Detailed Operating Description
The LM5027 PWM controller contains all the features neces-
sary to implement power converters utilizing the Active Clamp
Reset technique with synchronous rectification. The device is
configured to control a P-Channel clamp switch. With the ac-
tive clamp technique higher efficiencies and greater power
densities can be realized compared to conventional catch
winding or RDC clamp / reset techniques. The LM5027 pro-
vides three gate driver outputs: one to drive the primary side
MOSFET (OUTA), one for the active clamp P-Channel MOS-
FET (OUTB), and one output to drive the synchronous recti-
fier through an isolation interface (OUTSR). This controller is
designed for high-speed operation including an oscillator fre-
quency range up to 1 MHz and total PWM and current sense
propagation delay less than 50 ns. The LM5027 includes a
high-voltage start-up regulator that operates over a wide input
range of 13V to 90V. Additional features include: Line Under-
Voltage lockout (UVLO), soft-start/soft-stop, oscillator with
synchronization capability, cycle-by-cycle current limit, hiccup
mode fault protection with adjustable delay, precision refer-
ence, and thermal shutdown.
High Voltage Start-Up Regulator
The LM5027 contains an internal high voltage start-up regu-
lator that allows the input pin (VIN) to be connected directly
to the line voltage. The regulator output is internally current
limited to 55mA. When the UVLO pin potential is greater than
0.4V, the VCC regulator is enabled to charge an external ca-
pacitor connected to the VCC pin. The VCC regulator pro-
vides power to the voltage reference (REF) and the gate
drivers (OUTA, OUTB, and OUTSR). The controller outputs
are enabled when the voltage on the VCC pin reaches the
regulation point of 9.5V, the internal voltage reference (REF)
reaches its regulation point of 5V, the UVLO pin voltage is
greater than 2V, and the OTP pin voltage is greater than
1.25V. The outputs will remain enabled unless one of the fol-
lowing conditions occurs, VCC falls below 6.0V, UVLO is
below 2.0 V, or the OTP pin falls below 1.25V. The value se-
lected for the VCC capacitor depends on the total system
design and the start-up characteristics. The recommended
capacitance range for the VCC regulator is 0.1 µF to 100 µF.
In a typical application, an auxiliary transformer winding is
connected through a diode to the VCC pin. This winding must
raise the VCC voltage above the VCC regulation set point to
shut off the internal start-up regulator. The LM5027 lowers the
VCC regulation set point from 9.5V to 7.5V after the output of
the first OUTSR drive pulse. Powering VCC from an auxiliary
winding improves efficiency while reducing the controller
power dissipation. When the converter auxiliary winding is in-
active, external current draw on the VCC line should be limited
so the power dissipation in the start-up regulator does not ex-
ceed the maximum power dissipation of the LM5027 pack-
age. An external start-up regulator or other bias rail can be
used instead of the internal start-up regulator by connecting
the VCC and the VIN pins together and feeding the external
bias into the two pins.
Line Under-Voltage Detector
The LM5027 contains a dual level line Under Voltage Lock
Out (UVLO) circuit. When the UVLO pin voltage is greater
than 0.4V but less than 2.0V, the controller is in a standby
mode. In the standby mode the VCC and REF bias regulators
are active while the controller outputs are disabled. This fea-
ture allows the UVLO pin to be used as a remote enable/
disable function. Pulling the UVLO pin below the 2.0V thresh-
old initiates a soft-stop sequence described later in this doc-
ument. There is 100mV of hysteresis provided in the 0.4V
shutdown comparator. When the VCC and REF outputs ex-
ceed their respective under-voltage thresholds and the UVLO
pin voltage is greater than 2.0V and the OTP pin voltage is
greater than 1.25V, the outputs are enabled and normal op-
eration begins. An external set-point voltage divider from the
VIN to GND can be used to set the minimum operating voltage
of the converter. The divider must be designed such that the
voltage at the UVLO pin will be greater than 2.0V when Vin is
in the desired operating range. If the under-voltage threshold
is not met, all three outputs are disabled. UVLO hysteresis is
accomplished with an internal 20 µA current sink that is
switched on or off into the impedance of the set-point divider.
When the UVLO pin voltage exceeds 2.0V threshold, the cur-
rent sink is deactivated to quickly raise the voltage at the
UVLO pin. When the UVLO pin voltage falls below the 2.0V
threshold, the current sink is turned on causing the voltage at
the UVLO pin to quickly fall .
Reference
The REF pin is the output of a 5V linear regulator that can be
used to bias an opto-coupler transistor and external house-
keeping circuits. The regulator output is internally current
limited to 10 mA.
Cycle-by-Cycle Current Limit
The CS pin is to be driven by a signal representative of the
transformer primary current. If the voltage on the CS pin ex-
ceeds 0.5V, the current sense comparator terminates the
output driver pulse, with the duty cycle determined by the cur-
rent sense comparator instead of the PWM comparator. A
small R-C filter connected to the CS pin and located near the
controller is recommended to suppress noise. An internal
5Ω MOSFET discharges the external current sense filter ca-
pacitor at the conclusion of every cycle. The discharge MOS-
FET remains on for an additional 30 ns after either OUTA
driver switches high to blank leading edge transients in the
current sensing circuit. Discharging the CS pin filter each cy-
cle and blanking leading edge spikes reduces the filtering
requirements and improves the current sense response time.
The current sense comparator is very fast and may respond
to short duration noise pulses. Layout considerations are crit-
ical for the current sense filter and sense resistor. The ca-
pacitor associated with the CS filter must be placed very close
to the device and connected directly to the CS and AGND
pins. If a current sense transformer is used, both leads of the
transformer secondary should be routed to the filter network,
which should be located close to the IC. When designing with
a current sense resistor, all of the noise sensitive low power
ground connections should be connected together near the
AGND pin, and a single connection should be made to the
power ground (sense resistor ground point).
Restart Time Delay (Hiccup Mode)
The LM5027 provides a current limit restart timer to disable
the outputs and force a delayed restart (hiccup mode) if a
current limit condition is repeatedly sensed. The number of
cycle-by-cycle current limit events required to trigger the
restart is programmable by the external capacitor at the RES
pin. During each PWM cycle, the LM5027 either sources or
sinks current from the RES pin capacitor. If no current limit is
detected during a cycle, a 5 µA current sink is enabled to pull
the RES pin to ground. If a current limit is detected, the 5 µA
current sink is disabled and a 22 µA current source causes
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LM5027