Digital power is the research and development direction of power management chips

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Digital power is the research and development direction of power management chips [Copy link]

Digital power management ICs are also receiving more and more attention in the industry. The main reason is that digital control can provide many unique advantages that traditional analog control technology cannot match, such as online programmability, more advanced control algorithms, better efficiency optimization, higher operating accuracy and reliability, excellent system management and system connection functions, and smaller size and lower cost due to higher integration.

　　More advanced control algorithms enable digital power management ICs to dynamically adapt to changing system states through digital programmability and select the best algorithm to optimize system operation. For example, Silicon Labs' Si8250 can dynamically adjust various operating parameters such as battery charging rate or improve efficiency according to temperature.

　　The efficiency of digital power management ICs can be optimized in real time through a variety of methods, such as dynamically adjusting dead-time according to load changes, turning off synchronous rectification at low loads, or taking other methods that best suit the target application.

　　Digital power management ICs can also achieve higher operating accuracy and reliability. Traditional analog implementations require passive components to set operating parameters such as switch timing, control response, and protection thresholds, so they are easily affected by changes in component values over temperature and time. Digital implementation does not have these problems because it sets operating parameters through software and registers that are not affected by time and temperature. Therefore, digital implementation is a more reliable system that allows system designers to achieve higher accuracy during the initial use of the product and subsequent life cycle.

　　Better system management and system connectivity are also a major advantage of digital power management ICs. The communication capability between the power supply and the powered system is another aspect of system reliability. In the past, analog technology required another microcontroller to perform this type of work, but the Si8250 fully supports communication with the system through the SMBus, and this function is included in the development kit. The communication capability between the power supply and the system can improve system performance to a higher level, including the ability to perform self-diagnosis, change system settings, and dynamically upgrade and maintain the system in the field. Market applications have put

　　forward many technical requirements for power management chips:

　　First, digital consumer electronic products are increasingly focused on portability and compactness, so that power management ICs must have the characteristics of low energy consumption, high efficiency, small size and fast heat dissipation.

　　Second, the cooperation between terminal product manufacturers and power management IC manufacturers is becoming closer. The speed of terminal product replacement is accelerating. The design of power supply products should keep up with the development cycle of new products. Power management IC manufacturers should take the requirements of terminal product manufacturers into consideration during the product design stage and provide a complete set of solutions.

　　Third, energy saving has always been a hot topic in the field of power management. Various countries have introduced increasingly higher energy consumption indicators. Power management products in the Chinese market will be more efficient and energy-saving.

　　The integration of power management chips into the system will not have much impact on power management chip manufacturers, because independent power management can achieve more powerful functions. In analog circuit systems, communications, networks, smart home appliances, etc. have gradually been digitized, and the last fortress to be broken is power supply. Previously, the power supply industry began to turn to switch-mode power MOSFET, and now the trend of power supply digitization may be a greater change. Power supply designers have been trying to find a power management chip that is more flexible, more reliable and has better performance under various power frequency and load conditions. Digital power supplies just meet the needs.

　　In applications where it is simple and easy to use and does not require many parameter changes, analog power products may have more advantages, while in complex high-performance system applications with more controllable factors, faster real-time response, and the need for multiple analog system power management, digital power supplies have greater advantages.