Tracking energy consumption using a fly-back converter technique
View Patent ↗The invention relates to an apparatus and method for tracking energy consumption. An energy tracking system comprises at least one switching element, at least one inductor and a control block to keep the output voltage at a pre-selected level. The switching elements are configured to apply the source of energy to the inductors. The control block compares the output voltage of the energy tracking system to a reference value and controls the switching of the switched elements in order to transfer energy for the primary voltage into a secondary voltage at the output of the energy tracking system. The electronic device further comprises an ON-time and OFF-time generator and an accumulator wherein the control block is coupled to receive a signal from the ON-time and OFF-time generator and generates switching signals for the at least one switching element in the form of ON-time pulses with a constant width ON-time.
1. An electronic device comprising an energy tracking system, the energy tracking system comprising at least one energy transfer block and a control circuit wherein the control circuit is configured to control switching of energy in the at least one energy transfer block in order to transfer energy from a primary voltage applied at an input of the energy tracking system into a secondary voltage at the output of the energy tracking system;
wherein the control circuit comprises an ON-time and OFF-time generator, at least one control logic block and an accumulator wherein the at least one control logic block is coupled to receive a signal from the ON-time and OFF-time generator and to generate switching signals for the at least one energy transfer block in the form of ON-time pulses with a constant width ON-time, and wherein the accumulator is configured to collect the number of ON-time pulses for determining the consumed energy based on the number of ON-time pulses per time;
wherein the at least one energy transfer block comprises:
a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding wherein the primary winding is connected to an input of the at least one energy transfer block;
a first switching element, the first switching element being connected to the control circuit, to ground and to the primary winding.
2. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the at least one transfer block further comprises:
a diode having a cathode and an anode wherein the anode is connected to the secondary winding and the cathode is connected to an output of the at least one energy transfer block;
a second switching element, the second switching element being connected to the control circuit, to the anode of the diode and to the cathode of the diode.
3. The electronic device of claim 2 wherein a power supply that supplies the primary voltage to the input of the energy tracking system is not isolated from a target board power domain, wherein the target board is connected to the output of the energy tracking system.
4. The electronic device of claim 2 wherein a power supply that supplies the primary voltage to the input of the energy tracking system is isolated from a target board power domain, wherein the target board is connected to the output of the energy tracking system.