U.S. patent application number 16/119902 was filed with the patent office on 2019-10-17 for turn-off of power switching device.
The applicant listed for this patent is TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED. Invention is credited to Jae Won CHOI, Richard TURKSON.
Application Number | 20190319615 16/119902 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 68063700 |
Filed Date | 2019-10-17 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190319615 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CHOI; Jae Won ; et
al. |
October 17, 2019 |
TURN-OFF OF POWER SWITCHING DEVICE
Abstract
A system includes a storage capacitor coupled between an input
voltage source and a ground terminal, a voltage sensing circuit
coupled to the input voltage source and to the storage capacitor, a
first transistor coupled to the voltage sensing circuit, a current
mirror circuit coupled to the first transistor, a diode coupled
between the storage capacitor and the current mirror circuit, and a
second transistor configured to couple between a gate of a power
switching device and the ground terminal. A gate of the second
transistor is coupled to the storage capacitor by way of the
voltage sensing circuit.
Inventors: |
CHOI; Jae Won; (Dallas,
TX) ; TURKSON; Richard; (Princeton, TX) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED |
Dallas |
TX |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
68063700 |
Appl. No.: |
16/119902 |
Filed: |
August 31, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62657929 |
Apr 16, 2018 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L 27/0629 20130101;
H03K 17/08122 20130101; H03K 17/0822 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H03K 17/0812 20060101
H03K017/0812 |
Claims
1. A system, comprising: a storage capacitor coupled between an
input voltage source and a ground terminal; a voltage sensing
circuit coupled to the input voltage source and to the storage
capacitor; a first transistor coupled to the voltage sensing
circuit; a current mirror circuit coupled to the first transistor;
a diode coupled between the storage capacitor and the current
mirror circuit; and a second transistor configured to couple
between a gate of a power switching device and the ground terminal,
wherein a gate of the second transistor is coupled to the storage
capacitor by way of the voltage sensing circuit.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein the power switching device is an
n-type metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor.
3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a p-type
metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor coupled between
the storage capacitor and the input voltage source.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein the voltage sensing circuit
comprises an n-type metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect
transistor (MOSFET) coupled to the ground terminal and a p-type
MOSFET coupled to the n-type MOSFET and the storage capacitor,
wherein the input voltage source is coupled to a gate of both the
n-type and p-type MOSFETs.
5. The system of claim 4 wherein the first transistor comprises an
n-type MOSFET, and wherein a gate of the first transistor is
coupled to a node between the n-type and p-type MOSFETs of the
voltage sensing circuit.
6. The system of claim 4 wherein the second transistor comprises an
n-type MOSFET, and wherein the gate of the second transistor is
coupled to a node between the n-type and p-type MOSFETs of the
voltage sensing circuit.
7. The system of claim 6 wherein the gate of the second transistor
is configured to couple to the storage capacitor in response to an
input voltage source voltage being below a threshold.
8. The system of claim 1 wherein: the current mirror circuit
further comprises first and second p-type metal-oxide-semiconductor
field effect transistors (MOSFETs); a gate of the first p-type
MOSFET is coupled to a gate of the second p-type MOSFET, which is
in turn coupled to a drain of the second p-type MOSFET and to the
first transistor; sources of both the first and second p-type
MOSFETs are coupled to the gate of the power switching device; and
a drain of the first p-type MOSFET is coupled to the diode.
9. The system of claim 1 further comprising an n-type
metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) coupled
between the gate of the power switching device and the ground
terminal, wherein a gate of the n-type MOSFET is coupled to an
inverted power enable input.
10. A system, comprising: a storage capacitor coupled between an
input voltage source and a ground terminal; a voltage sensing
circuit coupled to the input voltage source and to the storage
capacitor; a first transistor coupled to the voltage sensing
circuit and to the storage capacitor; a current mirror circuit
coupled to the first transistor; a diode coupled between the
storage capacitor and the current mirror circuit; and a second
transistor configured to couple between a gate of a power switching
device and the input voltage source, wherein a gate of the second
transistor is coupled to the storage capacitor.
11. The system of claim 10 wherein the power switching device is a
p-type metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor.
12. The system of claim 10 wherein: the voltage sensing circuit
comprises a p-type metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect
transistor (MOSFET); the storage capacitor is coupled to the input
voltage source by way of the voltage sensing circuit; and a source
of the p-type MOSFET is coupled to the input voltage source and a
gate of the p-type MOSFET is coupled to the ground terminal.
13. The system of claim 10 wherein the first transistor comprises a
p-type metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor.
14. The system of claim 10 wherein the second transistor comprises
a p-type metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor.
15. The system of claim 10 wherein: the current mirror circuit
further comprises first and second n-type metal-oxide-semiconductor
field effect transistors (MOSFETs); a gate of the first n-type
MOSFET is coupled to a gate of the second n-type MOSFET, which is
in turn coupled to a drain of the second n-type MOSFET and to the
first transistor; sources of both the first and second p-type
MOSFETs are coupled to the gate of the power switching device; and
a drain of the first p-type MOSFET is coupled to the diode.
16. The system of claim 10 further comprising a p-type
metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) coupled
between the gate of the power switching device and the input
voltage source, wherein a gate of the p-type MOSFET is coupled to a
power enable input.
17. A system, comprising: a regenerative current feedback loop; a
voltage sensing circuit coupled to the regenerative current
feedback loop and configured to activate the regenerative current
feedback loop when an input voltage source drops below a threshold;
a storage capacitor coupled to the regenerative current feedback
loop, wherein in response to being activated, the regenerative
current feedback loop is configured to charge the storage capacitor
from a gate capacitance of a power switching device; and a gate
pull-down device configured to couple a gate of the power switching
device to a ground terminal in response to the storage capacitor
becoming increasingly charged.
18. The system of claim 17 wherein the power switching device is an
n-type metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor.
19. The system of claim 17 further comprising a p-type
metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor coupled between
the storage capacitor and the input voltage source.
20. The system of claim 17 wherein the voltage sensing circuit
comprises an n-type metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect
transistor (MOSFET) coupled to the ground terminal and a p-type
MOSFET coupled to the n-type MOSFET and the storage capacitor,
wherein the input voltage source is coupled to a gate of both the
n-type and p-type MOSFETs.
21. (canceled)
22. The system of claim 20 wherein the gate pull-down device
comprises an n-type MOSFET, and wherein the gate of the gate
pull-down device is coupled to a node between the n-type and p-type
MOSFETs of the voltage sensing circuit.
23. The system of claim 17 wherein: the current mirror circuit
further comprises first and second p-type metal-oxide-semiconductor
field effect transistors (MOSFETs); a gate of the first p-type
MOSFET is coupled to a gate of the second p-type MOSFET, which is
in turn coupled to a drain of the second p-type MOSFET and to the
first transistor; sources of both the first and second p-type
MOSFETs are coupled to the gate of the power switching device; and
a drain of the first p-type MOSFET is coupled to the storage
capacitor.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Patent Application No. 62/657,929, which was filed Apr. 16, 2018
and is titled "Transistor Switch Turn-Off After VIN Power Loss."
The present application relates to U.S. Provisional Patent
Application No. 62/485,892, which was filed Apr. 14, 2017 and is
titled "Transistor Switch Turn-Off Based On Regenerative Feedback
Of Gate Parasitic Charge." Both of these provisional applications
are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
SUMMARY
[0002] In accordance with at least one example of the disclosure, a
system includes a storage capacitor coupled between an input
voltage source and a ground terminal, a voltage sensing circuit
coupled to the input voltage source and to the storage capacitor, a
first transistor coupled to the voltage sensing circuit, a current
mirror circuit coupled to the first transistor, a diode coupled
between the storage capacitor and the current mirror circuit, and a
second transistor configured to couple between a gate of a power
switching device and the ground terminal. A gate of the second
transistor is coupled to the storage capacitor by way of the
voltage sensing circuit.
[0003] In accordance with another example of the disclosure, a
system includes a storage capacitor coupled between an input
voltage source and a ground terminal, a voltage sensing circuit
coupled to the input voltage source and to the storage capacitor, a
first transistor coupled to the voltage sensing circuit and to the
storage capacitor, a current mirror circuit coupled to the first
transistor, a diode coupled between the storage capacitor and the
current mirror circuit, and a second transistor configured to
couple between a gate of a power switching device and the input
voltage source. A gate of the second transistor is coupled to the
storage capacitor.
[0004] In accordance with an example of the disclosure, a system
includes a regenerative current feedback loop, a voltage sensing
circuit coupled to the regenerative current feedback loop and
configured to activate the regenerative current feedback loop when
an input voltage source drops below a threshold, and a storage
capacitor coupled to the regenerative current feedback loop. In
response to being activated, the regenerative current feedback loop
is configured to charge the storage capacitor from a gate
capacitance of a power switching device. The system also includes a
gate pull-down device configured to couple a gate of the power
switching device to a ground terminal in response to the storage
capacitor becoming increasingly charged.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] For a detailed description of various examples, reference
will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:
[0006] FIG. 1 shows a circuit schematic diagram and associated
timing diagram in accordance with various examples;
[0007] FIG. 2 shows a circuit schematic diagram and associated
timing diagram in accordance with various examples;
[0008] FIG. 3a shows a circuit schematic diagram and associated
timing diagram for an n-type power switching device in accordance
with various examples;
[0009] FIG. 3b shows a circuit schematic diagram for active gate
pull-down of an n-type power switching device in accordance with
various examples;
[0010] FIG. 4a shows a circuit schematic diagram and associated
timing diagram for a p-type power switching device in accordance
with various examples; and
[0011] FIG. 4b shows a circuit schematic diagram for active gate
pull-up of a p-type power switching device in accordance with
various examples.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] A power switch for an electronic device couples an input
voltage source to the electronic device. The power switch is, for
example, an n-type or p-type metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect
transistor (MOSFET), and may be referred to generally as a "power
FET." During normal operation, a gate driver applies a gate voltage
to the gate of the power FET to turn the power FET on/off. When
turning the power FET on, the gate driver controls the increase in
the output voltage supplied to the electronic device. By
controlling the increase in voltage supplied to the electronic
device, the high initial current required to charge electronic
device capacitance, or inrush current, is also controlled.
[0013] In some cases, the input voltage source may drop to 0V, such
as during an electrical outage or loss, although the power FET
remains turned on. When the input voltage source is later restored,
because the power FET is already fully on, the gate driver does not
control the increase in voltage supplied to the electronic device.
As a result, the output voltage supplied to the electronic device
rises immediately along with the input voltage. This causes a large
inrush current to the electronic device, which can damage
components of the electronic device.
[0014] An example of the present disclosure that addresses the
foregoing problems includes an integrated circuit (IC) that senses
an input voltage source loss/outage and, in the case of an n-type
power FET, pulls a gate of the power FET down to ground, turning
the power FET off while the input voltage source is not available.
Similarly, in the case of a p-type power FET that is turned on when
a negative voltage is applied (e.g., using a negative charge pump),
another example of the present disclosure includes an IC that
senses an input voltage source loss/outage and pulls a gate of the
power FET up to the input voltage, turning the power FET off while
the input voltage source is not available. In either case, when the
input voltage source is restored, the power FET is turned on with a
slew rate control as if it had been switched on normally, avoiding
the problems of a large inrush current noted above.
[0015] FIG. 1 depicts a circuit schematic diagram 100 of a power
switch for an electronic device. The circuit schematic diagram 100
includes an input voltage source 102 and the electronic device is
represented by an output voltage load 104 and an output capacitor
114, which output capacitor 114 leads to the inrush current problem
noted above when a rapid change in voltage occurs. An n-type power
FET 106 couples and acts as a switch between the input voltage
source 102 and the output voltage load 104. A gate driver 108
applies a high voltage to a gate of the n-type power FET 106 when
enabled by an input 110 to the gate driver 108. The input 110 to
the gate driver 108 is, for example, a button or toggle switch of
the electronic device 104, 114. A positive charge pump 112 is
coupled to the gate driver 108 so that when enabled, the voltage
applied by the gate driver 108 to the gate of the n-type power FET
106 is greater than the input voltage 102. Thus, when enabled, the
gate driver 108 causes the n-type power FET 106 to turn on,
applying the input voltage from the input voltage source 102 to the
electronic device 104, 114. Similarly, when disabled, the gate
driver 108 causes the n-type power FET 106 to turn off, removing
the supply of the input voltage source 102 to the electronic device
104, 114.
[0016] FIG. 1 also includes a timing diagram 150 that demonstrates
the functionality of the circuit schematic diagram 100. In the
timing diagram 150, "VIN" corresponds to the voltage of the input
voltage source 102, "VOUT" corresponds to the voltage of the output
voltage load 104, "GATE" corresponds to the voltage supplied to the
gate of the n-type power FET 106, "Vgs" corresponds to the
gate-to-source voltage of the n-type power FET 106, and "Iout"
corresponds to the current flowing through the drain-source channel
of the n-type power FET 106. Initially when the electronic device
104, 114 is turned off, VIN is at 3V, GATE is at 0V, the n-type
power FET 106 is turned off, and VOUT--and, by extension, Vgs--are
also at 0V. The x-axis of timing diagram 150 corresponds to time,
and the y-axis of timing diagram 150 corresponds to amplitude of
voltage (or current, in the case of Iout).
[0017] At the time indicated by 152, VIN is at 3V for example, and
the gate driver 108 is enabled, for example in response to a power
button of the electronic device 104, 114 being pressed or a switch
toggled. As a result, the gate driver 108 applies a high voltage to
the gate of the n-type power FET 106; however, the gate driver 108
is configured to provide a constant current, and thus GATE
increases linearly due to the gate capacitance of the n-type power
FET 106. VOUT remains at 0V until Vgs (the difference between GATE
and VOUT) is greater than a threshold voltage of the n-type power
FET 106, in this example 1V. At this point, the n-type power FET
106 is turned on, and VOUT rises linearly with GATE until VOUT is
equal to VIN. While VOUT rises linearly or has a constant
derivative, Iout is also a constant value due to the output
capacitor 114. However, the gate driver 108 is designed such that
the rate of change of GATE, and thus VOUT, is limited so that the
magnitude of Iout does not exceed what is tolerable by the
electronic device 104, 114. In the example of FIG. 1, Iout is
approximately 300 mA during normal powering on of the electronic
device 104, 114. GATE continues to rise linearly until it is equal
to VIN (3V) plus the additional voltage supplied by the positive
charge pump 112. GATE may be clamped for example by a Zener diode
107 to limit Vgs of the n-type power FET 106 to avoid breakdown of
the gate oxide, which in this example is a Vgs of 4V at which point
GATE is 7V.
[0018] At the time indicated by 154, a loss or outage occurs to
input voltage source 102, and thus VIN and VOUT both drop to 0V.
However, the gate driver 108 is not able to pull-down the gate of
the n-type power FET 106 because of the lack of a power supply
caused when VIN drops to 0V, which results in an inability to turn
on a pull-down transistor, for example. As a result, GATE only
drops from 7V to 4V due to a coupling of parasitic gate-to-drain
capacitance (Cgd) and gate-to-source capacitance (Cgs) of the
n-type power FET 106. Thus, the n-type power FET 106 remains turned
on. Subsequently at the time indicated by 156, the input voltage
source 102 is restored, and thus VIN and VOUT both rise to 3V.
Unlike previously, when VOUT rose linearly with GATE, now GATE is
already at 4V before VIN is restored and 7V after VIN is restored
due to coupling of the gate capacitance Cgd and Cgs of the n-type
power FET 106, and the n-type power FET 106 remains turned on in
both cases. As a result of the n-type power FET 106 remaining
turned on, VOUT rises immediately with VIN. This immediate increase
in VOUT results in a large spike in Iout, which is the inrush
current described above, to 10 A in the example of FIG. 1, although
the current spike could be even greater (depending on the value of
the output capacitor 114 and the on-resistance of the n-type power
FET 106). This potentially damages the electronic device 104, 114,
the n-type power FET 106, and any interconnects therebetween.
[0019] FIG. 2 depicts a circuit schematic diagram 200 of a power
switch for an electronic device. The circuit schematic diagram 200
is similar to the schematic 100 described above, in that it
includes an input voltage source 202 and the electronic device is
represented by an output voltage load 204 and an output capacitor
214. Unlike the schematic 100, the schematic 200 includes a p-type
power FET 206 that couples and acts as a switch between the input
voltage source 202 and the output voltage load 204. A gate driver
208 applies a low voltage to a gate of the p-type power FET 206
when enabled by an input 210 to the gate driver 208. The input 210
to the gate driver 208 is, for example, a button or toggle switch
of the electronic device 204, 214. A negative charge pump 212 is
coupled to the gate driver 208 so that when enabled, the voltage
applied by the gate driver 208 to the gate of the p-type power FET
206 is negative. Thus, when enabled, the gate driver 208 causes the
p-type power FET 206 to turn on, applying the input voltage 202 to
the electronic device 204, 214. Similarly, when disabled, the gate
driver 208 applies a high voltage (e.g., pulls the gate of the
p-type power FET 206 to the voltage of the input voltage source
202) and causes the p-type power FET 206 to turn off, removing the
supply of the input voltage source 202 to the electronic device
204, 214.
[0020] FIG. 2 also includes a timing diagram 250 that demonstrates
the functionality of the circuit schematic diagram 200. In the
timing diagram 250, "VIN" corresponds to the voltage of the input
voltage source 202, "VOUT" corresponds to the voltage of the output
voltage load 204, "GATE" corresponds to the voltage supplied to the
gate of the p-type power FET 206, "Vgs" corresponds to the
gate-to-source voltage of the p-type power FET 206, and "Iout"
corresponds to the current to the electronic device 204, 214.
Initially when the electronic device 204, 214 is turned off, VIN
and GATE are at 0V, and thus Vgs is at 0V and the p-type power FET
206 is turned off, so VOUT is also at 0V.
[0021] At the time indicated by 252, VIN is at 4V, for example, and
the gate driver 208 is enabled, for example in response to a power
button of the electronic device 204, 214 being pressed, or a switch
toggled. As a result, the gate driver 208 applies a negative
voltage (owing to the negative charge pump 212) to the gate of the
p-type power FET 206; however, the gate driver 208 is configured to
provide a constant current, and thus GATE decreases linearly due to
the gate capacitance of the p-type power FET 206. VOUT remains at
0V until Vgs (the difference between GATE and VIN) is less than a
threshold voltage of the p-type power FET 206, in this example
approximately -1V, at which point VOUT begins to rise exponentially
to VIN as the p-type power FET 206 fully turns on. While VOUT rises
exponentially, Iout increases to a peak at the highest VOUT slew
rate, and then decreases as VOUT approaches VIN and tapers to VIN,
due to the output capacitor 214. However, the gate driver 208 is
designed such that the rate of change of GATE is gradual, which
reduces the VOUT slew rate, and thus the magnitude of Iout does not
exceed what is tolerable by the electronic device 204, 214. GATE
continues to decrease linearly until it is equal to VIN (4V) minus
the voltage of the negative charge pump 212. GATE may be clamped
for example by a Zener diode 207 to limit Vgs of the p-type power
FET 206 to avoid breakdown of the gate oxide, which in this example
is a Vgs of -6V at which point GATE is -2V.
[0022] At the time indicated by 254, a loss or outage occurs to the
input voltage source 202, and thus VIN and VOUT both drop to 0V.
However, the gate driver 208 is not able to pull-up the gate of the
p-type power FET 206 because of the lack of a power supply caused
when VIN drops to 0V. As a result, GATE drops to -6V due to a
coupling of parasitic gate capacitance Cgd and Cgs of the p-type
power FET 206, and thus the p-type power FET 206 remains turned on.
Subsequently at the time indicated by 256, the input voltage source
202 is restored, and thus VIN and VOUT both rise to 4V. Unlike
previously, when VOUT rose exponentially but gradually as the
p-type power FET 206 turned on, now GATE is already at -6V before
VIN is restored and -2V after VIN is restored due to coupling of
the gate capacitance Cgd and Cgs of the p-type power FET 206. The
p-type power FET 206 thus remains turned on in both cases. As a
result of the p-type power FET 206 remaining turned on, VOUT rises
immediately with VIN. This immediate increase in VOUT results in a
large spike in Iout, which is the inrush current described above,
to 10 A in the example of FIG. 2, although the current spike could
be even greater (depending on the value of the output capacitor 214
and the on-resistance of the p-type power FET 206). This damages
the electronic device 204, 214, the p-type power FET 206, and any
interconnects therebetween.
[0023] In an example, FIG. 3a depicts a circuit schematic diagram
of a system 300 for turning off a power switching device without a
power supply, for example in response to a loss or outage to an
input voltage source. In the example of FIG. 3a, the power
switching device is an n-type power FET 106 as described above with
respect to FIG. 1. Additionally, an input voltage source 102, an
output voltage load 104, a gate driver 108, a gate driver input
110, and a positive charge pump 112 all function as described above
with respect to FIG. 1. These elements provide context for the
example of FIG. 3a.
[0024] Referring briefly to FIG. 3b, an example circuit 370 for
active pull-down of the gate of the n-type power FET 106 is shown.
When VIN is present (power is available) and the electronic device
is turned off (the input 110 to the gate driver 108 is disabled),
VIN is used to turn on a pull-down transistor (or a circuit
including such a pull-down transistor), for example, to discharge
the gate of the n-type power FET 106. In the example of FIG. 3b, an
n-type MOSFET 372 is the pull-down transistor, having its drain
coupled to the gate of the n-type power FET 106 and its source
coupled to ground. The input 110 signal, notated EN, is provided to
an inverter including p-type MOSFET 374 and n-type MOSFET 376. An
output of the inverter 374, 376 is coupled to the gate of the
pull-down transistor 372, such that when EN goes low, the pull-down
transistor 372 turns on and pulls the gate of the n-type power FET
106 to ground. However, as explained above, when VIN is not
present, the pull-down transistor 372 cannot be turned on, and thus
the gate of the n-type power FET 106 cannot be pulled to ground,
which results in a large inrush current when VIN is subsequently
restored.
[0025] To address these issues, the system 300 of FIG. 3a includes
a storage capacitor 302 coupled between ground and the input
voltage source 102. In this example, the storage capacitor 302 is
coupled to the input voltage source 102 by way of a transistor 312,
which is, for example, a p-type MOSFET 312 including a
drain-to-body diode 310 as shown.
[0026] The system 300 also includes a voltage sensing circuit 304
that is coupled to the input voltage source 102 and to the storage
capacitor 302. The voltage sensing circuit 304 includes two
transistors, for example an n-type MOSFET 306 and a p-type MOSFET
308. The input voltage source 102 is coupled to a gate of each of
the n-type MOSFET 306 and the p-type MOSFET 308. A drain of each of
the n-type MOSFET 306 and the p-type MOSFET 308 are coupled
together. A source of the p-type MOSFET 308 is coupled to the
storage capacitor 302, and a source of the n-type MOSFET 306 is
coupled to ground.
[0027] The system 300 also includes a transistor 314, which is, for
example, an n-type MOSFET 314 coupled to the voltage sensing
circuit 304. In particular, a gate of the n-type MOSFET 314 is
coupled to a node between the n-type MOSFET 306 and the p-type
MOSFET 308 of the voltage sensing circuit 304. A source of the
n-type MOSFET 314 is coupled to ground and a drain of the n-type
MOSFET 314 is coupled to a current mirror circuit 316. The current
mirror circuit 316 is also coupled to the storage capacitor 302 by
way of a diode 318. The current mirror circuit 316 includes two
p-type MOSFETs 322, 324, where a gate of the first p-type MOSFET
322 is coupled to a gate of the second p-type MOSFET 324, which is
in turn coupled to a drain of the second p-type MOSFET 324 and to
the n-type MOSFET 314. Further, sources of both the first and
second p-type MOSFETs 322, 324 are coupled to the gate of the
n-type power FET 106. A drain of the first p-type MOSFET 322
couples to the diode 318.
[0028] The system 300 further includes a gate pull-down transistor
320 coupled between the gate of the n-type power FET 106 and
ground. The gate pull-down transistor 320 is an n-type MOSFET in
this example. A gate of the gate pull-down transistor 320 is
coupled to the node between the n-type MOSFET 306 and the p-type
MOSFET 308 of the voltage sensing circuit 304, and thus is also
coupled to the storage capacitor 302 via the p-type MOSFET 308.
[0029] FIG. 3a also includes a timing diagram 350 that demonstrates
the functionality of the system 300 as it relates to the n-type
power FET 106 operation. In the timing diagram 350, "VIN"
corresponds to the voltage of the input voltage source 102, "VOUT"
corresponds to the voltage of the output voltage load 104, "GATE"
corresponds to the voltage supplied to the gate of the n-type power
FET 106, "Vstore" corresponds to the voltage across the storage
capacitor 302, "Vgs" corresponds to the gate-to-source voltage of
the n-type power FET 106, and "Iout" corresponds to the current to
the electronic device 104, 114.
[0030] Initially at the time indicated by 351, during normal,
powered on operation of the electronic device, VIN is at 3V and
GATE is at 7V, as described above with respect to FIG. 1. As a
result of VIN being at 3V, the n-type MOSFET 306 of the voltage
sensing circuit 304 is on and the p-type MOSFET 308 of the voltage
sensing circuit 304 is off, which pulls the gate of the p-type
MOSFET 312 to ground, and thus the p-type MOSFET 312 is also on. As
a result of the p-type MOSFET 312 being on, the storage capacitor
302 is charged, and Vstore is equal to VIN or 3V.
[0031] As a result of the n-type MOSFET 306 of the voltage sensing
circuit 304 being on, the gate of the n-type MOSFET 314 is also
tied to ground. Thus, the n-type MOSFET 314 is off, as are the
p-type MOSFETs 322, 324 of the current mirror circuit 316. This
occurs as a result of no current flowing through the p-type MOSFET
324, and the p-type MOSFET 322 mirroring the lack of current flow.
Finally, as a result of the n-type MOSFET 306 of the voltage
sensing circuit 304 being on, the gate of the gate pull-down
transistor 320 is also tied to ground, and thus the gate pull-down
transistor 320 is off and does not impact GATE.
[0032] At the time indicated by 352, similar to above at 154 in
FIG. 1, the input voltage source 102 is interrupted, for example
due to a power outage. In other words, VIN and VOUT drop to 0V and
GATE drops to 4V due to the coupling of a gate capacitance Cgs and
Cgd of the n-type power FET 106, and Vstore drops along with VIN
since the p-type MOSFET 312 is on. Once VIN drops below a threshold
voltage of the n-type MOSFET 306, or about 0.5V in this example,
the n-type MOSFET 306 of the voltage sensing circuit 304 turns off
and the p-type MOSFET 308 of the voltage sensing circuit 304 turns
on, which pulls the gate of the p-type MOSFET 312 to Vstore. Thus,
the p-type MOSFET 312 also turns off since its source-to-gate
voltage is 0V. Consequently, Vstore only falls to the threshold
voltage of approximately 0.5V before the p-type MOSFET 312 is
turned off, putting the Vstore node into a high impedance state. In
some examples, the width-to-length ratios of the n-type MOSFET 306
and the p-type MOSFET 308 of the voltage sensing circuit 304 are
selected such that the n-type MOSFET 306 is weaker (e.g., a smaller
width-to-length ratio) and the p-type MOSFET 308 is stronger, so
that the p-type MOSFET 308 is on with a lower on-resistance than
that of the n-type MOSFET 306 when VIN reaches 0V.
[0033] As explained above, since the storage capacitor 302 stops
discharging at approximately the threshold voltage of the n-type
MOSFET 306, Vstore only falls to approximately 0.5V in this
example. As a result of the p-type MOSFET 308 being on, Vstore is
applied to the gate of the n-type MOSFET 314. In some examples, the
n-type MOSFET 314 is designed such that it at least operates in its
sub-threshold region with a gate voltage that is approximately the
threshold voltage of the n-type MOSFET 306. In other words, when
Vstore of only 0.5V is applied to the gate of the n-type MOSFET
314, a current flows through the n-type MOSFET 314. The gate
pull-down transistor 320 also turns on and begins to discharge the
gate of the n-type power FET 106 to ground.
[0034] The current mirror circuit 316 mirrors the current flowing
through the n-type MOSFET 314, and since the diode 318 is
forward-biased, begins to charge the storage capacitor 302 (from
the gate capacitance of the n-type power FET 106) and Vstore begins
to increase. As Vstore increases, the n-type MOSFET 314 is more
strongly turned on, increasing the current flowing through both
itself and the current mirror circuit 316, which in turn charges
the storage capacitor 302 even faster. This regenerative, positive
feedback loop allows the storage capacitor 302 to charge, and
Vstore to increase, very quickly even if the n-type MOSFET 314 is
only weakly turned on initially. In some examples, the gate
pull-down transistor 320 is designed to be weaker than the n-type
MOSFET 314, such that the gate capacitance of the n-type power FET
106 is largely discharged to the storage capacitor 302 before the
gate pull-down transistor 320 fully discharges the gate of the
n-type power FET 106 to ground.
[0035] As shown, Vstore rises to approximately 3.5V, which is the
initial GATE of 4V minus a diode 318 voltage drop of approximately
0.5V. When Vstore is charged, in this case to approximately 3.5V,
the gate pull-down transistor 320 is on and thus fully discharges
GATE to 0V. Further, as a result of the gate capacitance of the
n-type power FET 106 typically being much larger than the
capacitance of the storage capacitor 302, the charge loss to ground
is assumed to be minimal in the foregoing example. Subsequently at
the time indicated by 354, VIN is restored and Vstore temporarily
dips as the n-type MOSFET 306 is turned on, and then rises back to
VIN as the p-type MOSFET 312 is turned on and the p-type MOSFET 308
is turned off. Because GATE has been discharged, VOUT rises
normally as described above with respect to FIG. 1, and a large
inrush current is avoided.
[0036] The system 300 allows GATE to be quickly discharged to 0V
despite the fact that the gate driver 108 cannot discharge GATE
since there is no power (e.g., VIN=0V) to turn on a pull-down
transistor, for example, which would be the case when the input
voltage source 102 is unavailable, but the electronic device is not
turned off. Subsequently, upon the restoration of the input voltage
source 102, VIN is again at 3V and thus the system 300 is decoupled
from the gate of the n-type power FET 106. That is, as a result of
VIN being at 3V, the n-type MOSFET 306 of the voltage sensing
circuit 304 again turns on and the p-type MOSFET 308 of the voltage
sensing circuit 304 again turns off, which pulls the gate of the
n-type MOSFET 314 to ground, which stops current flowing through
both the n-type MOSFET 314 and the current mirror circuit 316. The
gate of the gate pull-down transistor 320 is also pulled to ground,
turning it off as well.
[0037] As a result, upon the restoration of the input voltage
source 102, VOUT again rises linearly as under normal power on
operation, and Iout is a constant value that is limited such that
the magnitude of Iout does not exceed what is tolerable by the
electronic device. In other words, even after an unexpected
interruption to the input voltage source 102, the system 300 allows
for a subsequent restoration to the input voltage source 102 to
have the same impact on the electronic device as a normal power on
action, reducing the likelihood of damage to the electronic
device.
[0038] In another example, FIG. 4a depicts a circuit schematic
diagram of a system 400 for turning off a power switching device
without a power supply, for example in response to a loss or outage
of an input voltage source. In the example of FIG. 4a, the power
switching device is a p-type power FET 206 as described above with
respect to FIG. 2. Additionally, an input voltage source 202, an
output voltage load 204, a gate driver 208, a gate driver input
210, and a positive charge pump 212 all function as described above
with respect to FIG. 2. These elements provide context for the
example of FIG. 4a.
[0039] Referring briefly to FIG. 4b, an example circuit 470 for
active pull-up of the gate of the p-type power FET 206 is shown.
When VIN is present (power is available) and the electronic device
is turned off (the input 210 to the gate driver 208 is disabled),
VIN is used to turn on a pull-up transistor (or a circuit including
such a pull-up transistor), for example, to charge the gate of the
p-type power FET 206. In the example of FIG. 4b, a p-type MOSFET
472 is the pull-up transistor, having its drain coupled to the gate
of the p-type power FET 206 and its source coupled to VIN. The
input 210 signal, notated EN, is provided to first and second
inverters including p-type MOSFETs 474a, 474b, respectively, and
n-type MOSFETs 476a, 476b, respectively. An output of the inverters
474a, 476a/474b, 476b is coupled to the gate of the pull-up
transistor 472, such that when EN goes low, the pull-up transistor
472 turns on and pulls the gate of the p-type power FET 306 to VIN.
However, as explained above, when VIN is not present, the gate of
the p-type power FET 206 cannot be pulled up, which results in a
large inrush current when VIN is subsequently restored.
[0040] The system 400 includes a storage capacitor 402 coupled
between ground and the input voltage source 202. In this example,
the storage capacitor 402 is coupled to the input voltage source
202 by way of a transistor 408, which is, for example, a p-type
MOSFET 408 including a drain-to-body diode 406 as shown. The
combination of the diode 406 and the p-type MOSFET 408 may be
referred to as a voltage sensing circuit 404, which will be
explained in further detail below.
[0041] The system 400 also includes a transistor 414, which is, for
example, a p-type MOSFET 414 coupled to the voltage sensing circuit
404. In particular, a gate of the p-type MOSFET 414 is coupled to
the drain of the p-type MOSFET 408 of the voltage sensing circuit
404. A source of the p-type MOSFET 414 is coupled to the input
voltage source 202 and a drain of the p-type MOSFET 414 is coupled
to a current mirror circuit 416. The current mirror circuit 416 is
also coupled to the storage capacitor 402 by way of a diode 418.
The current mirror circuit 416 includes two n-type MOSFETs 422,
424, where a gate of the first n-type MOSFET 422 is coupled to a
gate of the second n-type MOSFET 424, which is in turn coupled to a
drain of the second n-type MOSFET 424 and to the p-type MOSFET 414.
Further, sources of both the first and second n-type MOSFETs 422,
424 are coupled to the gate of the p-type power FET 206. A drain of
the first n-type MOSFET 422 couples to the diode 418.
[0042] The system 400 further includes a gate pull-up transistor
420 coupled between the gate of the p-type power FET 206 and the
input voltage source 202. The gate pull-up transistor 420 is a
p-type MOSFET in this example. A gate of the gate pull-up
transistor 420 is coupled to the drain of the p-type MOSFET 408 of
the voltage sensing circuit 404, and is also coupled to the storage
capacitor 402.
[0043] FIG. 4a also includes a timing diagram 450 that demonstrates
the functionality of the system 400 as it relates to the p-type
power FET 206 operation. In the timing diagram 450, "VIN"
corresponds to the voltage of the input voltage source 202, "VOUT"
corresponds to the voltage of the output voltage load 204, "GATE"
corresponds to the voltage supplied to the gate of the p-type power
FET 206, "Vstore" corresponds to the voltage across the storage
capacitor 402, "Vgs" corresponds to the gate-to-source voltage of
the p-type power FET 206, and "Iout" corresponds to the current to
the electronic device 204, 214.
[0044] Initially at the time indicated by 451, during normal,
powered on operation of the electronic device, VIN is at 4V and
GATE is at -2V, as described above with respect to FIG. 2. Since
the gate of the p-type MOSFET 408 of the voltage sensing circuit
404 is tied to ground, and as a result of VIN being at 4V, the
p-type MOSFET 408 is on, the storage capacitor 402 is charged, and
Vstore is equal to VIN or 4V.
[0045] As a result of the p-type MOSFET 408 of the voltage sensing
circuit 404 being on, the gate of the p-type MOSFET 414 is also
tied to VIN. Thus, the p-type MOSFET 414 is off, as are the n-type
MOSFETs 422, 424 of the current mirror circuit 416, as a result of
no current flowing through the n-type MOSFET 424 and the n-type
MOSFET 422 mirroring the lack of current flow. Finally, as a result
of the p-type MOSFET 408 of the voltage sensing circuit 404 being
on, the gate of the gate pull-up transistor 420 is also tied to
VIN, and thus the gate pull-up transistor 420 is off and does not
impact GATE.
[0046] At the time indicated by 452, similar to above at 254 in
FIG. 2, the input voltage source 202 is interrupted, for example
due to a power outage. In other words, VIN and VOUT drop to 0V and
GATE drops to -6V due to the coupling of a gate capacitance Cgs and
Cgd of the p-type power FET 206, and Vstore drops along with VIN,
since the p-type MOSFET 408 is on. Once VIN drops below a threshold
voltage of the p-type MOSFET 408, or about 0.5V in this example,
the p-type MOSFET 408 of the voltage sensing circuit 404 turns off.
Thus, Vstore only falls to the threshold voltage of approximately
0.5V before the p-type MOSFET 408 is turned off, putting the Vstore
node into a high impedance state.
[0047] As explained above, since the storage capacitor 402 stops
discharging at approximately the threshold voltage of the p-type
MOSFET 408, Vstore only falls to approximately 0.5V in this
example. Although Vstore is applied to the gate of the p-type
MOSFET 414, since the source of the p-type MOSFET 414 falls with
VIN to 0V, the p-type MOSFET 414 does not initially turn on.
However, the n-type MOSFET 422 is designed in some examples for a
subthreshold leakage current to exist even when the p-type MOSFET
414 and the n-type MOSFET 424 are fully off. Thus, the storage
capacitor 402 initially begins to discharge to the gate of the
p-type power FET 206 as a result of the subthreshold leakage
current through the n-type MOSFET 422. This is demonstrated in the
timing diagram 450 by the initial slower rate of decrease of Vstore
at 452. As Vstore falls below 0.5V, the p-type MOSFET 414 turns on
and the current mirror circuit 416 mirrors the current flowing
through the p-type MOSFET 414. The gate pull-up transistor 420 also
turns on, although initially the current through the gate pull-up
transistor 420 is relatively small.
[0048] As explained above, the current mirror circuit 416 mirrors
the current flowing through the p-type MOSFET 414, and the storage
capacitor 402 discharges through the diode 418 to the gate
capacitance of the p-type power FET 206; Vstore decreases as a
result. As Vstore decreases, the p-type MOSFET 414 is more strongly
turned on, increasing the current flowing through both itself and
the current mirror circuit 416. This, in turn, discharges the
storage capacitor 402 to the gate of the p-type power FET 206 even
faster. This regenerative, positive feedback loop allows the
storage capacitor 402 to discharge, and Vstore to decrease, quickly
even though initial discharging is by way of subthreshold leakage
current through the n-type MOSFET 422. In some examples, the gate
pull-up transistor 420 is designed to be weaker than the p-type
MOSFET 414, such that the gate capacitance of the p-type power FET
206 is largely charged by the storage capacitor 402 before the gate
pull-up transistor 420 fully charges the gate of the p-type power
FET 206 to the input voltage source 202, which is at 0V.
[0049] As shown, Vstore drops to approximately -5.5V, which is the
initial GATE of -6V plus a diode 418 voltage drop of approximately
0.5V. When Vstore is discharged, in this case to approximately
-5.5V, the gate pull-up transistor 420 is on and thus fully pulls
up GATE to VIN, or 0V. Further, as a result of the gate capacitance
of the p-type power FET 206 typically being much larger than the
capacitance of the storage capacitor 402, the charge gained from
the input voltage source 202 is assumed to be minimal in the
foregoing example. Subsequently at the time indicated by 454, VIN
is restored and Vstore is charged to VIN by the p-type MOSFET 408
being turned on. Because GATE has been charged to 0V, VOUT rises
normally as described above with respect to FIG. 2, and a large
inrush current is avoided.
[0050] The system 400 allows GATE to be quickly charged to 0V
without a power supply despite the fact that the gate driver 208
cannot pull-up GATE since there is no power (e.g., VIN=0V) to turn
on a pull-up transistor. This would be the case, for instance, when
the input voltage source 202 is unavailable but the electronic
device is not turned off. Subsequently, upon the restoration of the
input voltage source 202, VIN is again at 4V and thus the system
400 is decoupled from the gate of the p-type power FET 206. That
is, as a result of VIN being at 4V, the p-type MOSFET 408 of the
voltage sensing circuit 404 again turns on. When the p-type MOSFET
408 turns on, the gate of the p-type MOSFET 414 is pulled to VIN,
which stops current flowing through both the p-type MOSFET 414 and
the current mirror circuit 416. The gate of the gate pull-up
transistor 420 is also pulled to VIN, turning it off as well.
[0051] As a result, upon the restoration of the input voltage
source 202, VOUT again rises exponentially as under normal power on
operation explained above with respect to FIG. 2, and Iout has a
peak value that is limited such that the magnitude of Iout does not
exceed what is tolerable by the electronic device. In other words,
even after an unexpected interruption to the input voltage source
202, the system 400 allows for a subsequent restoration to the
input voltage source 202 to have the same impact on the electronic
device as a normal power on action, reducing the likelihood of
damage to the electronic device.
[0052] In the foregoing discussion and in the claims, reference is
made to a circuit for turning off a power switching device without
a power supply. The various circuit elements correspond to hardware
circuitry, for example implemented on an integrated circuit (IC).
Indeed, in at least one example, the circuit for turning off a
power switching device without a power supply is implemented on an
IC.
[0053] In the foregoing discussion and in the claims, the terms
"including" and "comprising" are used in an open-ended fashion, and
thus should be interpreted to mean "including, but not limited to .
. . ." Also, the term "couple" or "couples" is intended to mean
either an indirect or direct connection. Thus, if a first device
couples to a second device, that connection may be through a direct
connection or through an indirect connection via other devices and
connections. Similarly, a device that is coupled between a first
component or location and a second component or location may be
through a direct connection or through an indirect connection via
other devices and connections. An element or feature that is
"configured to" perform a task or function may be configured (e.g.,
programmed or structurally designed) at a time of manufacturing by
a manufacturer to perform the function and/or may be configurable
(or re-configurable) by a user after manufacturing to perform the
function and/or other additional or alternative functions. The
configuring may be through firmware and/or software programming of
the device, through a construction and/or layout of hardware
components and interconnections of the device, or a combination
thereof. Additionally, uses of the phrases "ground" or similar in
the foregoing discussion are intended to include a chassis ground,
an Earth ground, a floating ground, a virtual ground, a digital
ground, a common ground, and/or any other form of ground connection
applicable to, or suitable for, the teachings of the present
disclosure. Unless otherwise stated, "about," "approximately," or
"substantially" preceding a value means +/-10 percent of the stated
value.
[0054] The above discussion is meant to be illustrative of the
principles and various embodiments of the present disclosure.
Numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those
skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated.
It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace
all such variations and modifications.
* * * * *