Patent ID: 7567445

Claim:
A method of sensing an output voltage of a switch mode power supply (SMPS), the SMPS including a switched magnetic energy storage device for conveying power from an input to an output of said SMPS, said magnetic device having at least one winding, the method comprising: inputting a sensing signal from said at least one winding of said magnetic device, said sensing signal having a waveform with a first, decaying portion during which power is supplied by said magnetic device to said SMPS output and a second portion during which substantially no power is supplied by said magnetic device to said SMPS output; identifying a knee point on said sensing signal waveform between said decaying portion and said second portion of said waveform; and using a value of said sensing signal at said knee point to sense said SMPS output voltage; and wherein said identifying of said knee point comprises fitting an approximate tangent to said decaying portion of said sensing signal waveform; and identifying departure of said sensing signal waveform from said approximate tangent to identify said knee point, wherein said departure identifying comprises comparing said tangent approximating signal and said sensing signal waveform to identify a time when said sensing signal waveform departs from said tangent approximating signal to identify said knee point.