Load regulation testing apparatus and method for high current adjustable linear regulators

Abstract

This application provides a load regulation testing device and method for a high-current adjustable linear voltage regulator. The linear voltage regulator includes a ground terminal and an output adjustment terminal. The testing device includes test leads and excitation leads connected in parallel. Both ends of the test leads and the excitation leads are electrically connected to a high-potential port and a low-potential port, respectively. A voltage testing device is provided on the test leads, and a current output device is provided on the excitation leads. The ground terminal is electrically connected to the low-potential port, and the output adjustment terminal is electrically connected to the high-potential port. This application improves the measurement accuracy of the test leads by separating the test leads and the excitation leads to form independent loops. Furthermore, by connecting the output adjustment terminal of the linear voltage regulator to measure the output voltage, errors between the output terminal and the output adjustment terminal of the linear voltage regulator are avoided, further improving the accuracy of the output voltage test.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of component testing technology, and in particular to a load regulation testing device and method for a high-current adjustable linear regulator. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of the electronics and information industry, power supply technology, essential for various electronic devices, has become increasingly important. Linear regulators provide stable input voltages for subsequent circuits. As technology advances and the market changes, the performance requirements for linear regulators are constantly increasing. The design of high-performance linear regulators is currently a research hotspot in the field of power chip design, possessing significant practical application value and theoretical significance.

[0003] Load regulation is an important indicator of a linear regulator. The level of load regulation determines the performance of the entire system. It represents the regulator's ability to maintain the output at the nominal value when the load changes. The smaller this performance parameter is, the better. The larger the load regulation, the greater the impact of load changes on the output accuracy, and the weaker the linear regulator's ability to suppress load interference.

[0004] Currently, in the load regulation test of linear regulators, the design of the test circuit board and the selection of test equipment introduce a certain amount of lead resistance. For high-current adjustable linear regulators, this introduces a large error during testing, making it impossible to accurately measure the load regulation. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the purpose of this application is to provide a load regulation testing device and method for a high-current adjustable linear regulator, so as to solve the problem of the inability to accurately test the load regulation of a linear regulator.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides a load regulation testing device for a high-current adjustable linear regulator, wherein the linear regulator includes a ground terminal and an output adjustment terminal, and the testing device includes:

[0007] The test line and the excitation line are arranged in parallel, and both ends of the test line and the excitation line are electrically connected to a high potential port and a low potential port, respectively. The test line is equipped with a voltage testing device, and the excitation line is equipped with a current output device.

[0008] The grounding terminal is used to be electrically connected to the low-potential port, and the output adjustment terminal is used to be electrically connected to the high-potential port.

[0009] Furthermore, the testing device also includes a testing housing, with the parallel-connected test lines and excitation lines located inside the testing housing, and the high-potential port and the low-potential port located outside the testing housing.

[0010] This application also provides a load regulation test method for a high-current adjustable linear voltage regulator, using the aforementioned load regulation test device for a high-current adjustable linear voltage regulator. The test method includes:

[0011] Connect the output adjustment terminal and the ground terminal of the linear regulator to the high-potential port and the low-potential port of the test device, respectively.

[0012] The output current value of the current output device is set to a first current, so that the current output device outputs the first current;

[0013] The first voltage is the output voltage of the linear regulator under the action of the first current, measured using the voltage testing device.

[0014] The output current value of the current output device is reset to the second current, so that the current output device outputs the second current;

[0015] The output voltage of the linear regulator under the action of the second current is measured using the voltage testing device and is called the second voltage.

[0016] The load regulation rate of the linear regulator is calculated based on the rated output voltage, the first current, the first voltage, the second current, and the second voltage of the linear regulator.

[0017] Furthermore, before connecting the output adjustment terminal and ground terminal of the linear regulator to the high potential terminal and low potential terminal of the test device, respectively, the method further includes:

[0018] Connect the linear regulator to an external power source to power on the linear regulator.

[0019] Furthermore, the calculation of the load regulation rate of the linear regulator based on the rated output voltage, the first current, the first voltage, the second current, and the second voltage includes:

[0020]

[0021] Where Si is the load regulation of the linear regulator, ΔVOUT is the difference between the first voltage and the second voltage, VOUT is the rated output voltage of the linear regulator, and ΔIOUT is the difference between the first current and the second current.

[0022] Furthermore, both the first current and the second current are less than or equal to the maximum operating current of the linear regulator.

[0023] As can be seen from the above, this application provides a load regulation testing device and method for a high-current adjustable linear regulator. The testing device uses excitation lines and test lines, connecting both ends of the excitation lines and test lines to a high-potential port and a low-potential port respectively. The linear regulator is connected to both the high-potential port and the low-potential port. This avoids the connection between the test lines and the linear regulator's leads when measuring the output voltage of the linear regulator, thus avoiding the influence of lead resistance on the test lines, improving the measurement accuracy of the test lines, and consequently improving the testing accuracy of the testing device. Furthermore, connecting the output adjustment terminal and ground terminal of the linear regulator to the high-potential port and the low-potential port respectively ensures that the measured output voltage at the output adjustment terminal is the output voltage of the linear regulator. This avoids the situation where the output voltage at the output terminal of the linear regulator is measured as the actual output voltage of the linear regulator, preventing current loss during transmission from the output adjustment terminal to the output terminal, which would affect the accuracy of the measured output voltage of the linear regulator, further improving the testing accuracy of the testing device. Attached Figure Description

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in this application or related technologies, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or related technologies will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit structure of the load regulation test device for a high-current adjustable linear regulator according to an embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection of the load regulation testing device for the high current adjustable linear regulator in this application embodiment;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit principle of a linear voltage regulator;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a schematic flowchart of the load regulation test method for a high-current adjustable linear regulator according to an embodiment of this application.

[0029] In the diagram: 1. Linear regulator; 11. Output adjustment terminal; 12. Ground terminal; 2. Test lead; 3. Excitation lead; 4. High potential port; 5. Low potential port; 6. Voltage testing device; 7. Current output device; 8. Test housing. Detailed Implementation

[0030] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings.

[0031] It should be noted that, unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in the embodiments of this application should have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains. The terms "first," "second," and similar terms used in the embodiments of this application do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. Terms such as "comprising" or "including" mean that the element or object preceding the word encompasses the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. Terms such as "connected" or "linked" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. Terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right" are only used to indicate relative positional relationships; when the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0032] As described in the background section, with the rapid development of the electronics and information industry, power supply technology, essential for various electronic devices, has become increasingly important. Linear regulators provide a stable output voltage for subsequent circuits. Load regulation is a crucial indicator of a linear regulator's performance. It characterizes the ability of a linear regulator to maintain its nominal output value when the load changes. A lower load regulation is better; a higher load regulation indicates a greater impact of load changes on output accuracy and a weaker ability to suppress load interference. Therefore, testing the load regulation of linear regulators is a vital link in the electronic component supply chain, and accurate measurement of the load regulation is of great significance to the quality of linear regulators.

[0033] The load regulation rate is calculated by applying a varying load current to a linear regulator. The change in load current causes a change in the output voltage of the linear regulator. Given the change in load current and the rated output voltage of the linear regulator, the change in output voltage is obtained by measuring the change in output voltage. The load regulation rate of the linear regulator is then calculated based on the change in load current, the rated output voltage, and the change in output voltage.

[0034] Currently, the load regulation of linear regulators is tested using the Kelvin four-wire connection method. This test circuit electrically connects the two ends of the test lead and the excitation lead, then connects these two ends to the output terminal and ground terminal of the linear regulator via two leads. However, the measured voltage value is affected by the resistance of the leads between the linear regulator and the test and excitation leads, resulting in low accuracy. Since the voltage value directly affects the load regulation of the linear regulator, the accuracy of the obtained load regulation is also low, impacting the assessment of the linear regulator's performance. Furthermore, the larger the current value, the greater the impact on test accuracy. The larger the load current of the linear regulator, the greater the impact on the load regulation.

[0035] In addition, during the testing of the output voltage of a linear regulator, the output terminal of the linear regulator is usually tested to obtain the output voltage. However, in practical applications, the measured output voltage is related to the output voltage of the output adjustment terminal. There is a lead connection between the output adjustment terminal and the output terminal, and the output voltage of the output terminal is affected by the resistance of the lead and is not the output voltage of the linear regulator, which affects the test accuracy.

[0036] In view of this, this application proposes a load regulation testing device and method for a high-current adjustable linear regulator, which is used to accurately test the load regulation of the high-current adjustable linear regulator. By improving the Kelvin four-wire connection method and testing the voltage at the output adjustment terminal of the linear regulator, the influence of lead resistance on the measured voltage value is reduced, the voltage test accuracy is improved, and thus the test accuracy of the load regulation is improved, so as to achieve precise control of the performance indicators of the linear regulator.

[0037] The embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0038] This application provides a load regulation testing device for a high-current adjustable linear voltage regulator, such as... Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the linear regulator 1 includes a ground terminal 12 and an output adjustment terminal 11, and the testing device includes:

[0039] The test line 2 and the excitation line 3 are arranged in parallel. Both ends of the test line 2 and the excitation line 3 are electrically connected to the high potential port 4 and the low potential port 5, respectively. The test line 2 is equipped with a voltage testing device 6, and the excitation line 3 is equipped with a current output device 7.

[0040] The grounding terminal 12 is used to be electrically connected to the low potential port 5, and the output adjustment terminal 11 is used to be electrically connected to the high potential port 4.

[0041] The test line 2 and the excitation line 3 are connected in parallel, forming two independent branches. The two ends of the test line 2 are connected to the linear regulator 1 through the high-potential port 4 and the low-potential port 5, respectively. This prevents current from flowing from the excitation line 3 to the test line 2, avoiding the influence of lead resistance on the test results and thus improving the test accuracy of the test line 2. The output voltage of the linear regulator 1 is measured by the voltage testing device 6 on the test line 2. Current is input to the linear regulator 1 through the current output device 7 on the excitation line 3. The value of the input current can be set by the current output device 7 to change the input current value to the linear regulator 1 during the test.

[0042] The high-potential port 4 is electrically connected to the output adjustment terminal 11 of the linear regulator 1. The measured voltage is the output voltage of the output adjustment terminal 11, which avoids the output voltage error caused by the lead connection between the output terminal of the linear regulator 1 and the output adjustment terminal 11, and improves the test accuracy of the output voltage.

[0043] In addition, before testing the output voltage of the output adjustment terminal 11, the output terminal of the linear regulator 1 and the output adjustment terminal 11 are short-circuited so that the output voltage of the output adjustment terminal 11 is equal to the output voltage of the output terminal, thus satisfying the prerequisite for testing the output voltage of the linear regulator 1.

[0044] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, the testing device also includes a testing housing 8. The parallel-connected test lines 2 and 3 are located inside the testing housing 8, while the high-potential port 4 and the low-potential port 5 are located outside the testing housing 8. Placing the parallel-connected test lines 2 and 3 inside the testing housing 8 and placing the high-potential port 4 and the low-potential port 5 outside the testing housing 8 allows for the fixing of the parallel-connected test lines 2 and 3, avoiding repeated parallel connection and improving testing efficiency. Furthermore, placing the high-potential port 4 and the low-potential port 5 outside the testing housing 8 facilitates the electrical connection between the linear regulator 1 under test and the high-potential port 4 and the low-potential port 5, and avoids the connection between the linear regulator 1 and the test lines 2 via leads, thereby avoiding the influence of lead resistance on the testing device and improving the accuracy of the testing device.

[0045] In addition, placing the high-potential port 4 and the low-potential port 5 outside the test housing 8 allows the user to easily connect the high-potential port 4 and the low-potential port 5 to the linear regulator 1 without affecting the test accuracy, which facilitates wiring when testing the linear regulator 1 and improves test efficiency.

[0046] This application also provides a method for testing the load regulation of a high-current adjustable linear regulator 1, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the load regulation test device for a high-current adjustable linear regulator 1 described above includes the following test method:

[0047] Step S100: Connect the output adjustment terminal 11 and ground terminal 12 of the linear regulator 1 to the high potential port 4 and low potential port 5 of the test device, respectively.

[0048] Specifically, in this step, the linear regulator 1 to be tested is connected to the testing device. The output adjustment terminal 11 of the linear regulator 1 is electrically connected to the high-potential port 4, and the ground terminal 12 is electrically connected to the low-potential port 5, thus connecting the testing device and the linear regulator 1. The output voltage of the output adjustment terminal 11 of the linear regulator 1 is measured in this way, avoiding the influence of the lead resistance between the output adjustment terminal 11 and the output terminal. The output voltage of the output adjustment terminal 11 is more accurate than the output voltage of the output terminal of the linear regulator 1.

[0049] Step S200: Set the output current value of the current output device 7 to a first current, so that the current output device 7 outputs the first current;

[0050] Specifically, the output current of the current output device 7 on the excitation line 3 is set to the first current, and correspondingly, the current output device 7 inputs the first current to the linear regulator 1 through the excitation line 3.

[0051] For example, the output current of the current output device 7 is set to 2A, that is, the first current is 2A.

[0052] Step S300: The output voltage of the linear regulator 11 under the action of the first current is measured by the voltage testing device 6 and is taken as the first voltage.

[0053] Specifically, the output voltage of the output adjustment terminal 11 of the linear regulator 1 is obtained through the voltage testing device 6 on the test line 2. That is, the output voltage of the output adjustment terminal 11 of the linear regulator 1 under the action of the first current is the first voltage.

[0054] For example, the output voltage of the linear regulator 1 output adjustment terminal 11 is measured to be 5V by the voltage testing device 6, that is, the first voltage is 5V.

[0055] Step S400: Reset the output current value of the current output device 7 to the second current, so that the current output device 7 outputs the second current;

[0056] Specifically, the output current of the current output device 7 is changed, that is, the output current of the current output device 7 is reset so that the output current of the current output device 7 is the second current. In other words, the current input from the excitation line 3 to the linear regulator 1 is changed, and the output current of the current output device 7 after the change is the second current.

[0057] For example, the output current of the output device is reset to 4A, that is, the second current is 4A.

[0058] Step S500: The output voltage of the output adjustment terminal 11 of the linear regulator 1 under the action of the second current is measured by the voltage testing device 6 and is called the second voltage.

[0059] Specifically, the output voltage of the output adjustment terminal 11 of the linear regulator 1 is obtained through the voltage testing device 6 on the test line 2. That is, the output voltage of the output adjustment terminal 11 of the linear regulator 1 under the action of the second current, which is the second voltage.

[0060] For example, the output voltage of the linear regulator 1 output adjustment terminal 11 is measured to be 6V by the voltage testing device 6, that is, the second voltage is 6V.

[0061] Step S600: Based on the rated output voltage of the linear regulator 1, the first current, the first voltage, the second current, and the second voltage, the load regulation rate of the linear regulator 1 is calculated.

[0062] Specifically, the rated output voltage of the linear regulator 1 is known. Based on the above steps, the first current, the first voltage, the second current, and the second voltage are measured. Based on this, the load regulation rate of the linear regulator 1 can be obtained.

[0063] In this embodiment, the first voltage and the second voltage are both measured based on the test device, and both are the output voltage of the output adjustment terminal 11 of the linear regulator 1. This improves the accuracy of the first voltage and the second voltage, thereby improving the accuracy of the load regulation rate and achieving the purpose of accurately measuring the load regulation rate of the linear regulator 1.

[0064] In some embodiments, before step 100: connecting the output adjustment terminal 11 and ground terminal 12 of the linear regulator 1 to the high potential terminal and low potential terminal of the test device, respectively, the method further includes:

[0065] Connect the linear regulator 1 to an external power source to power on the linear regulator 1.

[0066] Specifically, before testing the linear regulator 1, the input terminal of the linear regulator 1 needs to be connected to an external power supply to power on the linear regulator 1, thereby ensuring the stable operation of the linear regulator 1, which is the basis for subsequent testing of the linear regulator 1.

[0067] In some embodiments, calculating the load regulation of the linear regulator 1 based on its rated output voltage, the first current, the first voltage, the second current, and the second voltage includes:

[0068] Si=ΔVOUT / (VOUT×ΔIOUT)×100%

[0069] Where Si is the load regulation of linear regulator 1, ΔVOUT is the difference between the first voltage and the second voltage, VOUT is the rated output voltage of linear regulator 1, and ΔIOUT is the difference between the first current and the second current.

[0070] Specifically, by improving the accuracy of the measured output voltage of the linear regulator 1, the test accuracy of the load regulation rate is improved, thus solving the problem of inaccurate measurement of the load regulation rate of the high-current adjustable linear regulator 1.

[0071] For example, if the rated output voltage is 5V, the first current is 0A, the first voltage is 5.12V, the second current is 2A, and the second voltage is 5.03V, then the load regulation of the linear regulator 1 is:

[0072] Si=(5.12-5.03) / (5×(2-0))×100%=0.9%

[0073] In some embodiments, both the first current and the second current are less than or equal to the maximum operating current of the linear regulator 1.

[0074] Specifically, the maximum operating current is the full-load current of the linear regulator. The load regulation of the linear regulator 1 is calculated based on its output voltage under different load currents. The first current and the second current are different load currents applied to the linear regulator 1. When actually testing the load regulation of the linear regulator 1, different load currents are applied according to the user manual of the linear regulator 1. Some linear regulators require that when calculating their load regulation, both no-load current and full-load current are applied (i.e., one of the first current and the second current is 0, and the other is the corresponding full-load current of the linear regulator 1), and the load regulation of the linear regulator 1 is calculated based on this. Some linear regulators require that when calculating their load regulation, both 10% of the full-load current and the full-load current are applied (i.e., one of the first current and the second current is 10% of the full-load current, and the other is the corresponding full-load current of the linear regulator 1), and the load regulation of the linear regulator 1 is calculated based on this. By applying different load currents to the linear regulator 1 according to its specific requirements, its load regulation rate can be tested and obtained with higher accuracy, which is beneficial for evaluating the performance of the linear regulator 1.

[0075] It should be noted that the method in this embodiment can be executed by a single device, such as a computer or server. The method can also be applied in a distributed scenario, where multiple devices cooperate to complete the task. In such a distributed scenario, one of these devices may execute only one or more steps of the method in this embodiment, and the multiple devices will interact with each other to complete the method described.

[0076] It should be noted that the above description describes some embodiments of this application. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps recorded in the claims can be performed in a different order than that shown in the above embodiments and still achieve the desired result. Furthermore, the processes depicted in the drawings do not necessarily require a specific or sequential order to achieve the desired result. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are also possible or may be advantageous.

[0077] Those skilled in the art should understand that the discussion of any of the above embodiments is merely exemplary and is not intended to imply that the scope of this application (including the claims) is limited to these examples; within the framework of this application, the technical features of the above embodiments or different embodiments can also be combined, the steps can be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations of different aspects of the embodiments of this application as described above, which are not provided in the details for the sake of brevity.

[0078] Additionally, to simplify the description and discussion, and to avoid obscuring the embodiments of this application, the well-known power / ground connections to integrated circuit (IC) chips and other components may or may not be shown in the provided drawings. Furthermore, the apparatus may be shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the embodiments of this application, and this also takes into account the fact that the details of the implementation of these block diagram apparatuses are highly dependent on the platform on which the embodiments of this application will be implemented (i.e., these details should be fully understood by those skilled in the art). While specific details (e.g., circuits) have been set forth to describe exemplary embodiments of this application, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiments of this application can be implemented without these specific details or with variations thereof. Therefore, these descriptions should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.

[0079] Although this application has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, many substitutions, modifications, and variations of these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description. For example, other memory architectures (e.g., dynamic RAM (DRAM)) may be used with the embodiments discussed.

[0080] The embodiments of this application are intended to cover all such substitutions, modifications, and variations that fall within the broad scope of the appended claims. Therefore, any omissions, modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the embodiments of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A load regulation testing device for a high-current adjustable linear voltage regulator, wherein the linear voltage regulator includes a ground terminal, an output terminal, and an output adjustment terminal, characterized in that, The testing apparatus includes: The test line and the excitation line are arranged in parallel, and both ends of the test line and the excitation line are electrically connected to a high potential port and a low potential port, respectively. The test line is equipped with a voltage testing device, and the excitation line is equipped with a current output device. The grounding terminal is used to be electrically connected to the low-potential port, and the output adjustment terminal is used to be electrically connected to the high-potential port; The output terminal and the output adjustment terminal of the linear regulator are shorted together. The output voltage of the linear regulator is measured by the voltage testing device on the test line, and current is input to the linear regulator through the current output device on the excitation line. The value of the input current can be set by the current output device to change the input current value to the linear regulator during the test.

2. The load regulation testing device for a high-current adjustable linear voltage regulator according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a test housing, with the parallel test lines and excitation lines located inside the test housing, and the high-potential port and the low-potential port located outside the test housing.

3. A method for testing the load regulation rate of a high-current adjustable linear voltage regulator, characterized in that, The load regulation testing device for a high-current adjustable linear regulator according to any one of claims 1-2, wherein the testing method includes: Short-circuit the output terminal and the output adjustment terminal of the linear regulator; Connect the output adjustment terminal and the ground terminal of the linear regulator to the high-potential port and the low-potential port of the test device, respectively. The output current value of the current output device is set to a first current, so that the current output device outputs the first current; The first voltage is the output voltage of the linear regulator under the action of the first current, measured using the voltage testing device. The output current value of the current output device is reset to the second current, so that the current output device outputs the second current; The output voltage of the linear regulator under the action of the second current is measured using the voltage testing device and is called the second voltage. The load regulation rate of the linear regulator is calculated based on the rated output voltage, the first current, the first voltage, the second current, and the second voltage of the linear regulator.

4. The load regulation test method for a high-current adjustable linear voltage regulator according to claim 3, characterized in that, Before connecting the output adjustment terminal and ground terminal of the linear regulator to the high-potential port and low-potential port of the test device, respectively, the method further includes: Connect the linear regulator to an external power source to power on the linear regulator.

5. The load regulation test method for a high-current adjustable linear voltage regulator according to claim 3, characterized in that, The calculation of the load regulation of the linear regulator based on its rated output voltage, the first current, the first voltage, the second current, and the second voltage includes: in, The load regulation rate of the linear regulator. The difference between the first voltage and the second voltage. This is the rated output voltage of the linear regulator. It is the difference between the first current and the second current.

6. The load regulation test method for a high-current adjustable linear voltage regulator according to claim 3, characterized in that, Both the first current and the second current are less than or equal to the maximum operating current of the linear regulator.

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