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  Switching power supply system for automatically regulating circuit operating frequency and method thereofUSPTO Application #: 20060012359Title: Switching power supply system for automatically regulating circuit operating frequency and method thereof Abstract: The invention describes a switching power supply system for automatically regulating an operating frequency and the method. The switching power supply system has a sensing and monitoring unit connected to the computer system for detecting the operating status of the computer system and outputting a detection value, a setting unit for setting a trigger condition value, a storage unit connected to the setting unit for storing the trigger condition value, a comparator unit connected to the storage unit and the sensing and monitoring unit for comparing the detection value with the trigger condition value and outputting a comparison result signal, and a PWM switching frequency regulator unit connected to the comparator unit and the converter for receiving the comparison result signal and regulating the operating frequency of the pulse width modulation so that a converter can supply power to the computer system more efficiently. (end of abstract) Agent: Troxell Law Office PLLC - Falls Church, VA, US Inventor: Yung-Cheng Chiu USPTO Applicaton #: 20060012359 - Class: 323284000 (USPTO) The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060012359. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a switching power supply system for automatically regulating a circuit operating frequency and the method thereof, and particularly, to a switching power supply system adapted to a computer system and capable of automatically regulating a circuit operating frequency, and the method thereof. [0003] 2. Description of the Related Art [0004] Referring to FIG. 1, a schematic block diagram of a conventional switching power supply system is shown. The switching power supply system employs pulse width modulation (PWM) technology to control a power switch (not shown) in a DC converter 11 and supplies power to the system through a filter network 13. [0005] According to the pulse width modulation (PWM) technology, an oscillator circuit 17 provides a signal with constant frequency to a pulse width modulation unit 15. Meanwhile, a comparator 12 detects the DC voltage at the output terminal. If the voltage obtained by dividing the DC voltage at the output terminal through a voltage divider network 14 becomes lower than a reference voltage 16, that is, if the output loading becomes heavy, then output square waves from the pulse width modulation unit 15 will be widened, which means a duty cycle of the power switch (not shown) will be increased. Thereby, compensation for the output voltage is provided to bring the output voltage back to the original rating value and thus the output voltage can be stabilized. [0006] Similarly, if the loading becomes low, then the comparator 12 will detect that the voltage obtained by dividing the DC voltage at the output terminal through the voltage divider network 14 is greater than the reference voltage 16, and therefore the duty cycle of the output square waves from the pulse width modulation unit 15 will be reduced, which means the duty-cycle of the power switch will be reduced. Thereby, the output DC voltage will be lowered to the original rating value and thus stabilized. In this circuit, the operating frequency of the power switch (not shown) does not vary with the change of the duty cycle. In other words, the circuit operating frequency always stays constant. [0007] At present, the pulse width modulation (P WM) technology is utilized in a computer system to supply power required for the operation of a central processing unit (CPU). For the reason described above, operating frequency from the pulse width modulation PWM in a power supply system for the central processing unit (CPU) always stays constant and cannot be changed after the design is made. [0008] Consequently, once the design is complete, the operating frequency from the pulse width modulation PWM cannot be changed in response to any current load variations resulting from execution of any software by any type of central processing unit (CPU), environmental variations inside/outside the housing and voltage variations caused by the power supply or by the load. Therefore, it is impossible to contribute anything to operating efficiency enhancement of pulse width modulation PWM, reduction in switching loss, suppression of system temperature, improvement of sawtooth current and decrease in peak-to-peak ripple voltage. Accordingly, the output voltage and the whole system are unstable, and the efficiency of the components cannot be maximized, which seriously impacts the performance of the computer. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0009] In view of the above, the present invention discloses a switching power supply system for automatically regulating a circuit operating frequency and the method thereof to provide a switching power supply system and a method for dynamically increasing or decreasing an operating frequency of a computer system. The present invention has excellent effects on operating efficiency enhancement of pulse width modulation PWM, reduction in switching loss, suppression of system temperature, improvement of sawtooth current and decrease in peak-to-peak ripple voltage. [0010] In the present invention, a sensing and monitoring unit connected to the computer system detects a model number of the central processing unit (CPU), current consumption of the central processing unit (CPU), temperature change inside/outside the housing or at a predetermined point, voltage variations and load variations in the computer system and generates a detection value. The detection value is then transmitted to a comparator unit associated with the sensing and monitoring unit. Then, the comparator unit compares the detection value with a trigger condition value stored in a storage unit and outputs a comparison result signal to a PWM switching frequency regulator unit. The trigger condition value stored in the storage unit is obtained from a setting operation by a setting unit. [0011] In the above description, the PWM switching frequency regulator unit dynamically increases or decreases the operating frequency of the pulse width modulation PWM based on the comparison result signal so that the converter can supply power to the computer system more efficiently. [0012] In the switching power supply system for automatically regulating a circuit operating frequency and the method thereof according to the present invention, through dynamically monitoring the operating status change of the computer system by the sensing and monitoring unit, when the status change exceeds a pre-set trigger value, the PWM switching frequency regulator unit can dynamically increase or decrease the operating frequency of the pulse width modulation PWM based on the comparison result signal so that the converter can efficiently supply power to the computer system in response to the changing environment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0013] Features and advantages of the present invention will be fully understood from the detailed description to follow when taken in conjunction with the embodiment as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, wherein: [0014] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a block diagram of the conventional switching power supply system; [0015] FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a block diagram of the switching power supply system for automatically regulating a circuit operating frequency according to the present invention; and [0016] FIG. 3 is a flow chart for explaining the method for automatically regulating a circuit operating frequency according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [0017] Referring to FIG. 2, a schematic block diagram of the switching power supply system for automatically regulating a circuit operating frequency according to the present invention is shown. The switching power supply system for automatically regulating a circuit operating frequency 2, which is used for regulating an operating frequency of a converter 3 to supply a DC power to a computer system 4, includes a sensing and monitoring unit 24, a comparator unit 26, a PWM switching frequency regulator unit 27, a storage unit 28 and a setting unit 29. [0018] Referring again to FIG. 2, the sensing and monitoring unit 24, which is connected to the computer system 4, detects an operating status of the computer system 4 and outputs a detection value. The setting unit 29, which is connected to the storage unit 28, is used for setting a trigger condition value and storing the trigger condition value into the storage unit 28. In the above description, the trigger condition value serves as a trigger condition value for regulating the operating frequency. The comparator unit 26, which is connected to the sensing and monitoring unit 24 and the storage unit 28 to receive the detection value from the sensing and monitoring unit 24 and the trigger condition value stored in the storage unit 28, carries out a comparison operation and outputs a comparison result signal. The PWM switching frequency regulator unit 27, which is connected to the comparator unit 26 and to the converter 3, receives the comparison result signal from the comparator unit 26 and dynamically and automatically increases or decreases the operating frequency of the pulse width modulation PWM based oh the comparison result signal so that the converter 3 can supply power to the computer system 4 more efficiently. [0019] Referring again to FIG. 2, the sensing and monitoring unit 24 includes a sensor (not shown) and a monitoring module (not shown). The sensor may be a voltage sensor, a current sensor, a temperature sensor, a load sensor or the like. The monitoring module may be a voltage monitoring module, a current monitoring module, a temperature monitoring module, a load monitoring module or the like. The sensing and monitoring unit 24 is connected to a key point (not shown) in the computer system 4 through the sensor so as to detect the operating status of the computer system 4. The monitoring module cooperates with the sensor so as to monitor dynamically the voltage, current, temperature or program load in the computer system 4 and then dynamically delivers an indication of the status change to the system. [0020] In the above description, the sensing and monitoring unit 24 may consist of a combination of at least one sensor (not shown) and at least one monitoring module (not shown). The sensor may be a voltage sensor, a current sensor, a temperature sensor, a load sensor or the like. The monitoring module may be a voltage monitoring module, a current monitoring module, a temperature monitoring module, a load monitoring module or the like. The sensing and monitoring unit 24 is connected to multiple key points in the computer system 4 through those sensors so as to detect the environmental changes for the computer system 4 with higher sensitivity. The monitoring modules cooperate with the corresponding sensors so as to monitor dynamically the voltage, current, temperature and program load in the computer system 4 and then dynamically deliver indications of these status changes to the system. Continue reading... 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