阅读说明：本技术 整流电路以及电源装置 (Rectifier circuit and power supply device ) 是由 盐见竹史 于 2020-02-13 设计创作，主要内容包括：在整流电路(1)中,在导通晶体管(AT1)的情况下,电流从电源(AV1)流向线圈(AC1)。然后,在截止晶体管(AT1)的情况下,第二整流元件电流从线圈(AC1)流向第二整流元件(SR1)。(In the rectifier circuit (1), when the transistor (AT1) is turned on, a current flows from the power supply (AV1) to the coil (AC 1). Then, with the transistor (AT1) turned off, the second rectifying element current flows from the coil (AC1) to the second rectifying element (SR 1).)

1. A rectifier circuit for causing a rectified current to flow from a second terminal to a first terminal, comprising:

a third terminal disposed between the first terminal and the second terminal,

a first rectifying element connected to the first terminal and the second terminal,

a second rectifying element connected to the first terminal and the third terminal,

a coil connected to the third terminal and the second terminal,

a transistor having a drain or a collector connected to the third terminal, an

And a power supply having a positive electrode connected to the second terminal and a negative electrode connected to the source or emitter of the transistor.

2. The rectifier circuit according to claim 1, wherein a reverse direction voltage is applied to the rectifier circuit while a rectified current flows in the second rectifier device.

3. The rectifier circuit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein conduction of the rectified current of the second rectifier device is started during a period in which the rectified current flows in the first rectifier device.

4. The rectifier circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a voltage drop amount of the first rectifier device caused by a flow of the rectified current through the first rectifier device is larger than a voltage drop amount at a conduction start time of the second rectifier device.

5. The rectifier circuit according to claim 2, wherein the voltage of said power supply is smaller than said reverse direction voltage.

6. A power supply device comprising the rectifier circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

Technical Field

The following disclosure relates to a rectifier circuit.

Background

It is known that an overcurrent occurs in a rectifying element for a power supply circuit. The overcurrent occurs by applying a reverse voltage that blocks the current of the rectifying element. Various measures have been studied to prevent the overcurrent from causing the loss of the power supply circuit.

Patent documents 1 and 2 disclose circuits for the purpose of reducing an overcurrent. For example, in the circuit disclosed in patent document 1, a diode and a transformer connected in parallel to a rectifying element are provided to reduce an overload circuit. Patent document 2 also discloses a circuit similar to that of patent document 1.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem to be solved by the invention

However, as described later, there is still room for improvement with respect to a method for reducing an overcurrent in a rectifier circuit. An object of one aspect of the present disclosure is to effectively reduce an overcurrent in a rectifier circuit.

Means for solving the problems

In order to solve the above problem, a rectifier circuit according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a rectifier circuit that causes a rectified current to flow from a second terminal to a first terminal, the rectifier circuit including: a third terminal disposed between the first terminal and the second terminal; a first rectifying element connected to the first terminal and the second terminal; a second rectifying element connected to the first terminal and the third terminal; a coil connected to the third terminal and the second terminal; a transistor having a drain or a collector connected to the third terminal; and a power supply having a positive electrode connected to the second terminal and a negative electrode connected to the source or emitter of the transistor.

Effects of the invention

According to the rectifier circuit of an aspect of the present disclosure, the overcurrent can be effectively reduced.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a circuit configuration of a power supply circuit according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing waveforms of respective voltages/currents.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing each graph of fig. 2 in an enlarged manner.

Fig. 4(a) to (d) are diagrams for explaining the paths of the respective currents in the first to fourth steps.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing waveforms of voltages and currents in the power supply circuit of the comparative example.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a power supply device according to embodiment 2.

Detailed Description

[ embodiment mode 1 ]

The rectifier circuit 1 and the power supply circuit 10 of embodiment 1 will be described below. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those described in embodiment 1 are given the same reference numerals in the following embodiments, and detailed explanation thereof will not be repeated.

(purpose of the rectifier circuit 1)

As described above, an overcurrent occurs in the rectifier element. It is known that an overcurrent mainly occurs in a rectifying element having a PN junction.

On the other hand, examples of the semiconductor element having no PN junction include SiC-sbd (schottky barrier diode) and GaN-hemt (high Electron Mobility transistor). An overcurrent due to PN junction does not occur in these semiconductor devices. However, a charging current of the parasitic capacitance caused by the application of the reverse direction voltage flows as an overcurrent. The rectifier circuit 1 is created for the purpose of reducing these overload currents.

(definition of wording)

Before describing the rectifier circuit 1, in the present specification, the terms are defined as follows.

"forward voltage": meaning the voltage for the forward current to flow in the rectifier element.

As a first example, consider a case where the rectifying element is a diode. In this case, the forward voltage means a voltage applied to cause a forward current to flow in the diode.

As a second example, a case where the rectifying element is a transistor is considered. In this case, the forward voltage means "a voltage at which the rectified current is turned on when a positive voltage is applied to the source with the drain as a reference at the time of turning off the gate".

The two examples described above are the same as those in which a positive voltage is applied to the second terminal ST1 (described below) with reference to the first terminal FT1 (described below) of the rectifier circuit 1. The magnitude of the forward voltage depends on the type of the element, and is, for example, 0.1V to 5V. The magnitude of the forward current generated in response to the application of the forward voltage is dependent on the current of the inductive element such as a coil, and is, for example, 0.1A to 100A.

"rectified current": meaning a forward current flowing in a rectifying element or a rectifying circuit.

"reverse voltage": meaning a voltage applied to the rectifying element or the rectifying circuit so that a forward voltage does not flow.

As a first example, consider a case where the rectifying element is a diode. In this case, the voltage applied to prevent the forward current from flowing through the diode is a reverse voltage.

As a second example, a case where the rectifying element is a transistor is considered. In this case, the reverse direction voltage means "a positive voltage applied to the drain with reference to the source when the gate is turned off".

The two examples described above are the same as the case where a positive voltage is applied to the FT1 with reference to ST1 of the rectifier circuit 1. The magnitude of the reverse voltage depends on the circuit specification, and is, for example, 1V to 1200V.

"overcurrent": collectively means a reverse recovery current and a charging current of a parasitic capacitance of the rectifying element. That is, the overcurrent means an excessive current that occurs when a reverse-direction voltage is applied to the rectifying element. In the example of fig. 1, the overload current can be measured at the location of FS1 as well as SS 1.

"rectification function": meaning a function that causes current to flow in only one direction.

As a first example, consider a case where the rectifying element is a diode. In this case, the rectifying function is a function of a diode that turns on a forward current and cuts off a reverse current.

As a second example, a case where the rectifying element is a transistor is considered. In this case, the rectifying function is a function of turning on a current from the source to the drain and cutting off a current flowing from the drain to the source when the gate is turned off.

"rectifying element": collectively means elements having a rectifying function.

"transistor function": meaning a function of switching whether or not a current flows from the drain to the source by turning on/off the gate of the transistor. Of course, in order to flow a current, a positive voltage needs to be applied to the drain with reference to the source.

When the element is a Bipolar transistor, an igbt (insulated Gate Bipolar transistor), or the like, (i) the drain may be replaced with the collector, and (ii) the source may be replaced with the emitter.

"transistor element": collectively means an element having a transistor function.

(outline of the configuration of the Power supply Circuit 10)

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a circuit configuration of a power supply circuit 10 according to embodiment 1. The power supply circuit 10 is a step-down DCDC converter that converts high voltage to low voltage. In the power supply circuit 10, a rectifying element of a well-known step-down DCDC converter is converted into the rectifying circuit 1. Note that each numerical value described below is merely an example.

(Structure of high-voltage part of Power supply Circuit 10)

The high-voltage unit includes a power supply HV1 and a capacitor HC 1. In the following description, for the sake of simplicity, for example, "power source HV 1" is simply referred to as "HV 1". The voltage of HV1 is 400V. The electrostatic capacity of HC1 was 3.3 mF. The (+) side of the power supply symbol indicates the positive side. The (-) side represents the negative side. The voltage of the negative electrode of HV1 is 0V.

(Structure of Low Voltage part of Power supply Circuit 10)

The low-voltage part includes a coil CO1, a capacitor LC1, and a load LO 1. CO1 has an inductance of 500 μ H and an average current of 14A. In addition, the voltage of LC1 is 200V. In the power supply circuit 10, the voltage of the LC1 is designed to be 1/2 times the voltage of the HC 1.

(Structure of rectifier circuit 1 of power supply circuit 10)

A general rectifier circuit includes a first rectifier device FR 1. Accordingly, the rectifier circuit 1 includes a second rectifier device SR1, a coil AC1, a transistor AT1, and a power supply AV1 in addition to the first rectifier device FR 1.

The "first rectifying element FR 1" is a cascade-type GaN-HEMT. FR1 has a drain withstand voltage of 650V and an on-resistance of 50m Ω. In the example of fig. 1, the cascade-type GaN-HEMT is represented by the same circuit symbol as a mosfet (metal Oxide Semiconductor field effect transistor).

"second rectifying element SR 1" is SiC-SBD having a withstand voltage of 650V. The forward voltage of SR1 at the conduction start time is 0.9V. The resistance of SR1 when forward current flows is 50m Ω.

"coil AC 1" is a coil having an inductance of 1 μ H and a direct current resistance of 50m Ω.

The "transistor AT 1" is a MOSFET having an on-resistance of 40m Ω.

"Power supply AV 1" is a power supply with a voltage of 15V. The positive electrode of AV1 is connected to ST 1. In embodiment 1, since the voltage of ST1 is 0V, the voltage of the negative electrode of AV1 is set to-15V. The cathode of AV1 is connected to the source of AT 1.

"first terminal FT 1" represents the electrical connection point of FR1 and SR 1.

"second terminal ST 1" represents the electrical connection point of FR1 and SR1 and AV 1.

"third terminal TT 1" represents the electrical connection point of SR1 and AC1 and AT 1.

"FS 1 and SS 1" indicate a part of the current that can be measured in the rectifier circuit 1. The same current values were observed at both FS1 and SS 1. Any of the current sensors may be used. As the current sensor, for example, a hall element type current sensor, a ct (current transformer) sensor, a rogowski coil, a shunt resistance type, or the like can be used.

(Structure of transistor function portion of Power supply Circuit 10)

The transistor SWT1 is provided in the transistor functional portion.

The gate terminals of the elements in the power supply circuit 10 are connected to a control circuit 9 shown in fig. 6, which will be described later.

Therefore, switching of the gate on/off is performed by the control circuit 9.

(Structure of Power supply Circuit of comparative example)

First, the relationship between the operation of the step-down DCDC converter (hereinafter, referred to as a power supply circuit) of the comparative example and the overcurrent will be described in detail. The power supply circuit is constituted by the above-described general rectifier device.

(action 1 of comparative example)

First, during the on period of SWT1, the voltage at the switch node becomes approximately 400V. Therefore, a voltage of about 200V was applied to CO1, and the coil current was increased. The coil current passes through a path of "positive electrode of HV1 → SWT1 → CO1 → LO1 → negative electrode of HV1 ].

(action 2 of comparative example)

Next, SWT1 is switched off. As a result, the voltage of ST1 becomes higher than the voltage of FT1 by about 1V due to the electromotive force of CO 1. This voltage of about 1V is applied as a forward voltage to FR1, and a rectified current flows from FR1 to CO 1. The rectified current passes through the path "LO 1 → FR1 → CO1 → LO 1".

(action 3 of comparative example)

Next, SWT1 is switched on. As a result, the voltage at the switching node becomes about 400V. Therefore, a reverse direction voltage of about 400V is applied to FR 1. By this reverse direction voltage of about 400V, an overcurrent flows.

These actions 1 to 3 are repeatedly performed at a frequency of 100 kHz. The duty cycle of the SWT1 is 50%. Therefore, a forward voltage and a reverse voltage are alternately applied to FR1 every 5 μ sec.

(explanation of FIGS. 2 to 4 used for explanation of operation of the rectifier circuit 1)

Fig. 2 is a graph showing respective waveforms of four voltages and currents in the rectifier circuit 1. These waveforms are represented on a common time axis (horizontal axis) basis. The four waveforms are respectively expressed as follows;

RFV (voltage of the rectifier circuit 1): a voltage applied to FT1 with ST1 as a reference;

RF1 (current of rectifier circuit 1): current flowing from ST1 to FT 1;

AC1I (current of AC 1): current flowing from ST1 to TT 1;

SR1I (current of SR 1): current flowing from TT1 to FT 1;

timings of the first to fourth steps (described later) are shown on the horizontal axis of fig. 2. SR1I may also be referred to as a second rectifier element current.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing each graph of fig. 2 in an enlarged manner and showing four waveforms in one graph. In fig. 3, the RFV extends outwardly from the upper end of the graph for ease of enlargement.

Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining the paths of the respective currents in the first to fourth steps. Specifically, (a) to (d) in fig. 4 correspond to the current paths in the first to fourth steps, respectively. For convenience of illustration, in fig. 4, the reference numerals assigned to the respective elements in fig. 1 are omitted.

(method of driving rectifier circuit 1: first to fourth steps)

In the driving method of the rectifier circuit 1, the following four steps are performed in this order.

The first step: applying a forward voltage to the rectifier circuit 1 to flow a rectified current;

a second step: a step of flowing a current to the AC1 by turning on AT 1;

the third step: a step of turning off AT1 to allow a current to flow in SR 1;

the fourth step: and a step of applying a reverse voltage to the rectifier circuit 1 to stop the rectified current.

(first step of flowing a rectified current to the rectifier circuit 1)

Prior to the first sequence, current flows from SWT1 to CO 1. Then, in the first step, SWT1 is turned off to generate an electromotive force at CO 1. This electromotive force can apply a forward voltage of about 1V to the rectifier circuit 1. As a result, a rectified current can be caused to flow in FR 1. This rectified current flows through the path shown in fig. 4 (a).

In addition, in the first step, the current flowing through SR1 is smaller than the current flowing through FR 1. Therefore, in fig. 4(a), SR1I is not shown unlike in fig. 4(c) to (d).

(second step of applying Current to AC1)

Following the first process, AC1I is flowed by turning on AT 1. AC1I flows through the path shown in fig. 4 (b). AC1I increases almost linearly with the passage of time. By this second step, energy is accumulated in the coil.

(third step: causing Current to flow in SR1)

Following the second step, SR1I was flowed by turning off AT 1. SR1I flows through the path shown in fig. 4 (c).

That is, the energy of the coil flows as SR 1I.

The current path of SR1I can be described from other viewpoints. In particular, the current flowing in FR1 in fig. 4(c) will be described. In FR1, RF1 (in the position of FR1, facing upwards in the figure) is illustrated together with SR1I (in the position of FR1, facing downwards in the figure). The fact that currents in opposite directions flow in FR1 means that current values cancel each other out.

(fourth step: reverse direction voltage is applied to the rectifier circuit 1)

In the fourth step, the reverse direction voltage is applied to the rectifier circuit 1 by turning on the SWT 1. The method of applying the reverse voltage may be selected from various methods depending on the type of the power supply circuit.

At the same time as the application of the reverse direction voltage, an overcurrent (reverse direction RFI) that charges the parasitic capacitance of FR1 occurs. In the path shown by RF1 of fig. 4(d), an overcurrent flows. Although not shown in fig. 4(d), from the start of the fourth step, a current flows through a path "positive electrode of HV1 → SWT1 → CO1 → LO1 → negative electrode of HV 1".

(principle of reduction of overcurrent by FR 1I)

In the rectifier circuit 1, when SR1I flows in a path of charging the parasitic capacitance of FR1, a reverse direction voltage is applied and an overcurrent flows. That is, the parasitic capacitance of FR1 can be charged by SR1I and RF 1. Therefore, the overcurrent has a value obtained by deducting the amount of SR 1I. That is, the overcurrent can be effectively reduced as compared with the related art.

(effect of reducing overcurrent)

The effect of reducing the overcurrent in the rectifier circuit 1 will be described with reference to fig. 3 and 5. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing waveforms of a rectifier circuit voltage (RFVc) and a rectifier circuit current (RFIc) in a power supply current. The scale of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis in the graph of fig. 5 is set to be the same as that of the graph of fig. 3.

(overload current of comparative example)

With reference to fig. 5, an overcurrent of the rectifier circuit of the power supply circuit is described. In the comparative example, when a reverse direction voltage (RFVc) is applied of 400V, an overload current (negative RFIc) flows. In fig. 5, the voltage exceeding 30V is not shown due to the scale of the vertical axis. However, RFVc reaches 400V. Therefore, in the power supply circuit, an overcurrent of about 28A flows.

(overcurrent of rectifier circuit 1)

With reference to fig. 3, the overcurrent in the rectifier circuit 1 is described. The rectifier circuit 1 is also applied with a reverse voltage (RFV) of 400V, as in the comparative example. However, in the rectifier circuit 1, the magnitude of the overcurrent (negative RFI) is about 19A. Thus, it was confirmed that the rectifier circuit 1 can reduce the overcurrent as compared with the comparative example.

(for efficiently operating the rectifier circuit 1, points of improvement 1 to 4.)

In embodiment 1, a plurality of preferable improvement points are applied. These preferred improvements will be described below.

(improvement point 1: when a rectified current flows in the rectifier circuit 1, SR1I flows)

As described above, SR1I is used for overcurrent reduction. Therefore, it is also important to control the attenuation of SR1I until the overcurrent flows. In embodiment 1, when the rectified current flows in the rectifier circuit 1, SR1I flows. The expression "means that, in principle, the voltage of FT1 to ST1 is reduced by FR1 if a current flows in the rectifier circuit 1. On the other hand, SR1I flows from ST1 through AC1 and SR1 to FT 1. That is, current is caused to flow from ST1, which is a higher voltage, to FT1, which is a lower voltage. And thus the attenuation of SR1I can be suppressed.

(improvement point 2: securing magnetic energy by voltage drop of FR 1)

As described above, SR1I is used for overcurrent reduction. Thus, increasing SR1I relationship efficiently can lead to a further reduction in overload current. In embodiment 1, an improvement is made to more efficiently flow the plurality of SR 1I.

Specifically, in embodiment 1, the voltage drop amount of FR1 occurring when a current flows from ST1 to FT1 is set to be larger than the voltage drop amount at the conduction start time of SR 1.

With such a structure, when a current flows in FR1, the current can flow in AC1 via SR 1. This current can be confirmed by observing AC1I of fig. 2. In the example of FIG. 2, FR1I, which is about 2A in size, flows at time "1.00E-5 sec". Therefore, in the second step, it can be seen that AC1I is increased not from 0A but from about 2A as an initial value.

(improvement point 3: the voltage of AV1 is less than the reverse voltage)

Since AT1 causes switching loss, the voltage of AV1 is preferably low. In embodiment 1, a voltage source AV1 having a lower voltage is used instead of the reverse voltage (400V). Accordingly, the switching loss of the AT1 can be reduced.

The voltage of AV1 is set to 20V or less of the rated voltage of the control terminal (gate terminal) of AT 1. Therefore, AV1 can be applied as a power source for driving the gate of AT 1. The gate drive power supply of the AT1 is built in the control circuit 9 of fig. 6.

On the other hand, in order to reduce the conduction loss of AT1, the voltage of AV1 is preferably a voltage (5V or more) AT which a transistor (for example, AT1) can operate in the saturation region.

In embodiment 1, AV1 is 5V or more and less than the reverse direction voltage. Further, AV1 is lower than the rated voltage of the control terminal of AT 1.

(modification example: application scope of the elements ]

In embodiment 1, FR1 is a cascade-type GaN-HEMT, and SR1 is SiC-SBD. The types of these elements are not particularly limited as long as they are included in the scope of each of the above-described elements. Similarly, the type of SWT1 is not particularly limited when it has a transistor function. Further, the rectifying element can reduce conduction loss by applying synchronous rectification which is generally used.

[ embodiment 2 ]

The rectifier circuit according to one aspect of the present disclosure can be applied to a power supply circuit using a rectifier circuit.

Examples of the power supply circuit include a chopper circuit, an inverter circuit, and a pfc (power factor correction) circuit.

Fig. 6 shows a power supply device 100 including the power supply circuit 10. According to the rectifier circuit 1, the loss of the power supply circuit 10/power supply device 100 can be reduced. Further, the power supply circuit 10 includes a control circuit 9. The control circuit 9 controls on/off switching of each element provided in the power supply circuit 10. In particular, in the control circuit 9, a gate drive power supply (voltage 15V) is built in order to switch on/off of the AT 1. The gate drive power supply is connected to AV 1. The first to fourth steps can be executed by the control circuit 9 controlling on/off of each element provided in the power supply circuit 10.

[ conclusion ]

A rectifier circuit according to aspect 1 of the present disclosure is a rectifier circuit that causes a rectified current to flow from a second terminal to a first terminal, the rectifier circuit including a third terminal disposed between the first terminal and the second terminal; a first rectifying element connected to the first terminal and the second terminal; a second rectifying element connected to the first terminal and the third terminal; a coil connected to the third terminal and the second terminal; a transistor having a drain or a collector connected to the third terminal; and a power supply having a positive electrode connected to the second terminal and a negative electrode connected to the source or emitter of the transistor.

As described above, the overcurrent causes a loss to occur in the circuit. Therefore, the inventors of the present application have found the above-described structure based on the idea of "suppression of an overload current by an energy band of a coil".

According to the above configuration, the transistor is turned on to flow a current through the coil and accumulate energy. Then, by turning off the transistor, the energy thereof is converted into the second rectifying element current, and the overcurrent can be reduced.

The second rectifier device current is for causing a current component that becomes an overcurrent to flow through a path formed by the coil, the second rectifier device, and the first rectifier device.

In the rectifier circuit according to aspect 2 of the present disclosure, a reverse direction voltage is applied to the rectifier circuit while a rectified current flows in the second rectifier device.

According to the above configuration, the second rectifier device current flowing at that time can be used to reduce the current component that becomes the overcurrent.

In the rectifier circuit according to aspect 3 of the present disclosure, conduction of the rectified current to the second rectifier device is started while the rectified current flows to the first rectifier device.

According to the above configuration, a voltage drop occurs in the first rectifying element by the rectified current. That is, the voltage of the second terminal becomes higher than the voltage of the first terminal. Therefore, the second rectifying element current can be easily caused to flow from the second terminal to the first terminal, and the second rectifying element current can be continuously caused to flow.

In the rectifier circuit according to aspect 4 of the present disclosure, a voltage drop amount of the first rectifier device, which is generated by a rectified current flowing through the first rectifier device, is larger than a voltage drop amount at a time when conduction of the second rectifier device starts.

According to the above configuration, when a current flows through the first rectifying element, the current can flow through the coil through the second rectifying element. Thus, energy can be accumulated in the coil.

In the rectifier circuit according to aspect 5 of the present disclosure, the voltage of the power supply is smaller than the reverse direction voltage.

According to the structure, the transistor can be switched by using lower voltage, and the switching loss of the transistor is reduced.

A power supply device according to embodiment 6 of the present disclosure includes a rectifier circuit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

According to the above configuration, the power supply device with reduced loss can be realized by using the rectifier circuit with reduced overcurrent.

[ pay for note ]

An aspect of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of an aspect of the present disclosure. Further, by combining the technical means disclosed in the respective embodiments, new technical features can be formed.

Description of the reference numerals

1 rectification circuit

9 control circuit

10 power supply circuit

100 power supply device

FR1 first rectifier element

SR1 second rectifying element

FT1 first terminal

ST1 second terminal

TT1 third terminal

AC1 coil

AT1 transistor

AV1 power supply