Design of CCFL Backlight Inverters with Frame & Bar Cores Summary

Design of CCFL Backlight Inverters with
Frame & Bar Cores
Summary
Portable devices, such as notebook computers and personal digital assistants
are developed rapidly nowadays, which places an increasing demand on display
technology. The LCD with cold cathode fluorescent back lighting satisfies the
requirements on display performance, size and efficiency.
The backlight inverter plays a crucial role in supplying the power to the lamps
of these flat-panel displays.
The frame and bar ferrite cores, described in this brochure, are especially
designed to build the slender, low profile transformers required for these
inverters.
A worked out design example is given, as well as data sheets of the standard
range of 4 sizes frame and bare cores in 3C90 and 3C91, including the
dedicated SMD coil formers.
Contents
page
1. Introduction
2. Design example
2.1. General
2.2. Choice of capacitance values on the secondary side
2.3. Transformer design
2.3.1. Circuit analysis
2.3.2. Transfer function
2.4. Core losses
2.5. Winding design
2.6. Copper losses
2.7. Losses, efficiency and temperature rise of the transformer
3
4
4
4
5
5
6
7
7
8
8
Appendix A
Derivation of the transfer function of the resonant tank
9
Appendix B
Determination of currents and voltages in the resonant tank
11
Appendix C
Product range and materials
14
Fig.1 Exploded view of a Frame and Bar core assembly with wired bobbin
2
Ferroxcube
1. Introduction
Portable devices, such as notebook
computers and personal digital
assistants (PDA) are developed
rapidly nowadays, which places
an increasing demand on display
technology. Notebooks use
very powerful and thus energy
consuming processors; the
processor consumes up to 60%
while the backlight inverter needs
only 10 to 20% of the battery
power. The tasks of a PDA are less
and so are the requirements of its
processor. In PDAs almost 95% of
the total battery power is needed
for backlighting. This requires a very
efficient backlight inverter, even
more than in notebooks in order to
increase the battery run-time.
Cold cathode fluorescent
lamps (CCFL) are used for
backlighting of the LCD and
satisfy the requirements on display
performance, size and efficiency.
A sinusoidal voltage across and
current through the lamp is
preferred to minimize EMI and
maximize the lamp efficiency.
While the displays get thinner, there
is a tendency to restrict the space
reserved for the backlight inverter
to a very limited volume. Both
height and width of the inverter are
critical parameters. The transformer
is usually the largest and highest
component on the board. To avoid
high voltage breakdown, the coil
former must be quite long to
provide enough distance between
beginning and end of the secondary
winding. Also it should have multiple
sections to keep the winding
capacitance within reasonable limits.
Optimization of the magnetics for
maximum throughput power under
these conditions leads to very
long and narrow core designs in
which traditional core shapes like
E or EFD are not always suitable
anymore. Any deformation or
shifting of the long core legs will
cause variations in inductance of the
transformer due to misalignment of
the narrow mating faces. This makes
it difficult to achieve a repeatable
production of transformers or
inductors. To avoid this problem, the
magnetic circuit can be constructed
with a closed ferrite frame and flat
bar. In this way deformation does
not play a major role anymore and
mating faces have a larger surface
area. Mounting of the transformer
has become easy while inductance
values are more repeatable. The
frame and bar cores (including
dedicated SMD coil formers) are
standard available in 4 sizes and
made of the low loss power ferrites
3C90 and 3C91. Other sizes are
available on request. The 9 mm
wide Frame cores can drive a lamp
of approximately 3-4 W, the 10
mm wide core is suitable for 4-5
W lamps and the 12 mm wide type
does 5-6 W. They are intended
for use in Notebook PCs. In larger
LCD monitors, 6-8 W is required
for usually 2 or more backlighting
lamps. The 15 mm wide core set is
designed for this power level.
lamp
inverter
Fig.2 Example of Notebook computer with LCD backlighting
3
Ferroxcube
2. Design example
2.1 General
The backlight inverter described
in this application note is based
upon the principle of the Royer
oscillator. As this oscillator is very
basic with hardly no protections,
nowadays most inverters make
use of dedicated control ICs and a
resonant tank to provide the high
voltage transformer with a regulated
sinusoidal voltage.
The schematic diagram is shown
in figure 3. Monitoring the voltage
across Rcur gives information about
the lamp current but it also detects
fault conditions like broken lamps.
Another basic feature of the IC is a
dim function. The basic operation of
the backlight inverter is as follows:
the DC input voltage is inverted
into an alternating square wave
voltage by the control IC and the
two mosfets and applied to the
resonant tank. The key component
inside the tank is the transformer,
which generates in combination
with the ballast capacitor Cs and
the lamp’s parasitic capacitance Cp.
the sinusoidal ignition and burn
voltage for the lamp. The ignition
voltage is the minimum voltage
required to ignite the CCFL. CCFLs
require two to three times the
operating voltage to ignite and this
is generally dependent on length
and thickness of the lamp. The exact
ignition voltage is dependent on
the age of the lamp and it’s ambient
temperature. CCFL suppliers specify
a worst case ignition voltage at the
lamp’s end of life and this value must
be used in the design of the high
voltage transformer.
In the next sections a complete
design example of a backlight
inverter for a 14” notebook
+
Vin
C
Vsec
Cs
Control IC
-
1
Cp
N
Rlamp
Rcur
Fig.3 Schematic diagram of the backlight inverter
is worked out. This screen size
requires a 220 mm long CCFL. The
electrical properties of this CCFL
are:
Ignition voltage of 1400 Vrms
Lamp voltage and current in
burning state: 600 V and 5 mA
( = 120 kΩ lamp resistance)
4
Ferroxcube
2.2. Choice of capacitance
values on the secondary side
Each CCFL has parasitic capacitances
to its surroundings. Nominal values
for 14” lamps are 10..20 pF in
burning state. In this example is
chosen for 15 pF. The parasitic
capacitance Cp needs to be
determined for each lamp. As the
parasitic capacitances become more
dominant at higher frequencies,
normally the operating frequency of
most backlight inverters is between
50 and 150 kHz, while the burn
frequency is close to 50 kHz. After
a value has been determined for Cp,
the value for the ballast capacitor
Cs can also be chosen. A normal
value for Cs to start with is 47 pF.
As the optimization can easily be
made by simulation, in practice some
additional bench measurements have
to be done to achieve a satisfied
design.
2.3. Transformer design
2.3.1. Circuit analysis
A typical input voltage for backlight
inverters for notebooks is 12 V. The
control IC in combination with the
mosfets inverts this voltage into a
square wave voltage between 12 V
and ground, present at the left side
of DC-blocking capacitor C. Due to
this capacitor, an alternating square
wave voltage between +6 V and -6 V
is present at the primary winding of
the transformer. As capacitor C only
has to block the DC-component
of the input voltage, it’s value can
be high and as a consequence the
component can be ignored in the
calculation of the transfer function
of the resonant tank. Using the
Fourier series, it can be proved that
the first harmonic of the square
wave can be written as:
inductance, but also the input voltage
Vin to the secondary side. This leads
to the circuit shown in figure 5.
L
Vsec
Cs
2
(1 - k ) +
sec
L prim ( k - k2 )
L prim
.
L sec
L prim
2
= L sec(1 - k )
Cp
Rlamp
Fig. 5. Simplified schematic diagram
With this circuit the transfer
function of the resonant tank will
be determined. The input voltage
Vin present at the primary side,
transferred to the secondary side
becomes:
Vs =
N
L s1 + L m
2
= L
Vs
L s1 L m
L = Ls 2 +
Lm
L s1 + L m
N Vin = k N Vin
5
L
Vsec
Vs
[2]
Voltage Vs is not the real secondary
voltage, but the voltage present
4
at the magnetizing inductance Lm
V1 =
Vsq sin( 2πft )
[1]
π
transferred to the secondary side
of the ideal transformer. The factor
in which Vsq represents the
amplitude of the square wave voltage k, known as the couple factor, is a
figure describing how much flux
of 6V. The rms-value Vin of the
generated by the primary winding
sinusoidal voltage V1 is equal to
1/ √2 • V1 = 5.4 V and will be applied is catched up by the secondary. Or
in other words: the magnetizing
to the resonant tank. In order to
(or mutual) inductance Lm is equal
calculate the inductance values and
to
Lprimk, the primary leakage
to analyze the resonant tank, first
inductance
is Lprim(1-k) and the
a simple model is introduced. The
secondary
leakage
inductance is
non-ideal transformer can be split
up into a magnetizing inductance Lm, Lsec(1-k). The ratio between the
secondary inductance and primary
the leakage inductances at primary
to the square of
(Ls1) and secondary side (Ls2) and it’s inductance is equal
2 = L /L
the
turns
ratio:
N
sec prim. As
turns ratio N, see figure 4.
the primary and secondary windings
Ls1
Ls2 Vsec Cs
are adjacent to each other in the coil
Vin
former, the couple factor is normally
Cp
1
Lm
N
Rlamp
between 0.4 and 0.7. In this design
example, a couple factor of 0.6 has
been chosen.
Fig. 4. Schematic diagram of the resonant
Inductance L, which is the series
tank
connection of Ls2 and the parallel
This diagram can further be
value of the primary inductances
simplified by transferring all primary
transferred to the secondary side,
components like the primary
can be described as:
leakage inductance, the magnetizing
Ferroxcube
[3]
The series equivalent value C of
the parasitic capacitance Cp and the
ballast capacitor Cs is 11.37pF, see
also section 2.2. Before ignition, the
lamp resistance is several megohms
and therefore figure 5 can even be
more simplified to the schematic
diagram of figure 6.
C
Figure 6. Simplified
schematic diagram before ignition.
The resonant frequency f0 of
these reactive components at the
secondary side is:
f0 =
1
2π
[4]
LC
Choosing a resonant frequency
of 55kHz, the value for L can be
calculated and is 736mH. The couple
factor of 0.6 gives a secondary
inductance Lsec of 1.15H, see formula
[3]. Table 1 shows the components
and parameters which have been
determined so far:
Cs
47pF
Cp
15pF
k
0.6
Vin
5.4V
L
736mH
Lsec
1.15H
f0
55kHz
Table 1. Determined circuit values.
After ignition the lamp voltage drops
to 600 V and the current stabilizes
at 5 mA.
Most backlight inverters operate
V lamp
at the right side of the resonance
H ( j ω) =
peak in the so-called inductive area
Vs
[5]
(the resonant tank is acting more
1
V lamp
inductive as capacitive) to obtain
=
G ( j ω) =
Cp
jω L
1
2
a safe switching behaviour for the
+
+
V sec
1 − ω L Cp +
Cs R lamp j ω R lamp C s
mosfets.
1
The primary number of turns Nprim
=
Cp
then is Nsec/N = 2145/289 = 7.4.
1
A complete derivation of this
1+
+
This
figure is rounded to 7 and as a
Cs
j ω R lamp C s
transfer function, including the
[6] consequence the secondary number
determination of Vs and operating
of turns reduces to 7 × 289 = 2023
frequencies can be found in appendix To ignite a 220 mm lamp for a 14”
and the maximum flux density during
A. Resistance Rlamp follows from the notebook, a worst case lamp voltage ignition increases up to 350 mT
lamp properties (600 V/5 mA) in
of about 1400 Vrms is needed. With (formula [7]). With the secondary
burning state. As the lamp resistance equation [6], the secondary ignition inductance L and knowing that
sec
before ignition is very high, the
voltage Vsec-ign is 1847 V.
N2 = Lsec/Lprim, the primary
“not ignited” transfer function can
The “not ignited” curve will
inductance is 13.8 µH.
be obtained by omitting the two
reach a lamp voltage of 1400 V
Having this value, the core
imaginary parts in formula [5].
at a frequency of 67.5 kHz (as
parameters of the FRM27/3.8/9 core
As Vs is 935 V (see appendix A) the determined in appendix A), see
set and the primary number of turns,
relation between the lamp voltage
figure 7.
the effective permeability of the core
and frequency can be made and is
With the ignition voltage, the
can be determined:
shown in figure 7
secondary number of turns can be
.
L prim l e
determined:
2.3.2.Transfer function
The transfer function of the
resonant tank in figure 5 can be
described with:
the lamp is sufficient to ignite the
lamp.
The transfer function between the
real secondary voltage Vsec and the
lamp voltage (see fig. 5) can easily be
derived and is equal to:
µe =
Vlamp
V
Not ignited
[V]
Burning state
3000
N
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
45
50
55
60
65
70
Frequency [kHz]
Fig. 7. Lamp voltage as function of
frequency
With formula [2], the turns ratio N
can be determined and is 289.
Before ignition, the operating
frequency of the inverter starts
at a frequency higher than the
resonant frequency of the tank and
is decreasing until the voltage across
sec
=
sec − ign
2
2 π f B sat A e
2
µ 0 Nprim A e
[8]
in which µ0 represents the
permeability of free space
(= 4π ·10-7 H/m).
The application temperature for
backlight inverters in notebooks and This formula returns a value for µe
of 1342. This leads to a small air
PDAs is normally around 40 to
50 °C. For these temperatures 3C91 gap, which is necessary to tune the
primary inductance and keep it’s
is the best material to use, because
it has it's minimum loss value around value within a specified tolerance.
60 °C.
Having a reasonable value for the
maximum flux density in a 3C91
core of 330 mT (by assuming a
worst case transformer temperature
of 60 °C) and the minimum effective
core area of the FRM27/3.8/9 core
set of 8.7 mm2, the formula returns
2145 turns for the secondary
winding.
[7]
6
Ferroxcube
2.4. Core losses
2.5. Winding design
In burning state, the operating
frequency of the backlight inverter is
controlled by the IC and is 54 kHz
(see appendix A).
According formula [6], the secondary
voltage in burning condition is equal
to 851 V. This leads to a flux density
in burning state of 202 mT, which is
significant lower than during ignition.
The core volume Ve of the
FRM27/3.8/9 core set is 504 mm3.
(see appendix C) The core loss
density can be calculated with the
following fit formula:
Lprim
13.8 µH
Lsec
1.15 H
Nprim
7
Nsec
2023
N
289
µe
1342
le
52.1 mm
Ae
8.7 mm2
In order to complete the design, one
has to calculate the wire thickness
for both primary and secondary side
and the total copper loss. Essential
data for the electrical design are: the
winding area and the average turn
length. The data for the FRM27/3.8/9
SMD bobbin are:
•
•
Winding area Aw (primary):
1.75 mm2 and Aw (secondary): 5
slots of 1.7 mm2,
Average turn length lavg: 18.5 mm
The total length ltot of a wire can
be
calculated and is equal to the
Pcore = Cm Ct f B
Table 3. Calculated values for the
product of the number of turns of
transformer properties.
the primary or secondary winding
with frequency in Hz and flux density
and the average turn length lavg.
in T.
The maximum cross section A of
The fit parameters for 3C90 and
the primary wire (including it’s
Ignition state Burning state insulation) is 1.75 mm2 divided by 7
3C91 are shown in table 2:
turns and is equal to 0.25 mm2.
Vlamp
1400 V
600 V
From IEC wire tables, a wire having
3C90
3C91
an overall cross section less than
Ilamp
0
5 mA
0.25 mm2 is chosen. In this case the
Cm
3.2 x 10-3
3.5 x 10-3
wire diameter will be 0.45 mm and
Rlamp
120 kΩ
∞
it’s copper cross section is 0.159
Ct
1
0.61
mm2.
1847 V
851 V
Vsec
The secondary winding of 2023
x
1.46
1.4
turns is split up over the 5 sections
Vs
935 V
935 V
and four sections will have 404 turns,
while one slot will contain 407 turns.
y
2.75
2.5
f
67.5 kHz
54 kHz
For the secondary side the cross
Table 2. Fit parameters for 3C90 and 3C91.
section of the wire is 0.0042 mm2, so
Bmax
350 mT
202 mT
a wire diameter of 0.050mm can be
Using formula [9], the specified
used with a copper cross section of
Pcore
450 mW
83 mW
core loss density for 3C91 at a flux
0.00196 mm2.
density of 202 mT, a frequency of
Table 4. Calculated values for the ignition
The resistance of a winding can be
54 kHz and a transformer
and burning state.
determined by the following formula:
temperature inside the application of
60 °C is equal to 165 mW/cm3.
n l av g
From this, it follows that the core
[10]
R
= ρ⋅
Cu
A
loss is 165 mW/cm3 x 0.504 cm3 =
83 mW.
in which ρ represents the resistivity
of copper (20·10-9 Ωm at 60°C
transformer temperature) and n
x
y
[9]
Ve
504 mm3
7
Ferroxcube
PCu can be calculated by [11]:
the number of turns of the primary
or secondary winding. The copper
resistances are shown in figure 8.
The core losses, calculated in the
previous section are represented by
Rcore.
2
PC u
= I R Cu
[11]
with I is the input current of
2.08 A or secondary current of
5.86 mA (both found in appendix
B). The primary copper loss equals
70.5 mW. The total secondary loss
is about 13 mW. The total copper
losses then are about 84 mW.
2.6. Copper losses
In order to calculate the copper
losses inside the transformer,
first the currents through the
resonant tank of figure 8 have to
be determined. From figure 8 it is
obvious that the input current of
the transformer (flowing through
Ls1) is not simply the secondary
current multiplied by the turns
ratio. Resistor Rcore (representing
the core losses), but especially
magnetizing inductance Lm has a
significant contribution to the input
current. The input current is the
scalar sum of the currents through
Lm, Rcore and the primary winding of
the ideal transformer. In appendix B
a detailed analysis of calculating the
currents is given for both primary
and secondary side. The copper loss
2.7. Losses, efficiency and
temperature rise of the
transformer
The total losses of the transformer
are the sum of the core- and copper
losses and are less than 167 mW.
As the total losses of the backlight
inverter are also dependent on the
capacitors, mosfets and control IC
used, it is obvious that for a high
efficiency of the complete design low
loss components have to be used.
With the lamp properties in burning
state (600 V/ 5mA), the efficiency
of the transformer becomes
3 W/3.167 W = 94.7 %.
Primary side
Secondary side
The thermal resistance Rth which
has been determined emperically
for the wound Frame & Bar
combinations can be described by:
R
th
=
1
19 . V e
[12]
The effective volume (Ve) has to
be inserted in units of cm3 which
returns Rth as °C/mW.
In thermal equilibrium the total
losses in a transformer (Ptot) can be
related to the temperature rise (∆T)
by the following relation:
Ptot =
∆T
R th
[13]
As the total losses are equal to 167
mW, the temperature rise of the
transformer is 12.4 °C.
Assuming an ambient temperature
of 50 °C, it will result in an operating
temperature of 62 °C for the core
set. If higher ambient temperatures
are required, 3C90 (having minimum
losses around 100 °C) can be a good
alternative.
Pcore
83 mW
Wire size
0.45 mm
Wire size
0.050 mm
PCu
84 mW
Wires/slot
7
Wires/slot
404 x 4 + 407
Ptot
167 mW
382 Ω
η
94.7 %
∆T
12.4 °C
RCu1
RCu2
16.3 mΩ
Table 5. Wire sizes, number of wires per slot and resistances.
Ls1
RCu1
Ls2
RCu2
Table 6. Total losses, efficiency and
temperature rise of the transformer.
Cs
Vin
Lm
RCore
1
Cp
N
Rlamp
Fig. 8. Schematic diagram of the resonant tank including loss components.
8
Ferroxcube
Appendix A
Derivation of the transfer function of the resonant tank
L
Vsec
Cs
Vlamp
Vs
Cp
Rlamp
Fig. A.1. Schematic diagram of the resonant tank.
To determine the transfer function H(jω)=Vlamp/Vs of the schematic diagram shown in figure A.1., first the impedance of the
lamp (including it’s parasitic capacitance Cp) is derived:
R lamp ⋅
Z lamp ( j ω) =
R lamp +
1
jω C p
1
=
R lamp
1 + j ω R lamp C p
jω C p
[A.1]
By considering the series reactance of L and ballast capacitor Cs as Zs(jω):
Z s ( j ω) = j ω L +
1
jω C s
[A.2]
the transfer function H(jω) can be written as:
R lamp
H ( j ω) =
Z lamp ( j ω)
Z lamp ( j ω) + Z s ( j ω)
1 + j ω R lamp C p
=
R lamp
+ jω L +
1 + j ω R lamp C p
1
jω C s
[A.3]
Multiplying both nominator and denominator with (1 + jω RlampCp) leads to:
R lamp
H ( j ω) =
2
R lamp + j ω L − ω R lamp L C p +
9
Ferroxcube
1
jω C s
+
R lamp C p
Cs
[A.4]
Dividing by Rlamp leads to the transfer function used in this application note:
V
H ( j ω) =
1
lamp
=
V
Cp
jω L
1
2
s
+
+
1− ω L Cp +
R lamp
Cs
j ω R lamp C s
[A.5]
In this stage of the design example, voltage Vs (which is determined by kNVin, see formula [2] in section 2.3.1.) has not been
determined yet, because the turns ratio N is still unknown. But important to know is that Vs is frequency independent. The
other parameters and component values of the tank are shown in table A.1.
Ignition state
Burning state
Vlamp
1400 V
Vlamp
600 V
Rlamp
∞
Rlamp
120 kΩ
L
0.736 H
L
0.736 H
Cs
47 pF
Cs
47 pF
Cp
15 pF
Cp
15 pF
Table A.1. Lamp voltage and component values in the resonant tank.
In burning state Vs is equal to:
Vs =
V lamp
H ( j ω)
= V lamp
(1 −
⋅
2
ω L C p+
Cp 2
)
Cs
2
+
ωL
−
R lamp
1
ω R lamp C s
[A.6]
In ignition state, the lamp resistance is infinite, and voltage Vs can be written as:
Vs =
V lamp
H ( j ω)
= V lamp
⋅
( 1− ω
2
L Cp +
Cp
Cs
)
[A.7]
Normally the operating frequency in burning state is close to the minimum frequency of 50 kHz, see section 2.2. Choosing
an operating frequency in burning state of 54 kHz, results with formula [A.6] in a voltage Vs of 935 V.
With this voltage, the ignition frequency can be determined with formula [A.7] and equals 67.5 kHz.
Vs
935 V
fburn
54 kHz
fign
67.5 kHz
Table A.2. Voltage Vs and frequencies in burning and ignition state.
10
Ferroxcube
Appendix B
Determination of currents and voltages in the resonant tank
Ls1
RCu1
Ls2
RCu2
Cs
Vin
Iin
Isec
Lm
ILm
RCore
IR
1
N
IPrim
Cp
ICp
Rlamp
Ilamp
Figure B.1. Schematic diagram of the resonant tank including loss components.
With the use of table B.1, which gives the lamp resistance and the reactances of the other components at the burning
frequency of 54 kHz, the currents in the resonant tank of figure B.1. will be determined. Compared to the values of the
other secondary components, copper resistance RCu2 (= 382 Ω ) is very small. The same holds for the reactance of the
primary leakage inductance and RCu1 (= 16.3 mΩ ). Their contribution in calculating the currents is negligible and for this
reason RCu1 and RCu2 will not be used in the determination of the primary and secondary current.
Rlamp
120 kΩ
XCp
196.5 kΩ
XCs
62.7 kΩ
XLs1=XLprim(1-k)
1.87 Ω
XLs2=XLsec(1-k)
156.1 kΩ
Table B.1. Resistance and reactances of the circuit at the burning frequency of 54 kHz.
As the lamp voltage is 600 V in burning state, the current ICp through the parasitic capacitance Cp can be calculated and
is equal to 600 V/196.5 kΩ = 3.05 mA. The total secondary current Isec delivered by the transformer is the scalar sum of
this parasitic current and the current through Rlamp (5 mA) and equals 5.86 mA. Due to the influence of the capacitor Cp,
current Isec will lead on the lamp current Ilamp with a phase angle which is equal to arccos(5/5.86) = 31.4°. Putting real values
on the horizontal axis and imaginary values on the vertical axis, the relation between voltages and currents can be displayed
in a vector diagram, see figure B.2.
ICp
Isec
3.05mA
5.86mA
Ilamp
31.4˚
5mA 600V
Fig. B.2. The relation between the lamp voltage and –current.
11
Ferroxcube
The secondary current is flowing through ballast capacitor Cs and secondary leakage inductance Ls2. As the reactance of
the leakage inductance is greater than the reactance of Cs (see table B.1.), the equivalent reactance X (= XLs2 – XCs) of
both components is 93.4 kΩ and is inductive. The voltage across the equivalent reactance X can be calculated with Isec·X
and is 547 V, see also figure B.3. Because of the inductive behaviour of X, the voltage is 90° ahead on the secondary current.
The voltage can be split up into a real and an imaginary part, see figure B.3. Due to the 90° phase angle between voltage X
and the secondary current, the phase angle of 31.4° can also be found between the voltage of 547 V and the imaginary part
of this voltage. The imaginary and real part can be calculated by 547 V·cos(31.4) = 467 V and 547 V·sin(31.4) = 285 V. The
real part of the voltage across the series connection of X and the lamp impedance is 600 V - 285 V = 315 V. The secondary
voltage Vsec-ideal of the ideal transformer is then √((315 V)2 + (467 V)2) = 563 V. The phase angle between voltage Vsec-ideal
of 563 V and the 600 V lamp voltage is arcos (315/563) = 56°. And as a result the phase angle between the voltage of 563 V
and the secondary current is 56° - 31.4° = 24.6°
.
Vsec-ideal
547V
547V
467V
563V
X
Isec
5.86mA
5.86mA
1
N
563V
Zlamp
31.4˚
600V
24.6˚
31.4˚
285V
315V
600V
Fig. B.3. The relation between secondary voltages and –current.
Voltage VLm on the primary side can be found by dividing Vsec-ideal by the turns ratio N of 289 and equals 1.95V. This voltage
is put on the horizontal axis, because it is present across the “core loss” resistor Rcore, see figure B.4. The current through
the primary of the "real" transformer (Iprim-ideal ) can be found by multiplying the secondary current of 5.86 mA·with the
turns ratio and equals 1.7 A. The phase angle between voltage Vlm and current Iprim-ideal is still 24.6°, see figure B.4. Resistor
Rcore, representing the core losses (table 3), is connected in parallel with the magnetizing inductance Lm. The current IR
through Rcore is 83 mW / 1.95 V = 43 mA. Current Iprim-ideal of 1.7 A can be split up into a real part of 1.55 A and an
imaginary part of 0.71 A, see figure B.4. Knowing that B = µH = µNI/le, the current through Lm can be determined. With the
effective flux density B of 202 mT/ √2 = 143 mT in burning state, the current can be determined (see also table 3):
I
Lm
=
B le
µ 0 µ e N prim
and has a value of 0.63 A.
12
Ferroxcube
[B.1]
Ls1
VLm
1.95V
Vin
0.043A
1.55A
1.95V
Iin
24.6˚
Lm
0.63A
RCore
1
N
1.7A
43mA
Iprim-ideal
0.63A
0.71A
1.7A
Fig. B.4. Voltages and currents at the primary side.
The current through the primary leakage inductance, and thus the current Iin flowing into the transformer, is the scalar sum
of the real part (43 mA + 1.55 A = 1.59 A) and the imaginary part (0.71 A + 0.63 A = 1.34 A) in figure B.4 and equals 2.08 A.
The phase angle between the real part of 1.59 A and the input current of 2.08 A is arccos(1.59/2.08) = 40.1°, see also figure
B.5.
2.98V
3.89V
5.4V
3.89V
Ls1
2.08A
5.4V
34.4˚ 1.95V 2.51V
Lm
1.95V
RCore
1
N
4.46V
40.1˚
2.08A
Fig. B.5. Input voltage and -current.
The voltage across the primary leakage inductance Ls1 is equal to 2.08 A·1.87 Ω = 3.89 V. This voltage is 90° ahead on
the input current, the angle between this voltage and it’s real part is 90° - 40.1° = 49.9°. Again the voltages of the real and
imaginary part can be calculated and are 2.51 V and 2.98 V respectively. The total real part of the input voltage Vin is the sum
of 2.51 V and 1.95 V and is 4.46 V.
Having the imaginary part of 2.98 V, input voltage Vin is equal to √(( 2.98 V)2 + (4.46 V)2) = 5.4 V. This is a known voltage, see
section 2.3.1., because it was a parameter to start the design with. The phase angle between the input voltage and it’s real
part is arccos(4.46/5.4) = 34.4° and the angle between the input voltage and current is 34.4° + 40.1° = 74.5°.
In the table below, the currents necessary to calculate the copper losses can be found.
Isec
5.86 mA
Iin
2.08 A
Table B.2. Secondary and input current of the resonant tank.
13
Ferroxcube
Survey of the avaible Frame & Bar core range
A
B
A
C
D C
B
E
FRM
21/4/12
FRM
24/3.9/10
FRM
27/3.8/9
BAR
20/3/5.5
BAR
22/2/6
BAR
25/2.2/4
BAR
28/3.8/2.3
core factor
Σ l/A(mm-1)
3.29
5.06
5.65
5.56
3.29
5.06
5.65
5.56
eff. volume
3
Ve (mm )
655
312
370
504
655
312
370
504
eff. length
le (mm)
46
40
45.8
52.1
46
40
45.8
50
eff. area
2
Ae (mm )
14
7.9
8.1
9.7
14
7.9
8.1
9.0
min. area
2
Amin (mm )
7.4
5.7
6
8.7
7.4
5.7
6
8.7
mass of
core half (g)
≈ 2.1
≈ 1.5
≈ 1.3
≈ 1.6
≈ 1.5
≈1
≈ 1.2
≈ 1.2
A
19.7 ± 0.3
21 ± 0.2
23.8 ± 0.3
26.7 ± 0.7
19.9 ± 0.3
21.8 ± 0.3
24.7 ± 0.3
28 ± 0.5
B
15.6 ± 0.3
16.2 ± 0.3
19.2 ± 0.3
19.7 ± 0.6
2.85 ± 0.05
1.8 ± 0.1
2.15 ± 0.05
3.8 ± 0.1
C
14.8 ± 0.3
11.8 ± 0.25
9.8 ± 0.2
9.0 ± 0.3
5.45 ± 0.15
5.5 ± 0.2
4.4 ± 0.2
2.3 ± 0.1
D
11.4 ± 0.25
8.9 ± 0.2
7.3 ± 0.2
6.5 ± 0.2
E
4.6 ± 0.1
4.0 ± 0.1
3.85 ± 0.1
3.8 ± 0.2
effective core parameters
dimensions (mm)
coil formers
Summary :
♦ Narrow design
♦ Easy to assemble
♦ Large winding space to
accommodate a high
number of turns
FRM
20/5/15
Core type
CPHS
mounting
parts
Cores with a design similar to
Frame and Bar cores have been
available from Philips under the
name of H cores, since 1971.
They were mainly applied as
signal transformers in Telecom
applications. The new Frame and
Bar cores have been modified to a
slim and elongated rectangular
shape in order to meet the
dimension requirements of a flat
LCD panel. The elongated
rectangular shape is also
optimized to accommodate the
large number of turns required to
generate the high ignition voltage
(1400 Vrms) for a backlight
discharge lamp. Besides this, the
Frame and Bar core is also easy
to assemble into a transformer
and has been adopted as a
standard core for the LCD
backlight inverter transformer.
A backlight inverter is an
electronic DC to AC circuit that
drives a Cold Cathode
Fluorescent Lamp (CCFL) for the
backlighting of a notebook LCD
display or LCD monitor .
COV
For full details of cores and bobbins see our Data Handbook or visit our web site at www.ferroxcube.com
14
Ferroxcube
FRM20/5/15
FRM21/4/12
FRM24/3.9/10
FRM27/3.8/9
Matching cores
BAR20/3/5.5
BAR22/2/6
BAR25/2.2/4
BAR28/3.8/2.3
core SETS for power applications
Core type
3C90
500
400
370
350
3C91
600
470
440
420
500
ungapped core set. AL = 500
AL value (nH) measured at Bˆ ≤ 0.1 mT, f ≤ 10 kHz, T = 25°C
AL tolerance:
± 25%
C P H S - FRM20/15 -
FRM20/5/15 - 3C90
coil former
(bobbin)
core type
core size
core material
8S - 10P
number of pins or
solder pads
plastic
material type:
P- thermoplastic
S- thermoset
number of sections
BAR20/3/5.5 - 3C90
core type
core size
core material
mounting
orientation:
H- horizontal
V- vertical
associated core type
mounting type: S- surface mount
15
Ferroxcube
Material characteristics
3C90 SPECIFICATIONS
SYMBOL
CONDITIONS
VALUE
25 °C; ≤10 kHz;
0.1 mT
100 °C; 25 kHz;
200 mT
25 °C; 10 kHz;
250 A/ m
100 °C; 10 kHz;
250 A/ m
100 °C; 25 kHz;
200 mT
100 °C; 100 kHz;
100 mT
100 °C; 100 kHz;
200 mT
DC, 25 °C
µi
µa
B
PV
ρ
TC
density
UNIT
2300 ± 20%
5500 ± 25%
≥ 430
mT
≥ 340
mT
≤ 80
kW/m3
Properties
measured
on sintered,
non ground
ring cores of
dimensions
∅25 x ∅15 x
10 mm which
are not
subjected
to external
stresses.
3C91 SPECIFICATIONS
SYMBOL
CONDITIONS
µi
µa
B
PV
≤ 80
≈ 450
≈5
≥ 220
≈ 4800
ρ
TC
density
Ωm
°C
kg/m3
800
10 4
3C90
µ's , µ''s
f
B
(kHz) (mT)
600
µ's
10 3
3C90
Pv
(kW/m 3 )
100
VALUE
25 °C; ≤10 kHz;
0.1 mT
100 °C; 25 kHz;
200 mT
25 °C; 10 kHz;
250 A/ m
100 °C; 10 kHz;
250 A/ m
60 °C; 100 kHz;
100 mT
60°C; 100 kHz;
200 mT
UNIT
3000 ± 20%
5500 ± 25%
≥ 430
mT
≥ 330
mT
≤ 80
kW/m3
≤ 80
DC, 25 °C
≈5
≥ 220
≈ 4800
Ωm
°C
kg/m3
10 4
3C91
µ's
µ's , µ''s
200
10 3
µ''s
µ''s
400
200
100
10 2
10 2
200
100
25
10
10 1
1
10
f (MHz)
10 2
0
Complex permeability as a function of
frequency
500
40
80
T (o C)
10
10 1
120
Specific power loss for several frequency/
flux density combinations as a function of
temperature.
1
3C90
10
f (MHz)
10
2
Complex permeability as a function of
frequency
500
25oC
100oC
B
(mT)
100
200
0
25 oC
100 oC
B
(mT)
400
400
300
300
200
200
100
100
0
3C91
0
25
0
25
50
150
250
25
0
25
50
150
H (A/m)
Typical B-H loops
Typical B-H loops
20
0k
Hz
100
5
kHz
kHz 0 kHz
f
B
(kHz) (mT)
600
100
10 4
3C91
T = 100 oC
Pv
(kW/m 3)
200
25
kHz
10 3
400
25
10 3
3C91
Pv
(kW/m 3 )
200
kH
z
kHz
3C90
T = 100 oC
100
800
10 4
Pv
(kW/m 3)
250
H (A/m)
200
100
10 2
10 2
200
25
100
200
100
0
10
1
10
10 2
B (mT)
10
3
Specific power loss as a function of peak flux
density with frequency as a parameter.
0
40
80
120
T (o C)
Specific power loss for several frequency/
flux density combinations as a function of
temperature.
16
Ferroxcube
10
1
10
10 2
B (mT)
10
3
Specific power loss as a function of peak flux
density with frequency as a parameter.