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APPLICATION INFORMATION
INDUCTOR SELECTION, MAXIMUM LOAD CURRENT
Since the PFM peak current control scheme is inherently stable, the inductor value does not affect the stability of
the regulator. The selection of the inductor together with the nominal load current, input and output voltage of the
application determines the switching frequency of the converter. Depending on the application, inductor values
between 2.2 μH up to 47 μH are recommended. The maximum inductor value is determined by the maximum on
time of the switch, typically 6 μs. The peak current limit of 400 mA/250mA (typically) should be reached within
this 6-μs period for proper operation.
fSmax
Vinmin
IP
(Vout–Vin)
Vout
L
(2)
fS Iload
2
Iload
(Vout–Vin
I
2
P
Vd)
L
(3)
Iload max
I
2
P
2
L
fSmax
Vin)
(Vout
(4)
TPS61040
TPS61041
SLVS413B–OCTOBER 2002–REVISED MAY 2004
The inductor value determines the maximum switching frequency of the converter. Therefore, select the inductor
value that ensures the maximum switching frequency at the converter maximum load current is not exceeded.
The maximum switching frequency is calculated by the following formula:
Where:
I
P
= Peak current as described in the previous
peak current control
section
L = Selected inductor value
Vin
min
= The highest switching frequency occurs at the minimum input voltage
If the selected inductor value does not exceed the maximum switching frequency of the converter, the next step
is to calculate the switching frequency at the nominal load current using the following formula:
Where:
I
P
= Peak current as described in the previous
peak current control
section
L = Selected inductor value
I
load
= Nominal load current
Vd = Rectifier diode forward voltage (typically 0.3V)
A smaller inductor value gives a higher converter switching frequency, but lowers the efficiency.
The inductor value has less effect on the maximum available load current and is only of secondary order. The
best way to calculate the maximum available load current under certain operating conditions is to estimate the
expected converter efficiency at the maximum load current. This number can be taken out of the efficiency
graphs shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4. The maximum load current can then be estimated as follows:
Where:
I
P
= Peak current as described in the previous
peak current control
section
L = Selected inductor value
fS
max
= Maximum switching frequency as calculated previously
η
= Expected converter efficiency. Typically 70% to 85%
10