Abstract: A semiconductor light source lighting circuit includes a voltage step-down unit configured to generate a drive voltage lower than an input voltage by turning on or off a first switching element in a voltage step-down mode, a voltage step-up unit configured to generate the drive voltage higher than the input voltage by turning on or off a second switching element in a voltage step-up mode, and a controller. The controller includes a charge pump unit configured to repeat charging from the drive voltage to a second capacitor and discharging from the charged second capacitor to the first capacitor in the voltage step-up mode, and a switch drive unit configured to apply a voltage higher than the voltage at the other end of the first switching element to the control terminal of the first switching element by using a voltage of the charged first capacitor.

Abstract: A semiconductor light source lighting circuit includes a voltage step-down unit configured to generate a drive voltage lower than an input voltage by turning on or off a first switching element in a voltage step-down mode, a voltage step-up unit configured to generate the drive voltage higher than the input voltage by turning on or off a second switching element in a voltage step-up mode, and a controller. The controller includes a charge pump unit configured to repeat charging from the drive voltage to a second capacitor and discharging from the charged second capacitor to the first capacitor in the voltage step-up mode, and a switch drive unit configured to apply a voltage higher than the voltage at the other end of the first switching element to the control terminal of the first switching element by using a voltage of the charged first capacitor.

Abstract: A current limiting circuit for a boost converter includes a voltage divider circuit between a main switch which flows a current to an inductor and a comparator included in a current detecting circuit. The voltage divider circuit includes two transistors of the same type as that of the main switch, which are connected in series. One of the two transistors is a sub-switch which is connected between a voltage division point and a drain terminal of the main switch, and is turned on/off in synchronization with the main switch in accordance with an output signal of a control circuit. The other transistor is a detection resistance transistor which is connected between the voltage division point and a source terminal of the main switch, and whose gate terminal is connected to a bias voltage so that the detection resistance transistor is always on.

Abstract: To securely detect the short-circuited state of a rectifier without detecting current and to protect a switching device in a DC-DC converter, in a state in which the potential at the connection point of the rectifier and the switching device is detected and a drive signal turns ON the switching device, the protection circuit of the DC-DC converter is configured to securely turn OFF the switching device when the potential at the connection point is a predetermined potential or more.

Abstract: A power supply device includes an inductor controlled by switching to be charged or discharged such that a DC input voltage is boosted and a capacitor which smoothes the boosted voltage to generate a DC output voltage. Specifically, the power supply device further includes a transistor connected between the inductor and the capacitor to carry out a rectification function; an output voltage determination circuit which refers to the DC input voltage and the DC output voltage to determine the level of these voltages; and a current control circuit which controls a current flowing through the transistor such that the current has a predetermined value when the output voltage determination circuit determines that the DC output voltage is lower than the DC input voltage.

Abstract: The present invention provides a current-mode control step-up converter capable of reducing the minimum duty ratio to a sufficiently small value and facilitating the setting of the maximum duty ratio. The step-up converter comprises a current detector 9 for generating a current detection signal Vc corresponding to the current of a rectifier 4; an error amplifier 8 for generating an error signal Ve corresponding to an output DC voltage Vo; and a control circuit 10 for turning ON/OFF the main switch 3 on the basis of the current detection signal Vc and the error signal Ve. The control circuit 10 comprises a comparator 11 and a timer circuit 12. With this configuration, the ON time of the main switch 3 is set at a predetermined value, and the valley value of an inductor current changing in a triangular waveform is controlled. Hence, the OFF time of the main switch is adjusted to stabilize the output.

Abstract: A current limiting circuit for a boost converter includes a voltage divider circuit between a main switch which flows a current to an inductor and a comparator included in a current detecting circuit. The voltage divider circuit includes two transistors of the same type as that of the main switch, which are connected in series. One of the two transistors is a sub-switch which is connected between a voltage division point and a drain terminal of the main switch, and is turned on/off in synchronization with the main switch in accordance with an output signal of a control circuit. The other transistor is a detection resistance transistor which is connected between the voltage division point and a source terminal of the main switch, and whose gate terminal is connected to a bias voltage so that the detection resistance transistor is always on.

Abstract: The present invention provides an efficient multi-output power supply apparatus that enables a reduction in the on voltage of a main switch in a step-down power supply circuit or the like over a wide input range from a low input to a high input. The power supply apparatus includes a first power supply circuit that increases an input voltage from an input power source to output a first output voltage Vo1, and a second power supply circuit that outputs a second output voltage Vo2 obtained from the input voltage via a main switch circuit connected to the input power source. The main switch circuit having a first switch element that is a PMOS transistor and a second switch element that is an NMOS transistor connected to each other in parallel. The first output voltage Vo1 is applied to a gate of the second switch element.

Abstract: A step-up power supply device includes: a step-up converter; a startup circuit which controls the on/off operation of a switch element of the step-up converter when an output voltage of the device is smaller than a reference voltage; and a control circuit which operates in substitution for the startup circuit when the output voltage is higher than the reference voltage to control the on/off operation of the switch element such that the output voltage reaches a target value.

Abstract: A drive circuit drives a switch element having a first terminal, a second terminal, and a control terminal. A direct-current voltage is applied to the first terminal. The drive circuit includes a capacitor which is charged when the switch element is in the OFF state, and applies a charged voltage between the control terminal and the first terminal of the switch element or between the control terminal and the second terminal of the switch element when the switch element is in the ON state.

Abstract: A step-up converter includes an inductor which receives input voltage Vi at one end, a first FET of the first conduction type which functions as a switch for determining whether or not energy is accumulated in the inductor, a second FET of the second conduction type which rectifies a current output from the other end of the inductor, an output capacitor having an end connected to the source of the second FET, a current detection circuit, and a feedback control circuit. The current detection circuit detects a current flowing through the first N-channel FET to output current detection signal Vc. The feedback control circuit controls the operations of the first N-channel FET and a P-channel FET based on current detection signal Vc.

Abstract: A current detection circuit of the present invention has a switching device 1; an auxiliary switching device 2; an offset voltage source comprising an offset resistor device 7 and a current source circuit 8; a compensation circuit, comprising a differential amplifier 4 and a compensation transistor 5, for adjusting the output current of the auxiliary switching device 2 so that the potential obtained by subtracting the voltage drop across the offset resistor device 7 from the output potential of the switching device 1 is equal to the output potential of the auxiliary switching device 2, being configured that the detection level of the current flowing in the switching device 1 is shifted by an offset amount.

Abstract: The present invention provides a current-mode control step-up converter capable of reducing the minimum duty ratio to a sufficiently small value and facilitating the setting of the maximum duty ratio. The step-up converter comprises a current detector 9 for generating a current detection signal Vc corresponding to the current of a rectifier 4; an error amplifier 8 for generating an error signal Ve corresponding to an output DC voltage Vo; and a control circuit 10 for turning ON/OFF the main switch 3 on the basis of the current detection signal Vc and the error signal Ve. The control circuit 10 comprises a comparator 11 and a timer circuit 12. With this configuration, the ON time of the main switch 3 is set at a predetermined value, and the valley value of an inductor current changing in a triangular waveform is controlled. Hence, the OFF time of the main switch is adjusted to stabilize the output.

Abstract: The present invention provides an efficient multi-output power supply apparatus that enables a reduction in the on voltage of a main switch in a step-down power supply circuit or the like over a wide input range from a low input to a high input. The power supply apparatus includes a first power supply circuit that increases an input voltage from an input power source to output a first output voltage Vo1, and a second power supply circuit that outputs a second output voltage Vo2 obtained from the input voltage via a main switch circuit connected to the input power source. The main switch circuit having a first switch element that is a PMOS transistor and a second switch element that is an NMOS transistor connected to each other in parallel. The first output voltage Vo1 is applied to a gate of the second switch element.

Abstract: In a DC-DC converter conforming to the current mode control system, in which the valley value of an inductor current is controlled for output control, a current detection circuit 6 is configured to detect the current flowing from a low-side FET 2 to an inductor 3 using an FET 60, an NPN transistor 61, an NPN transistor 62, a PNP transistor 64, a PNP transistor 65 and a resistor 66, to detect the current flowing from the inductor 3 to the low-side FET 2 using an FET 67, a differential amplifier 68, an FET 69 and the resistor 66, and to output a current detection signal Vc.

Abstract: The switching regulator comprises a main switch, a rectifier switch, an RS-flipflop, a judging unit, an edge pulse generator, a second prohibiting unit, and a reference voltage source. When a voltage drop caused due to an on-resistance of the main switch exceeds a predetermined value, the judging unit sets a set signal of the RS-flipflop at a high level, and thereby an overcurrent is cut off. The edge pulse generator monitors a gate voltage of the rectifier switch, and sets a prohibition signal at a high level for a predetermined time period from the trailing edge. Then, the second prohibiting unit sets the set signal at a low level, and prohibits cutting the overcurrent off. Herewith, the likelihood that the main switch will be destroyed by the overcurrent can be reduced.

Abstract: A power supply device includes an inductor controlled by switching to be charged or discharged such that a DC input voltage is boosted and a capacitor which smoothes the boosted voltage to generate a DC output voltage. Specifically, the power supply device further includes a transistor connected between the inductor and the capacitor to carry out a rectification function; an output voltage determination circuit which refers to the DC input voltage and the DC output voltage to determine the level of these voltages; and a current control circuit which controls a current flowing through the transistor such that the current has a predetermined value when the output voltage determination circuit determines that the DC output voltage is lower than the DC input voltage.

Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit (10A) which converts an input supply voltage (Vi=2.5 to 4 V) applied to an input terminal (P1) into a first output voltage (Vo1=5 V) and outputs the first output voltage from an output terminal (P2), includes a first control circuit (17) which supplies a switching unit (11, 12, 13, 14) interposed between the input terminal (P1) and the output terminal (P2) with a switching signal so as to bring a feedback voltage (Vf1) based on an output voltage of the output terminal (P2) close to a target value; and an external setting terminal (P3) which sets the feedback voltage (Vf1) to a prescribed potential regardless of voltage of the output terminal (P2).

Abstract: To securely detect the short-circuited state of a rectifier without detecting current and to protect a switching device in a DC-DC converter, in a state in which the potential at the connection point of the rectifier and the switching device is detected and a drive signal turns ON the switching device, the protection circuit of the DC-DC converter is configured to securely turn OFF the switching device when the potential at the connection point is a predetermined potential or more.

Abstract: A step-up power supply device includes: a step-up converter; a startup circuit which controls the on/off operation of a switch element of the step-up converter when an output voltage of the device is smaller than a reference voltage; and a control circuit which operates in substitution for the startup circuit when the output voltage is higher than the reference voltage to control the on/off operation of the switch element such that the output voltage reaches a target value.