Patent · US Expired

Switching regulator having low power mode responsive to load power consumption

US5747977A · kind A · utility

179Cited by
54References
9Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateAug 25, 1997
Grant dateMay 5, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 25, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY02B70/10
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A switching mode power converter monitors the level of power supplied to a load device. The operation of a switch is controlled and used to draw power from an input source and supply power to the load device. During normal operation, the operation of the switch is triggered on every clock pulse by a triggering pulse. The duty cycle of the triggering pulse is controlled by a pulse width modulation circuit which monitors the level of power being supplied to the load device. When the power being supplied to the load falls to a predetermined light load threshold level, representing that the load device is either in a standby mode or a period of light use, the switching mode power converter will reduce the amount of power being drawn from the input source by disabling the triggering pulse for an appropriate number of pulses of the clock signal. The number of pulses skipped will depend on an amount of power being supplied to the load device and an amount of voltage stored across the capacitor. The triggering pulse is re-enabled once the power being supplied to the load device rises above the light load threshold level or the voltage stored across the capacitor falls to a low threshold le…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.