In the context of the current rapid development of electronic technology, the design method of DC power management subsystems has undergone fundamental changes compared with five years ago. Modern electronic systems have more complex and sophisticated requirements for DC power supplies, which are not only reflected in current and voltage management, but also include strict requirements on operating clock frequency. Challenges faced by designers include how to enable integrated circuits (ICs) to operate at operating voltages of no more than 1V and handle currents in excess of 100A while maintaining GHz-level operating clock frequencies. In addition, the design of power management subsystems is no longer limited to the construction of the power supply itself, but also extends to the integration of systemic functions that must be implemented through dedicated ICs.
From a system perspective, it is crucial to build an optimal power management subsystem design. This includes the selection of power distribution technology, a fundamental and critical step in the design process. Currently, power distribution technology is mainly divided into four major architectures: centralized power architecture, distributed power architecture, intermediate bus architecture and battery-based power distribution architecture. Each architecture has its unique advantages and limitations.
First, centralized power architecture has found its place in small, low-power systems due to its cost-effectiveness and simplicity. The design concept is to provide one to five different DC output voltages through an AC power input, with most of the heat concentrated at a single power supply. The main disadvantage of this architecture is that it lacks design flexibility to accommodate increased voltages and currents. need.
Secondly, the distributed power architecture converts AC power into 12, 24 or 48 volt DC power through the front-end power supply and distributes these DC voltages to various buses. The advantage of this architecture is that any change in load current or voltage can be achieved by adjusting only a single load point, and the failure of a single load point only affects a specific function or a single PCB board. The heat is distributed throughout the system, thereby improving the system's reliability. Reliability and efficiency.
Intermediate bus architecture (IBA) adds an extra layer to the power distribution process. By adding an isolated bus converter between the front-end power supply and the point of load, the IBA is able to provide an unregulated 9.6 to 14 volt voltage to the non-isolated POL converter. This design optimizes the input voltage range by operating on the loop state to achieve high efficiency, with all components optimized to suit specific load voltage and current requirements.