Abstract:
A circuit including over-current protection includes a voltage input, first and second switching transistors that are complementarily switched and that receive current from the voltage input, a first resistor, a first diode including a first anode and a first cathode, and a second diode including a second anode and a second cathode. The first anode and the second anode are connected to each other and are connected to the voltage input via the first resistor. The first cathode is connected to the first switching transistor and the second cathode is connected to the second switching transistor such that the connection of the first and second anodes provides an over-current signal that is related to the current in the first and second switching transistors.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to Royer oscillators and push-pull converters. More specifically, the present invention relates to an over-current detection circuit for Royer oscillators and push-pull converters. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    One conventional approach to monitor current in a Royer oscillator is to put a sense resistor in each half of the Royer oscillator. However, this conventional approach needs extra hardware because it requires two sense resistors for a push-pull converter, which also results in additional power loss. Further, this conventional approach has the disadvantages of being inefficient and being sensitive to noise if the sense resistors are selected to have low resistance values in order to mitigate the power loss from the sense resistors carrying a load current of the switching transistors of the Royer oscillator. Typically, when bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) are used as the switching transistors in a Royer oscillator, the sense resistors are connected between an emitter of each of the switching transistors and ground. 
         [0005]    Another conventional approach is to add leakage inductance to the transformer of the Royer oscillator (by separating the primary and secondary windings) and to choose switching transistors with correct gains to limit the over-current. This conventional approach needs extra hardware to separate the primary and secondary windings and requires more time to manufacture. In addition, choosing the appropriate switching transistors can be complex and wasteful. 
         [0006]    Numerous Royer oscillators are commercially available. However, many Royer oscillator-based circuits do not have short-circuit protection. Further, commercially available Royer oscillators with short-circuit protection have undesirable power loss in the over-current detection circuit. 
         [0007]    The conventional approaches have an inherent problem of loss of efficiency because of the necessary addition of one or more sense resistors. In particular, efficiency is lost in the conventional approaches because of power loss in the sense resistor(s). Also, the addition of leakage inductance leads to more complex transformer construction and requires a careful choice of switching transistors, making the conventional approaches cumbersome to manufacture. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    To overcome the problems described above, preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a Royer oscillator including a lossless over-current detection circuit to protect the Royer oscillator in response to or after detection of over-current, so as to provide short-circuit protection without undesirable power loss. The preferred embodiments of the present invention described herein can be applied to a Royer oscillator that includes a control pin to turn the Royer oscillator ON/OFF, as described in a related U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/711,392, titled “CONTROL PIN AND SHORT CIRCUIT PROTECTION FOR ROYER OSCILLATORS AND PUSH-PULL CONVERTERS” and filed on Oct. 9, 2012, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
         [0009]    The preferred embodiments of the present invention provide reduced power loss in an over-current detection circuit of a power converter as compared to the conventional approaches. 
         [0010]    The preferred embodiments of the present invention overcome the above problems of the conventional approaches. In particular, the resistors included in the preferred embodiments of the present invention do not carry a load current of the switching transistors, so as to provide lossless over-current detection. Furthermore, the preferred embodiments of the present invention are less sensitive to variations in the gains of the switching transistors, as compared to the conventional approaches. Accordingly, the preferred embodiments of the present invention provide easier selection of the switching transistors of the Royer oscillator. 
         [0011]    A circuit including over-current protection according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a voltage input, first and second switching transistors that are complementarily switched and that receive current from the voltage input, a first resistor, a first diode including a first anode and a first cathode, and a second diode including a second anode and a second cathode. The first anode and the second anode are connected to each other and are connected to the voltage input via the first resistor. The first cathode is connected to the first switching transistor and the second cathode is connected to the second switching transistor such that the connection of the first and second anodes provides an over-current signal that is related to the current in the first and second switching transistors. 
         [0012]    The first resistor is preferably a thermistor. The first and second switching transistors are preferably bipolar junction transistors. The first and second cathodes are preferably connected to collectors of the bipolar junction transistors. The first and second switching transistors are preferably metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors. The first and second cathodes are preferably connected to drains of the metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors. 
         [0013]    The circuit further preferably includes a voltage-divider circuit connected to the first and second anodes. The voltage-divider circuit preferably includes second and third resistors connected in series. Preferably, either the first or the second resistor is a thermistor. The thermistor is preferably a negative temperature coefficient thermistor. The circuit further preferably includes a filter capacitor connected in parallel with the voltage-divider circuit. The circuit further preferably includes a filter capacitor connected to the first and second anodes. 
         [0014]    The first and second switching transistors are switched at or near a 50% duty cycle. 
         [0015]    A circuit including over-current protection according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a voltage input, a resistor, a transformer including primary and secondary windings, first and second switching transistors that are complementarily switched and that are arranged to allow current from the voltage input to flow in the primary windings, and an over-current protection circuit including a first diode including a first anode and a first cathode and a second diode including a second anode and a second cathode. The first anode and the second anode are connected to each other and to the voltage input via the resistor. The first cathode is connected to the first switching transistor and the second cathode is connected to the second switching transistor such that the connection of the first and second anodes provides an over-current signal that is related to the current in the first and second switching transistors. 
         [0016]    The circuit further preferably includes a decoupling capacitor connected between the primary windings and ground. Preferably, the transformer further includes feedback windings, and the feedback windings drive the first and second switching transistors. 
         [0017]    The circuit further preferably includes a voltage-divider circuit connected to the first and second anodes. The voltage-divider circuit preferably includes a thermistor. The circuit further preferably includes a filter capacitor connected in parallel with the voltage-divider circuit. 
         [0018]    The circuit further preferably includes third and fourth diodes connected to the secondary windings so as to provide a rectified voltage output. 
         [0019]    The above and other features, elements, characteristics, steps, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0020]      FIG. 1  is a circuit diagram of a Royer oscillator  10  equipped with a lossless over-current detection circuit  11  according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  is a circuit diagram of a push-pull converter  20  equipped with a lossless over-current detection circuit  21  according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  is a circuit diagram of a Royer oscillator  30  equipped with a lossless over-current detection circuit  31  that includes temperature compensation according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0023]      FIGS. 1-3  show circuit diagrams of lossless overcurrent detection circuits  11 ,  21 ,  31  according to first, second, and third preferred embodiments of the present invention. The preferred embodiments of the present invention provide over-current detection circuits that sense the voltage across the terminals of a pair of switching transistors with complementary switching, i.e., switching out of phase with each other such that one switching transistor is on/off when the other switching transistor is off/on. In  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the over-current detection circuits  11 ,  31  detect the collector-emitter voltage V ce  of the switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2  in a Royer oscillator  10 ,  30 , and in  FIG. 2 , the overcurrent detection circuit  21  detects the source-drain voltage V sd  of the switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2  in a push-pull converter  20 . Once overcurrent is detected, a shut-down circuit (not shown in  FIGS. 1-3 ) can disconnect the input voltage to prevent damage. 
         [0024]    The switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2  can be bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) or metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs), for example. If the output of the Royer oscillator or push-pull converter is short-circuited, the current through each of the switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2  increases, and the voltages across the switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2  increase. If the switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2  are BJTs, the collector-emitter voltage V ce  of each of the switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2  increases. The increase in the collector-emitter voltage V ce  of the switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2  is higher than the normal collector saturation voltage V cesat  at full load because the switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2  come out of saturation and operate in the active region. Full load refers to the rated load of the Royer oscillator or push-pull converter such that the switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2  operate in saturation. 
         [0025]    The preferred embodiments of the present invention preferably include over-current detection circuits  11 ,  21 ,  31  that include two diodes D 1 , D 2  with anodes thereof connected to provide an over-current signal. The cathodes of these diodes D 1 , D 2  are respectively connected to the switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2 . 
         [0026]      FIG. 1  is a circuit diagram of a Royer oscillator  10  with a lossless over-current detection circuit  11  according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0027]    The Royer oscillator  10  shown in  FIG. 1  includes switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2 , transformer T, resistor R 5 , diodes D 3 , D 4 , and capacitors C 3 , C 4 . The transformer T includes primary windings T P  and secondary windings T S  and feedback windings T FB . The primary winding T P  is center tapped to form two primary windings T P1 , T P2 . The secondary winding T S  is center tapped to form two secondary windings T S1 , T S2 . The feedback windings T FB , is center tapped to form two feedback windings T FB1 , T FB2 . The resistor R 5  and capacitor C 2  are used to start the Royer oscillator and can also be used to sustain a drive signal to the switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2 . The capacitor C 3  is an input decoupling capacitor that is arranged to reduce input ripple. 
         [0028]    The terminals of the switching transistor TR 1  are connected to the primary winding T P1 , and the terminals of switching transistor TR 2  are connected to the primary winding T P2 . The feedback winding T FB1  drives the switching transistor TR 2 , and the feedback winding T FB2  drives the switching transistor TR 1 . The Royer oscillator is arranged in a self-oscillating arrangement such that the switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2  are driven with a 50% duty cycle and out of phase with each other such that switching transistor TR 1  is on/off when switching transistor TR 2  is off/on. The Royer oscillator relies on saturation of the transformer T 1  to create a quickly rising current to drive the switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2 . The voltage waveform through the primary windings T P  is controlled such that an AC voltage, which is preferably a square wave, is generated at the secondary windings T S1 ,T S2 . The magnitude of the AC voltage is determined by the turns ratio of the transformer T. 
         [0029]    Diodes D 3 , D 4  rectify the AC voltage from the transformer T into DC voltage. The rectified DC voltage is supplied to storage capacitor C 4  that provides the output voltages +V,  0 V. A Royer oscillator can, instead of providing a DC output voltage, supply an AC output voltage by not using diodes D 3 , D 4  to rectify the AC voltage. 
         [0030]    The over-current detection circuit  11  preferably includes two diodes D 1 , D 2  with their anodes connected. The cathodes of these diodes D 1 , D 2  are respectively connected to the switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2  in the Royer oscillator  10 . In particular, if switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2  are BJTs, the cathodes of the diodes D 1 , D 2  are respectively connected to the collectors of the switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2 . However, if switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2  are MOSFETs, the cathodes of the diodes D 1 , D 2  are respectively connected to the drains of the switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2  as shown in  FIG. 2 . The anodes of the diodes D 1 , D 2  are connected to the input voltage VIN through resistor R 1 . The anodes of the diodes D 1 , D 2  are also connected to ground through series resistors R 2 , R 3 . Thus, when one of the switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2  is turned ON, the voltage at the anode of its respective diode D 1  or D 2  is equal to the collector-emitter voltage V ce  across the ON switching transistor TR 1  or TR 2  plus one diode drop (i.e., the forward voltage drop across a diode, which is typically approximately 0.7 volts). When one of the switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2  is turned OFF, the voltage at the anode of its respective diode D 1  or D 2  is pulled to the input voltage VIN to which the anodes are connected. 
         [0031]    As the voltage across the switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2  increases, the voltage at the cathodes of the diodes D 1 , D 2  increases. Accordingly, the voltage at the anode of the diodes D 1 , D 2  increases. The voltage at the anodes is proportional to the current through the switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2  so that the voltage can be used to provide an over-current signal. 
         [0032]    Resistors R 2 , R 3  are arranged to define a voltage divider that sets a voltage level of the over-current signal. Resistance values of the resistors R 2 , R 3  can be selected according to desired voltages of the over-current signal. Resistance values of the resistors R 2 , R 3  can also be selected based on the rated load of the Royer oscillator. A capacitor C 1  is preferably used to filter out high-frequency noise which can give an incorrect reading of the over-current signal. For example, the capacitor C 1  can be selected to provide a low-pass filter that rolls off at a frequency in the MHz range to remove unwanted spikes and noise from the over-current detection circuit  11 . 
         [0033]      FIG. 2  is a circuit diagram of a push-pull converter  20  equipped with a lossless over-current detection circuit  21 . The over-current detection circuit  21  is preferably the same as the over-current detection circuit  11  except that the over-current detection circuit  21  is used in a different circuit: a push-pull converter  20  instead of a Royer oscillator  10 . This shows that the over-current detection circuits  11 ,  21  can be used in circuits including a pair of switching transistors with complementary switching. 
         [0034]    For the push-pull converter  21  with complementary switching, the feedback windings T FB  is center tapped to form two feedback windings T FB1 , T FB2  that drive the switching transistors TR 1 , TR 1 . Either of the two switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2  is ON at any point in a switching cycle, except during a transition time when both switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2  are OFF. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2  are preferably MOSFETs, for example. Accordingly, the voltage at the anode of each of the diodes D 1 , D 2  will always be the source-drain voltage V sd  of each of the switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2  plus one diode voltage drop (i.e., the forward voltage drop across a diode, which is typically approximately 0.7 volts), except during the commutation time. However, the transition time is relatively short compared to the switching cycle, and the voltage at the anode of each of the diodes D 1 , D 2  during the commutation time can be filtered out. 
         [0035]      FIG. 3  shows a circuit diagram of a Royer oscillator  30  equipped with a lossless over-current detection circuit  31  that includes temperature compensation. 
         [0036]    The resistor R 2  as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  can be replaced by an NTC (negative temperature coefficient) thermistor TM to provide temperature compensation for the over-current detection circuit. In particular, if switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2  are BJTs, the collector-emitter voltage V ce  lowers as the temperature increases. Accordingly, the NTC thermistor TM compensates for the temperature variation of the collector-emitter voltage V ce  by varying the voltage at the junction of resistors R 2 , R 3 . Instead of replacing the resistor R 2  with a thermistor TM, it is also possible to replace resistors R 1  or R 3  with a thermistor TM. 
         [0037]    The preferred embodiments of the present invention can also provide over-temperature protection if MOSFETs are used as the switching transistors TR 1 , TR 2 . MOSFETs have a positive temperature coefficient, as the drain-to-source resistance R dsON  of a MOSFET increases with temperature. That is, at higher temperatures, a voltage drop across the MOSFET will be higher. This higher voltage drop affects the voltage at the common anode of the diodes D 1 , D 2 , which can be used to detect an over-temperature condition. For example, as the temperature increases, the source-drain voltage V sd  lowers and the resistance of thermistor TM decreases. Accordingly, the voltage at the junction of thermistor TM and resistor R 3  will increase, and thus an over-current signal can be generated in response to an over-temperature condition. 
         [0038]    The preferred embodiments of the present invention can be applied to other circuits to provide the same functionality as the Royer oscillator or push-pull converter. The over-current detection according to the preferred embodiments of the present invention can be applied to various switching converters, for example, flyback or forward converters. 
         [0039]    The preferred embodiments of the present invention can be applied to any push-pull converters that include BJTs or MOSFETs and operate at full duty cycle (i.e., at or near 50% duty). Full duty cycle is preferred because, when both of the switching transistors are OFF, an over-current condition can be detected because the collector-emitter voltage V ce  or source-drain V sd  across the switching transistors being twice the input voltage Vin. 
         [0040]    It should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the present invention. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variances that fall within the scope of the appended claims.