POWER SUPPLY APPARATUS

[0001] The present invention relates to a power supply apparatus, and more particularly to a power supply apparatus incorporating a backlight driving circuit and a power circuit to share a same transformer and a same power switcher.

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to a power supply apparatus, and more particularly to a power supply apparatus incorporating a backlight driving circuit and a power circuit to share a same transformer and a same power switcher.

[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0005] Most recent large-scale LCD TVs still utilize cold cathode fluorescent lamps as backlights. The cold cathode fluorescent lamp introduced in an LCD TV is generally driven by an internal lamp inverter while the other portions of circuitry in the LCD TV are driven by a system power; that is, there are distinct ways of supplying power to the lamp inverter and to the other portions of circuitry in the LCD. Moreover, output voltages of the system power are typically 24V, 12V, 5V, and the output voltage of a standby power is 5V.

[0006] In addition to the above-mentioned power supplying methods, a 2-in-1 switching power supply is also seen in commercial fields, wherein the 2-in-1 switching power supply means that the lamp inverter and the system power are incorporated. Please refer to FIG.1 , which illustrates a block diagram of a 2-in-1 switching power supply apparatus 100 introduced in conventional LCD TVs. The 2-in-1 switching power supply apparatus 100 includes an AC-DC converter 105, a lamp inverter 110, a DC-DC Converter 115 for supplying a system power, and a DC-DC Converter 120 for supplying a standby power, wherein the lamp inverter 110 is utilized for providing voltages required by a plurality of lamps L₁-L_N. Also, the lamp inverter 110 includes a power switcher 125a, a transformer 130a, a high voltage transformer array 135, and a feedback and driving circuit 140a. The DC-DC Converter 115 supplies the system power VO₁-VO_M required by the other portions of circuitry in the LCD TV. The DC-DC Converter 115 includes a power switcher 125b, a transformer 130b, a rectifier and filter array 136, and a feedback and driving circuit 140b. The DC-DC Converter 120 provides a standby power VSS, and includes a power switcher 125c, a transformer 130c, a rectifier and filter circuit 137, and a feedback and driving circuit 140c. Due to the needs of three independent transformers 130a˜130c, three independent power switchers 125a˜125c, and three independent feedback and driving circuits 140a-140c between the primary-side winding and the secondary-side, the hardware costs of the 2-in-1 switching power supply apparatus 100 is quite high. Moreover, as the system power introduces a fly-back conversion scheme and operates with a relatively low duty ratio, the transformer 130b of the DC-DC converter 115 reduces the entire power conversion efficiency of the 2-in-1 switching power supply apparatus 100. Also, high component count means the 2-in-1 switching power supply apparatus 100 is formed with a larger size.

[0007] Thus, to eliminate the drawbacks of the conventional 2-in-1 switching power supply apparatus, such as higher costs, lower power conversion efficiency, and more components, one objective of the present invention is to provide an improved 2-in-1 power supply apparatus having low hardware cost, high power conversion efficiency, and fewer components in order to provide power for backlights that utilize cold cathode fluorescent lamps or external electrode fluorescent lamps in liquid crystal products.

[0008] The embodiments of the present invention are not only applied to backlights using fluorescent lamps. In other words, another important objective of the present invention is to provide a power supply apparatus incorporating a backlight driving circuit and a power circuit (such as a power circuit supplying a system power or a standby power) which share a same transformer and a same power switcher, thereby gaining a competitive edge with regards to hardware costs, power conversion efficiency, and number of components.

[0009] According to one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a power supply apparatus is disclosed. The power supply apparatus includes an open loop power switcher, a power isolation transformer, a backlight driving circuit, and a power circuit, wherein the open loop power switcher converts a direct current (DC) power into an alternating current (AC) input voltage; the power isolation transformer is coupled to the open loop power switcher and includes a primary-side winding, a first winding and a second winding, wherein the first and second windings are disposed at a secondary-side of the power isolation transformer and the first winding is employed for generating a first voltage signal according to the AC input voltage; and the backlight driving circuit is coupled to the first winding of the power isolation transformer, and is employed for driving a backlight module according to the first voltage signal. The power circuit is coupled to the second winding of the power isolation transformer, and is employed for receiving a second voltage signal generated from the second winding according to the AC input voltage in order to generate an output power signal.

[0010] These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.

[0022] Please refer to FIG. 2A, which illustrates a diagram of a power supply apparatus 200 according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The power supply apparatus 200 includes an AC-DC converter 205, an open loop power switcher 210, a power isolation transformer 215, a backlight driving circuit 220, a power circuit 225, and a DC-DC converter 230 which provides a standby power V_SS. The open loop power switcher 210 provides an AC input voltage V_AC according to a DC power S_in′ that is converted and output by the AC-DC converter 205. The power isolation transformer 215 is coupled to the open loop power switcher 210 and includes a primary-side winding, a first winding, and a second winding (not shown in FIG. 2A for the sake of brevity). The first and second windings are disposed at a secondary-side of the power isolation transformer 215. The first winding generates a first voltage signal V₁ according to the AC input voltage V_AC. Additionally, the backlight driving circuit (also called the lamp driving circuit) 220 is coupled to the first winding of the power isolation transformer 215, and drives a plurality of lamps L₁-L_N of the backlight module 235 according to the first voltage signal V₁. The power circuit 225 is coupled to the second winding of the power isolation transformer 215, and receives a second voltage signal V₂ which is generated by the second winding in accordance with the AC input voltage V_AC for the purpose of generating one or more output power signals. In this exemplary embodiment, a plurality of output power signals VO₁-VO_M (actually voltage signals) is generated. Moreover, the operation and function regarding the DC-DC converter 230 in FIG. 2A is similar to that of the DC-DC converter 120 shown in FIG. 1, so detailed descriptions are omitted here.

[0023] As shown in the figure, the backlight driving circuit 220 and the power circuit 225 respectively provide voltages VO₁-VO_M desired by the lamps L₁-L_N and by the system power. The backlight driving circuit 220 and the power circuit 225 share the same open loop power switcher 210 and the same power isolation transformer 215, causing the power supply apparatus 200 to be of low cost, high power conversion efficiency, and low complexity. Due to this sharing of components, the open loop power switcher 210, the power isolation transformer 215, and backlight driving circuit 220 can be deemed as a lamp inverter inside the power supply apparatus 200. The open loop power switcher 210, the power isolation transformer 215, and the power circuit 225 can be deemed as a system power of the power supply apparatus 200.

[0024] More specifically, the backlight driving circuit 220 comprises a lamp current and dimming control module 2205 and a lamp driving module 2210, and the power circuit 225 comprises a rectifier and filter module 2215 and a regulation module 2220. The lamp current and dimming control module 2205 is employed for receiving the first voltage signal V₁ to generate a voltage control signal V_C which is employed for controlling the current and luminance of the lamps L₁-L_N. In this embodiment, the lamp driving module 2210 is a high voltage transformer array and generates a plurality of first output driving signals according to the voltage control signal in order to respectively drive the lamps L₁-L_N directly; herein the backlight driving circuit 220 can be regarded as a single-push lamp driving circuit. The rectifier and filter module 2215 is coupled to the second winding of the power isolation transformer 215, and is employed for rectifying the second voltage signal V₂ and filtering the rectified second voltage signal to eventually provide the output voltages VO₁-VO_M. Furthermore, the regulation module 2220 is coupled to the rectifier and filter module 2215, and is employed for regulating the output voltages VO₁-VO_M generated from the rectifier and filter module 2215.

[0025] Compared with the conventional power supply apparatus 100, since the open loop power switcher 210 is designed as an open-loop circuit, it is able to be shared by the backlight driving circuit 220 and the power circuit 225. In other words, the power supply apparatus 200 does not feedback the signal regarding the secondary-side of the power isolation transformer 215 (e.g. the voltage signal V₁ generated from the first winding) to the open loop power switcher 210 for performing operations of lamp current control and dimming control, but instead employs the lamp current and dimming control module 2205 at the secondary-side of the power isolation transformer 215 for performing operations of lamp current control and dimming control directly. As a result, in this exemplary embodiment, the power supply apparatus 200 still has a competitive edge of fewer components by sharing the same open loop power switcher 210 and the same power isolation transformer 215, though it includes the additional lamp current and dimming control module 2205.

[0026] Other modifications of the power supply apparatus 200 can be seen in FIG. 2B-2D, which respectively illustrate diagrams of the power supply apparatus 200 according to second, third, and fourth exemplary embodiments of the present invention. First, referring to FIG. 2B, the biggest difference between the second exemplary embodiment and the first exemplary embodiment is that the lamp driving module 2210 contains a high voltage transformer 2216 and a lamp current balance module 2221, wherein the high voltage transformer 2216 is coupled to the lamp current and dimming control module 2205, and is employed for generating a transformer output signal S_TXO according to the voltage control signal V_C. The lamp current balance module 2221 is coupled to the high voltage transformer 2216, and is employed for generating a plurality of first output driving signals S₁-S_N according to the transformer output signal S_TXO in order to drive the plurality of the lamps L₁-L_N. The lamp driving module 2210 employs the high voltage transformer 2216 and the lamp current balance module 2221 to respectively drive the lamps L₁-L_N, which is different from the high voltage transformer array introduced in the first exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2A. The operations regarding other portions of circuitry shown in FIG. 2B are the same as those in FIG. 2A except for the high voltage transformer 2216 and the lamp current balance module 2221.

[0027] Furthermore, referring to FIG. 2C, the main difference between the third exemplary embodiment and the first exemplary embodiment is that the lamp driving module 2210 shown in FIG. 2C contains two high voltage transformer arrays 2230a and 2230b, wherein the high voltage transformer array 2230a is coupled to the lamp current and dimming control module 2205, and is employed for respectively generating a plurality of transformer output signals into each first terminal of the plurality of the lamps L₁-L_N according to the voltage control signals V_C in order to generate output driving signals S₁-S_N to drive the plurality of the lamps L₁-L_N. Additionally, the high voltage transformer array 2230b is coupled to the lamp current and dimming control module 2205, and is employed for respectively generating a plurality of second transformer output signals into each second terminal (another terminal) of the plurality of the lamps L₁-L_N according to the voltage control signal V_C in order to generate output driving signals S₁′-S_N′ to drive the plurality of the lamps L₁-L_N. To put it precisely, the backlight module 235 could use longer lamps L₁-L_N, so the lamp driving module 2210 is designed to include two high voltage transformer arrays 2230a and 2230b for respectively driving the lamps L₁-L_N directly from two opposite terminals of each lamp so that the luminance of every part of the lamps L₁-L_N is closer to uniform. Please note that the backlight driving circuit 220 herein can be regarded as a push-push lamp driving circuit. The operations regarding other portions of circuitry shown in FIG. 2C are the same as those in FIG. 2A except for the high voltage transformer arrays 2230a and 2230b, so detailed descriptions are omitted here for the sake of brevity.

[0028] Referring to FIG. 2D, the main difference between the fourth exemplary embodiment and the first exemplary embodiment is that the lamp driving module 2210 shown in FIG. 2D includes two high voltage transformers 2235a and 2235b and two lamp current balance modules 2240a and 2240b, wherein the high voltage transformers 2235a and 2235b are respectively coupled to the lamp current and dimming control module 2205, and are respectively employed for generating a first and a second transformer output signal S_TXO and S_TXO′ according to the voltage control signal V_C. The lamp current balance module 2240a is coupled to the high voltage transformer 2235a, and is employed for respectively generating a plurality of output driving signals S₁-S_N into each first terminal of the plurality of the lamps L₁-L_N according to the first transformer output signal S_TXO. The lamp current balance module 2240b is coupled to the high voltage transformer 2235b, and is employed for respectively generating a plurality of output driving signals S₁′-S_N′ into each second terminal (another terminal) of the plurality of the lamps L₁-L_N according to the second transformer output signal S_TXO′. Such design is meant to correspond to the condition of the lamps L₁-L_N having longer lengths. Thus, the lamp driving module 2210 is designed to include two high voltage transformers 2235a and 2235b and two lamp current balance modules 2240a and 2240b for respectively driving the lamps L₁-L_N directly from two opposite terminals of each lamp so that the luminance of every part of the lamps L₁-L_N is closer to uniform. Please note that the backlight driving circuit 220 herein can be regarded as a push-push lamp driving circuit. The operations regarding other portions of circuitry shown in FIG. 2D are the same as those in FIG. 2A except for high voltage transformers 2235a and 2235b and two lamp current balance modules 2240a and 2240b.

[0029] In other preferred exemplary embodiments, a backlight driving circuit, a system power, and a standby power are incorporated so that these three circuits share a same open loop power switcher and a same power isolation transformer. Please refer to FIGS. 3A-3D, which respectively illustrate fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth exemplary embodiment of the power supply apparatus 300 according to the present invention. First of all, as shown in FIG. 3A, the power supply apparatus 300 includes an AC-DC converter 305, an open loop power switcher 310, a power isolation transformer 315, a backlight driving circuit 320, and two power circuits 325 and 330, wherein the operation and function regarding the AC-DC converter 305 shown in FIG. 3A are the same as those regarding the AC-DC converter 205 shown in FIG. 2A. The backlight driving circuit 320 and the backlight driving circuit 220 shown in FIG. 2A both have an identical design, respectively utilizing the backlight driving circuit 3210 and 2210 (or so called high voltage transformer array) to directly drive the lamps L₁-L_N. Also, the power circuit 325 for supplying the system power has an identical design with the power circuit 225 shown in FIG. 2A. It should be noted that the major difference between the exemplary embodiments shown in FIG. 3A and in FIG. 2A is that the power circuit 330 (which includes a rectifier and filter module 3301) utilized for providing the standby power in FIG. 3A is coupled to a third winding (not shown) of the power isolation transformer 315, and receives a third voltage signal V₃ generated from the third winding according to the AC input voltage V_AC in order to generate an output power signal V_SS, thereby providing an output voltage of the standby power. In other words, the open loop power switcher 310, the power isolation transformer 315, and the power circuit 330 form the standby power of the power supply apparatus 300. The standby power and the lamp inverter (composed of the open loop power switcher 310, the power isolation transformer 315, and the backlight driving circuit 320) share the same open loop power switcher 310 and the same power isolation transformer 315. Moreover, for the standby function, the power supply apparatus 300 further comprises a standby mode green control circuit 340 and a standby mode ON/OFF control circuit 345, wherein when receiving a green control signal of the standby mode ON/OFF control circuit 345, the standby mode green control circuit 340 activates a corresponding green control configuration to control the operation of the open loop power switcher 310, thereby achieving the objective of energy saving. Meanwhile, the standby mode ON/OFF control circuit 345 also sends the green control signal to the AC-DC converter 305, the lamp current and dimming control module 3205, and the regulation module 325 which provides the system power in order to shutdown the output function of each circuit for the purpose of entering the green mode.

[0030] Please refer to FIG. 3B. The major difference between the exemplary embodiments shown in FIG. 3B and FIG. 3A is that the lamp driving module 3210 in FIG. 3B includes a high voltage transformer 3216 and a lamp current balance module 3221. Such design is different from the high voltage transformer array introduced in FIG. 3A. The operations and functions regarding the high voltage transformer 3216 and the lamp current balance module 3221 are respectively identical to those regarding the high voltage transformer 2216 and the lamp current balance module 2221 shown in FIG. 2B. Accordingly, the operations regarding other portions of circuitry of the power supply apparatus 300 shown in FIG. 3B are the same as those of the power supply apparatus 300 shown in FIG. 3A except for the high voltage transformer 3216 and the lamp current balance module 3221. Thus, detailed descriptions about the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 3B are omitted here.

[0031] Additionally, as for the seventh embodiment of the present invention, the major difference between the exemplary embodiments in FIG. 3C and FIG. 3A is that the lamp driving module 3210 in FIG. 3C includes two high voltage transformer arrays 3230a and 3230b, which is meant to correspond to the condition of the backlight module 335 introducing lamps L₁˜L_N with longer length. Consequently, the lamp driving module 3210 is designed to include two high voltage transformer arrays 3230a and 3230b in order to respectively drive the lamps L₁-L_N directly from two opposite terminals of each lamp so that the luminance of every part of the lamps L₁-L_N is closer to uniform. Please note that the backlight driving circuit 320 herein can be regarded as a push-push lamp driving circuit. The operations and functions of the high voltage transformer arrays 3230a and 3230b shown in FIG. 3C are respectively the same as those of high voltage transformer arrays 2230a and 2230b shown in FIG. 2C, so detailed descriptions are omitted here for the sake of brevity. The operations regarding the other portions of circuitry of power supply apparatus 300 in FIG. 3C are the same as those of the power supply apparatus 300 in FIG. 3A except for the high voltage transformer arrays 3230a and 3230b, so detailed descriptions are omitted here.

[0032] As for the eighth exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the major difference between the exemplary embodiments shown in FIG. 3D and in FIG. 3C is that the lamp driving module 3210 includes two high voltage transformers 3235a and 3235b, and two lamp current balance modules 3240a and 3240b, which is for handling the condition of the lamps L₁-L_N having longer lengths. Thus, the lamp driving module 3210 is designed to include two high voltage transformers 3235a and 3235b and two lamp current balance modules 3240a and 3240b, for respectively driving the lamps L₁-L_N directly from two opposite terminals of each lamp so that the luminance of every part of the lamps L₁-L_N is closer to uniform. Please note that the backlight driving circuit 320 herein can be regarded as a push-push lamp driving circuit. The operations and functions of the high voltage transformers 3235a and 3235b and the lamp current balance module 3240a and 3240b shown in FIG. 3D are respectively the same as those of the high voltage transformers 2235a and 2235b and the lamp current balance modules 2240a and 2240b shown in FIG. 2D. Also, the operations regarding the other portions of circuitry of power supply apparatus 300 in FIG. 3D are the same as those of the power supply apparatus 300 in FIG. 3A except for the high voltage transformers 3235a and 3235b and the lamp current balance modules 3240a and 3240b, so detailed descriptions are omitted here for the sake of brevity.

[0033] The lamp current and dimming control module 2205 described above in the first, second, third, and fourth exemplary embodiments can be further designed as the circuitry shown in FIG. 4. The lamp current and dimming control module 3205 described above in the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth exemplary embodiments can also be designed as the same circuitry shown in FIG.4. Both these modifications fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 4, the lamp current and dimming control module 2205 includes a current detection unit 405, a variable impedance unit 410 (which is implemented with a inductor), a driving unit 415, a feedback unit 420, an AC switch 425, and a pulse width modulation (PWM) dimming control unit 430, wherein the current detection unit 405 detects a current of the first voltage signal V₁ and accordingly generates a detection result S_det, which is fed back to the feedback unit 420. The two terminals of the variable impedance unit 410 are respectively coupled to the current detection unit 405 and a terminal (a positive terminal) of a transformer. It should be noted that the transformers in different exemplary embodiments may be distinct. For instance, the transformer in FIG. 2A is the high voltage transformer array 2210; the transformer in FIG. 2B is the high voltage transformer 2216; the transformer in FIG. 2C is the high voltage transformer array 2230a; and the transformer in FIG. 2D is the high voltage transformer 2235a. Additionally, the driving unit 415 is coupled to the variable impedance unit 410, and is employed for controlling an impedance of the variable impedance unit 410. The feedback unit 420 is coupled to the current detection unit 405 and the driving unit 415. The AC switch 425 is coupled to the first winding of the power isolation transformer 215 and another terminal (a negative terminal) of the above-mentioned transformer. The PWM dimming control unit 430 is coupled to the AC switch 425 and the feedback unit 420, is employed for controlling the ON/OFF timing of the AC switch 425 according to a PWM control mechanism, and is employed for generating a dimming control signal S_C to the feedback unit 420, wherein the feedback unit 420 adjusts the impedance of the variable impedance unit 410 through the driving unit 415 by referencing the dimming control signal S_C and the detection result S_det in order to adjust the current of the first output driving signals S₁-S_N which are employed for driving the lamps L₁-L_N. By means of the adjustment performed by the lamp current and dimming control module 2205, the objectives of improving the stability of lamp current and dimming are achieved.

[0035] Please refer to FIG. 5, which illustrates a diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the open loop power switcher 210 introduced in the first, second, third, and fourth exemplary embodiments described above. As shown in FIG. 5, the open loop power switcher 210 comprises at least two transistors Q₁ and Q₂, a capacitor C₁, a resistor R₁, an open loop current mode PWM controller 505, and a lamp striking (lighting) control module 510. The drain of the transistor Q₁ is coupled to the DC power S_in and a terminal of the primary-side winding W_p of the power isolation transformer 215 (W₁ and W₂ shown in the figure represent, respectively, the first winding and the second winding of the secondary-side); the source of the transistor Q₁ is coupled to the drain of the transistor Q₂ and the capacitor C₁; and the gate of the transistor Q₁ is coupled to the open loop current mode PWM controller 505. The drain of transistor Q₂ is also coupled to the capacitor C₁; the source is coupled to the resistor R1 and the open loop current mode PWM controller 505; and the gate of transistor Q₂ is also coupled to the open loop current mode PWM controller 505. Another terminal (V_AC) of the capacitor C₁ is coupled to another terminal (V_AC) of the primary-side winding W_p of the power isolation transformer 215. One terminal of the resistor R₁ is coupled to the source of the transistor Q₂. Another terminal of the resistor R₁ is coupled to the ground. Also, the open loop current mode PWM controller 505 is employed for respectively controlling conductive states of the transistors Q₁ and Q₂. The lamp striking (lighting) control module 510 is coupled to the open loop current mode PWM controller 505 and is employed for controlling the open loop current mode PWM controller 505 in order to further control the lamp striking (lighting) procedure of lamps L₁-L_N. Even though this exemplary embodiment is explained with a half-bridge conversion scheme, the open loop power switcher 210 is not limited to this kind of conversion scheme, and could also be a full-bridge conversion scheme.

[0036] Compared to the conventional switching power supply apparatus 100, the conventional switching power supply apparatus 100 performs dimming control when lamp striking (lighting). Accordingly, the load variation caused by the lamp will be fed back to the conventional power switcher 125a through the feedback and control circuit 140a, causing power instability. However, the open loop power switcher 210 shown in FIG. 5 is designed as an open loop circuit, which prevents the system power instability caused by load variation. As a result, the above-mentioned problems are eliminated, and the open loop current mode PWM controller 505 is designed into a current mode control mechanism of 50% duty cycle, which is capable of controlling the power conversion efficiency to be at its best level, thereby giving the present invention the advantage of very high power conversion efficiency. The present invention therefore accomplishes the objective of zero voltage switching, and is able to limit the peak power output within a reasonable range. Even though the open loop power switcher theoretically makes lamp dimming more difficult than before, the present invention introduces a lamp current and dimming control module 2205 disposed at the secondary-side of the power isolation transformer 215 for performing lamp dimming, thereby overcoming this difficulty. As described previously, the open loop power switcher 210 can also be implemented with a full bridge conversion scheme and in the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth exemplary embodiments, the open loop power switcher 310 can also be implemented with the same circuitry as the open loop power switcher 210 shown in FIG. 5. All modifications mentioned here fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0037] Moreover, person skilled in the art should be capable of devising the implementations of only the lamp inverter and the standby power sharing a same open loop power switcher and a same power isolation transformer after reading the teachings of the present invention. Accordingly, exemplary embodiments set forth can be properly modified to be applied to a backlight module composed of a single lamp, or a backlight module composed of other similar backlight components, which also conforms to the spirit of the present invention. Alternatively, in the foregoing exemplary embodiments, the regulator module 2220/3220 which supplies voltages VO₁-VO_M required by the system power are optional components; that is, the power circuit 225 could be implemented without the regulator module 2220 in another exemplary embodiment and the power circuit 325 could be implemented without the regulator module 3220 in another exemplary embodiment. These modifications also fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0038] Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention.