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Non-Inverting Schmitt Trigger

A non-inverting Schmitt trigger uses positive feedback to create hysteresis. It uses two resistors in a voltage summer to add part of the output voltage to the input. This creates hysteresis controlled by the resistor values. The output has the same sign as the input above or below the thresholds, but the output is undefined between thresholds. It latches to the last state. A practical configuration uses Zener diodes instead of the power supply to define precise, stable thresholds.

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Sherif Eltoukhi
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1K views3 pages

Non-Inverting Schmitt Trigger

A non-inverting Schmitt trigger uses positive feedback to create hysteresis. It uses two resistors in a voltage summer to add part of the output voltage to the input. This creates hysteresis controlled by the resistor values. The output has the same sign as the input above or below the thresholds, but the output is undefined between thresholds. It latches to the last state. A practical configuration uses Zener diodes instead of the power supply to define precise, stable thresholds.

Uploaded by

Sherif Eltoukhi
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Non-inverting Schmitt trigger

Schmitt trigger implemented by a non-inverting comparator

In this circuit, the two resistors R1 and R2 form a parallel voltage summer. It adds a part
of the output voltage to the input voltage thus "helping" it during and after switching that
occurs when the resulting voltage is near the ground. This parallel positive feedback
creates the needed hysteresis that is controlled by the proportion between the resistances
of R1 and R2. The output of the parallel voltage summer is single-ended (it produces
voltage in respect to ground); so, the circuit does not need an amplifier with a differential
input. Since the conventional op-amps usually have a differential input, the inverting
input is grounded (not used).

The output voltage always has the same sign as the op-amp input voltage but it not
always has the same sign as the circuit input voltage (the signs of the two input voltages
can differ). When the circuit input voltage is above the high threshold or below the low
threshold, the output voltage has the same sign as the circuit input voltage (the circuit is
non-inverting). It acts like a comparator that switches at a different point depending on
whether the output of the comparator is high or low. When the circuit input voltage is
between the thresholds, the output voltage is undefined; it depends on the last state (the
circuit behaves as an elementary latch).

Typical hysteresis curve (which matches the curve shown on a Schmitt trigger symbol)
For instance, if the Schmitt trigger is currently in the high state, the output will be at the
positive power supply rail (+VS). The output voltage V+ of the resistive summer can be
found by applying the superposition theorem:

The comparator will switch when V+=0. Then (the same result
can be obtained by applying the current conservation principle). So Vin must drop below

to get the output to switch. Once the comparator output has switched to −VS, the

threshold becomes to switch back to high. So this circuit creates a switching

band centered around zero, with trigger levels (it can be shifted to the left or the
right by applying a bias voltage to the inverting input). The input voltage must rise above
the top of the band, and then below the bottom of the band, for the output to switch on
and then back off. If R1 is zero or R2 is infinity (i.e., an open circuit), the band collapses
to zero width, and it behaves as a standard comparator. The transfer characteristic is

shown in the picture on the right. The value of the threshold T is given by and the
maximum value of the output M is the power supply rail.

A practical Schmitt trigger configuration with precise thresholds

A unique property of circuits with parallel positive feedback is the impact on the input
source. In circuits with negative parallel feedback (e.g., an inverting amplifier), the
virtual ground at the inverting input separates the input source from the op-amp output.
Here there is no virtual ground and the steady op-amp output voltage is applied through
R1 - R2 network to the input source.
A practical Schmitt trigger with precise thresholds is shown in the figure on the left. The
transfer characteristic has exactly the same shape of the previous basic configuration, and
the threshold values are the same as well. On the other hand, in the previous case, the
output voltage was depending on the power supply, while now it is defined by the Zener
diodes (which could also be replaced with a single double-anode Zener diode). In this
configuration, the output levels can be modified by appropriate choice of Zener diode,
and these levels are resistant to power supply fluctuations (i.e., they increase the PSRR of
the comparator). The resistor R3 is there to limit the current through the diodes, and the
resistor R4 minimizes the input voltage offset caused by the comparator's input leakage
currents (see Limitations of real op-amps).

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