Overview of

Switch Mode Power Supplies

by Ericson Aquino
ASTEC Custom Power
Lecture Outline
Introduction
Linear vs Switch-mode Power Supplies
SMPS Parameters
Basic SMPS Configurations
SMPS Operation
Advantages and Disadvantages
Applications
POWER
Rate of ENERGY per unit TIME

P = dW / dt (Work done per unit time)

Measured in WATTS (1 W = 1 Joule / sec)

May be DELIVERED POWER (Energy OUT / sec)

or ABSORBED POWER (Energy IN / sec)
Voltage Sources
May DELIVER or ABSORB power.
Voltage is ideally fixed, but current may be
leaving or entering the positive terminal.
May be a DC source or an AC source.
Resistive Loads
ALWAYS ABSORB power.
PR = IR2R = VR2/R [Eq. 1]
Polarity of voltage follows direction of
current
VR = IRR [Eq. 2]
Electric Energy is converted into Heat.
Inductors
May temporarily DELIVER or ABSORB power.
The net power eventually goes zero.
Voltage is proportional to the rate of
change in Current
VL = L dIL/dt [Eq. 3]
Energy is stored in magnetic field
EL = LIL2 [Eq. 4]
Power in an Inductor

Pmax

Pmin

Average Power is zero over period T

Voltage and Current in an
Inductor
From [Eq. 3] , the current through an inductor
is derived as an integral of voltage:
IC = 1/LVLdt
Also from [Eq. 3] , we can see that:
dIL/dt = VL/L
This means that the current slope is
proportional to voltage for any given L.
 Voltage Area and Current Slope
in an Inductor
For current to
V

return to the
original value,
positive volt-
I seconds must
equal negative
volt-seconds.
P
Pave = 0
Inductors
in Switching Power Supplies
When a voltage pulse is applied across an
inductor, the current through it rises linearly
until the end of the pulse.
The longer the pulse, the higher the final
value of current.
If the current is fed into a capacitor, the
capacitor voltage can be regulated by
applying a square-wave across the inductor
and varying the duty cycle.
Capacitors
May temporarily DELIVER or ABSORB power.
The net power is eventually zero.
Current is proportional to the rate of
change in voltage
IC = C dVC/dt [Eq. 4]
Energy is stored in electric field
EC = CVC2 [Eq. 5]
Capacitors
in Switching Power Supplies
Capacitors smooth out the output voltage
of a power supply.

In a switching power supply, the shunt

capacitor, together with the series choke,
form an LC filter which smoothens out the
switching square wave input.
Power in a Switch
An ideal switch is either ON (closed) or
OFF (open)
In a short circuit, Vsw = 0
In an open circuit, Isw = 0
Power in a switch is ideally 0.
An actual switch may have significant
power losses during the switching interval
(rise time & fall time), called switching
loss.
Efficiency (2-Terminal Networks)
Efficiency is the ratio of output power to
input power
Eff = Po/Pin

Po = Pin + Plosses

Eff = Po/(Po-Plosses) = (Pin+Plosses)/Pin

Introduction to Power Supplies
Almost all electronic devices use DC
sources

DC source can be a battery or a power

supply

DC source needs to be well-filtered and

well-regulated
Types of Power Conversion
AC-DC
rectifier

DC-AC
inverter

DC-DC
step-up or step-down converter
Basic
Rectifier
Circuit
VS
V w/o C VDIODE
V w/ C

0 T T T T 2T T
Characteristics of an Ideal Power
Supply
Constant output voltage

Output impedance is zero at all frequencies

100% efficient (No power loss)

No ripple or noise on the output voltage

A Real Power Supply
Losses in semiconductors and transformers.
(e.g., RdsON, switching loss, hysteresis & Cu loss)

Although well-regulated, the output does

change with load. It also changes with line
voltage and temperature.

Even with above changes, output must still

meet specifications.
Basic Functions Within a Power
Supply
Voltage transformation

Rectification

Filtering

Regulation

Isolation
Linear Power Supply
Uses a 50/60Hz (low frequency) power
transformer followed by a rectifier, a filter and a
linear regulator.

Low efficiency of 40% to 50%

Evolution of Power Supplies
Old technology: Linear power supply

New technology: Switching Power Supply

(also called Switch-Mode Power Supply or
SMPS)
Switching Power Supply
Generally, of the off-the-line type
AC input voltage is directly rectified and filtered without
using a 50/60Hz transformer.
Rectified DC is chopped by a power switch at high
frequency to produce an AC signal which is then
impressed across an inductor for energy storage.
The inductor current is fed to a capacitor w/c acts like a
stable voltage source for the load.

Output voltage regulation is accomplished by

varying the switch duty cycle.
Switching Power Supply

High frequency switching (20KHz to

500KHz) enables reduction in size of
transformer, capacitors and inductors.

P = E/t , t = period
EL = LIL2f , EC = CVC2f
[Eq. 6]
Basic SMPS Topologies
Buck Converter

Boost Converter

Forward Converter

Flyback Converter
 Buck Converter
Circuit Diagram
LC filter
V
V

V
t t t

D = Vo/Vin
Continuous vs Discontinuous Mode
Period T = 1/f
Period T = 1/f

volatge, vL(t)
volatge, vL(t)

tON
tON
VIN - V O
VIN - V O

A tOFF A
A tOFF A

0 0
time, t
time, t
A A A A

I2 = I O(dc) + I
------ L IL

current, i L(t)
current, i L(t)

2 ------
IO(dc) 2
(VIN -VO)(t ON)
I1
IL idle
------ --------------
2 period L
IL/2
Io(dc)min Io(dc)
IL/2
0 0
time, t time, t
 Forward Converter
Circuit Diagram

V
LC filter
V

V
V
t

t
t t

D = (Vo/Vin)(Np/Ns)
FW Converter Switching Waveforms

volatge, Vds(t)
volatge, Vce(t) tON tFLY tON VdsPEAK

VIN (1+Np/Nr)

VIN
time, t
Id1 PEAK

current, Id1(t)
time, t
tOFF tOFF
volatge, Vp(t)

VIN

A A
time, t
time, t Id2PEAK = Id1 PEAK
A A

Id2(t)
VIN (Np/Nr )

Ip PEAK
current, Ip(t)

current, IL(t) time, t

Iout
time, t
Id3PEAK
ID3(t)

time, t time, t
 Boost Regulator
Circuit Diagram

V
V

V
t t t

D = Vo-Vin/Vo
 Boost Switching Waveforms
volatge, Vsw(t) tON tOFF tIDLE = 0 tON tOFF tFLY

volatge, Vsw(t)
VOUT + Vd VOUT + Vd

A VIN A A VIN A

A A A A

time, t time, t
Iin MAX
current, Iin (t)

current, Iin (t)

Iin MAX
Iin(dc)

Iin MIN Iin(dc)

time, t time, t
current, Isw(t)

current, Isw(t)
Isw PEAK

Isw PEAK

time, t time, t
Iout PEAK
Iout(t)

Iout(t)

Iout PEAK

time, t time, t
 Flyback Converter
Circuit Diagram

V
t t
V

t
 Discontinuous Operation (constant f)
VP tON tOFF VP tON tOFF
VIN VIN

A1 tFLY A1 A2 tON A2
t t
A1 A1 A2 A2
VOUT(nP/nS) VOUT(nP/nS)
IP IP

t t

IS IS

t t
Higher output power Lower output power
 Critically Discontinuous (variable f)
VP tON tOFF VP tON tOFF
VIN VIN

A1 A1 A2 A2 A2 A2
t t
A1 A1 A2 A2 A2 A2
VOUT(nP/nS) VOUT(nP/nS)
IP IP

t t

IS IS

t t
Higher output power Lower output power
Comparison of Linear vs
Switching Power Supples
Switching VS. Linear PSU
Advantages of Switching over Linear:
Wider input range
Higher efficiency
Higher power density
Longer hold-up time
Advantages of Linear over Switching:
Better line and load regulation
Lower output peak to peak ripple
Faster transient recovery
Basic Requirements of a Power
Supply
Provide required VOLTS and AMPS.

Provide basic protection such as:

OVP - Over voltage protection
S/CP - Short circuit protection

Provide additional protection as needed:

OCP - Over current protection
OTP - Over temperature protection
Other Power Supply Concerns
EMI (conducted and radiated)
Safety (UL standards, etc.)
Quality and Reliability
Manufacturability
Cost