Soft start control device and power supply system

Abstract

The application belongs to the technical field of circuits, and provides a soft-start control device and a power supply system. The power supply circuit comprises a soft-start slope control module, a threshold voltage generation module, a ramp voltage generation module and a direct-current voltage stabilization module. The soft-start slope control module is configured to output a plurality of soft-start control signals and a slope switching signal. The plurality of soft-start control signals and the slope switching signal are used to control the voltage increase speed of the ramp voltage signal. The overall structure of the soft-start control device is simplified, and the overall cost is reduced. By setting a first rate and a second rate, the voltage rise time of the ramp voltage signal can be controlled, the soft-start time of the soft-start control device can be controlled according to different requirements, and the application scenarios of the soft-start control device are expanded.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of circuit technology, and in particular relates to a soft-start control device and power supply system. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of communications, computers, and consumer electronics, the demand for power management is increasing. During startup, digital circuits require increasingly higher drive current capabilities, ranging from a few milliamps for small-scale digital circuits to over 100mA or even hundreds of mA for large-scale digital circuits. If a DC regulator with such a large output current is powered on too quickly, inrush current will occur during power-up, potentially damaging power transistors, subsequent circuits, and even the battery. To prevent this, the most common method is to use a soft-start circuit, which controls the ramp-up speed of the DC regulator's output voltage from zero to the target value.

[0003] However, existing soft-start circuits generally use off-chip passive components to achieve soft-start of the output voltage. However, the off-chip component approach increases the size and cost of the board-level circuit, which increases the overall cost and circuit size, and greatly limits the use of DC regulators. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides a soft-start control device and power supply system, which can solve the problems of high overall cost and large circuit size of existing soft-start circuits.

[0005] A first aspect of this application provides a soft-start control device, the soft-start control device comprising:

[0006] The soft-start slope control module is used to receive the soft-start configuration signal and generate multiple soft-start control signals and slope switching signals according to the soft-start configuration signal.

[0007] A threshold voltage generation module is used to receive a current reference signal and generate a threshold voltage signal based on the current reference signal.

[0008] A ramp voltage generation module is connected to the soft-start ramp control module and the threshold voltage generation module, respectively, and is used to generate a ramp voltage signal based on multiple soft-start control signals, ramp switching signals, threshold voltage signals, initial voltage signals, and reference voltage signals; wherein, the voltage of the ramp voltage signal is increased from the voltage of the initial voltage signal to the voltage of the threshold voltage signal at a first rate, and then increased from the voltage of the threshold voltage signal to the voltage of the reference voltage signal at a second rate;

[0009] A DC voltage regulator module, connected to the ramp voltage generation module, is used to receive the ramp voltage signal and adjust the gain of the ramp voltage signal according to the received gain control signal.

[0010] In one embodiment, the first rate is less than the second rate.

[0011] In one embodiment, the ramp voltage generating module includes:

[0012] A switch switching unit, connected to the soft-start slope control module, is used to receive the slope switching signal, the initial voltage signal, and the reference voltage signal, and switch the access state of the initial voltage signal and the reference voltage signal according to the slope switching signal;

[0013] The voltage divider unit is connected to the switch switching unit, the soft-start slope control module, and the threshold voltage generation module. It is used to receive the initial voltage signal, the reference voltage signal, the threshold voltage signal, and multiple soft-start control signals, and to perform voltage divider processing on the threshold voltage signal, the initial voltage signal, and the reference voltage signal according to the multiple soft-start control signals, and output the ramp voltage signal.

[0014] In one embodiment, the voltage divider unit includes a plurality of pull-up resistor subunits and a plurality of pull-down resistor subunits connected in series with the pull-up resistor subunits;

[0015] Among them, multiple pull-up resistor subunits are connected in parallel, multiple pull-down resistor subunits are connected in parallel, and multiple soft-start control signals are used to adjust the resistance ratio between the multiple pull-up resistor subunits and the multiple pull-down resistor subunits.

[0016] In one embodiment, the pull-up resistor subunit includes: a first switching element and a pull-up resistor, wherein the first switching element and the pull-up resistor are connected in series;

[0017] The pull-down resistor subunit includes a second switching element and a pull-down resistor, wherein the second switching element and the pull-down resistor are connected in series.

[0018] In one embodiment, the number of pull-up resistor sub-units is the same as the number of pull-down resistor sub-units.

[0019] In one embodiment, the resistance difference between the pull-up resistors in adjacent pull-up resistor sub-units is equal.

[0020] In one embodiment, the resistance values ​​of the pull-up resistors in the plurality of pull-up resistor subunits are set in equal proportions.

[0021] In one embodiment, the resistance values ​​of the plurality of pull-up resistor subunits are equal to the resistance values ​​of the plurality of pull-down resistor subunits.

[0022] A second aspect of this application provides a power supply system including a soft-start control device as described in any of the preceding claims.

[0023] This application provides a soft-start control device. In this application, a soft-start slope control module outputs multiple soft-start control signals and slope switching signals. These signals are used to control the rate of increase of the ramp voltage signal, simplifying the overall structure of the soft-start control device and reducing overall cost. By setting the ramp voltage signal to increase at a first rate and a second rate during its growth, the electrical load can be protected from large current surges, while significantly reducing the time it takes for the ramp voltage signal to reach the reference voltage signal. This shortens the soft-start time of the power supply system. In this embodiment, by setting the first and second rates, the voltage rise time of the ramp voltage signal can be controlled, allowing the soft-start control device to adjust the soft-start time according to different needs, thus expanding the application scenarios of the soft-start control device. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the soft-start control device provided in one embodiment of this application. Figure 1 ;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the soft-start control device provided in one embodiment of this application. Figure 2 ;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the soft-start control device provided in one embodiment of this application. Figure 3 ;

[0027] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the soft-start control device provided in one embodiment of this application. Figure 4 ;

[0028] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a threshold voltage generation module provided in one embodiment of this application;

[0029] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a specific circuit of a ramp voltage generating module provided in one embodiment of this application;

[0030] Figure 7 This is a waveform diagram of multiple soft-start control signals and slope switching signals generated by the soft-start slope control module provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 ;

[0031] Figure 8 This is a waveform diagram of multiple soft-start control signals and slope switching signals generated by the soft-start slope control module provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 ;

[0032] Figure 9 This is a magnified schematic diagram of the waveforms of multiple soft-start control signals and slope switching signals generated by the soft-start slope control module provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 ;

[0033] Figure 10 This is a magnified schematic diagram of the waveforms of multiple soft-start control signals and slope switching signals generated by the soft-start slope control module provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 ;

[0034] Figure 11 This is a magnified schematic diagram of the waveforms of multiple soft-start control signals and slope switching signals generated by the soft-start slope control module provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 3 ;

[0035] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the waveform generated by the ramp voltage generating module and the DC voltage regulating module provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 ;

[0036] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the waveform generated by the ramp voltage generating module and the DC voltage regulating module provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 . Detailed Implementation

[0037] To make the technical problems, technical solutions, and beneficial effects to be solved by this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0038] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another component, it can be directly on or indirectly on that other component. When a component is referred to as being "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to or indirectly connected to that other component.

[0039] It should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0040] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means one or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0041] With the rapid development of communications, computers, and consumer electronics, the demand for power management is increasing. During startup, digital circuits require increasingly higher drive current capabilities, ranging from a few milliamps for small-scale digital circuits to over 100mA or even hundreds of mA for large-scale digital circuits. If a DC regulator with such a large output current is powered on too quickly, inrush current will occur during power-up, potentially damaging power transistors, subsequent circuits, and even the battery. To prevent this, the most common method is to use a soft-start circuit, which controls the ramp-up speed of the DC regulator's output voltage from zero to the target value.

[0042] However, existing soft-start circuits generally use off-chip passive components to achieve soft-start of the output voltage. However, the off-chip component approach increases the size and cost of the board-level circuit, which increases the overall cost and circuit size, and greatly limits the use of DC regulators.

[0043] To solve the above technical problems, refer to Figure 1 As shown in the figure, this application provides a soft-start control device, which includes: a soft-start slope control module 10, a threshold voltage generation module 20, a ramp voltage generation module 30, and a DC voltage regulator module 40.

[0044] Specifically, the soft-start slope control module 10 receives a soft-start configuration signal and generates multiple soft-start control signals and a slope switching signal based on the soft-start configuration signal. The threshold voltage generation module 20 receives a current reference signal and generates a threshold voltage signal based on the current reference signal. The ramp voltage generation module 30 is connected to both the soft-start slope control module 10 and the threshold voltage generation module 20. The ramp voltage generation module 30 generates a ramp voltage signal based on multiple soft-start control signals, a slope switching signal, a threshold voltage signal, an initial voltage signal, and a reference voltage signal. The voltage of the ramp voltage signal increases from the initial voltage signal at a first rate to the threshold voltage signal, and then increases from the threshold voltage signal to the reference voltage signal at a second rate. The DC voltage regulator module 40 is connected to the ramp voltage generation module 30. The DC voltage regulator module 40 receives the ramp voltage signal and adjusts the gain of the ramp voltage signal based on the received gain control signal.

[0045] In this embodiment, the soft-start slope control module 10 can be an encoder. The soft-start slope control module 10 is used to generate multiple soft-start control signals and slope switching signals based on the soft-start configuration signal. The soft-start configuration signal may include clock frequency configuration information, time configuration information, and rate configuration information. Specifically, the time configuration information is used to control the output order and duration of the multiple soft-start control signals, and the rate configuration information is used to control the output of the slope switching signal. By setting the soft-start slope control module 10 as an encoder, multiple soft-start control signals and slope switching signals can be output in a simple and convenient way, simplifying the overall structure of the soft-start control device and reducing the overall cost.

[0046] In this embodiment, the threshold voltage generation module 20 is used to generate a threshold voltage signal based on the current reference signal. Specifically, the threshold voltage signal can be formed by the current reference signal flowing through a current source. The threshold voltage signal can be different in different application scenarios because the threshold voltage of the CMOS transistors in different DC-DC regulator modules 40 is different. This application can generate different threshold voltage signals for different CMOS transistors in different DC-DC regulator modules 40, thus expanding the application scenarios and scope of the soft-start control device.

[0047] In this embodiment, the ramp voltage generation module 30 receives multiple soft-start control signals, ramp switching signals, threshold voltage signals, initial voltage signals, and reference voltage signals to generate a ramp voltage signal, and generates the ramp voltage signal based on these signals. It should be noted that the initial voltage signal is the starting voltage of the ramp voltage signal, so it is generally 0V. The reference voltage signal is the voltage at which the ramp voltage signal is finally stably output to the DC voltage regulator module 40. Essentially, the ramp voltage generation module 30 primarily performs voltage division processing on the threshold voltage signal, initial voltage signal, and reference voltage signal generated from the multiple soft-start control signals and ramp switching signals, allowing the output ramp voltage signal to rise from 0V to the reference voltage signal at a controllable rate. This avoids surge current or surge voltage impacting the DC voltage regulator module 40, which could damage the DC voltage regulator module 40 or the electrical load.

[0048] In this embodiment, the voltage of the ramp voltage signal increases from the initial voltage signal to the threshold voltage signal at a first rate, and then increases from the threshold voltage signal to the reference voltage signal at a second rate. Specifically, the threshold voltage signal is the threshold voltage of the CMOS transistor in the DC regulator module 40. Because the CMOS transistor in the DC regulator module 40 is susceptible to surge voltage or surge current when switching off near the threshold voltage, it may experience breakdown or damage. In this embodiment, by setting the ramp voltage signal to increase from the initial voltage signal to the threshold voltage signal at a first rate, the speed at which the ramp voltage signal reaches the CMOS transistor's threshold voltage can be controlled, avoiding the problem of the CMOS transistor in the DC regulator module 40 being subjected to large current surges during conduction or shutdown. The voltage of the ramp voltage signal increases from the threshold voltage signal to the reference voltage signal at a second rate. Since the likelihood of damage is greatly reduced once the ramp voltage signal exceeds the threshold voltage signal, increasing the ramp voltage signal at the second rate shortens the time it takes for the ramp voltage signal to reach the reference voltage signal, thus reducing the soft-start time of the soft-start control device. In this embodiment, by setting the first and second rates, the rise time of the ramp voltage signal can be controlled, allowing the soft-start control device to adjust the soft-start time according to different needs, expanding the application scenarios of the soft-start control device.

[0049] In this embodiment, the DC voltage regulator module 40 receives the ramp voltage signal and adjusts the gain of the ramp voltage signal according to the received gain control signal. Specifically, the gain control signal can be an externally input control signal used to perform gain processing on the voltage of the ramp voltage signal. For example, the DC voltage regulator module 40 can increase the voltage of the ramp voltage signal to twice the output voltage according to the gain control signal, or it can decrease the voltage of the ramp voltage signal to half the output voltage according to the gain control signal, so as to supply power to the electrical load.

[0050] In one embodiment, the first rate is less than the second rate.

[0051] In this embodiment, it is understood that the rate at which the ramp voltage signal increases from the initial voltage signal to the threshold voltage signal is less than the rate at which the ramp voltage signal increases from the threshold voltage signal to the reference voltage signal. This is because the logic gates near the threshold voltage of the CMOS transistor will switch from off to on, and the gate capacitance of the CMOS transistor will rise rapidly. The superposition of these two points will generate a large instantaneous current on the power supply voltage output by the DC-DC regulator module 40. By setting the rate at which the ramp voltage signal increases from the initial voltage signal to the threshold voltage signal to be smaller, it helps to smooth load changes and achieve soft-start of the electrical load. Once the ramp voltage signal increases to the threshold voltage signal, since the CMOS transistor is now fully turned on, there will be no further current surges. At this point, setting the rate at which the ramp voltage signal increases from the threshold voltage signal to the reference voltage signal to be larger can accelerate the power-on speed and shorten the power-on time.

[0052] In one embodiment, reference Figure 2 As shown, the soft-start control device also includes: an initial voltage generation module 50 and a reference voltage generation module 60.

[0053] Specifically, the initial voltage generation module 50 is used to provide an initial voltage signal. The reference voltage generation module 60 is used to provide a reference voltage signal. In this embodiment, the initial voltage signal is used to provide the initial voltage of the ramp voltage signal, and the reference voltage signal is used to provide the stable voltage of the final output of the ramp voltage signal.

[0054] In one embodiment, reference Figure 3 As shown, the ramp voltage generation module 30 includes a switch switching unit 31 and a voltage divider unit 32.

[0055] Specifically, the switch switching unit 31 is connected to the soft-start slope control module 10. The switch switching unit 31 receives the slope switching signal, the initial voltage signal, and the reference voltage signal, and switches the access state of the initial voltage signal and the reference voltage signal according to the slope switching signal. The voltage divider unit 32 is connected to the switch switching unit 31 and the soft-start slope control module 10. The voltage divider unit 32 receives the initial voltage signal, the reference voltage signal, the threshold voltage signal, and multiple soft-start control signals, and performs voltage divider processing on the threshold voltage signal, the initial voltage signal, and the reference voltage signal according to the multiple soft-start control signals, and outputs the ramp voltage signal.

[0056] In this embodiment, the switch switching unit 31 is connected to the soft-start slope control module 10, the initial voltage generation module 50, the reference voltage generation module 60, and the voltage divider unit 32, respectively. It can be understood that the first input terminal of the switch switching unit 31 is connected to the initial voltage generation module 50, the second input terminal of the switch switching unit 31 is connected to the reference voltage generation module 60, the output terminal of the switch switching unit 31 is connected to the voltage divider unit 32, and the control terminal of the switch switching unit 31 is connected to the soft-start slope control module 10. After receiving the slope switching signal, the control terminal of the switch switching unit 31 connects the initial voltage signal or the reference voltage signal to the voltage divider unit 32, so that the voltage divider unit 32 performs voltage division processing on it.

[0057] In this embodiment, the first input terminal of the voltage divider unit 32 is connected to the threshold voltage generation module 20, and the first input terminal of the voltage divider unit 32 is used to receive the threshold voltage signal. The second input terminal of the voltage divider unit 32 is connected to the switch switching unit 31, and the second input terminal of the voltage divider unit 32 is used to receive the initial voltage signal or the reference voltage signal. The control terminal of the voltage divider unit 32 is connected to the soft-start slope control module 10, and the control terminal of the voltage divider unit 32 is used to receive multiple soft-start control signals and to turn on or off according to the multiple soft-start control signals, so as to perform voltage division processing on the voltage connected to the first input terminal and the second input terminal of the voltage divider unit 32, thereby realizing the control of the voltage of the output slope voltage signal.

[0058] In one embodiment, the switching unit 31 can connect the initial voltage signal to the voltage divider unit 32 according to the slope switching signal. The voltage divider unit 32 then turns on or off according to multiple soft-start control signals to perform voltage division processing on the connected initial voltage signal and threshold voltage signal, causing the voltage of the ramp voltage signal to increase from the initial voltage signal to the threshold voltage signal at a first rate. Alternatively, the switching unit 31 can connect the reference voltage signal to the voltage divider unit 32 according to the slope switching signal. The voltage divider unit 32 then turns on or off according to multiple soft-start control signals to perform voltage division processing on the connected reference voltage signal and threshold voltage signal, causing the voltage of the ramp voltage signal to increase from the threshold voltage signal to the reference voltage signal at a second rate. Thus, the voltage of the ramp voltage signal rises to the reference voltage signal at a controllable rate, achieving soft-start voltage. Furthermore, this application is simple to implement, reduces costs, and expands the application of DC voltage regulators.

[0059] In one embodiment, reference Figure 4 As shown, the voltage divider unit 32 includes multiple pull-up resistor subunits 321 and multiple pull-down resistor subunits 322 connected in series with the pull-up resistor subunits 321. The multiple pull-up resistor subunits 321 are connected in parallel, the multiple pull-down resistor subunits 322 are connected in parallel, and multiple soft-start control signals are used to adjust the resistance ratio between the multiple pull-up resistor subunits 321 and the multiple pull-down resistor subunits 322.

[0060] In this embodiment, the first ends of multiple pull-up resistor subunits 321 are connected to the threshold voltage generation module 20, and the first ends of the multiple pull-up resistor subunits 321 are used to receive threshold voltage signals; the second ends of the multiple pull-up resistor subunits 321 are connected one-to-one with the first ends of multiple pull-down resistor subunits 322, the second ends of the multiple pull-down resistor subunits 322 are connected to the switch switching unit 31, the second ends of the multiple pull-down resistor subunits 322 are used to receive initial voltage signals or reference voltage signals, the second ends of the multiple pull-up resistor subunits 321 and the first ends of the multiple pull-down resistor subunits 322 are used to output ramp voltage signals, and the control ends of the multiple pull-up resistor subunits 321 and the multiple pull-down resistor subunits 322 are both connected to the soft-start ramp control module 10 to receive multiple soft-start control signals.

[0061] In this embodiment, multiple pull-up resistor subunits 321 are connected in parallel, and multiple pull-down resistor subunits 322 are connected in parallel. It can be understood that each pull-up resistor subunit 321 is connected in series with one pull-down resistor subunit 322. Multiple soft-start control signals are used to adjust the resistance ratio between the multiple pull-up resistor subunits 321 and the multiple pull-down resistor subunits 322. For example, the multiple soft-start control signals can be used to control the on or off states of the multiple pull-up resistor subunits 321 and the multiple pull-down resistor subunits 322 respectively, to achieve voltage division processing of the threshold voltage signal, the initial voltage signal, and the reference voltage signal, and output a ramp voltage signal. The voltage control of the output ramp voltage signal in this application is implemented through hardware circuitry, which is simple and low-cost.

[0062] In one embodiment, the pull-up resistor subunit 321 includes a first switching element and a pull-up resistor, wherein the first switching element and the pull-up resistor are connected in series. The pull-down resistor subunit 322 includes a second switching element and a pull-down resistor, wherein the second switching element and the pull-down resistor are connected in series.

[0063] In this embodiment, the first terminal of the first switching element is connected to the threshold voltage generation module 20. The second terminal of the first switching element is connected in series with a pull-up resistor and then to the first terminal of a pull-down resistor. The second terminal of the pull-down resistor is connected in series with a second switching element and then to the switching unit 31. The control terminals of both the first and second switching elements are connected to the soft-start slope control module 10 to receive multiple soft-start control signals. These multiple soft-start control signals can be used to control the on / off states of the first and second switching elements respectively, thereby performing voltage division processing on the threshold voltage signal, the initial voltage signal, and the reference voltage signal, and outputting a ramp voltage signal. The voltage control of the output ramp voltage signal in this application is implemented entirely through hardware circuitry, resulting in a simple and low-cost implementation.

[0064] In one embodiment, the number of pull-up resistor subunits 321 is the same as the number of pull-down resistor subunits 322.

[0065] In this embodiment, multiple soft-start control signals can be used to control the voltage division processing of the threshold voltage signal, the initial voltage signal, and the reference voltage signal by the pull-up resistor subunit 321 and the pull-down resistor subunit 322, respectively. By controlling the number of pull-up resistor subunits 321 and the number of pull-down resistor subunits 322 to be the same, the multiple soft-start control signals output when controlling the pull-up resistor subunits 321 and 322 are more regular, and the implementation method is simpler.

[0066] In one embodiment, the resistance difference between the pull-up resistors in adjacent pull-up resistor subunits 321 is equal.

[0067] It is understood that the resistance values ​​of the pull-up resistors in adjacent pull-up resistor subunits 321 are not the same, and the resistance values ​​of the pull-up resistors in adjacent pull-up resistor subunits 321 are set in an arithmetic sequence. For example, the resistance values ​​of the pull-up resistors in multiple pull-up resistor subunits 321 are 10KΩ, 20KΩ, 30KΩ, 40KΩ, 50KΩ, etc. In this embodiment, by setting the resistance difference between the pull-up resistors in adjacent pull-up resistor subunits 321 to be equal, the first switching element in the corresponding multiple pull-up resistor subunits 321 can be turned on or off according to the voltage requirement of the output ramp voltage signal. Because the first rate and the second rate of the ramp voltage signal increasing from the initial voltage signal to the threshold voltage signal are different from the first rate and the second rate of the ramp voltage signal increasing from the threshold voltage signal to the reference voltage signal, by setting the resistance difference between the pull-up resistors in adjacent pull-up resistor subunits 321 to be equal, the resistance value of the resistor in the circuit can be better controlled, making the implementation simpler.

[0068] In one embodiment, the resistance difference between the pull-down resistors in adjacent pull-down resistor subunits 322 is equal, and the principle is the same as described above, so it will not be repeated here.

[0069] In one embodiment, the resistance values ​​of the pull-up resistors in the plurality of pull-up resistor subunits 321 are set in equal proportions.

[0070] Specifically, the resistance values ​​of the pull-up resistors in the multiple pull-up resistor subunits 321 can be 10KΩ, 20KΩ, 40KΩ, 80KΩ, 160KΩ, etc.

[0071] In this embodiment, the first switching element in the corresponding plurality of pull-up resistor subunits 321 can be turned on or off according to the voltage requirement of the output ramp voltage signal. Because the rate at which the ramp voltage signal increases from the initial voltage signal to the threshold voltage signal differs from the rate at which it increases from the threshold voltage signal to the reference voltage signal, setting the resistance values ​​of the pull-up resistors in the plurality of pull-up resistor subunits 321 in a proportional manner allows for better control of the resistance values ​​in the circuit, simplifying the implementation.

[0072] In one embodiment, the resistance values ​​of the pull-down resistors in the plurality of pull-down resistor subunits 322 are set in equal proportions, and the principle is the same as described above, so it will not be repeated here.

[0073] In one embodiment, the resistance values ​​of the plurality of pull-up resistor subunits 321 are equal to the resistance values ​​of the plurality of pull-down resistor subunits 322. For example, the resistance values ​​of the pull-up resistors in the plurality of pull-up resistor subunits 321 can be 10KΩ, 20KΩ, 40KΩ, 80KΩ, 160KΩ, etc., and the resistance values ​​of the pull-down resistors in the plurality of pull-down resistor subunits 322 can also be 10KΩ, 20KΩ, 40KΩ, 80KΩ, 160KΩ, etc. By setting the resistance values ​​of the plurality of pull-up resistor subunits 321 to be equal to the resistance values ​​of the plurality of pull-down resistor subunits 322, the resistance values ​​of the resistors connected in the circuit can be controlled, making the implementation simpler.

[0074] In one embodiment, reference Figure 5 As shown, the threshold voltage generation module 20 includes a current source I1 and a first switching transistor Q1.

[0075] Specifically, the first terminal of current source I1 is connected to voltage source VCC, the second terminal of current source I1 is connected to the first terminal of first switch Q1, the second terminal of first switch Q1 is grounded, and the control terminal of first switch Q1 is connected to its first terminal. The control terminal of first switch Q1, represented by V1 in the diagram, is used to provide a threshold voltage signal. In this embodiment, when the current reference signal provided by voltage source VCC passes through current source I1 and first switch Q1, since the first terminal and control terminal of first switch Q1 are short-circuited, the control terminal of first switch Q1 is used to provide the threshold voltage signal. It can be understood that the turn-on voltage of first switch Q1 is the same as that of the switch in DC voltage regulator module 40. When DC voltage regulator module 40 includes multiple switches of different types, the switch with the highest turn-on voltage is selected as the first switch Q1. This ensures an accurate threshold voltage signal and improves the stability of the soft-start control device.

[0076] In one embodiment, reference Figure 6 As shown, the voltage divider unit 32 includes six pull-up resistor subunits 321. Each pull-up resistor subunit 321 includes a first switching element and a pull-up resistor. The first switching element can be a first switch K1, and the pull-up resistor can be a first resistor R1. The six pull-up resistor subunits 321 are arranged in parallel. The six pull-up resistor subunits 321 include: a first resistor R1, a second resistor R2, a third resistor R3, a fourth resistor R4, a fifth resistor R5, a sixth resistor R6, a first switch K1, a second switch K2, a third switch K3, a fourth switch K4, a fifth switch K5, and a sixth switch K6.

[0077] For details, please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 6As shown, the first terminal of the first switch K1 is connected to the threshold voltage generation module 20, the second terminal of the first switch K1 is connected to the first terminal of the first resistor R1, and the second terminal of the first resistor R1 is connected to the pull-down resistor subunit 322. The first terminal of the second switch K2 is connected to the threshold voltage generation module 20, the second terminal of the second switch K2 is connected to the first terminal of the second resistor R2, and the second terminal of the second resistor R2 is connected to the pull-down resistor subunit 322. The first terminal of the third switch K3 is connected to the threshold voltage generation module 20, the second terminal of the third switch K3 is connected to the first terminal of the third resistor R3, and the second terminal of the third resistor R3 is connected to the pull-down resistor subunit 322. The first terminal of the fourth switch K4 is connected to the threshold voltage generation module 20, the second terminal of the fourth switch K4 is connected to the first terminal of the fourth resistor R4, and the second terminal of the fourth resistor R4 is connected to the pull-down resistor subunit 322. The first terminal of the fifth switch K5 is connected to the threshold voltage generation module 20, the second terminal of the fifth switch K5 is connected to the first terminal of the fifth resistor R5, and the second terminal of the fifth resistor R5 is connected to the pull-down resistor subunit 322. The first terminal of the sixth switch K6 is connected to the threshold voltage generation module 20, the second terminal of the sixth switch K6 is connected to the first terminal of the sixth resistor R6, and the second terminal of the sixth resistor R6 is connected to the pull-down resistor subunit 322. The control terminals of the first switch K1, second switch K2, third switch K3, fourth switch K4, fifth switch K5, and sixth switch K6 are all connected to the soft-start slope control module 10, and are used to receive multiple soft-start control signals and to turn them on or off according to the soft-start control signals.

[0078] In one embodiment, reference Figure 6 As shown, the voltage divider unit 32 includes six pull-down resistor subunits 322, which are arranged in parallel. The six pull-down resistor subunits 322 include: a seventh resistor R7, an eighth resistor R8, a ninth resistor R9, a tenth resistor R10, an eleventh resistor R11, a twelfth resistor R12, a seventh switch K7, an eighth switch K8, a ninth switch K9, a tenth switch K10, an eleventh switch K11, and a twelfth switch K12.

[0079] Specifically, the first end of the seventh resistor R7 is connected to the second end of the first resistor R1, the second end of the seventh resistor R7 is connected to the first end of the seventh switch K7, and the second end of the seventh switch K7 is connected to the switch switching unit 31; the first end of the eighth resistor R8 is connected to the second end of the second resistor R2, the second end of the eighth resistor R8 is connected to the first end of the eighth switch K8, and the second end of the eighth switch K8 is connected to the switch switching unit 31; the first end of the ninth resistor R9 is connected to the second end of the third resistor R3, the second end of the ninth resistor R9 is connected to the first end of the ninth switch K9, and the second end of the ninth switch K9 is connected to the switch switching unit 31; the tenth resistor R10... The first terminal is connected to the second terminal of the fourth resistor R4. The second terminal of the tenth resistor R10 is connected to the first terminal of the tenth switch K10. The second terminal of the tenth switch K10 is connected to the switch switching unit 31. The first terminal of the eleventh resistor R11 is connected to the second terminal of the fifth resistor R5. The second terminal of the eleventh resistor R11 is connected to the first terminal of the eleventh switch K11. The second terminal of the eleventh switch K11 is connected to the switch switching unit 31. The first terminal of the twelfth resistor R12 is connected to the second terminal of the sixth resistor R6. The second terminal of the twelfth resistor R12 is connected to the first terminal of the twelfth switch K12. The second terminal of the twelfth switch K12 is connected to the switch switching unit 31. The control terminals of the seventh switch K7, eighth switch K8, ninth switch K9, tenth switch K10, eleventh switch K11, and twelfth switch K12 are all connected to the soft-start slope control module 10, and are used to receive multiple soft-start control signals and to turn them on or off according to the soft-start control signals.

[0080] In one embodiment, reference Figure 6 As shown, the switch switching unit 31 includes: the thirteenth switch K13 and the fourteenth switch K14.

[0081] Specifically, the first terminal of the thirteenth switch K13 is connected to the initial voltage generation module 50 (e.g., Figure 6 (shown as V0 in the diagram), the second terminal of the thirteenth switch K13 is connected to the pull-down resistor subunit 322, and the first terminal of the fourteenth switch K14 is connected to the reference voltage generation module 60 (e.g., Figure 6 (shown as vref in the image), the second terminal of the fourteenth switch K14 is connected to the pull-down resistor subunit 322, and the control terminals of the thirteenth switch K13 and the fourteenth switch K14 are both connected to the soft-start slope control module 10, which is used to turn on or off according to the slope switching signal.

[0082] In one embodiment, the resistance values ​​of the first resistor R1, the second resistor R2, the third resistor R3, the fourth resistor R4, the fifth resistor R5, and the sixth resistor R6 are set in equal proportions, namely 320KΩ, 160KΩ, 80KΩ, 40KΩ, 20KΩ, and 10KΩ, respectively. The resistance values ​​of the seventh resistor R7, the eighth resistor R8, the ninth resistor R9, the tenth resistor R10, the eleventh resistor R11, and the twelfth resistor R12 are also set in equal proportions, namely 320KΩ, 160KΩ, 80KΩ, 40KΩ, 20KΩ, and 10KΩ, respectively.

[0083] Specifically, Figure 7 The soft-start control signals and slope switching signals generated by the soft-start slope control module 10 Figure 8 The waveforms are expanded representations of multiple soft-start control signals and slope switching signals, where the reference... Figure 6 , Figure 7 as well as Figure 8 As shown, [sel_V0] and [sel_vref] are slope switching signals used to control the operating state of the thirteenth switch K13 and the fourteenth switch K14, for example, controlling the on or off state of the thirteenth switch K13 and the fourteenth switch K14. [d <0> ]、[d <1> ]、[d <2> ]、[d <3> ]、[d <4> ]、[d <5> [d] is a soft-start control signal used to control the opening or closing of the first switch K1, the second switch K2, the third switch K3, the fourth switch K4, the fifth switch K5, and the sixth switch K6. For example, [d] <0> [d] is used to control the on or off state of the first switch K1. <1> This is used to control the on or off state of the second switch K2. <0> ]、[db <1> ]、[db <2> ]、[db <3> ]、[db <4> ]、[db <5> This is also a soft-start control signal, used to control the opening or closing of switches K7, K8, K9, K10, K11, and K12. For example, [db] <0> Used to control the on or off state of the seventh switch K7.

[0084] In one embodiment, reference Figure 6 , Figure 7 , Figure 8 As shown, in Figure 6 In the text, VSS indicates grounding, meaning the voltage is 0V. Figure 6 In this context, V1 represents the threshold voltage signal generated by the threshold voltage generation module 20, and V0 represents the initial voltage signal. Figure 9This is an enlarged waveform diagram of multiple soft-start control signals and slope switching signals generated by the soft-start slope control module 10 during the initial power-up phase. At the initial power-up time, the soft-start slope control module 10 outputs sel_V0 = "1", indicating that the thirteenth switch K13 is closed, and sel_vref = "0", indicating that the fourteenth switch K14 is open. d[5:0] = 0x0, db[5:0] = 0x3f. At this time, the six pull-down resistor subunits 322 are connected to V0, and the six pull-up resistor subunits 321 are connected to V1. All switches in the six pull-down resistor subunits 322 are closed, and all switches in the six pull-up resistor subunits 321 are open. The output ramp voltage signal is represented by vref_ss. At this time, vref_ss = V0, meaning the voltage of the output ramp voltage signal is 0V.

[0085] In one embodiment, Figure 10 This is an enlarged waveform diagram of multiple soft-start control signals and slope switching signals generated by the soft-start slope control module 10 during the process of the ramp voltage signal increasing from the initial voltage signal to the threshold voltage signal at a first rate, and then increasing from the threshold voltage signal to the reference voltage signal at a second rate. Specifically, during the process of the ramp voltage signal rising to the threshold voltage signal, the thirteenth switch K13 remains closed, the fourteenth switch K14 is open, and d[5:0] drives the first switch K1, the second switch K2, the third switch K3, the fourth switch K4, the fifth switch K5, and the sixth switch K6 to gradually open in sequence according to the encoding. db[5:0] drives the seventh switch K7, the eighth switch K8, the ninth switch K9, the tenth switch K10, the eleventh switch K11, and the twelfth switch K12 to gradually close in sequence according to the encoding. At this time, vref_ss gradually rises from V0 to V1.

[0086] In one embodiment, during the process of the ramp voltage signal rising from the threshold voltage signal to the reference voltage signal, sel_V0 = "0" and sel_vref = "1". At this time, the thirteenth switch K13 is open and the fourteenth switch K14 is closed. At this time, the signal connected to the six pull-down resistor subunits 322 switches from the initial voltage signal (V0) to the reference voltage signal (vref). The six pull-up resistor subunits 321 keep the threshold voltage signal (V1) unchanged. d[5:0] drives the first switch K1, the second switch K2, the third switch K3, the fourth switch K4, the fifth switch K5 and the sixth switch K6 to gradually close in sequence according to the encoding. db[5:0] drives the seventh switch K7, the eighth switch K8, the ninth switch K9, the tenth switch K10, the eleventh switch K11 and the twelfth switch K12 to gradually open in sequence according to the encoding. The output ramp voltage signal (vref_ss) gradually rises from the threshold voltage signal (V1) to the reference voltage signal (vref). This achieves the goal of gradually increasing the output ramp voltage signal at a controllable rate, thus realizing the soft start of the output ramp voltage signal.

[0087] In one embodiment, reference Figure 11 As shown, when the ramp voltage signal increases to the reference voltage signal, the ramp voltage signal output by the ramp voltage generation module 30 remains stable at the reference voltage signal. Specifically, the soft-start ramp control module 10 outputs sel_V0 = "0", meaning the thirteenth switch K13 is open, sel_vref = "1", meaning the fourteenth switch K14 is closed, d[5:0] = 0x0, db[5:0] = 0x3f. At this time, the six pull-down resistor subunits 322 are connected to vref, the six pull-up resistor subunits 321 are connected to V1, and the seventh switch K7, the eighth switch K8, the ninth switch K9, the tenth switch K10, the eleventh switch K11, and the twelfth switch K12 are all turned on, vref_ss = vref, and the power-on soft start ends.

[0088] In one embodiment, reference Figure 12 As shown in the figure, the waveform at the top is the voltage waveform diagram of the ramp voltage signal generated by the ramp voltage generation module 30 based on multiple soft-start control signals, ramp switching signals, threshold voltage signals, initial voltage signals, and reference voltage signals (e.g., Figure 12 The waveform below (represented by vref_ss) is the waveform of the power supply voltage output by the DC voltage regulator module 40 after adjusting the gain of the ramp voltage signal according to the received gain control signal (e.g., the waveform of vref_ss). Figure 12(The waveform diagram represented by v1p5 in the figure) shows that, in this embodiment, the DC voltage regulator module 40 only doubles the voltage gain of the ramp voltage signal. It can be seen that the voltage rate of the ramp voltage signal is small before reaching the voltage of the threshold voltage signal, and its rate is large when it increases to the voltage of the reference voltage signal after reaching the voltage of the threshold voltage signal. On the one hand, it achieves the soft-start effect of the output ramp voltage signal, and on the other hand, it reduces the soft-start time. According to the same principle, the voltage of the output power supply signal v1p5 is obtained by the ramp voltage signal gain, so the voltage of the power supply signal v1p5 also achieves soft start. Moreover, the implementation method of this embodiment is implemented by hardware, which has the advantages of simple implementation and stable performance.

[0089] In one embodiment, reference Figure 13 As shown in the figure, the waveform at the top is the voltage waveform diagram of the ramp voltage signal generated by the ramp voltage generation module 30 based on multiple soft-start control signals, ramp switching signals, threshold voltage signals, initial voltage signals, and reference voltage signals (e.g., Figure 13 The waveform below (represented by vref_ss) is the waveform of the power supply voltage output by the DC voltage regulator module 40 after adjusting the gain of the ramp voltage signal according to the received gain control signal (e.g., the waveform of vref_ss). Figure 13 (The waveform diagram is shown in v1p5). In this embodiment, the DC voltage regulator module 40 amplifies the 1.2V ramp voltage signal to a 1.5V supply voltage output. It can be seen that the voltage rate of the ramp voltage signal is relatively small before reaching the threshold voltage signal, and its rate is relatively large when it increases to the reference voltage signal after reaching the threshold voltage signal. On the one hand, this achieves a soft-start effect on the output ramp voltage signal, and on the other hand, it reduces the soft-start time. Based on the same principle, the voltage of the output supply signal v1p5 is obtained by amplifying the ramp voltage signal, so the voltage of the supply signal v1p5 also achieves a soft start. Furthermore, the implementation method in this embodiment is implemented in hardware, which has the advantages of simple implementation and stable performance.

[0090] This application also provides a power supply system, including the soft-start control device as described in any of the preceding embodiments.

[0091] In this embodiment, by integrating the aforementioned soft-start control device into the power supply system, the soft-start effect of the power supply voltage output by the power supply system can be achieved. The soft-start slope control module 10, acting as an encoder, can easily output multiple soft-start control signals and slope switching signals, simplifying the overall structure of the power supply system and reducing overall costs. By setting the ramp voltage signal to increase at a first rate and a second rate during its growth, the load can be protected from large current surges while significantly reducing the time it takes for the ramp voltage signal to reach the reference voltage signal, thereby shortening the soft-start time of the power supply system. In this embodiment, by setting the first and second rates, the rise time of the ramp voltage signal can be controlled, allowing the soft-start control device to adjust the soft-start time according to different needs, thus expanding the application scenarios of the power supply system.

[0092] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts that are not described in detail or recorded in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0093] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and should all be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A soft-start control device, characterized in that, The soft-start control device includes: The soft-start slope control module is used to receive the soft-start configuration signal and generate multiple soft-start control signals and slope switching signals according to the soft-start configuration signal. A threshold voltage generation module is used to receive a current reference signal and generate a threshold voltage signal based on the current reference signal. A ramp voltage generation module, connected to both the soft-start ramp control module and the threshold voltage generation module, is used to generate a ramp voltage signal based on multiple soft-start control signals, ramp switching signals, the threshold voltage signal, an initial voltage signal, and a reference voltage signal. The ramp voltage signal is generated by increasing the voltage of the initial voltage signal at a first rate to the voltage of the threshold voltage signal, and then by increasing the voltage of the threshold voltage signal at a second rate to the voltage of the reference voltage signal; the first rate is less than the second rate. A DC voltage regulator module, connected to the ramp voltage generation module, is used to receive the ramp voltage signal and adjust the gain of the ramp voltage signal according to the received gain control signal. The ramp voltage generation module includes: A switch switching unit, connected to the soft-start slope control module, is used to receive the slope switching signal, the initial voltage signal, and the reference voltage signal, and switch the access state of the initial voltage signal and the reference voltage signal according to the slope switching signal; The voltage divider unit is connected to the switch switching unit, the soft-start slope control module, and the threshold voltage generation module. It is used to receive the initial voltage signal, the reference voltage signal, the threshold voltage signal, and multiple soft-start control signals, and to perform voltage divider processing on the threshold voltage signal, the initial voltage signal, and the reference voltage signal according to the multiple soft-start control signals, and output the ramp voltage signal. The voltage divider unit includes multiple pull-up resistor subunits and multiple pull-down resistor subunits connected in series with the pull-up resistor subunits; Among them, multiple pull-up resistor subunits are connected in parallel, multiple pull-down resistor subunits are connected in parallel, and multiple soft-start control signals are used to adjust the resistance ratio between the multiple pull-up resistor subunits and the multiple pull-down resistor subunits; The pull-up resistor subunit includes: a first switching element and a pull-up resistor, wherein the first switching element and the pull-up resistor are connected in series; The pull-down resistor subunit includes a second switching element and a pull-down resistor, wherein the second switching element and the pull-down resistor are connected in series.

2. The soft-start control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of pull-up resistor sub-units is the same as the number of pull-down resistor sub-units.

3. The soft-start control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The resistance difference between the pull-up resistors in adjacent pull-up resistor sub-units is equal.

4. The soft-start control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The resistance values ​​of the pull-up resistors in the plurality of pull-up resistor subunits are set in equal proportions.

5. The soft-start control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The resistance values ​​of the plurality of pull-up resistor subunits are equal to the resistance values ​​of the plurality of pull-down resistor subunits.

6. A power supply system, characterized in that, Includes the soft-start control device as described in any one of claims 1 to 5.

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