Lossless Active Snubber for Half-Bridge Output Rectifiers
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Europaisches Patentamt 19 European Patent Office Office europeen des brevets © Publication number: 0 614 267 A1 12 EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION (2j) Application number : 94301445.6 6i) Int. CI.5 : H02M 7/06 (22) Date of filing : 01.03.94 (§) Priority : 05.03.93 US 27031 @ Inventor : Tsai, Fu Sheng 105 Bartlett Street @ Date of publication of application : Northboro, Massachusetts 01532 (US) 07.09.94 Bulletin 94/36 Inventor : Dhaval, Dalai B. 70-9 Commons Drive Shrewsbury, Massachusetts 01545 (US) @ Designated Contracting States : DE FR GB IT (74) Representative : Goodman, Christopher et al Eric Potter & Clarkson © Applicant : DIGITAL EQUIPMENT St. Mary's Court CORPORATION St. Mary's Gate 146 Main Street Nottingham NG1 1LE (GB) Maynard, Massachusetts 01745 (US) @) Lossless active snubber for half-bridge output rectifiers. (57) A bridge-type primary switching circuit (12) is represented by a pulsed voltage source (VSW). The primary switched waveform is transformed to secondary circuit (14) using a transformer (T1) with the required turns ratio N and a cen- ter-tapped secondary winding (16). Half-bridge rectifier (18) formed by diodes (DR1) and (DR2) rectifies the secondary waveform and feeds the waveform through a low-pass filter (LF) and (CF) to obtain the desired DC output voltage. The snubber circuit (20) is represented by switch-diode-capacitor combinations (SA- DS1-CS1) and (SB-DS2-CS2) across each rec- tifier (DR1) and (DR2). Capacitances (CS1) and (CS2) are selected large enough such that their voltages remain essentially constant during a switching cycle. The controlled switches (SA) and (SB) are turned ON with a specific delay after the primary voltage reaches a magnitude close to the input voltage in order to allow the rectifier diodes (DR1) and (DR2) to be commu- tated. It is crucial that the switches (SA) and (SB) be turned OFF before the primary voltage collapses to zero to avoid current spikes through the switches. <o CM S o Q_ LU Jouve, 18, rue Saint-Denis, 75001 PARIS 1 EP 0 614 267 A1 2 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION medium voltage power converters have adopted. 1. Field of the Invention SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to a cir- 5 These and related problems may be solved and cuit for controlling voltage spikes and ringing during features may be obtained through use of the novel turn-off of half-bridge rectifiers in bridge-type pulse lossless active snubber for half-bridge output rectifi- width modulated direct current - direct current (PWM ers herein disclosed. The invention in its broad form DC-DC) converters. More particularly, it relates to resides in a pulse width modulated DC to DC current such a circuit for controlling voltage spikes and ring- 10 converter as recited in claim 1. ing which redirects energy in a leakage inductance of A lossless active snubber for a half bridge output a transformer to a load in a lossless manner using ac- rectifier as described herein includes a bridge-type tive switches. Most especially, it relates to such a cir- primary switching circuit having an input for a direct cuit for controlling voltage spikes and ringing which current at a first voltage and having an output supply- permits use of lower voltage rectifiers and signifi- 15 ing a chopped alternating current signal derived from cantly reduces conduction losses. the direct current. A transformer includes a primary winding connected to the output and a center-tapped 2. Description of the Prior Art secondary winding. A half-bridge rectifier includes first and second rectifier diodes connected to the two When output rectifiers of a PWM DC-DC conver- 20 end terminals of the center-tapped secondary wind- ter with transformer isolation turn off, voltage spikes ing. Asnubber circuit is connected across the first and and high-frequency ringing are induced across the second rectifier diodes. The snubber circuit includes rectifier terminals due to the presence of leakage in- a first snubber diode connected in a reverse direction ductances in the transformer. The voltage spikes im- to the first rectifier diode. A first snubber capacitor is pose severe stresses on the rectifiers and force one 25 serially connected to the first snubber diode. The first to use higher voltage rectifiers, resulting in higher snubber diode and first snubber capacitor are con- conduction losses. Traditionally, resistance - capaci- nected across the first rectifier diode. A first control- tance (R-C) or resistance - diode - capacitance (R-D- lable switch is connected across the first snubber di- C) snubber circuits are used across the rectifiers to ode. A second snubber diode is connected in a re- limit the voltage spikes. The capacitance chosen in an 30 verse direction to the second rectifier diode. A first R-C or R-D-C snubber is usually much larger than the control signal input is connected to the first controlla- junction capacitance of the rectifier, so that the ma- ble switch to turn the first controllable switch ON dur- jority of the leakage inductor current is diverted ing a maximum magnitude of a first sign in a pulse of through the snubber, resulting in a smaller voltage the chopped alternating current signal. overshoot. The resistor provides necessary damping 35 to reduce ringing, but it dissipates energy. The energy BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS stored in the capacitors has to be redirected to the load each cycle when the rectifier turns on. This in- A more detailed understanding of the invention troduces additional losses in the resistor unless a di- may be had from the following description of a prefer- ode is used across it (R-D-C). Tradeoffs are usually 40 red embodiment, given by way of example and to be necessary in the choice of R and C values, since a understood in conjunction with the accompanying large capacitance reduces voltage spikes while in- drawing wherein: creasing the power dissipation, and a smaller resis- Figure 1 is a previously proposed active snubber tance reduces losses while decreasing the damping for a full-bridge rectifier. effects. An optimum design is hard to achieve. 45 Figure 2 is a generalized circuit schematic of a Various clamping and snubbing circuits have lossless active snubber for half-bridge output rectifi- been proposed to limit or eliminate voltage spikes ers in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the across rectifiers. It is known to provide a R-D-C clamp invention. circuit for a full-bridge rectifier as shown in Figures 1 Figure 2A is a set of waveform diagrams for the and 1A in the present application. Although such a cir- 50 circuit of Figure 2. cuit can effectively limit the voltage across the recti- Figure 3 is a block diagram of one form of a con- fier, significant energies are lost in the discharging re- trol signal generator for the circuit of Figure 2. sistance. A known lossless active snubber circuit to- Figure 3A is a set of waveform diagrams for the tally eliminates voltage overshoot and ringing across control signal generator of Figure 3. a full-bridge rectifier. While this circuit appears to 55 Figure 4 is a block diagram of another form of a have many virtues and requires a few extra compo- control signal generator for the circuit of Figure 2. nents, it is not clear whether and how it can be imple- Figure 4A is a set of waveform diagrams for the mented in a half-bridge rectifier, which most low to control signal generator of Figure 4. 2 3 EP 0 614 267 A1 4 Figure 5 is a set of waveforms for a condition source and the drain to represent these MOSFET when SA and SB are not turned off before Vsw characteristics. Separate capacitors and diode ele- changes magnitude significantly. ments are not actually present in the circuit. Figure 6 is a circuit schematic of a second em- The detailed circuit operation is as follows. As the bodiment of a lossless active snubber for half-bridge 5 voltage pulse in the primary of the transformer T1 output rectifiers in accordance with an embodiment of goes positive, the dotted terminals in the secondary the invention. go positive. Rectifier diode DR1 turns ON and com- Figure 6A is a set of waveform diagrams for the mutation of DR2 starts. The current through DR2 is circuit of Figure 6. decreased to zero and begins to flow in the reverse Figure 7 is a circuit schematic of a third embodi- 10 direction (reverse recovery). After the reverse recov- ment of a lossless active snubber for half-bridge out- ery is completed, DR2 turns OFF and the current, put rectifiers in accordance with an embodiment the which can not instantaneously go to zero due to the invention. presence of LS2, flows through CS2 and DS2, as this Figure 7A is a set of waveform diagrams for the is the lowest impedance path. The voltage across circuit of Figure 7. 15 DR2 is clamped to the voltage of CS2. If CS2 is chos- en sufficiently high, its voltage will be held at a con- DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION stant value, preventing any ringing or overshoot. The recovery current charges CS2 up, whose energy is Turning now to the drawings, more particularly to then discharged to the load when SB is turned ON. As Figures 2 and 2A, there is shown a simplified sche- 20 a result, a majority of the leakage energies are recov- matic of the proposed circuit 10 and several wave- ered and delivered to the load instead of being dissi- forms related thereto. A bridge-type primary switch- pated in the external resistances. Before the voltage ing circuit 12 is represented by a pulsed voltage in the primary starts decreasing, SB is turned OFF to source VSW.