Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for reducing audio noise in a switching regulator

US6525514B1 · kind B1 · utility

78Cited by
6References
32Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 8, 2000
Grant dateFeb 25, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 23, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY02B70/10
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A switching regulator utilizing on/off control that reduces audio noise at light loads by adjusting the current limit of the switching regulator. In one embodiment, a switching regulator includes a state machine that adjusts the current limit of the switching regulator based on a pattern of feedback signal values from the output of the power supply for a preceding N cycles of the drive signal. The state machine adjusts the current limit lower at light loads such that cycles are not skipped to reduce the operating frequency of the switching regulator into the audio frequency range until the flux density through the transformer is sufficiently low to reduce the generation of audio noise.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.