SMPS Duty Cycle Control With Integrated Feedforward Compensation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing switched mode power supply (SMPS) controllers face challenges with long computation times, high power consumption, and cost due to complex digital signal processing, especially when dealing with input voltage transients and measurement noise, making them unsuitable for compact applications.
Innovation Solution
A digital control unit is designed with an integrated voltage feedforward compensator within the feedback unit, which reduces computation time and power consumption by applying voltage feedforward compensation only during transients, and includes a transient detector to switch between compensation states based on input voltage stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a voltage feedforward compensator is cascaded with a feedback unit to handle input voltage transients, then the output voltage regulation is improved, but the computation time and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the voltage feedforward compensator and feedback unit into a single integrated digital control unit. The feedforward path processes input voltage samples to generate a first duty cycle control signal, while the feedback path processes output voltage samples to generate a second duty cycle control signal. These paths are merged in the same digital control unit, allowing simultaneous processing with shared resources, thereby reducing overall computation time while maintaining effective voltage regulation under transient conditions.
2Reliability
If a voltage feedforward compensator is cascaded with a feedback unit to handle input voltage transients, then the output voltage regulation is improved, but the power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the feedforward and feedback processing paths within a single digital control unit, allowing both functions to operate simultaneously using shared computational resources. This integration reduces the overall power consumption compared to having separate units, while still providing effective output voltage regulation during input voltage transients through coordinated operation of both control paths.
3Measurement precision
If complex digital signal processing is used to handle input voltage transients and measurement noise, then the voltage regulation accuracy is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the digital control unit into distinct functional modules: a feedforward path that processes input voltage samples, a feedback path that processes output voltage samples, and a duty cycle control unit that combines both paths. This segmentation allows each module to perform specialized processing with optimized algorithms, improving voltage regulation accuracy while keeping individual module complexity manageable through clear functional separation.
Data Source
AI summary
To calculate a control signal for the duty cycle of a switched mode power supply (SMPS), a voltage feed forward compensator is integrated into a feedback unit. A control unit has an adder with a first input to receive a signal dependent upon an output voltage. A second input receives a signal from a feedback circuit, and an output outputs a signal comprising the sum of the signals applied to the inputs; another output outputs a control signal for controlling the duty cycle, the control signal is dependent upon the output signal from the adder; a voltage feed forward compensation signal generator calculates a compensation signal to adjust the control signal depending upon an input voltage of the SMPS; and a feedback circuit between the output of the adder and the second input of the adder calculates a compensated feedback signal and to feed the compensated feedback signal to the second input of the adder