International Rectifier (IR) introduced the IR3721 output power monitor IC for low-voltage dc-dc converters used in notebook, desktop computers, and energy-efficient server applications. The IR3721 utilizes IR’s patent-pending TruePower™ technology to accurately capture highly dynamic power information with 2.5% accuracy at 65°C.
The IR3721 measures dynamic power at the output/load side of voltage regulators to deliver what is described as a significant improvement in dynamic power measurement accuracy compared to competing power monitor ICs. TruePower technology addresses dynamic errors which can account for more than a 30% error in competing solutions which monitor voltage and current separately in dynamic conditions with independent A/D conversion.
"By monitoring instantaneous power, the power system can accurately predict thermals in the system at any given point in time," said Jeff Sherman, IR’s Senior Product Marketing Manager for Enterprise Power Products. "With this intelligence, the power system can manage the load’s electrical characteristics to limit its power and establish the correct cooling conditions in advance so that the load does not leave its required thermal envelope, optimizing its throughput, and hence its performance."
The IR3721 IC monitors the output filter inductor current in buck or multiphase converters from 0.5 to 1.8V and provides the options of using resistive sensing or inductor DCR current sensing with an internal thermal compensation feature to achieve 1% higher efficiency compared to existing solutions while reducing bill of materials and board size requirements.
Available in a 10-pin DFN lead-free package, pricing for the IR3721MTRPBF devices begins at US$0.95 each in 10,000-unit quantities.
