DocID17595 Rev 2 5/32
AN3233 Main characteristics and circuit description
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In order to decrease the output capacitors size, aluminium solid capacitors with very low
ESR were preferred to standard electrolytic ones. Therefore, high frequency output voltage
ripple is limited and output LC filter is not required. This choice allows a saving of output
inductor power dissipation which can be significant in the case of high output current
applications like this.
Start-up sequence
The PFC acts as master and the resonant stage can operate only if the PFC output is
delivering the nominal output voltage. Therefore, the PFC starts first and then the
downstream converter turns on. At the beginning, the L6563H is supplied by the integrated
high voltage start-up circuit; as soon as the PFC starts switching, a charging pump
connected to the PFC inductor supplies both PFC and resonant controllers and the HV
internal current source is disabled. Once both stages have been activated, the controllers
are supplied also by the auxiliary winding of the resonant transformer, assuring correct
supply voltage even during standby operation.
As the L6563H integrated HV start-up circuit is turned off, and therefore is not dissipative
during the normal operation, it gives a significant contribution to power consumption
reduction when the power supply operates at light load, in accordance with worldwide
standby standards currently required.
Standby power saving
The board has a burst mode function implemented which allows power saving during light
load operation.
The L6599A's STBY pin (pin 5) senses the optocoupler’s collector voltage (U3), which is
related to the feedback control. This signal is compared to an internal reference (1.24 V). If
the voltage on the pin is lower than the reference, the IC enters an idle state and its
quiescent current is reduced. When the voltage exceeds the reference by 50 mV, the
controller restarts the switching.
The burst mode operation load threshold can be programmed by properly choosing the
resistor connecting the optocoupler to pin RFMIN (R34). Basically, R34 sets the switching
frequency at which the controller enters burst mode.
As the power at which the converter enters burst mode operation heavily influences
converter efficiency at light load, it must be properly set. Anyhow, despite this threshold
being well set, if its tolerance is too wide, the light load efficiency of mass production
converters has a considerable spread.
The main factors affecting the burst mode threshold tolerance are the control circuitry
tolerances and, even more influential, the tolerances of resonant inductance and the
resonant capacitor. Slight changes of resonance frequency can affect the switching
frequency and, consequently, notably change the burst mode threshold.
Typical production spread of these parameters, which fits the requirements of many
applications, are no longer acceptable if very low power consumption in standby must be
guaranteed.
As reducing production tolerance of resonant components causes cost increases, a new
cost-effective solution is required.
The key point of the proposed solution is to directly sense the output load to set the burst
mode threshold. In this way the resonant elements parameters no longer affect this
threshold. The implemented circuit block diagram is shown in Figure 2.