that the timing capacitor discharges to a lower reference voltage, wherein the timing circuit increases the charging time of the timing capacitor by decreasing a rate at which the timing capacitor is charged to increase the switching period of the clock signal if an on time of the switch is greater than or equal to a threshold time.

10. The switching power supply of claim 9, wherein the switching period of the clock signal is a fixed switching period when the on time of the switch is less than the threshold time.

11. The switching power supply of claim 10, wherein the threshold time is equal to one-half the fixed switching period.

12. The switching power supply of claim 9, wherein the timing circuit increases the switching period by an amount of time that is responsive to a difference in time between the on time of the switch and the threshold time.

13. The switching power supply of claim 12, wherein the amount of time that the timing circuit increases the switching period is proportional to the difference in time between the on time of the switch and the threshold time.

14. The switching power supply of claim 9, wherein the PWM circuit is coupled to turn off the switch in response to the switch current reaching a current limit.

15. The switching power supply of claim 14, wherein the PWM circuit is coupled to receive a feedback signal representative of the output of the power supply and wherein the current limit is a variable current limit responsive to the feedback signal.

16. The switching power supply of claim 9, wherein the switch and the controller are included in an integrated circuit.

17. An integrated circuit controller for use in a switching power supply, the controller comprising:
a pulse width modulation (PWM) circuit to be coupled to control a switch to regulate an output of the power supply in response to a switch current flowing through the switch and in response to a clock signal having a switching period;
a timing circuit coupled to the PWM circuit to provide the clock signal, wherein the timing circuit includes a timing capacitor where the switching period of the clock signal is equal to a charging time that the timing capacitor charges to an upper reference voltage plus a discharging time that the timing capacitor discharges to a lower reference voltage, wherein the timing circuit increases the charging time of the timing capacitor by decreasing a rate at which the timing capacitor is charged to extend the switching period if an on time of the switch is greater than or equal to a threshold time, wherein the timing circuit charges the timing capacitor at a first rate when the on time of the switch is less than the threshold time and wherein the timing circuit charges the timing capacitor at a second rate when the on time of the switch is greater than or equal to the threshold time, wherein the first rate is greater than the second rate.

18. The integrated circuit controller of claim 17, wherein the switching period of the clock signal is a fixed switching period when the on time of the switch is less than the threshold time.

19. The integrated circuit controller of claim 17, wherein the timing circuit extends the switching period by an amount of time that is responsive to a difference in time between the on time of the switch and the threshold time.

20. The integrated circuit controller of claim 19, wherein the amount of time that the timing circuit extends the switching period is proportional to the difference in time between the on time of the switch and the threshold time.

21. The integrated circuit controller of claim 17, wherein the timing circuit charges the timing capacitor at the second rate only until the switch turns off and then resumes charging the timing capacitor at the first rate to the upper reference voltage.

22. The integrated circuit controller of claim 17, wherein the timing circuit charges the timing capacitor at the second rate for a remainder of the on time that begins when the threshold time is reached.

23. The integrated circuit controller of claim 17, wherein the second rate is less than or equal to one-half the first rate.

24. The integrated circuit controller of claim 17, wherein a ratio of the second rate to the first rate varies inversely proportional to a duty ratio of the switch during the switching period.

25. The integrated circuit controller of claim 17, wherein the timing circuit further comprises:
a first current source coupled to discharge the timing capacitor to the lower reference voltage;
a second current source coupled to charge the timing capacitor at the first rate when the on time of the switch is less than the threshold time; and
a third current source coupled to charge the timing capacitor at the second rate when the on time of the switch is greater than or equal to the threshold time.

26. The integrated circuit controller of claim 17, wherein the timing circuit maintains a constant voltage on the timing capacitor until the switch turns off and then charges the timing capacitor at the first rate if the on time of the switch is greater than or equal to the threshold time.