Application Note AN-1214: LED Buck Converter Design Using The IRS2505L

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 16

Application Note AN-1214

LED Buck Converter Design Using the IRS2505L


By Ektoras Bakalakos

Table of Contents
Page
1. Introduction ..................................................................................... 2
2. Buck Converter ............................................................................... 2
3. Peak Current Control ...................................................................... 5
4. Zero-Crossing Detection ................................................................. 5
5. IC Start-Up and Supply Circuitry ..................................................... 6
6. Buck LED Design Example 1: Offline Converter ............................. 8
7. Buck LED Design Example 2: DCDC Converter ............................. 9
8. PCB Layout Considerations ............................................................ 11
9. Conclusion ...................................................................................... 13
10. Appendix 1: Reference Design ....................................................... 14
11. References ..................................................................................... 16
12. Revision History .............................................................................. 16

www.irf.com AN-1214 1
January 2015
1. Introduction
The IRS2505L SOT-23 control IC is a versatile solution for controlling power
supplies in PFC Boost, Flyback, Buck, or Buck-Boost applications. This app note
will cover the use of the IRS2505L in a peak current control Critical Conduction
Mode (CrCM) Buck converter for LED driving. The IC includes all of the
necessary circuitry to control the Buck converter on and off times, regulate the
output current, and protect against over-current fault conditions. During the
design of the Buck circuit, special care should be taken when generating the
circuit schematic, selecting component values and ratings, and generating the
PCB layout. This application note provides detailed design information to help
speed up design time and avoid circuit problems that can occur due to wrong
component values or ratings, incorrect programming of IC parameters, and noise
susceptibility. Helpful information is included for designing the PFC circuit,
designing the IC supply circuitry, and using the IC protection features. PCB
layout guidelines are also included to help avoid noise problems that can cause
circuit malfunction or poor power supply performance. Finally, an excel
spreadsheet design tool (“IRS2505L Buck LED Design Calculator”) [2] is also
included that contains all of the necessary calculations described in this
application note.

2. Buck Converter

The IRS2505L operates in Critical-Conduction (or transition) Mode for the


Buck converter. The Buck circuit (Figure 1) includes an inductor (LBUCK), a
switch (MBUCK), and a diode (DBUCK). In this Buck configuration, the switch is
referenced to ground and the output is left floating. This enables simple driving of
the switch. During the on-time of the switch, the inductor current ramps up
linearly to a peak value (Figure 2). The peak value depends on the input voltage,
output voltage, inductor value and the on-time. During the off-time of the switch,
the inductor current flows through the diode to the load and discharges back
down linearly to zero. When the current reaches zero, the Buck switch is turned
on again and the cycle repeats.

www.irf.com AN-1214 2
January 2015
Rect (+) VOUT (+)

DBUCK COUT
LBUCK
VOUT (-)

CIN

MBUCK

Rect (-)
Figure 1: Buck converter with a floating output.

I LBUCK

I L,PEAK
VIN VOUT  VOUT
L L
IL, AVG

t
DT SW

T SW
Figure 2: Inductor current during critical-conduction mode.

To calculate the inductor value as a function of the desired switching frequency,


the following equations can be used. First, the following parameters need to be
defined:

𝑉𝐼𝑁 = Input voltage. May be DC or rectified AC. For AC, use the peak
voltage of the line (𝑉𝐴𝐶𝑃𝐾 = 𝑉𝐴𝐶𝑅𝑀𝑆 × √2)
𝑉𝑂𝑈𝑇 = Output voltage of the load, in this case the LED string.
𝜂 = Buck converter efficiency (typically 0.85)

www.irf.com AN-1214 3
January 2015
𝑓𝑆𝑊 = Buck switching frequency (occurs at the peak of nominal line
voltage for AC)
1
𝑇𝑆𝑊 = The switching period ( )
𝑓𝑆𝑊
𝐷 = Duty Cycle
𝐼𝐿,𝐴𝑉𝐺 = Average Buck inductor current
𝐼𝐿,𝑃𝐸𝐴𝐾 = Peak Buck inductor current
𝐿𝐵𝑈𝐶𝐾 = Buck Inductor
𝐼𝑂𝑈𝑇 = Output Current of the LED string
𝑃𝑂𝑈𝑇 = Output Power

The peak current of the Buck inductor can be calculated from the slope of the
inductor current from Figure 2, knowing the switching period 𝑇𝑆𝑊 and duty cycle
D of our converter:

(𝑉𝐼𝑁 −𝑉𝑂𝑈𝑇 )𝐷𝑇𝑆𝑊


𝐼𝐿,𝑃𝐸𝐴𝐾 = [A] [2.1]
𝐿𝐵𝑈𝐶𝐾

Where the duty cycle for the Buck converter is defined as:

𝑉𝑂𝑈𝑇
𝐷= [2.2]
𝑉𝐼𝑁

For a symmetric triangle as in Figure 2, the average value of the inductor current
is its peak divided by 2:

𝐼𝐿,𝑃𝐸𝐴𝐾
𝐼𝐿,𝐴𝑉𝐺 = [A] [2.3]
2

We can approximate the average inductor current to equal the output current:

𝐼𝐿,𝐴𝑉𝐺 = 𝐼𝑂𝑈𝑇 [A] [2.4]

Rearranging the equations leads to:

(𝑉𝐼𝑁 −𝑉𝑂𝑈𝑇 )𝐷𝑇𝑆𝑊


𝐼𝑂𝑈𝑇 = [A] [2.5]
2𝐿𝐵𝑈𝐶𝐾

By selecting the nominal Buck switching frequency 𝑓𝑆𝑊 the only unknown
remaining in equation 2.5 is the buck inductor, which we can solve for:
𝑉
(𝑉𝐼𝑁 −𝑉𝑂𝑈𝑇 )( 𝑂𝑈𝑇 )
𝑉𝐼𝑁
𝐿𝐵𝑈𝐶𝐾 = ∗ 106 [uH] [2.6]
2𝑓𝑆𝑊 𝐼𝑂𝑈𝑇

www.irf.com AN-1214 4
January 2015
3. Peak Current Control
To regulate the output LED current in a Buck converter, we will use the equations
derived earlier along with the IRS2505L control circuit. Figure 3 shows the control
circuit for the Buck converter.

Rect (+) VOUT (+)

RVCC1 DBUCK COUT


LBUCK
VOUT (-)
RVCC2
CMP VBUS CSN
1 5 RVCC3

IRS2505L
CCMP
CIN CZX RSN to VCC
COM
2
CVCC2
VCC PFC RG DVCC
3 4 MBUCK
CVCC1

CF RF
RCS

Rect (-)
Figure 3: IRS2505L Control Circuit for Buck Converter

The VBUS pin over-current threshold for the IRS2505L, VBUSOC+, is used to
regulate the peak current of the converter. At a test condition of VBUS=0V, the
VBUSOC+ typical value is 0.8V.

From the typical control circuit in Figure 3, the RCS resistor programs the peak
inductor current for peak current control during the on-time of the switch, which is
fed back to the VBUS pin through a low pass filter, RF and CF, filtering out
unwanted switching noise.

The value of RCS that gives the desired output LED current can be calculated by
rearranging equations 2.3-2.4 with Ohm’s law:

0.8𝑉
𝑅𝐶𝑆 = [Ohms] [3.1]
2𝐼𝑂𝑈𝑇

4. Zero-Crossing Detection

The zero-crossing detection of the PFC inductor current utilizes the gate drive pin
(PFC) together with the drain-to-gate capacitance of the external Buck MOSFET.
An additional capacitor, CZX, in Figure 3 is used to couple the zero crossing
information of the Buck inductor to the PFC pin to ensure proper detection in the
Buck topology. During the on-time, the gate drive pulls the gate of the external
Buck MOSFET up to VCC and turns the MOSFET on. The inductor ramps up to
a peak level (Figure 4). When the on-time ends, the gate is pulled to COM for a

www.irf.com AN-1214 5
January 2015
short delay and then increased and held at a given offset voltage, VPFCOFF
(0.6V, typical). When the Buck inductor current discharges to zero, the drain-gate
capacitance with the additional help of CZX “pulls” the gate signal below the
zero-crossing reset threshold, VPFCZX- (0.4V, typical), at the PFC pin and the
gate turns on again. This new and innovative method from IR is simple and does
not require a secondary winding from the inductor to detect zero-crossings.

A typical value for the CZX capacitor is 22pF.

GATE
VCC

VPFCOFF
VPFCZX-
t

ILBUCK

VDRAIN

DC BUS

t
OFF-TIME ON-TIME

Figure 4: Gate voltage (upper trace), Buck inductor current (middle trace), and
MOSFET drain voltage (lower trace) during normal on- and off-time switching
period.

5. IC Start-Up and Supply Circuitry

The external IC supply circuit is designed to perform two main functions:

www.irf.com AN-1214 6
January 2015
1) Supply the start-up and stand-by current to VCC.
2) Supply the necessary ICC current to VCC during all operating modes.

The start-up current to VCC is supplied by the start-up resistors, RVCC1 and
RVCC2, connected between the rectified input voltage and VCC (Figure 3). Two
resistors are used in order to properly withstand the high voltage between the
rectified BUS and VCC.

The values for resistors RVCC1 and RVCC2 are calculated using the desired
VCC start-up time (𝑡𝑆𝑇𝐴𝑅𝑇 ), the VCC capacitor value (𝐶𝑉𝐶𝐶1 ), the IC rising
VCCUV+ turn-on threshold (11.1V, typical) and the minimum rectified input
voltage (𝑉𝐼𝑁𝑀𝐼𝑁 ). The resistor values are calculated as:

−𝑡𝑆𝑇𝐴𝑅𝑇
𝑅𝑉𝐶𝐶1 = 𝑅𝑉𝐶𝐶2 ≅ 𝑉𝐶𝐶𝑈𝑉+ [sec] [5.1]
2𝐶𝑉𝐶𝐶1 ln(1− )
𝑉𝐼𝑁𝑀𝐼𝑁

The maximum power loss for resistors RVCC1 and RVCC2 occurs when the
rectified input voltage is at the maximum value of the specified input voltage
range. The power loss in each transistor is calculated as:

(𝑉𝐼𝑁𝑀𝐴𝑋 −𝑉𝐶𝐶)2
𝑃𝑅𝑉𝐶𝐶1 = 𝑃𝑅𝑉𝐶𝐶2 ≅ [Watts] [5.2]
2(𝑅𝑉𝐶𝐶1+𝑅𝑉𝐶𝐶2 )

The power loss and resulting temperature of RVCC1 and RVCC2 should be
measured on the bench under high input voltage conditions to make sure the
power rating of the resistors is adequate.

When the input voltage is first applied to the circuit, VCC ramps up with a time
constant given by RVCC1, RVCC2 and CVCC1 (see Figure 5). After VCC
exceeds VCCUV+, the IC turns on and the gate driver output (PFC pin) begins
oscillating. The PFC pin turns the external Buck MOSFET on and off causing the
drain node to switch between the rectified input and COM. The auxiliary VCC
supply circuit (CSN, RSN, DVCC, CVCC2, RVCC3) then takes over as the main
supply circuit for the IC and VCC increases up to the clamp voltage of the
external Zener diode on VCC (not shown, typically 14-16V).

www.irf.com AN-1214 7
January 2015
Figure 5: VCC (red) and PFC pin gate voltage (yellow) during normal start-up
conditions.

6. Buck LED Design Example 1: Offline Converter

All of the necessary design calculations have been included inside the excel
spreadsheet calculation tool (“IRS2505L Buck LED Design Calculator”) [2] that
accompanies this application note. The following design example calculations are
for a 9W LED driver with an offline 120VAC nominal input (+/-10%). Please use
the “AC” tab in the excel tool for this type of design. The input parameters for the
circuit are determined as the following:

𝑉𝐴𝐶,𝑁𝑂𝑀 = 120VAC
𝑉𝑂𝑈𝑇 = 25V
𝐼𝑂𝑈𝑇 = 350mA
𝑓𝑆𝑊,𝑁𝑂𝑀 = 100kHz

These values are input into the yellow fields of the “User Input
Parameters” section of the spreadsheet as follows:

User Input Parameters

Parameter User Input Value Units Description


VAC_nom 120 Vrms Nominal r.m.s. input voltage
VOUT_max 25 VDC Max Output LED String Voltage
IOUT_nom 0.35 A Nominal Output LED Current
POUT 8.75 W Output power
FSW_nom 100 kHz Nominal Switching Frequency

www.irf.com AN-1214 8
January 2015
The buck circuit calculations are then given in the green sections of the “Buck
Circuit Calculations” section of the spreadsheet as follows:

Buck Circuit Calculations

Parameter Calculated Value Units Description


I_LBUCK_peak 0.7 Apk Maximum peak inductor current
LBUCK 304 uH Buck inductor value

The IRS2505L programming components are then calculated in the green


sections of the “IRS2505L Programming Components” section using the yellow
fields as the user inputs. The red sections are fixed and typically should remain
fixed for different designs.

IRS2505L Programming Components

Parameter Calculated Value Units Description


CVCC1 10 uF VCC capacitor value (user input value)
CVCC2 0.1 uF VCC filter capacitor value (fixed)
RVCC1 120 k Ohms VCC start-up resistor no. 1 (user input)
RVCC2 120 k Ohms VCC start-up resistor no. 2 (user input)
RVCC3 10 Ohms VCC limit resistor (user input)
t_startup 231 msec VCC start-up time at VAC_min

RCS 1.14 Ohms Peak-current programming resistor value

RG 22 Ohms Gate resistor value (user input)


CSN 220 pF VCC charging capacitor (user input)
RSN 10 Ohms VCC charging resistor (user input)
CZX 22 pF ZX coupling capacitor (fixed)
RF 1.0 k Ohms Current-sense filter resistor value (fixed)
CF 100 pF Current-sense filter capacitor value (fixed)
CCMP 10.0 nF CMP pin compensation capacitor value (fixed)

The corresponding circuit (Figure 3) for all of these calculations is also given
inside the spreadsheet.

7. Buck LED Design Example 2: DCDC Converter

All of the necessary design calculations have been included inside the excel
spreadsheet calculation tool (“IRS2505L Buck LED Design Calculator”) [2] that
accompanies this application note. The following design example calculations are
for a 9W LED driver with a DC input voltage varying from 40-60V. Please use the

www.irf.com AN-1214 9
January 2015
“DC” tab in the excel tool for this type of design. The input parameters for the
circuit are determined as the following:

𝑉𝐼𝑁,𝑀𝐼𝑁 = 40V
𝑉𝐼𝑁,𝑀𝐴𝑋 = 60V
𝑉𝑂𝑈𝑇 = 25V
𝐼𝑂𝑈𝑇 = 350mA
𝑓𝑆𝑊,𝑀𝐼𝑁 = 100kHz

These values are input into the yellow fields of the “User Input Parameters”
section of the spreadsheet as follows:

User Input Parameters

Parameter User Input Value Units Description


VIN_min 40 VDC Min DC input voltage
VIN_max 60 VDC Max DC input voltage
VOUT_max 25 VDC Max Output LED String Voltage
IOUT_nom 0.35 A Nominal Output LED Current
POUT 8.75 W Output power
FSW_min 100 kHz Minimum Switching Frequency

The buck circuit calculations are then given in the green sections of the “Buck
Circuit Calculations” section of the spreadsheet as follows:

Buck Circuit Calculations

Parameter Calculated Value Units Description


I_LBUCK_peak 0.7 Apk Maximum peak inductor current
LBUCK 134 uH Buck inductor value
FSW_max 156 kHz Maximum Switching Frequency

The IRS2505L programming components are then calculated in the green


sections of the “IRS2505L Programming Components” section using the yellow
fields as the user inputs. The red sections are fixed and typically should remain
fixed for different designs.

www.irf.com AN-1214 10
January 2015
IRS2505L Programming Components

Parameter Calculated Value Units Description


CVCC1 10 uF VCC capacitor value (user input value)
CVCC2 0.1 uF VCC filter capacitor value (fixed)
RVCC1 47 k Ohms VCC start-up resistor no. 1 (user input)
RVCC2 47 k Ohms VCC start-up resistor no. 2 (user input)
RVCC3 10 Ohms VCC limit resistor (user input)
t_startup 302 msec VCC start-up time at VIN_min

RCS 1.14 Ohms Peak-current programming resistor value

RG 22 Ohms Gate resistor value (user input)


CSN 220 pF VCC charging capacitor (user input)
RSN 10 Ohms VCC charging resistor (user input)
CZX 22 pF ZX coupling capacitor (fixed)
RF 1.0 k Ohms Current-sense filter resistor value (fixed)
CF 100 pF Current-sense filter capacitor value (fixed)
CCMP 10.0 nF CMP pin compensation capacitor value (fixed)

The corresponding circuit (Figure 3) for all of these calculations is also given
inside the spreadsheet.

8. PCB Layout Considerations


For correct circuit functionality and to avoid high-frequency noise problems,
proper care should be taken when designing the PCB layout. Typical design
problems due to poor layout can include high-frequency voltage and/or current
spikes, EMC issues, latch up, abnormal circuit behavior, component failures, low
manufacturing yields, and poor reliability. The following layout tips should be
followed as early in the design phase as possible in order to reduce circuit
problems, shorten design cycles, and to increase reliability and manufacturability:
1) Keep high-frequency, high-current traces as short as possible (drain
switching node, output diode node). This will help reduce noise due to
parasitic inductance of PCB traces.
2) Keep high-frequency switching nodes away from quiet or critical circuit
nodes (CMP pin, VBUS pin). This will help reduce noise coupling from
switching nodes to other circuit nodes.
3) Place high-frequency filter capacitors directly at their IC pins (VCC pin).
This will help insure the best possible filtering against high-frequency
noise.
4) Do not connect power ground through IC ground or small-signal filter or
programming component ground. Keep separate traces for power and IC

www.irf.com AN-1214 11
January 2015
or small-signal grounds and connect small-signal ground to power ground
at a single point only. This will prevent high-frequency noise from
occurring on critical small-signal nodes or IC pins which can cause circuit
malfunction or failures.
5) Reduce the distance of the power switches to their gate drive pins as
much as possible (PFC). This will help reduce the parasitic inductance in
the traces. This will reduce possible voltage spikes due to gate drive
switching and help prevent latch up due to voltage over- or under-shoot.
6) Use a limiting resistor in between the auxiliary supply and VCC. This will
help prevent damage due to high-voltage or high-current spikes from the
charge pump supply that can cause electrical overstress of the IC.
7) Place critical sensing nodes (current-sensing resistor, ZX detection) as
close to the IC as possible. This will help eliminate false triggering or
circuit malfunction due to noise being coupled onto to sensitive control
signals.
8) Check inductor for saturation. Saturation of the inductor results in currents
with very high di/dt levels. These high di/dt signals can induce noise
everywhere in the circuit and cause many different noise related issues.
Make sure the inductor is properly designed to handle the maximum peak
currents under all operating conditions.
9) See Figure 6 for PCB layout guidelines around the IRS2505L.

IC and Power
Ground
Connect at
Single Point Power Current Sensing
Only! Ground Component

VCC Filter
Capacitor

CMP Pin
Capacitor IC Ground
IRS2505L
Gate Drive MOSFET
Trace Drain
Switching
Node
Figure 6: PCB Layout Guidelines

www.irf.com AN-1214 12
January 2015
9. Conclusion
The information presented in this application note will help improve the
design of the LED Buck converter and help reduce potential circuit problems.
Ease of using and programming the IC, correct design of the Buck stage, design
of the IC supply, and proper PCB layout guidelines help minimize design time,
maximize performance, and maximize manufacturability and robustness of the
final design. Finally, an excel spreadsheet design tool (“IRS2505L Buck LED
Design Calculator”) is also available that contains all of the necessary
calculations described in this application note.

www.irf.com AN-1214 13
January 2015
10. Appendix I: Reference Design (Schematic/BOM)
a. Schematic (VIN = 100-120VAC, VOUT = 28V, IOUT = 315mA)

www.irf.com AN-1214 14
January 2015
b. BOM (VIN = 100-120VAC, VOUT = 28V, IOUT = 315mA)

www.irf.com AN-1214 15
January 2015
11. References

[1] IRS2505L SOT-23 Boost PFC Control IC Datasheet


[2] IRS2505L Buck LED Design Calculator

12. Revision History


Date Revision Changes Author
01/09/2015 1 Initial version Ektoras Bakalakos

www.irf.com AN-1214 16
January 2015

You might also like