Abstract:
A constant on-time period of a DC to DC buck converting controller is adjusted according to a level of a preset output voltage. Therefore, the DC to DC buck converting controller of the present invention is suitable for any applications with different requests of output voltages or different operating mode.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the priority benefit of China application serial no. 201110100828.0, filed on Apr. 21, 2011. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to a DC to DC buck converting controller, and more particularly a DC to DC buck converting controller with programmable output voltage. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0005]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of a conventional DC to DC buck converting circuit. The DC to DC buck converting circuit comprises a controller  10 , two switches M 1  and M 2 , an inductance L, a capacitance C, a bootstrap circuit BS and a voltage divider VD. The voltage divider VD detects an output voltage of the buck converting circuit and accordingly generates a feedback signal FB. The controller  10  turns the switches M 1  and M 2  on/off according to the feedback signal FB, so as to make the DC to DC buck converting circuit to convert an input signal Vin into an output voltage Vout which is stabilized at a preset output voltage. 
         [0006]    The controller  10  comprises a comparator  12 , a constant on-time period circuit  14 , a logic control circuit  16  and two gate driving units  18 ,  20 . The comparator  12  generates a feedback control signal according to the feedback signal FB and a reference voltage Vref. An on-time period of the constant on-time period circuit  14  is determined by the input voltage Vin and the output voltage Vout, and the constant on-time period circuit  14  generates an constant on-time signal according to the feedback control signal. The logic control circuit  16  determines conduction timing and cut-off timing of the switches M 1  and M 2 , and makes the switches M 1  and M 2  turned on and off separately via the gate driving units  18  and  20 . The switch M 2  is a N-type MOSFET. For avoiding that the gate driving unit  20  in the controller  10  cannot generate a signal which is high enough to turn on the switch M 2 . The bootstrap circuit BS is used supply a sufficiently high voltage to the gate driving unit  20 . 
         [0007]    The constant on-time period circuit  14  adjusts the constant on-time period according to the input voltage Vin and the output voltage Vout to make the DC to DC buck converting circuit operate in a quasi-constant frequency. Therefore, an electromagnetic interference (EMI) generated by the switches M 1  and M 2  can be easily filtered out, regardless of the levels of the input voltage Vin and the output voltage Vout. 
         [0008]    However, the DC to DC buck converting circuit must economize on energy to meet the current energy-saving trend, which means that the DC to DC buck converting circuit needs energy-saving mode to adjust output voltage. Therefore, it is an important issue to support the energy-saving mode on the DC to DC buck converting circuit. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    The invention uses an extra setting signal to set the level of the output voltage to achieve the function of energy-saving mode for adjusting the output voltage. 
         [0010]    To accomplish the aforementioned and other objects, an exemplary embodiment of the invention provides a DC to DC buck converting controller, adapted to control a DC to DC buck converting circuit which converts an input voltage into an output voltage. The DC to DC buck converting controller comprises a feedback circuit and a driving circuit. The feedback circuit generates a feedback control signal according to a reference voltage and a feedback signal representative of the output voltage. The driving circuit generates at least one control signal to control the DC to DC buck converting circuit according to the feedback control signal. The driving circuit comprises a constant on-time period unit. The constant on-time period unit sets a constant on-time period to make the driving circuit to determine a duty cycle of the DC to DC buck converting circuit according to the level of the reference voltage. Wherein, the level of the reference voltage is determined by a preset output voltage. 
         [0011]    It needs to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. In order to make the features and the advantages of the invention comprehensible, exemplary embodiments accompanied with figures are described in detail below. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    The present invention will now be specified with reference to its preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings, in which: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of a conventional DC to DC buck converting circuit; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of a DC to DC buck converting circuit according to a first embodiment of the invention; and 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram of a constant on-time period circuit according to an example shown in the  FIG. 2 . 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0016]    In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawings. 
         [0017]      FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of a DC to DC buck converting circuit according to a first embodiment of the invention. The DC to DC buck converting circuit comprises a controller  100 , two switches M 1  and M 2 , an inductance L, a capacitance C, a bootstrap circuit BS and a voltage divider VD. The voltage divider VD detects an output voltage Vout of the DC to DC buck converting circuit and accordingly generates a feedback signal FB. The controller  100  turns the switches M 1  and M 2  on/off according to the feedback signal FB, so as to make the DC to DC buck converting circuit convert an input voltage Vin into an output voltage Vout which is stabilized at a preset output voltage. 
         [0018]    The controller  100  comprises a feedback circuit  112 , a driving circuit which comprises a constant on-time period circuit  114 , a logic control circuit  116  and two gate driving units  118 ,  120 . The feedback circuit  112  comprises a comparator. An inverting input terminal of the comparator receives the feedback signal FB and a non-inverting input terminal thereof receives a reference voltage Vr and accordingly outputs a feedback control signal Sfb. The constant on-time period circuit  114  receives the feedback control signal Sfb and the reference voltage Vr and accordingly generates a constant on-time signal Sto. A pulse width (time period) of the constant on-time signal Sto is determined by a level of the reference voltage Vr. A starting timing of the constant on-time signal Sto, i.e., rising/falling edge, is determined according to the feedback control signal Sfb. The logic control circuit  116  is coupled with a connection node of the two switches M 1  and M 2  to detect a current of the inductance L and determine turned-on timings and turned-off timings of the two switches M 1  and M 2  according to the feedback control signal Sfb and the current of the inductance L. The logic control circuit  116  turns the two switches M 1  and M 2  on/off via the gate driving units  118  and  120  respectively. In the present embodiment, a duty cycle of the DC to DC buck converting circuit, i.e., a time ratio of a period time to transmit the power from the input voltage Vin into the DC to DC buck converting circuit via the switch M 1  and a cycle time thereof, is determined by turned-on period of the switch M 1 . That is, when a beginning of each cycle (when the level of the feedback signal FB is lower than the level of the reference voltage Vr), the feedback circuit  112  generates a feedback control signal Sfb to make the constant on-time period circuit  114  to generate the constant on-time signal Sto with a constant pulse width (time period). The logic control circuit  116  turns on the switch M 1  according to the constant on-time signal Sto. After the constant pulse width (time period), the logic control circuit  116  turns the switch M 1  off and turns the switch M 2  on to make the current of the inductance L freewheel through the switch M 2 . When the current of the inductance L is decreased to zero, the switch M 2  is turned off. 
         [0019]    The reference voltage Vr may be an external control signal, which a level of the reference voltage Vr is determined by an external circuit or set by users according to a preset output voltage. In the present embodiment, the controller  100  further comprises a reference voltage generating circuit  115 . The reference voltage generating circuit  115  generates a reference base voltage Vr 0 . The user makes the reference base voltage Vr 0  divided into a demand reference voltage Vr by a voltage divider and transmits the reference voltage Vr into the feedback circuit  112  and the constant on-time period circuit  114 . The voltage divider comprises the resistances RV 1 , RV 2  and a voltage division ratio thereof is set by the input voltage Vin and the preset output voltage. In addition, the voltage division ratio of the voltage divider VD may affect the ratio of the feedback signal FB and the output voltage Vout. Therefore, the ratio of the resistances RV 1 , RV 2  is set according to the voltage division ratio of the voltage divider VD. 
         [0020]      FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram of a constant on-time period circuit according to a second embodiment of the invention. The constant on-time period circuit  114  comprises a current source I, a period capacitance Cton and a comparator  1141 . The current of the current source I is set by a current mirror MI and an on-time period resistance Rton. The on-time period resistance Rton is coupled with the input voltage 
         [0021]    Vin and so a current flowing through the on-time period resistance depends on the the input voltage Vin. The current flowing through the on-time period resistance is mirrored to the current source I by the current mirror MI. On the beginning of each cycle, the period capacitance Cton is charging from zero by the current source I. The comparator  1141  compares the voltage of the period capacitance Cton with one of the original voltage Vset and the reference voltage Vr to generate the constant on-time signal Sto, and the original voltage Vset is higher than the reference voltage Vr. On the beginning of enabling the circuit, the comparator  1141  compares the voltage of the period capacitance Cton with the original voltage Vset to make the on-time period longer and so the output voltage Vout could be increased faster. Just before or when the output voltage Vout reaches the preset voltage, the comparator  1141  compares the voltage of the period capacitance Cton with the reference voltage Vr to make the output voltage Vout to be stabilized on the preset output voltage. The constant on-time period circuit  114  further comprises a SR flip-flop  1142  and an inverter  1143 . A set terminal S of the SR flip-flop  1142  is coupled with the output terminal of the comparator  1141  through the inverter  1143 , a reset terminal R thereof is coupled with the feedback circuit  112  and an output terminal is coupled with the discharging unit SWd. The discharging unit SWd is coupled with two ends of the period capacitance Cton to discharge the period capacitance Cton according to the controlling of the SR flip-flop  1142 . When the voltage of the period capacitance Cton is higher than the reference voltage Vr, the constant on-time signal Sto is changed into low level to trigger the SR flip-flop  1142  through the inverter  1143 . Then, the discharging unit SWd discharges the period capacitance Cton. When the output voltage Vout is lower than the preset voltage, the feedback control signal Sfb is at high level to make the SR flip-flop  1142  reset to stop the discharging unit SWD discharging. Therefore, on the beginning of each cycle, the output voltage Vout is lower than the preset output voltage and the period capacitance Cton is charged by the current sources I. When the voltage of period capacitance C is higher than the reference voltage Vr, the period capacitance Cton is discharged to zero voltage to wait for the next cycle. 
         [0022]    All the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.