Power supply device for converting AC power from a commercial power supply into DC power

1. A power supply device for converting AC power from a commercial power supply into DC power and outputting the converted DC power, the power supply device comprising:

a transformer;

a series circuit of two bidirectional switching elements connected between terminals of the commercial power supply and having a rectification function and a switching function;

an LC resonant circuit connected between a primary coil of the transformer and both ends of one of the bidirectional switching elements;

a rectifying element connected to a secondary coil of the transformer; and

a control circuit for inputting gate driving signals to the bidirectional switching elements,

wherein each of the bidirectional switching elements has two channels, in which body diodes are respectively connected in a forward direction and a reverse direction with respect to AC current from the commercial power supply, and two gate terminals respectively corresponding to the two channels, and

wherein the control circuit performs synchronous rectification by inputting, during a half cycle of the AC current, a first gate driving signal having a pulse width substantially equal to the half cycle of the AC current to a gate terminal, corresponding to the channel in the forward direction, of each bidirectional switching element; inputs, at a predetermined period, a plurality of second gate driving signals having a predetermined pulse width to a gate terminal, corresponding to the channel in the reverse direction, of one of the bidirectional switching elements; and inputs, at a predetermined period, a plurality of additional second driving signals of which a phase is shifted by a half cycle compared to the second gate driving signals to a gate terminal, corresponding to the channel in the reverse direction, of the other bidirectional switching element, thereby switching the two bidirectional switching elements at a frequency higher than that of the commercial power supply.

2. The power supply device of claim 1 , wherein the bidirectional switching element is a switching element having a lateral transistor structure using GaN/AlGaN.

3. The power supply device of claim 2 , wherein the control circuit includes independent first and second gate driving circuits respectively connected to the two gate terminals for one of the bidirectional switching elements,

wherein primary and secondary coil sides of a transformer are insulated from each other in each of the first and second gate driving circuits,

wherein AND circuits are respectively connected to the primary coils of the transformers in the first and second gate driving circuits,

wherein during the half cycle of the AC current, the control circuit inputs a first driving pulse signal for generating the first gate driving signal to one input terminal of the AND circuit in the first gate driving circuit; inputs a second driving pulse signal for generating the second gate driving signals or an another second driving pulse signal for generating the additional second gate driving signals to one input terminal of the AND circuit in the second gate driving circuit; inputs a carrier wave having a frequency sufficiently higher than frequencies of the first and second driving pulse signals and the another second driving pulse signal to the other input terminals of the two AND circuits; performs, using the AND circuit, a logical AND operation between the carrier wave and the first driving pulse signal and between the carrier wave and the second driving pulse signal or the another second driving pulse signal, so that the primary coils of the transformers are excited at the frequency of the carrier wave; and removes a frequency component of the carrier wave from the outputs induced to the secondary coils of the transformers through low-pass filters, thereby obtaining the first gate driving signal and the second gate driving signals or the additional second gate driving signals.

4. The power supply device of claim 2 , wherein the control circuit includes first and second gate driving circuits respectively connected to the two gate terminals for one of the bidirectional switching elements,

wherein primary and secondary coil sides of a transformer having two secondary coils are insulated from each other in the first and second gate driving circuits,

wherein an AND circuit is connected to the primary coil of the transformer, and photo couplers which are turned on or off depending on the polarity of the voltage of the commercial power supply are respectively connected to the two secondary coil sides of the transformer such that a channel in which the body diode is connected in the forward direction is on, and

wherein during the half cycle of the AC current, the control circuit obtains the first gate driving signal from the outputs of the photo couplers; inputs a second driving pulse signal for generating the second gate driving signals or an another second driving pulse signal for generating the additional second gate driving signals to one input terminal of the AND circuit; inputs a carrier wave having a frequency sufficiently higher than frequencies of the second driving pulse signal and the another second driving pulse signal to the other input terminal of the AND circuit; performs, using the AND circuit, a logical AND operation between the carrier wave and the second driving pulse signal or the another second driving pulse signal, so that the primary coil of the transformer is excited at the frequency of the carrier wave; and removes a frequency component of the carrier wave from the outputs induced to the secondary coils of the transformer through low-pass filters, thereby obtaining the second gate driving signals or the additional second gate driving signals.

5. The power supply device of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit includes independent first and second gate driving circuits respectively connected to the two gate terminals for one of the bidirectional switching elements,

wherein primary and secondary coil sides of a transformer are insulated from each other in each of the first and second gate driving circuits,

wherein AND circuits are respectively connected to the primary coils of the transformers in the first and second gate driving circuits,

wherein during the half cycle of the AC current, the control circuit inputs a first driving pulse signal for generating the first gate driving signal to one input terminal of the AND circuit in the first gate driving circuit; inputs a second driving pulse signal for generating the second gate driving signals or an another second driving pulse signal for generating the additional second gate driving signals to one input terminal of the AND circuit in the second gate driving circuit; inputs a carrier wave having a frequency sufficiently higher than frequencies of the first and second driving pulse signals and the another second driving pulse signal to the other input terminals of the two AND circuits; performs, using the AND circuit, a logical AND operation between the carrier wave and the first driving pulse signal and between the carrier wave and the second driving pulse signal or the another second driving pulse signal, so that the primary coils of the transformers are excited at the frequency of the carrier wave; and removes a frequency component of the carrier wave from the outputs induced to the secondary coils of the transformers through low-pass filters, thereby obtaining the first gate driving signal and the second gate driving signals or the additional second gate driving signals.

6. The power supply device of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit includes first and second gate driving circuits respectively connected to the two gate terminals for one of the bidirectional switching elements,

wherein primary and secondary coil sides of a transformer having two secondary coils are insulated from each other in the first and second gate driving circuits,

wherein an AND circuit is connected to the primary coil of the transformer, and photo couplers which are turned on or off depending on the polarity of the voltage of the commercial power supply are respectively connected to the two secondary coil sides of the transformer such that a channel in which the body diode is connected in the forward direction is on, and

wherein during the half cycle of the AC current, the control circuit obtains the first gate driving signal from the outputs of the photo couplers; inputs a second driving pulse signal for generating the second gate driving signals or an another second driving pulse signal for generating the additional second gate driving signals to one input terminal of the AND circuit; inputs a carrier wave having a frequency sufficiently higher than frequencies of the second driving pulse signal and the another second driving pulse signal to the other input terminal of the AND circuit; performs, using the AND circuit, a logical AND operation between the carrier wave and the second driving pulse signal or the another second driving pulse signal, so that the primary coil of the transformer is excited at the frequency of the carrier wave; and removes a frequency component of the carrier wave from the outputs induced to the secondary coils of the transformer through low-pass filters, thereby obtaining the second gate driving signals or the additional second gate driving signals.