An Adaptive Blanking Time Control Scheme for an Audible Noise-Free Quasi-Resonant Flyback Converter

The quasi-resonant (QR) control scheme is widely adopted in a Flyback converter to maximize its efficiency by reducing the switching loss. The switching frequency increases with decreasing load or increasing input voltage. In order to limit electromagnetic interference noise and improve light load efficiency, the maximum switching frequency should be limited. However, the maximum switching frequency limitation adopted in QR control will cause audible noise due to the frequency hopping phenomena at certain load and input condition, which is related to the intrinsic output characteristic of the control scheme. This paper presents a simple solution to eliminate the frequency hopping in the QR Flyback using an adaptive blanking time circuit. The proposed method changes the blanking time automatically to keep the output characteristic smooth that eliminates the audible noise in the transformer. The detailed operation principle and design considerations are presented. The experimental results from a 16 V/4 A prototype are provided to validate the effectiveness of the proposed solution.