Single-Cycle Charge Regulator for Power Converter Transient Response
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional power converters face challenges in achieving satisfactory transient response and load disturbance rejection without requiring current measurement or compensation, often resulting in unsatisfactory output voltage and current behavior during transient events.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a single-cycle charge control method that adjusts the duty-cycle in a single switching cycle to correct output voltage and current, ensuring the inductor current returns to its original state, thereby maintaining steady-state conditions without residual corrections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If conventional power converters use traditional control methods without current measurement or compensation, then device complexity is reduced, but transient response and load disturbance rejection become unsatisfactory
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the control parameter from traditional voltage or current control to charge control. By integrating the output current over one switching cycle and using this accumulated charge information for control decisions, the system achieves improved transient response without requiring complex current measurement circuits or compensation networks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex analog compensation circuits and current measurement systems with a digital charge control mechanism. The charge controller uses a simple ADC to sample the output voltage and a digital processor to calculate the charge, substituting complex analog hardware with a simpler digital implementation that achieves superior performance.
2Speed
If single-cycle charge control adjusts duty-cycle within one switching cycle, then transient response speed is improved, but control precision and noise filtering may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary charge calculation based on the integrated output current from the previous switching cycle before adjusting the duty cycle. This preliminary action allows the controller to predict the required duty cycle change in advance, achieving fast transient response while maintaining control precision through proactive rather than reactive control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the charge controller continuously monitors the output voltage via ADC, calculates the charge from output current integration, and adjusts the duty cycle based on the difference between actual and reference charge. This closed-loop feedback ensures both fast response and high precision by constantly correcting deviations.
3Reliability
If duty-cycle is adjusted to correct voltage deviations in a single cycle, then load disturbance rejection is improved, but device complexity and control algorithm complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service control mechanism where the charge controller automatically calculates the required duty cycle adjustment based on the integrated charge information and reference charge comparison. The system serves itself by using its own output current integration to generate the control signal, eliminating the need for external current sensors or complex compensation networks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the charge controller multi-functional by combining voltage sampling, current integration, charge calculation, duty cycle determination, and PWM generation in a single control unit. This universal controller handles both voltage regulation and current management functions, reducing overall system complexity despite the sophisticated control algorithm.
Data Source
AI summary
A single-cycle charge regulator (SCCR) may be used in operating a power converter at a constant frequency without requiring compensation. The SCCR may include a first control loop to generate an error value based on the output voltage of the power converter and a reference voltage, and to generate a first control value based on the error value to control steady-state behavior of the output of the power converter. A second control loop may generate a second control value based on the error value, to regulate response of the power converter to a transient deviation on the output voltage. A third control loop may operate to adjust a current (affected by the output voltage of the the power converter) subsequent to the transient deviation, according to a third control value derived from previous values of the first control value, the second control value, and the third control value, to keep the adjusted current commensurate with the current that was present prior to the transient deviation, while keeping the output voltage of the power converter at its desired steady-state value.