Circuit Protection Techniques for Supercapacitor-Assisted Low-Dropout (SCALDO) Regulator

Supercapacitor-assisted low-dropout (SCALDO) regulator technique is gradually developing as a novel design approach for high-efficiency, low-frequency DC-DC converters. This technique increases the end-to-end efficiency while maintaining the useful benefits of a linear regulator such as the low output noise, fast dynamic response, and less electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio-frequency interference (RFI) issues. It is essential in SCALDO regulators to have primary circuit protection measures to safeguard the converter and the output load during external conditions such as overcurrent, overvoltage and undervoltage. This paper provides an insight into applicable circuit protection techniques so that SCALDO regulator designers can integrate them to make a robust design. The proposed protection techniques are tested on a 12-5 V discrete component-based SCALDO regulator developed in MATLAB SIMULINK simulation.