Detailed Operating Description

The LM5115 controller contains all of the features necessary

to implement multiple output power converters utilizing the

Secondary Side Post Regulation (SSPR) technique. The

SSPR technique develops a highly efficient and well regu-

lated auxiliary output from the secondary side switching

waveform of an isolated power converter. Regulation of the

auxiliary output voltage is achieved by leading edge pulse

width modulation (PWM) of the main channel duty cycle.

Leading edge modulation is compatible with either current

mode or voltage mode control of the main output. The

LM5115 drives external high side and low side NMOS power

switches configured as a synchronous buck regulator. A

current sense amplifier provides overload protection and

operates over a wide common mode input range from 0V to

12V. Additional features include a low dropout (LDO) bias

regulator, error amplifier, precision reference, adaptive dead

time control of the gate driver signals and thermal shutdown.

A programmable oscillator provides a PWM clock signal

when the LM5115 is powered by a dc input (free-run mode)

instead of the phase signal of the main channel converter

(SSPR mode).

Low Drop-out Bias Regulator

(VCC)

The LM5115 contains an internal LDO regulator that oper-

ates over an input supply range from 4.5V to 30V. The output

of the regulator at the VCC pin is nominally regulated at 7V

and is internally current limited to 40mA. VCC is the main

supply to the internal logic, PWM controller, and gate driver

circuits. When power is applied to the VBIAS pin, the regu-

lator is enabled and sources current into an external capaci-

tor connected to the VCC pin. The recommended output

capacitor range for the VCC regulator is 0.1uF to 100uF.

When the voltage at the VCC pin reaches the VCC under-

voltage lockout threshold of 4.25V, the controller is enabled.

The controller is disabled if VCC falls below 4.0V (250mV

hysteresis). In applications where an appropriate regulated

dc bias supply is available, the LM5115 controller can be

powered directly through the VCC pin instead of the VBIAS

pin. In this configuration, it is recommended that the VCC

and the VBIAS pins be connected together such that the

external bias voltage is applied to both pins. The allowable

VCC range when biased from an external supply is 4.5V to

7V.

Synchronization (SYNC) and

Feed-forward (RAMP)

The pulsing “phase signal” from the main converter synchro-

nizes the PWM ramp and gate drive outputs of the LM5115.

The phase signal is the square wave output from the trans-

former secondary winding before rectification (Figure 1). A

resistor connected from the phase signal to the low imped-

ance SYNC pin produces a square wave current (I

shown in Figure 2. A current comparator at the SYNC input

monitors I

I

and the capacitor connected to the RAMP begins to charge.

The current source that charges the RAMP capacitor is

equal to 3 times the I

phase signal sets the CLK signal and discharges the RAMP

capacitor until the next rising edge of the phase signal. The

RAMP capacitor is discharged to ground by a low imped-

ance (100

Ω) n-channel MOSFET. The input impedance at

SYNC pin is 2.5k

Ω which is normally much less than the

external SYNC pin resistance.

The RAMP and SYNC functions illustrated in Figure 2 pro-

vide line voltage feed-forward to improve the regulation of

the auxiliary output when the input voltage of the main

converter changes. Varying the input voltage to the main

converter produces proportional variations in amplitude of

the phase signal. The main channel PWM controller adjusts

the pulse width of the phase signal to maintain constant

volt*seconds and a regulated main output as shown in Fig-

ure 3. The variation of the phase signal amplitude and dura-

tion are reflected in the slope and duty cycle of the RAMP

signal of the LM5115 (I

SYNC

α phase signal amplitude). As a

result, the duty cycle of the LM5115 is automatically adjusted

to regulate the auxiliary output voltage with virtually no

change in the PWM threshold voltage. Transient line regu-

20134912

FIGURE 2. Line Feed-forward Diagram

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