Overall Understanding of Switching Power Supplies
Definition of Switching Power Supply
Switching power supply is an alternative to linear regulated power supply
The term 'switching power supply' also emerged relative to linear regulated power supply. As the name suggests, a switching power supply is a power supply in which the power electronic devices in a circuit operate in a switching state. In this way, if the four basic types of power electronic circuits (AC-DC circuit, DC-AC circuit, AC-AC circuit, DC-DC circuit) are all considered as power circuits, then all power electronic circuits can also be considered as switch power circuits. However, in practical applications, the range covered by switching power supplies is much smaller than this range. A power supply that meets three conditions simultaneously can be called a switching power supply, which are: switch (the power electronic devices in the circuit work in a switching state rather than a linear state), high frequency (the power electronic devices in the circuit work in a high frequency rather than a low frequency close to the power frequency), and DC (the power output is DC rather than AC).
The Development History and Application Range of Switching Power Supplies
The predecessor of switching power supply was a linear regulated power supply. Before the emergence of switching power supplies, many control equipment used linear regulated power supplies for their working power supply. Due to the increasing integration and functionality of electronic devices such as computers, their size is becoming smaller and smaller. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new power supplies with small size, light weight, high efficiency, and good performance, which has become a powerful driving force for the development of switching power supply technology.
Electronic Circuits in Switching Power Supplies
The electronic circuit, commonly known as the main circuit, in a switching power supply is the core circuit of the switching power supply. The analysis of the working principles and applicable conditions of various switch power supply main circuits is the basis for selecting switch power supply circuits, as well as the design of main circuit and control circuit parameters.
