Power Supply Device Segmentation for Precision and Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-precision applications require accurate output signals with small dwell times, but existing power supply devices face challenges in achieving precise signal characteristics without significant power dissipation.
Innovation Solution
A power supply device comprising a pre-regulator and a post-regulator, controlled by arbitration signals with a time delay, where the pre-regulator generates an auxiliary signal with a higher voltage than the output signal, and the post-regulator fine-tunes it to achieve precise output signals with reduced dwell times and minimal power dissipation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If small dwell times are used to achieve accurate output signals, then signal precision is improved, but power dissipation increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The power supply device is divided into two independent regulation stages: a pre-regulator and a post-regulator. Each stage handles a portion of the voltage regulation task, allowing the system to achieve precise output signals with small dwell times while managing power dissipation through distributed regulation rather than a single stage handling the full adjustment range.
Solution Approach 2:
The pre-regulator performs preliminary voltage regulation to bring the input voltage close to the desired output voltage before the post-regulator performs fine-tuning. This preliminary action reduces the burden on the post-regulator, enabling faster response times and smaller dwell times without excessive power dissipation, as the post-regulator only needs to handle small adjustments from an already-pre-regulated voltage.
2Loss of energy
If millisecond-domain dwell times are used to reduce power dissipation, then energy efficiency is improved, but output signal precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The regulation function is segmented into two stages with distinct roles: the pre-regulator handles coarse voltage adjustment, and the post-regulator handles fine-tuning. This segmentation allows each regulator to operate optimally within its range, achieving both energy efficiency and high precision output signals without requiring millisecond-domain dwell times.
Solution Approach 2:
The pre-regulator acts as an intermediary between the input voltage source and the post-regulator. By pre-adjusting the voltage to be close to the target value, it reduces the adjustment burden on the post-regulator, enabling the post-regulator to achieve precise output signals with smaller dwell times and lower power dissipation than would be required without the pre-regulator.
3Device complexity
If a single regulator is used to control output voltage, then device complexity is reduced, but settling time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The single regulator is segmented into two independent regulators (pre-regulator and post-regulator) that operate in sequence. The pre-regulator performs fast coarse adjustment, and the post-regulator performs slower fine-tuning. This segmentation reduces the overall settling time compared to a single regulator that would need to handle the entire voltage adjustment range in one step.
Solution Approach 2:
The pre-regulator performs preliminary voltage adjustment before the main regulation task. By pre-positioning the voltage close to the target value, it reduces the settling time required by the post-regulator to achieve the final precise output, thereby reducing the total settling time of the system.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a power supply device, comprising a pre-regulator for generating an auxiliary signal by regulating an input signal; a post-regulator for providing an output signal by regulating the auxiliary signal generated by the pre-regulator; and a processing unit for providing a first arbitration signal to the pre-regulator and for providing a second arbitration signal to the post-regulator. The input signal is regulated based on the first arbitration signal, and the auxiliary signal is regulated based on the second arbitration signal. The second arbitration signal comprises a time delay relative to the first arbitration signal. The first arbitration signal and the second arbitration signal are chosen such that a voltage of the auxiliary signal being generated by the pre-regulator is higher than a voltage of the output signal being provided by the post-regulator.