The active clamp flyback converters (ACF) can provide features of high power density and high power efficiency. However, ACF is usually applied to in the applications of medium-to-high power range. For a low power application, the ACF may not be a cost-efficient choice. The flyback converter with a lossless snubber can provide high efficiency for low-power application, but it needs an additional inductor and generates more electromagnetic interference (EMI) emissions. The circuit designers also consider the balance between conversion efficiency, size, and cost. Based on the reasons above, the flyback converter with dissipative RCD snubber is still popular in the applications of low-to-medium power range. When the dissipative snubber is adopted to reduce EMI in the power converters, it increases the loss and hence reduces the efficiency.In this paper, a new concept, called active dissipative snubber, is proposed to suppress the resonance in the discontinuous conduction mode (DCM). In the proposed active dissipative snubber, the digital controller activates the dissipative snubber only when the EMI noise is occurring, then disabled after the noise is decayed or disappears. Digital logic makes the passive snubber smart, which can selectively absorb the EMI noise. Since the proposed snubber is not connected to the main circuit all the time, it can provide lower power loss, but still performs better EMI emissions and maintains conversion efficiency.
INDEX TERMSdisspative snubber, lossless snubber, flyback converter, EMI. Rsn Resistor of snubber Csn Capacitor of snubber Dclamp Clamping diode of snubber vN1, vN2 Voltage of windings N1 and N2, respectively iN1, iN2 Current of windings N1 and N2, respectively vgs1, vgs3 Voltage of gate to source of Q1 and Q3 vds1, vds2, vds3 Voltage of drain to source of Q1, Q2, and Q3, respectively vs2, vg2, vd2 Voltage of source, gate, drain of Q2, respectively vg3 Gate voltage of Q3 ids3 Current of drain to source of Q3 Ton, Toff Conduction time and disconnection time of Q1, respectively