Digital 40A voltage regulator enhances control and improves efficiency

Ericsson Power Modules’ BMR451 is a digitally controlled, non-isolated voltage regulator rated at 40A. Featuring a high current density of 7.90A/cm3 (129A/in3), it is the second digitally controlled POL regulator from the company, following on from the recently released 20A rated BMR450. As with the BMR450, due to its high power density and the flexibility offered by the many different features embedded within the product, and offering the ability to monitor vital parameters through the open standard PMBus interface, the BMR451 suits a very wide range of applications in information communication and technologies - but is not limited to those applications.

The BMR451 is suited to new applications or applications being upgraded to reduce energy consumption, and/or migrating from passive energy monitoring to active energy management and control. Because intermediate bus architecture is not limited to ICT applications, due to its high power density, and low profile (less than 8.5mm) the BMR451 is a perfect product for any application were board space and good thermal performance are crucial, such as process control in industrial environment, sealed-box, test equipment, or even transportation applications. Smaller voltage regulators are easier to locate close to FPGAs, DSPs and other processors, reducing power losses and parasitic inductance issues.

Factors driving the need for this type of product are the reduction of energy consumption by improving product efficiency, but also the requirement by designers to permanently access strategic data from all of the power chain; from the front-end rectifier to point-of-load. Compared to existing products, Ericsson’s BMR451 offers an unprecedented level of monitoring functions (read-back data) through the open standard interface, PMBus. For designers and system architects, having access through PMBus to strategic information such as load current, load status, temperature, voltage deviations, and many other parameters make it possible to monitor down to core functions level, without adding external components or circuitry.

Besides cost saving and simplicity resulting from less external components and embedded control, system architects now have the possibility to monitor, through the power delivered to each voltage regulator, how low level functions perform.

The PMBus read-mode compliant BMR451 measures just 30.85 x 20 x 8.2mm (1.215 x 0.787 x 0.323in), offers a 4.5V to 14V input voltage range, a 0.6V to 3.6V output voltage range and an MTBF figure of 2.6 million hours. Through hole and surface mount versions are available. Another important benefit of having a digital controller is the possibility for customers to buy tailor-made preset modules that perfectly fit their applications’ requirement e.g. ramp-up time, output voltage, alarms, etc. The BMR451 also features a complete range of standard functions such as remote on/off, over-temperature protection, output over-current/over-voltage protection, input under-voltage protection, and remote control monitoring that can be used for redundancy control.