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What is it?
Output signal alternates between on and off within
specified period
Controls power received by a device
The voltage seen by the load is directly proportional
to the source voltage
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Pulse width modulation(PMW)
-also known as Pulse Duration Modulation, is a method of reducing the average
power delivered by an electrical signal, by effectively chopping it up into
discrete parts. The average value of voltage and current fed to the load is
controlled by turning the switch between supply and load on and off at a fast
rate. The longer the switch is on compared to the off periods, the higher the
total power supplied to the load. Along with MPPT maximum power point
tracking, it is one of the primary methods of reducing the output of solar
panels to that which can be utilized by a battery. PMW is particularly suited for
running inertial load such as motors, which are not easily affected by this
discrete switching. Because they have inertia they react slower. The PMW
switching frequency has to be high enough not to affect the load, which is to
say that the resultant waveform perceived by the load must be as smooth as
possible
PMW also works well with digital controls, which because of their on/off nature,
can easily set the needed duty cycle. PMW has also been used in certain
communication systems where its duty cycle has been used to convey
information over a communication channel.
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Definitions
Duty Cycle: on-time / period
Vlow is often zero
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Types of Pulse Width
Pulse center fixed, edges modulated
Leading edge fixed, tailing edge modulated
Tailing edge fixed, leading edge modulated
Pulse Width constant, period modulated
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Types of Pulse Width
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Analog Generation of PWM
Analog PWM signals can be made by combining a
saw- tooth waveform and a sinusoid
PWM output is
formed by the
intersection of
the saw-tooth
wave and
sinusoid
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Digital Methods of Generating PWM
Digital: Counter used to handle transition
Delta : used to find the PWM at a certain limit
Delta Sigma: used to find the PWM but has advantage of
reducing optimization noise
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Applications to DC Motors
• The voltage supplied to a DC motor is proportional
to the duty cycle
• Both brushed and brushless motors can be used
with PWM
• Both analog and digital control techniques and
components are available
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Three Phase AC motors with PWM
3 different AC currents at
different phases
Phase: 120 degrees apart
Creates constant power
transfer
Rotating magnetic field
Pulses substitute for AC
current
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Space Vector Modulation
Used for three-phase AC motors
Convert DC current to AC current
Gates turned on/off at different intervals
3 PWM created
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Advantages of PWM
• average value proportional to duty cycle, D
• low power used in transistors used to switch
the signal
• fast switching possible due to MOSFETS
and power transistors at speeds in excess
of 100 kHz
• digital signal is resistant to noise
• less heat dissipated versus using resistors
for intermediate voltage values
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Disadvantages of PWM
Cost
Complexity of circuit
Radio Frequency Interference
Voltage spikes
Electromagnetic noise
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THANK YOU!
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