Isolator

Abstract

A monolithic isolator circuit is provided which replaces optocoupler feedback configurations which are prone to wear out, lack reliability, and bandwidth limitations. By communicating only a subset of a sigma delta modulators quantizer across the isolator but closing the modulator loop on the primary side, much wider bandwidth communications of analog information can be achieved than with optocouplers. This allows for the use of the proposed isolator for cycle by cycle loop control and protection functions which previously required components on the local side of the isolation. The monolithic isolator circuit can be extended to isolate analog to digital converters (ADC), analog buffers, and to isolated current sense amplifiers (CSA). The monolithic isolator circuit utilizes a z-domain differential delay line to create an error in conformance with the difference between the feedback magnitude and a reference. Z-domain differential delay lines have a fast response, and may be windowed and event driven making these delay lines very current efficient. The conformance error may be fed to a digital compensator (such as a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) compensator) and finally to a z-domain modulator. The z-domain modulator may be one of several constructions, however, to achieve a reasonable number of bits a delta sigma structure, such as an error feedback structure, is utilized for the modulator.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.