Reference Voltage Research Articles

CMOS Based Voltage Reference Designs for Sub - 1V

This review paper presents an analysis of the most recent advancements in sub-1V voltage references, addressing the growing demand for ultra-low power consumption and high precision in modern integrated circuits (ICs). Voltage references are critical components in numerous applications, including IoT devices, wearable electronics, and energy-harvesting systems, where power efficiency and accuracy are paramount. It briefly discusses the challenges associated with designing voltage references at such low voltages, such as limited headroom, reduced noise margin, and process variations. Topics include high-order curvature compensation, modified differential pair configurations, and energy-efficient solutions for integrated energy harvesting. These advancements enhance precision and reliability in low-voltage circuits, paving the way for sustainable, low-power electronics and compact devices in the modern digital landscape. It emphasizes the importance of benchmarking different designs against criteria such as power consumption, line regulation, temperature stability, and supply voltage rejection ratio (PSRR). The paper include insights into the state-of-the-art sub-1V voltage reference designs, identification of design trade-offs, and recommendations for future research directions. It underscores the importance of continuous innovation in voltage reference design to address the evolving requirements of ultra-low power electronics. The study here is setting the stage for a detailed analysis of the latest developments in sub-1V voltage references.

Control of DFIG-based wind power generation system under unbalanced grid voltage conditions

Doubly Fed Induction Generator (DFIG)-based wind turbines have become increasingly popular in recent years due to their capacity to operate at varying speeds. Weaknesses in the DFIG system can arise from issues with the power grid due to the stator's direct connection and the excitation converter's power rating limitation. Under situations of unbalanced grid voltage, this study aims to explore the efficacy of the Direct Power Control (DPC) approach in managing wind turbine systems based on DFIG. Throughout the experimental investigation, we evaluated the system in standard and unbalanced grid voltage settings. MATLAB/SIMULINK simulations implement DPC, specifically tailored for a 9 MW DFIG-based wind farm. The results of these simulations show that the changed control method effectively reduces torque oscillations by making it possible to create active and reactive power references for the rotor-side converter. This eliminates the requirement for sequence component excitation, which was previously necessary. Furthermore, the research highlights the intrinsic link between control techniques and grid circumstances, showing this connectivity's crucial role in improving wind energy systems' stability and operational efficiency based on DFIG.

An Improved Zero-Current Distortion Compensation Method for the Soft-Start of the Vienna Rectifier

This paper proposes an improved zero-current distortion compensation (IZCDC) method for the Vienna rectifier. The conventional zero-current distortion compensation (ZCDC) method modifies the reference voltages by adding an offset voltage to compensate for the zero-current distortion (ZCD). However, the reference voltages occasionally exceed the linear modulation region by the offset voltage added at the driving start-point of the Vienna rectifier, where the modulation index of phase voltage is relatively large. This causes a hard-start of the Vienna rectifier accompanied by a serious surge and distortion in the phase current. In this paper, the IZCDC method is proposed for achieving the soft-start of the Vienna rectifier. When the overmodulation occurs, the proposed method modifies the conventional offset voltage to the IZCDC component, which is involved in the adjustment of the variance of the phase current, only for a certain phase among the three phases. As the IZCDC component regulates the variance of the phase current to zero, surge and distortion in the phase current can be mitigated. As a result, the Vienna rectifier starts its operation softly while ensuring its normal operation in the transients. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified through simulations and experimental results.

Increasing the efficiency of the automotive generator due to active rectification

Problem. Increasing fuel economy requirements for modern vehicles lead to an increase in their electrification. The rise in the number of electrical systems leads to a higher load on the electrical power supply system, with the vehicle's power load reaching 2-3 kW. Leading automobile companies have begun serial production of vehicles with the new 12/48 V power supply voltage standard. The traditional alternator used today is a synchronous alternator, and rectifier diodes are used to convert the generated AC to DC to charge the battery, which is inefficient. A study of losses in an automobile alternator shows that the diode rectifier creates a significant portion of the machine's losses at low speeds, resulting in increased fuel consumption. The solution to this problem is to use a synchronous rectifier to replace traditional rectifier diodes, thus improving the efficiency of the AC/DC rectifier. Goal: To improve the economic and environmental characteristics of a mild hybrid vehicle through the use of a synchronous two-semi-periodic rectifier with a midpoint in the car generator. Methodology: Analytical methods are used to calculate energy losses on diodes and in the phase windings of the generator when employing a two-semiperiod rectifier with a midpoint, compared to a bridge rectifier. Results: The structure, functions, and operation modes of the synchronous rectification system are considered. The effect of synchronous rectification on the generator efficiency of a mild hybrid vehicle is analyzed. It was determined which configurations of synchronous rectification are more effective from the standpoint of energy saving and under which operating conditions. It was determined that in a two-semiperiod rectifier with a midpoint, compared to a bridge rectifier, there will be the same heating of the phase windings and 2 times fewer losses on the diodes. Practical value: A version of the bridge synchronous rectification system of the 48 V generator for a mild hybrid vehicle using MOSFET transistors and specialized control IC is proposed. A synchronous rectification system and its circuit implementation for a 12 V generator based on a two-semi-periodic rectifier scheme with a midpoint is proposed, which allows increasing the energy efficiency and economy of the automobile generator.

A coordinated voltage control scheme based on linearized power flow functions for non-optimal and optimal problems

This paper proposes a coordinated voltage control scheme for transmission systems based on linearized power flow functions to determine the set points of local control voltage devices. The scheme considers models and interactions between different devices to attain the appropriate performance (non-optimal or optimal) of the whole power system. The sensitivity analysis is used to formulate a partly linearized model that relates the voltage variations of buses to the reactive power variation of synchronous machines, settings of static VAr compensators (SVCs), shunt capacitors susceptance, and tap position of load tap changers (LTCs) to determine the set of the settings of the voltage control devices. Two formulations are proposed by considering the susceptance of SVCs or the slope and reference voltage of characteristics of SVCs as control variables. The developed formulation based on the linearized power flow functions provides the possibility of the practical implementation of the coordinated voltage control scheme, especially the optimal one, by reducing the model complexity and solving time. The performance of the proposed formulations is investigated by some studies of voltage control and an optimally coordinated problem on the IEEE 30-bus and IEEE 118-bus test systems.

A Common-Mode Voltage Elimination Scheme by Reference Voltage Decomposition for Back-to-Back Two-Level Converters

Common-mode voltage (CMV) can greatly reduce the reliability and performance of back-to-back two-level converter-fed motor drive systems. To address this issue, a novel CMV elimination scheme based on reference voltage decomposition is proposed in this article. Firstly, the reference voltage of each phase is decomposed into two virtual reference voltages, resulting in six virtual reference voltages that are inter-related for back-to-back two-level converters. Then, by comparing each virtual reference voltage with a triangle carrier based on the two-level pulse width modulation (PWM), the final PWM voltage of each phase can be obtained from the differences of the corresponding two virtual PWM outputs. With the proposed method, both the amplitude and RMS value of CMV can be eliminated theoretically with satisfactory output waveform qualities. Simulations and experimental results are presented to verify the proposed method.

Energy‐efficient switching method using input‐swapping for high‐resolution successive approximation register analog‐to‐digital converters

AbstractThis paper presents an energy‐efficient digital‐to‐analog converter (DAC) switching method with low common‐mode variations for high‐resolution successive approximation register (SAR) analog‐to‐digital converters (ADCs), while enabling to implement resolutions such as 14‐bit as compared to the typical 10‐bit. The proposed switching method enables high resolution by having a nearly constant common‐mode voltage and employing input‐swapping to use the reference voltage (Vref) only in the sampling phase. This method eliminates the need for the third reference voltage during the entire DAC switching steps, which reduces the required number of switches at the bottom plates of the capacitors. The use of lower number of switches not only lowers the DAC control logic complexity, but also results in a faster operation, lower power, and smaller area. When compared to conventional 10‐bit SAR ADCs, the proposed switching method in a 10‐bit implementation reduces the average energy and area by 96.09% and 75%, respectively, while offering high‐resolution implementation options such as 14 bits.

Design of a very low power 12 bits, 40 MS/s ADC based on a time-interleaved SAR architecture

The paper describes a new figure of merit reachable in terms of very low power dissipation for a 12 bit, 40 MS/s Analog to Digital Converter in a 65 nm CMOS process with 1 V power supply. A differential time interleaved successive approximations register architecture is used. Each individual ADC channel is optimized with regard to power consumption hence interleaving 28 ADC channels in an analog memory like method, the total power consumption is only 280 μW including all the reference voltage drivers, the clock management and the digital sections. The total layout area of this converter is 0.87 mm2.

Full state observer-based pole placement controller for pulse width modulation switched mode voltage-controlled buck Converter

Switched mode DC-DC converters play an important role in today's renewable energy systems, electric Vehicles, consumer electrical appliances, and many more. While many researchers have designed controllers for DC-DC converters, achieving low implementation cost remains a significant hurdle. This paper proposes a cost-effective observer-based pole placement controller for a PWM voltage-controlled Buck converter with clear step by step design approach. The state space averaged model of the DC-DC power converter is used to design pole placement with integrator compensator and full state observer. Pole placement is employed to improve the transient and steady state behavior of Voltage reference tracking response and full state observer is applied to extract the inductor current with the aim of removing the actual current sensor. Design specifications are set to a settling time of less than 5 msec and an overshoot of less than 5 %. While designing Observer-Controller combination, the separation principle, designing the controller and observer independently, is utilized by placing the observer poles far to the left of the controller poles for the Observer to converge faster. The designed controller and observer is verified with simulation in MATLAB/SIMULINK software and design of developed controller and observer are realized using low-cost analog electronics circuit components The results shows that the proposed system's strength in tracking the reference output voltage even in the presence of input voltage disturbance and the mean value of inductor current is well extracted having only the output voltage and MOSFET gate signal.

A high‐precision voltage reference with a curvature‐compensated bandgap for fluorescence detection

SummaryFluorescent optical fiber temperature sensors require accurate online temperature monitoring in hazardous environments with strong electromagnetic fields, high voltages, flammability, or explosiveness. This imposes stringent requirements on the temperature coefficient stability of the bandgap reference (BGR) circuit. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a high‐order curvature compensation bandgap reference (HCC_BGR) circuit fabricated using a 0.18‐μm bipolar‐CMOS‐DMOS (BCD) process. A traditional first‐order bandgap reference (TRA_BGR) circuit is also fabricated for comparison. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed HCC_BGR circuit generates a stable 1.22‐V reference voltage with a low‐temperature coefficient of 5.56 ppm/°C from −20°C to 85°C. Compared to the TRA_BGR circuit, the HCC_BGR reduces the temperature coefficient by 3.07 times. Furthermore, the low‐dropout regulator (LDO) using the proposed HCC_BGR exhibits excellent line sensitivity of 1.52%/V from 3.4 to 5 V.

The Solar Tracker Prototype Based on Arduino Uno

The placement of solar panels to capture solar energy is generally installed in a certain and fixed position (static). The dynamic change in the sun's position from east to west at any time means that the solar panels absorb less energy. So, installing an automatic driving device on the solar panel to adjust its perpendicular position to the sun's rays is very necessary. This Solar Tracker tool has 4 light sensors that function to identify the intensity of sunlight as a signal entered by the Arduino Uno microcontroller. This information is then processed to become a signal to drive horizontal and vertical servo motors. The shaft of this motor is connected to the mechanical circuit of the solar panel via a gearbox to carry out movement. A comparator will compare sunlight information and a reference voltage to control the rotation of the servo motor which can determine the time needed for the motor to rotate or stop. The research results on solar panels using a tracker were that the best voltage and current values were obtained between 12.00 – 13.00 WIB with an average voltage value of 11.45 V and an average current value of 0.49A.

Investigation on the Effect of Parasitic Elements on PID Control of DC-DC Buck Converter

DC-DC converter circuits are used in many electronic devices to adjust the voltage to a certain level such as Electric Vehicle. DC-DC Buck converters, which are the most used type of DC-DC converters, reduce the input voltage and keep the output voltage constant at a desired reference voltage value. In this study, the effect of parasitic elements in Buck DC-DC converters is examined on the PID controllers. Parasitic elements cause a non-linear effect on the Buck converter system model. Studies in the literature generally control the output voltage by designing controllers on the Buck converter model without parasitic elements. Alternatively, linear controllers such as PID are designed according to the linearizing model, taking into account the effect of parasitic elements. In addition, nonlinear controllers are designed on the full model with the effect of parasitic elements. In this study, the effect of parasitic elements on linear controllers, especially PID, is examined.

A Model Predictive Control Scheme with Minimum Common-Mode Voltage for PMSM Drive System Fed by VSI

Common-mode voltage (CMV) brings shaft voltage and shaft current, and corrodes the bearings of the permanent-magnet synchronous machine (PMSM), which affects the reliability of the whole PMSM drive system. Since the CMV applied by the zero voltage vectors (ZVVs) is three times that applied by the active voltage vectors (AVVs), a modulation scheme achieving minimum CMV without ZVV is proposed and introduced into the model predictive control structure for the PMSM drive system. Firstly, the whole modulation range is divided into three regions, including the low voltage modulation region (LVMR), high voltage modulation region (HVMR), and over-voltage modulation region (OVMR). Meanwhile, the regional boundary expression is derived. Then, the active zero-state pulse width modulation (AZSPWM) is adopted in LVMR. To improve the steady-state performance, near-state pulse width modulation (NSPWM) without opposite ZVVs is applied to the HVMR. Furthermore, when the reference voltage vector (VV) is located in OVMR, an optimal scheme is proposed to improve the dynamic response. Under the premise of no ZVV existing in the whole modulation region, simulation and experimental results show that the proposed hybrid modulation method can improve the steady-state and dynamic performance of the PMSM drive system.

A 2.41 ppm/°C bandgap voltage reference with second‐order curvature compensation

SummaryA current‐mode (CM) bandgap voltage reference (BGR) with second‐order curvature compensation is presented in this paper. The proposed CM BGR offers a simple compensation structure that requires only six additional transistors compared with traditional BGR designs, making it an attractive solution for low temperature coefficient (TC) voltage references. Proportional to absolute temperature (PTAT) current digital‐to‐analog converters (DACs) are used to suppress the effect of process variation and device mismatch on TC. The compensation signal is generated using the voltage difference of two bipolar junction transistor (BJT) emitter–bases whose currents are the sum and difference of the PTAT current and the zero to absolute temperature (ZTAT) current, respectively. The proposed CM BGR is designed with 0.18‐μm BIPOLAR CMOS DMOS process. A TC is 2.41 ppm/°C over a wide temperature range of −40°C to 150°C. The linear sensitivity of the supply voltage from 1.2 to 2 V is 0.027%/V. With an active area of 0.0721 mm2, it consumes 68 μA at room temperature. The integrated output noise from 0.1 to 10 Hz is 21.9 μV.

Nano and micro co‐filled aluminum nitride/magnesium dihydrate—Silicone rubber composites for high voltage insulation

AbstractCo‐filled composites of micro magnesium dihydrate (MDH) and hydrophobically treated nano aluminum nitride (nH‐AlN) fillers in high temperature vulcanizing silicone gum are studied for thermal and dielectric characteristics for use as an insulating material in high voltage applications. The study begins with description of the compounding protocol adopted, followed by spectroscopic and optical characterization. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis are used to verify the presence of nH‐AlN and MDH in the composites. Thermal analysis through thermogravimetric analysis revealed a stark enhancement in the onset of polymer degradation temperature, with an improvement of 208 °C achieved at 30 phr by weight loading level of MDH. Volume resistivity of 9.71 E14 Ω‐cm is obtained at 30 phr weight loading of MDH and 5 phr of nH‐AlN. AC, +DC, and −DC dielectric strength improved by 1.09, 2.06, and 1.08 times for co‐filled composites at 30 phr MDH and 5 phr nH‐AlN loading levels over unitary filled composite. Effect of dielectric polarization on dielectric constant and dissipation factor is studied at various frequencies. Limitations while conducting dry arc resistance test at standard voltage of 12.50 kV is discussed, with modification in dry arc resistance test voltage to 16.95 kV. The results are presented and discussed here.

Programmable logic controlled lithium-ion battery management system using passive balancing method

Advancements in electric vehicle technologies and the widespread adoption of electric vehicles have brought energy storage systems to the forefront. However, efficient and secure utilization of energy storage systems requires Battery Management Systems (BMS).BMSs are typically designed with power electronics, electronic cards, integrated circuits, and auxiliary hardware components. Nevertheless, BMSs designed with such microcontrollers can only control a limited number of battery cells and constrained current values. Furthermore, employing a separate controller for each battery pack exacerbates these issues.In this study, a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) - based BMS proposal for lithium-ion batteries has been presented, aiming to address the challenges in existing BMSs. The developed system is a passive balancing BMS comprised of controller PLC modules and auxiliary hardware. The Ladder Diagram (LD) programming language was employed for programming the PLC.In the conducted research, the voltage levels of the cells comprising the battery pack were monitored, and a passive balancing method was employed to equalize the cell voltages. Passive balancing has been applied to cells with voltage values of 2.70 V, 2.40 V, and 2.80 V using the minimum reference voltage cell balancing method to equalize the voltage levels. The output voltage has been balanced according to the maximum reference charge voltage set at 6 V through the maximum reference charge voltage balancing method. Additionally, a cooling circuit was integrated into the system to safeguard the Battery Management System (BMS) against thermal hazards. The developed PLC controller and algorithm can effectively control multiple battery packs with a single controller and operate at higher current values. This advantage allows the PLC-controlled BMS to have a broader control capacity. The presented test results indicate the successful performance of the PLC-based BMS.

An analytical design and analysis of a high gain switched inductor voltage multiplier cell power converter

The proposed modified higher gain boost converter employs switched Inductor and multiplier cell-based voltage boosting techniques, as the paper represents. This converter is modelled to enhance the static gain and efficiency. As the designed topology has an incessant source current at its input side, it is ideal for solar PV applications. With a power capacity of 100 W, the proposed topology is designed to work on 24 V source input and 200 V load/output voltage. The load voltage is maintained by a PI controller, which achieves the highest efficiency of 92% under rated load conditions. The converter’s transient performance with the controller is investigated under various situations, including supply voltage variation, reference voltage variation, and load power variation. Finally, the designed converter’s experimental model is created to evaluate the simulated and conceptual results.

A unified SVPWM fault tolerant control algorithm for single leg fault reconstruction topology of two-level inverter

To improve the reliability of Two-level three phase voltage source inverters, a uniform fault tolerant strategy based on space vector pulse width modulation is proposed for different leg faults. The reconstructed topologies of inverters with different bridge arm faults are different, which makes the basic voltage vector phase of each reconstructed topology inconsistent, resulting in different calculations. Therefore, the coordinate transformation is applied to place the basic voltage vectors of each reconstructed topology on the synchronous stationary αβ coordinate system so that the calculations of the reconstructed topology under different bridge arm faults are unified, thus reducing the complexity of fault-tolerant control. Aiming at the three-phase current asymmetry caused by the neutral point voltage oscillation in inverter topology reconstruction, a transient compensation method of neutral point voltage offset for the α-axis component of the reference voltage vector is introduced to suppress the adverse effects. The compensation method directly offers a neutral point voltage offset value after Clarke transformation and corrects the α-axis component of the reference voltage vector, avoiding the integral calculation in the conventional voltage compensation algorithm. The correctness and effectiveness of the proposed fault-tolerant control strategy are verified experimentally.

Assessing meat quality and textural properties of broiler chickens: the impact of voltage and frequency in reversible electrical water-bath stunning

The implementation of the head-only electrical stunning procedure in poultry processing has been aimed at enhancing eating, ethical, and religious quality. However, inconsistencies in voltage and frequency standardization, along with variations in previous research outcomes, have led to numerous cases of both under-stunned and over-stunned birds. Thus, this study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the effects of varying voltages and frequencies during electrical water bath stunning on carcass quality, meat attributes, and textural properties in broiler chickens. A cohort of 240 healthy female broilers (Cobb 500, 42-days-old, 2 kg ± 0.1 kg) was meticulously selected from a commercial farm. The birds underwent exposure to different stunning voltages (2.5, 10.5, 30, and 40 V) and frequencies (50 and 300 Hz). Subsequent analyses were conducted on meat samples to assess physicochemical properties, carcass quality, and textural attributes. The findings revealed a higher incidence of petechial hemorrhage (P < 0.05) in birds stunned at 10.5 V compared to other voltage. Notably, no broken bones were recorded in birds subjected to high voltages (30 and 40 V). Low frequency (50 Hz) significantly increased the occurrence of petechial hemorrhage and simultaneously resulted in pectoralis major muscle with decreased redness (a*). Birds subjected to the 10.5 V stunning treatment exhibited a lower cooking loss percentage. Significant interactions between voltage and ageing (V × A) were observed. Birds stunned at 30 V and aged for 7 d displayed highest drip loss compared to a one-day ageing period across different voltage levels. This interaction also impacted pH values, with birds subjected to 10.5 V showing significantly lower (P < 0.05) pH at d 7 of ageing. The meat hardness was influenced by the V × A interaction, wherein birds stunned at 10.5 V exhibited lower hardness after one day of ageing compared to other voltage levels. Red wing tips, lightness (L*), adhesiveness, and resilience were also significantly impacted (P < 0.05) by the interaction between frequency and voltage. A notable 3-way interaction was observed for gumminess and chewiness (F × V × A), where the 2-way interaction between frequency and voltage (F × V) affected both parameters differently at various ageing periods. Additionally, there was a significant interaction (P < 0.05) between frequency and voltage influencing shear strength and yellowness.

Control and fault diagnosis for two-interleaved boost converter associated with to PEMFC

This paper presents an enhanced control and fast fault detection method, localisation and isolisation for a two-phase interleaved boost DC/DC converter specifically designed for fuel cell applications. Fuel cells are known for their rapidly changing output voltage and current due to fluctuating load demands. Conventional converters might not be able to respond fast enough to maintain stable operation under such conditions.The two-phase interleaved design offers significant advantages. such as reduced ripple current delivered by dividing the Input current, the converter significantly lowers input and current ripple compared to single-phase designs. Each phase handles a smaller portion (1/N) of the total current, leading to reduced stress on individual components and enhanced reliability and operating margins. Additionally, Interleaving minimizes conduction losses by dividing the current among multiple converter stages. This work presents a model of a two-phase interleaved boost DC/DC converter and implements a PI controller for its output voltage regulation. This control method guarantees good performance even under varying reference voltages and load conditions. The proposed algorithm addresses the challenge of open circuit switch failures by utilizing current slopes for swift fault detection and rapid corrective action. This ensures accurate reference tracking, desired dynamic response, and timely fault detection and localization. The entire system was rigorously tested using MATLAB/Simulink software under various conditions, including reference voltage and load variations, as well as open circuit switch faults. The results showcase the proposed system's superior performance in terms of: Dynamic performance: The system exhibits rapid response to changes in operating conditions. Fast fault detection, localization and isolation.