Rhode Island Patent of the Month – September 2024
Reed Semiconductor Corp. has unveiled an innovative ripple amplitude compensation circuit, addressing critical stability and efficiency issues in DC-DC converters. DC-DC converters, essential for transforming power in many electronic devices, often suffer from instability when ripple amplitude varies with input (VIN) and output (VOUT) voltage. This can lead to poor transient response, higher noise, and potential operational failures. Reed’s invention brings a breakthrough approach to manage these challenges by dynamically adjusting to ripple amplitude changes, ensuring more stable and efficient performance across a wide range of voltage settings.
The circuit introduces a ripple amplitude calculator that continually adapts to the current ripple amplitude and generates two specialized adjustment currents. These currents modulate the gain in the circuit’s control loop, specifically addressing variations in both the output voltage error and the ripple amplitude itself. This unique adaptability means that when the ripple amplitude fluctuates, the circuit automatically compensates, optimizing stability and reducing jitter.
This ripple amplitude compensation technique allows the converter to perform well at both high and low ripple levels without sacrificing response speed or noise resilience. By making the ripple amplitude “invisible” to the control loop, Reed’s technology improves efficiency, enabling DC-DC converters to achieve faster transient responses with more predictable behavior even under variable conditions.
With applications across automotive, computing, and industrial power systems, Reed Semiconductor’s compensation circuit is a significant advancement in power management, poised to enhance the reliability and functionality of devices that rely on stable DC-DC conversion. This innovation highlights Reed’s commitment to resolving key power challenges with precision and efficiency.
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