A Double-Hybrid Spread-Spectrum Technique for EMI Mitigation in DC-DC Switching Regulators

Randomizing the switching frequency (RSF) to reduce the electromagnetic interference (EMI) of switching power converters is a well-known technique that has been previously discussed. The randomized pulse position (RPP) technique, in which the switching frequency is kept fixed while the pulse position (the delay from the starting of the switching cycle to the turn-on instant within the cycle) is randomized, has been previously addressed in the literature for the same purpose. This paper presents a double-hybrid technique (DHB) for EMI reduction in dc-dc switching regulators. The proposed technique employed both the RSF and the RPP techniques. To effectively spread the conducted-noise frequency spectrum and at the same time attain a satisfactory output voltage quality, two parameters (switching frequency and pulse position) were randomized, and a third parameter (the duty ratio) was controlled by a digital compensator. Implementation was achieved using field programmable gate array (FPGA) technology, which is increasingly being adopted in industrial electronic applications. To evaluate the contribution of the proposed DHB technique, investigations were carried out for each basic PWM, RPP, RSF, and DHB technique. Then a comparison was made of the performances achieved. The experimentally investigated features include the effect of each technique on the common-mode, differential-mode, and total conducted-noise characteristics, and their influence on the converter’s output ripple voltage.