PCB Auxiliary Power Supply Path for Voltage Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Printed circuit boards (PCBs) face challenges in providing stable voltage supply to integrated circuits due to increased voltage drops and noise in power planes, especially with high current and low voltage requirements, which are exacerbated by the limited physical size and complexity of PCBs, making it difficult to reduce resistance and noise effectively.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an auxiliary power supply using a conductive member and capacitor elements on the PCB, which provides an additional power supply path in parallel with the power plane and diverts noise components to the ground plane, reducing resistance and noise through surface mount technology without increasing the thickness of the PCB.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If the power plane is designed with a small cross-sectional area to reduce PCB thickness, then the PCB thickness is reduced, but the resistance of the power plane increases causing increased voltage drop
Solution Approach 1:
The power supply path is segmented into multiple parallel paths: the original power plane and additional auxiliary power supply paths. This segmentation allows current to be distributed across multiple routes, reducing the current density and voltage drop in each individual path while maintaining thin PCB structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Conductive members (auxiliary power traces) are introduced as intermediary elements to create additional power supply paths. These intermediaries connect power sources to ICs through alternative routes, bypassing the resistance limitations of thin power planes and reducing overall voltage drop.
2Reliability
If the power plane cross-sectional area is increased to reduce resistance and voltage drop, then voltage stability improves, but the PCB thickness increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing power plane area in the horizontal plane (which would increase thickness), the solution extends the power supply network into additional dimensional space by creating multiple parallel power paths through conductive members, effectively utilizing the Z-dimension for routing without increasing overall PCB thickness.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If capacitor elements with high capacitance values are added to reduce noise, then noise removal effectiveness improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The auxiliary power supply paths are merged with the existing power plane structure, sharing common elements such as ground connections and capacitor elements. This merging approach provides enhanced noise reduction functionality while avoiding the need for completely separate, complex noise filtering circuits.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration effectively reduces voltage drops and noise in the power supply, allowing for stable voltage delivery to integrated circuits while minimizing the number of required plane layers, thus reducing the size of electronic apparatuses and preventing thickness increases.
Implementation Method 1
a capacitor element disposed on the body and having one end connected to a power supply path between the power supply and the IC and another end connected to the ground plane to divert noise components, which are included in the power supplied from the power supply to the IC, to the ground plane
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a printed circuit board comprising: an integrated circuit (IC) mounted on a board plane; a power supply provided on the board plane and connected to an external power source to supply necessary power to the IC; a power plane provided in the board plane and configured to provide a main path for supplying the power from the power supply to the IC; a ground plane provided in the board plane and configured to provide a ground path corresponding to the power plane; a body mounted on the board plane by surface mount technology (SMT) and formed of an insulating material; and a conductive member disposed on the body and having one end connected to the power supply and another end connected to the IC to provide an additional power supply path in parallel with the power plane.