An Active EMI Choke for Both Common- and Differential-Mode Noise Suppression

In this paper, an active electromagnetic interference (EMI) choke for both common-mode (CM) and differential-mode (DM) noise suppression is proposed. Three isolated windings with a different number of turns are wound on the same magnetic core. One of the windings is served as the auxiliary winding connecting to an active circuit called the negative impedance circuit. The inductance of the EMI choke is substantially boosted up to effectively attenuate the low-frequency noise. This technique leads to a greater inductance but fewer turns and smaller size of the EMI choke. Different from the design of a conventional EMI filter, which uses separated CM and DM chokes, this proposal saves the cost and space of the EMI filter. The enhancement to the CM and DM impedance is individually analyzed and experimentally confirmed. Based on the classical CM and DM noise models, CM and DM noise insertion losses are predicted using computer simulation. The simulation results are validated by a network impedance analyzer. Finally, conducted EMI tests are carried out to verify the effectiveness of the proposed technique.