Q8Power Electronics
Question
2 marks
Define the duty cycle in a chopper.
Answer
The duty cycle D of a chopper is the ratio of the ON time to the total switching period; it directly sets the average output voltage as a fraction of the input.
- D ranges from 0 (always OFF) to 1 (always ON).
- Duty cycle is controlled by varying the ON time (variable pulse width) at constant frequency, or by varying frequency at constant ON time.
- Modern choppers use pulse-width modulation (PWM) for duty cycle control.