History: The Schmitt Trigger was first invented from Otto H. Schmitt in the 1934.

By that time, Otto Schmitt was a student. In the year 1937, he published his invention in his doctoral. The name he gave was "thermionic trigger"

Definition:-

Schmitt trigger A discrete or integrated circuit whose output has two stable states, i.e. two sustainable values of output voltage, to which it is driven by the movement of its input voltage past two well-defined trigger values. A rise in input voltage above one trigger level causes the output to switch to one state. A fall in input voltage below the other trigger level causes the output to switch to the other state. The difference between the positive and negative thresholds is known as the circuits hysteresis. For the output to change, the input must exceed the hysteresis and be of the appropriate polarity. Schmitt trigger circuits are frequently used to clean up signals from switches and digital transducers. Another definition A Schmitt Trigger (or Schmidt Trigger) is a comparator circuit or device that incorporates a feedback system such that it responds to two comparator thresholds instead of one. Its dual-threshold property as a comparator allows it to be more resistant to input noise and achieve a more stable output.

Just like other multivibrator circuits, its output can have two possible states - 'low' and 'high'. When the input exceeds the higher threshold, the output goes to 'high'. On the other hand, the output goes to 'low' when the input goes below the lower threshold. The output retains its current level if the input is in between the two thresholds. The circuit got its name from its inventor, US scientist Otto Schmitt. It is called a trigger because the output doesn't change until the change in input is large enough to 'trigger' a reversal in the level of the output. The fact that the Schmitt trigger responds to two input thresholds and exhibits an output that depends on the 'history' of the input implies that the circuit has some memory. This phenomenon is also known as 'hysteresis', which is defined as the dependence of an output signal upon the history of prior inputs and the direction of the current traversal of the input.

As shown in Figure 1, the electronic symbol for a Schmitt trigger is a triangle with a curved image inside. This curved image is actually the symbol for hysteresis.

Figure 1. Symbol for a Schmitt Trigger An ordinary comparator has only one input threshold, i.e., its output is high if the input is greater than this threshold and low if the input is lower than this threshold. If the input is hovering close to this threshold, a small amount of input noise can make the input oscillate between the two sides of the threshold, causing the output to oscillate between 'high' and 'low' as well. A Schmitt trigger is immune to this problem, since its dualthreshold property requires a larger input swing to switch the state of the output. The Schmitt trigger is widely used in cleaning up or conditioning a signal for digital use, or in improving digital transitions from low to high and vice versa. For example, a noisy periodic analog signal can be turned into a clean pulse train by feeding it into a Schmitt trigger.

The HIGH and LOW output voltages are actually the POSITIVE and NEGATIVE power supply voltages of the comparator. The comparator needs to have positive and negative power supply (like + and -) to operate as a Schmitt Trigger normally. The following drawing shows how a Schmitt Trigger would react to an AC voltage input:

The orange line is the AC input. The horizontal RED line indicates the High Threshold Level, while the BLUE horizontal line indicates the Low Threshold Level. The green line is the output of the Schmitt Trigger. When the input voltage level goes above the High Threshold Level, then the output of the ST goes High. When the input voltage level goes below the Low Threshold Level, then the output of the ST goes Low. This is the basic operation of a Schmitt Trigger. Symbols: There are basically two symbols for the Schmitt Trigger. The symbol is a triangle with an input and an output, just like the one used for the non-inverting buffers. Inside there is the hysteresis symbol. Depending on the type of Schmitt Trigger, inverting or non-inverting (standard), the hysteresis curve sign differs.

Circuits:

The simplest Schmitt Trigger using OP-Amp

The most simple Schmitt Trigger circuit is implemented with a comparator with a positive feedback. Look at the following circuit:

When the non-inverting input (+) is higher than the inverting input (-), the comparator output switches to the POSITIVE voltage supply. On the contrary, the non-inverting input (+) is lower than the inverting input (-), the output switches to the NEGATIVE voltage supply.

The inverting input (-) is grounded, so someone would expect that the turn-on and off point would be the ground (0). The function of the ST comes from the feedback resistor RFB. When for example the output of the comparator is to the POSITIVE voltage supply, then the non-inverting input has through the RFB this voltage! The same happens when the output is to the NEGATIVE power supply. The voltage needed to switch the output of the comparator must be above or below zero (ground), according to the POSITIVE and NEGATIVE power supply and according to the resistors RI and RFB. More specific, the formula to calculate the threshold voltage is:

VTHRESHOLD = VSUPPLY x

RI RFB + RI

So, if the output is to the POSITIVE voltage, the required negative voltage that must be applied to Vin is:

VINPUT <= - VTHRESHOLD If the output is to the NEGATIVE voltage, the required positive voltage that must be applied to Vin is:

VINPUT >= VTHRESHOLD The above circuit is non-inverting Schmitt Trigger. It can be easily converted into an inverting Schmitt Trigger as follows:

The same formula is used to calculate the threshold level. But the output of this circuit is inverted in comparison to the previous one. When the input voltage is above the High Threshold Level, the output goes LOW. These are the most basic Schmitt Trigger. The threshold voltage is an equal offset from the center of the POSITIVE and NEGATIVE power supply (usually this is 0). Thus, we can call it "symmetrical Schmitt Trigger". I have include a Symmetrical Schmitt Trigger calculator in the Dr.Calculus page. Do not forget to visit and try it!

Non-symmetrical Schmitt Trigger using OP-Amp

This circuit can have non-symmetrical to zero threshold levels This circuit is widely used in a variety of applications. It provides the functionality of the basic Schmitt Trigger circuit described above, but it has the ability to set the High and Low Threshold Levels to any voltage desired. For example, you can set the circuit to turn on at +2.5 Volts and turn off at +1.8 volts. Take a look at the circuit:

This circuit is rather weird compared to the previous one. First of all, the feedback resistor R FB is not connected to the input of the circuit. The inverting input (-) is also not connected directly to the ground. There is a resistor network composed of the RFB, the R1 and the R2. The values of those resistors will finally determine the High and Low Threshold Levels. To calculate the High and Low threshold levels of this circuit, you need at first to calculate the total resistance of the three resistors connected in parallel:

RTOT =

1 1/R1 + 1/R2 + 1/RFB

Following, you calculate two values, the A and B:

A=

VREF x RTOT R1

B=

VSUP x RTOT RFB

Now it's easy to calculate the threshold levels:

VTHRESHOLD_HIGH = A + B VTHRESHOLD_LOW = A - B I have include a Non-Symmetrical Schmitt Trigger calculator in the Dr.Calculus page. Do not forget to visit and try it!

Non-symmetrical Schmitt Trigger using OP-Amp with single power supply

A variation of the previous circuit is the single power supply op-amp Schmitt trigger circuit. This circuit does not require positive and negative voltage for the op-amp to operate. The negative voltage of the op-amp is connected directly to the ground (0V) of the circuit. This is the schematic drawing:

The calculation of the two threshold points is different. To calculate the High Threshold Level, you solve the following formula:

RTOT = (R1 x RFB) / (R1 + RFB)

VTHRESHOLD_HIGH = V * R2 / (R2 + RTOT)

For the Low Threshold Level, you solve the following formula:

RTOT = (R2 x RFB) / (R2 + RFB) VTHRESHOLD_LOW = V x RTOT / (R1 + RTOT)

I have include a Non-Symmetrical Schmitt Trigger calculator using Op-Amp with single power supply in the Dr.Calculus page. Do not forget to visit and try it!

Transistor Schmitt Trigger Implementation

Since a transistor implementation of a Schmitt Trigger is rather important due to the single voltage supply that requires to operate, i present you a basic Schmitt Trigger circuit with two NPN transistors:

The operation of this circuit is simple. Suppose that the input voltage is zero. Q1 will not conduct. The resistors R1+R2 and R4 will perform a voltage divider. The output from this voltage divider will determine the state of the transistor Q2.

As the input voltage is increased, a very small current will start flowing through Q1. This will have a result on the base voltage of Q2 that it will gradually be decreased, and also the emitter voltage of Q2 will be decreased. But the emitters of Q1 and Q2 are connected together. Therefore, the voltage difference VBE of Q1 will be increased. There will be a point that the current flowing through Q1 will be very high, and the Q2 will be sent to cut-off. When the Q2 is to cut-off area, no current flows through it and thus, the output voltage is the power supply voltage. Now let's assume that the input voltage is decreasing. The base current of Q1 is decreased, and so does the current IC. This will increase the base voltage VB on Q2. There will be a point that input voltage will be very low, and the base voltage of Q2 will become slightly higher than the emitter voltage. This will cause a small base current to flow through Q2, and thus an emitter current that will flow through R3. This will cause the emitter voltage to be increased. Because the voltage difference between the base and the emitter of Q1 will become smaller, less current will flow through Q1 and the base voltage of Q2 will be further increased. This loop will cause Q2 to start conducting, and Q1 to be sent to cut-off almost simultaneously. There is only a very narrow voltage area where this shift is done. To calculate the High Threshold Level of this circuit, you can use the following formula:

VTHRESHOLD_HIGH = VSUP x R4 / (R1 + R2 + R4) - 0.62 Where 0.62 is the typical VBE of a silicon transistor.

To calculate the Low Threshold Level, you can use the following formula:

VTHRESHOLD_LOW = VSUP x R4 / (R1 + R2 + R4 + R1 x R4 / R3) + 0.61

I have include a Transistor Non-Symmetrical Schmitt Trigger calculator in the Dr.Calculus page. Do not forget to visitperfect for the job. This is the squaring of a signal. Many times, the input signal from a source is noisy. If it is directly coupled to an IC input, is is most likely that it will receive false pulses due to the noise. Look at the following drawing with a noisy signal:

Use of schmitt trigger

The noisy input signal is supposed to be just two pulses. But there is a specific voltage level, that each IC will read the input as HIGH or LOW. This level is marked with the red line. Due to the noise of the input signal, you can see that this level is crossed more than once during one positive pulse. The IC input will read false pulses and produce incorrectly results. The following drawing indicates the same noisy input that is first filtered through a Schmitt Trigger circuit:

The difference can be clearly seen. Due to the High and Low threshold levels of the Schmitt Trigger, the two pulses can be squared again with a very good precision. The false pulses that the IC would read due to the instant voltage drop of the signal are smoothed. This is why the Schmitt Trigger is so widely known and used for digital signal squaring and filtering.

Applications: [edit] Noise immunity One application of a Schmitt trigger is to increase the noise immunity in a circuit with only a single input threshold. With only one input threshold, a noisy input signal [nb 5] near that threshold could cause the output to switch rapidly back and forth from noise alone. A noisy Schmitt Trigger input signal near one threshold can cause only one switch in output value, after which it would have to move beyond the other threshold in order to cause another switch.

For example, in Fairchild Semiconductor's QSE15x family of infrared photosensors,[5] an amplified infrared photodiode generates an electric signal that switches frequently between its absolute lowest value and its absolute highest value. This signal is then low-pass filtered to form a smooth signal that rises and falls corresponding to the relative amount of time the switching signal is on and off. That filtered output passes to the input of a Schmitt trigger. The net effect is that the output of the Schmitt trigger only passes from low to high after a received infrared signal excites the photodiode for longer than some known delay, and once the Schmitt trigger is high, it only moves low after the infrared signal ceases to excite the photodiode for longer than a similar known delay. Whereas the photodiode is prone to spurious switching due to noise from the environment, the delay added by the filter and Schmitt trigger ensures that the output only switches when there is certainly an input stimulating the device. As discussed in the example above, the Fairchild Semiconductor QSE15x family of photosensors use a Schmitt trigger internally for noise immunity. Schmitt triggers are common in many switching circuits for similar reasons (e.g., for switch debouncing). [show] List of IC including input Schmitt triggers [edit] Use as an oscillator Main article: Relaxation oscillator

Output and capacitor waveforms for comparator-based relaxation oscillator

A comparator-based implementation of a relaxation oscillator A Schmitt trigger is a bitable multivibrator, and it can be used to implement another type of multivibrator, the relaxation oscillator. This is achieved by connecting a single RC integrating circuit between the output and the input of an inverting Schmitt trigger. The output will be a continuous square wave whose frequency depends on the values of R and C, and the threshold points of the Schmitt trigger. Since multiple Schmitt trigger circuits can be provided by a single integrated circuit (e.g. the 4000 series CMOS device type 40106 contains 6 of them), a spare section of the IC can be quickly pressed into service as a simple and reliable oscillator with only two external components. Here, a comparator-based Schmitt trigger is used in its inverting configuration. Additionally, slow negative feedback is added with an integrating RC network. The result, which is shown on the right, is that the output automatically oscillates from VSS to VDD as the capacitor charges from one Schmitt trigger threshold to the other. Other applications are :

1. Squaring circuit 2.sine-to-square comparator 3.amplitude comparator 4. As flip-flop

Use of the Schmitt Trigger

As usual, there are not specific applications for a Schmitt Trigger. It can be used for example as a window comparator. Or it could be used with a thermistor for heating control, or with an LDR for light control circuits. But there are specific applications where a Schmitt Trigger is just perfect for the job. This is the squaring of a signal. Many times, the input signal from a source is noisy. If it is directly coupled to an IC input, is is most likely that it will receive false pulses due to the noise. Look at the following drawing with a noisy signal:

The noisy input signal is supposed to be just two pulses. But there is a specific voltage level, that each IC will read the input as HIGH or LOW. This level is marked with the red line. Due to the noise of the input signal, you can see that this level is crossed more than once during one positive pulse. The IC input will read false pulses and produce incorrectly results. The following drawing indicates the same noisy input that is first filtered through a Schmitt Trigger circuit:

The difference can be clearly seen. Due to the High and Low threshold levels of the Schmitt Trigger, the two pulses can be squared again with a very good precision. The false pulses that the IC would read due to the instant voltage drop of the signal are smoothed. This is why the Schmitt Trigger is so widely known and used for digital signal squaring and filtering.

References 1. http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electronic/schmitt.html 2. http://pcbheaven.com/wikipages/The_Schmitt_Trigger/ 3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schmitt_trigger