Intelligent power stage system, intelligent power stage circuit and operating method thereof

Abstract

The invention provides an intelligent power stage system, an intelligent power stage circuit and an operation method thereof. The intelligent power stage circuit receives a control signal and provides an output current. The SPS circuit is provided with a temperature return pin for transmitting and receiving a temperature return signal. The SPS circuit comprises a temperature sensing circuit, a temperature return signal generator, a compensation circuit and a current monitoring circuit. The temperature sensing circuit is used for sensing the temperature of the SPS circuit to provide a temperature sensing signal. The input end of the temperature return signal generator is coupled with the temperature sensing circuit, and the output end of the temperature return signal generator is coupled with the temperature return pin. The temperature return signal generator is used for generating a temperature return signal according to the temperature sensing signal. The compensation circuit is coupled to the input end and the output end of the temperature return signal generator and is used for generating a compensation signal according to the temperature sensing signal and the temperature return signal. The current monitoring circuit is coupled to the compensation circuit and is used for generating a current monitoring signal related to the output current according to the control signal and the compensation signal. When the temperature sensing signal is greater than the temperature return signal, the current monitoring circuit modulates the value of the current monitoring signal according to the compensation signal, thereby adjusting the output current at the next time. The operating temperatures of all the SPS circuits in the SPS system can be close to balance, so that the overall efficiency of the SPS system is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a Smart Power Stage (SPS), and more particularly to a smart power stage system, a smart power stage circuit, and an operating method thereof. Background Art

[0002] In the prior art, when a traditional multi-phase SPS system transmits the external temperature information (TMON) of each SPS circuit, since the temperature feedback pins of all SPS circuits are connected to the same pin of the controller, the controller can only obtain the highest temperature among all SPS circuits and cannot know the respective temperature information of each SPS circuit. As a result, the operating temperatures of each SPS in the multi-phase SPS system are inconsistent, seriously affecting the overall efficiency of the SPS system. This problem needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, the present invention provides a smart power stage system, a smart power stage circuit, and an operating method thereof to effectively solve the above problems encountered in the prior art.

[0004] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a smart power stage circuit. In this embodiment, the smart power stage circuit receives a control signal and provides an output current. The SPS circuit has a temperature feedback pin for transmitting and receiving temperature feedback signals. The SPS circuit includes a temperature sensing circuit, a temperature feedback signal generator, a compensation circuit, and a current monitoring circuit. The temperature sensing circuit senses the temperature of the SPS circuit to provide a temperature sensing signal. The input end of the temperature feedback signal generator is coupled to the temperature sensing circuit, and its output end is coupled to the temperature feedback pin for generating a temperature feedback signal according to the temperature sensing signal. The compensation circuit is coupled to the input end and the output end of the temperature feedback signal generator and generates a compensation signal according to the temperature sensing signal and the temperature feedback signal. The current monitoring circuit is coupled to the compensation circuit and generates a current monitoring signal related to the output current according to the control signal and the compensation signal. When the temperature sensing signal is greater than the temperature feedback signal, the current monitoring circuit adjusts the value of the current monitoring signal according to the compensation signal, thereby adjusting the output current at the next time.

[0005] In one embodiment, the compensation circuit includes a comparator. The comparator is coupled to the input end and the output end of the temperature feedback signal generator for generating a compensation signal according to the temperature sensing signal and the temperature feedback signal.

[0006] In one embodiment, the comparator has a self-offset cancellation function.

[0007] In one embodiment, the current monitoring circuit includes a digital-to-analog converter, a monitoring signal generator, and a logic circuit. The digital-to-analog converter is coupled to the compensation circuit for receiving a compensation signal, a temperature sensing signal, and a temperature feedback signal and outputting a compensation code. The monitoring signal generator is used to generate a preset current monitoring signal. The logic circuit is coupled to the digital-to-analog converter and the monitoring signal generator for receiving the compensation code and the preset current monitoring signal and outputting a current monitoring signal.

[0008] In one embodiment, the digital-to-analog converter has a self-offset cancellation function.

[0009] Another specific embodiment according to the present invention is an intelligent power stage system. In this embodiment, the intelligent power stage system includes a plurality of intelligent power stage circuits and a control circuit. The control circuit has a plurality of control pins and a temperature monitoring pin. The plurality of control pins are coupled to the plurality of intelligent power stage circuits for providing a plurality of control signals to the plurality of intelligent power stage circuits. The temperature monitoring pin is coupled to the plurality of intelligent power stage circuits for receiving a plurality of temperature sensing signals sent by the plurality of intelligent power stage circuits and transmitting a temperature feedback signal to the plurality of intelligent power stage circuits. The control circuit is used to modulate and generate the plurality of control signals according to the plurality of current monitoring signals received by the plurality of control pins, and select the one with the highest voltage value from the plurality of current monitoring signals received from the plurality of control pins to generate a temperature feedback signal.

[0010] Another specific embodiment according to the present invention is an operation method of an intelligent power stage circuit. In this embodiment, the operation method of the intelligent power stage circuit includes the following steps: receiving a control signal to provide an output current; sensing the temperature of the SPS circuit to provide a temperature sensing signal; generating a temperature feedback signal according to the temperature sensing signal; generating a compensation signal according to the temperature sensing signal and the temperature feedback signal; generating a current monitoring signal related to the output current according to the control signal and the compensation signal; and when the temperature sensing signal is greater than the temperature feedback signal, modulating the value of the current monitoring signal according to the compensation signal, thereby adjusting the output current at the next time.

[0011] In one embodiment, the operation method of the intelligent power stage circuit further includes: modulating the control signal according to the current monitoring signal provided by the SPS circuit.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the intelligent power stage system, the intelligent power stage circuit, and their operation methods proposed by the present invention generate a compensation signal to increase the current value of the current monitoring signal related to the output current when the sensed temperature of each SPS circuit is higher than the external temperature, so that the operating temperatures of each SPS circuit in the SPS system can approach balance with each other, thus greatly improving the overall efficiency of the SPS system.

[0013] The advantages and spirit of the present invention can be further understood through the following specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 FIG. is a schematic diagram of an intelligent power stage circuit according to a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 2 is Figure 1 an embodiment of the compensation circuit and the current monitoring circuit in

[0016] Figure 3 FIG. is a schematic diagram of an intelligent power stage system according to another specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 4 is Figure 3 a waveform diagram of the first to third control signals, the temperature feedback signal, the first to third temperature sensing signals, the first to third current monitoring signals, and the first to third compensation signals in

[0018] Figure 5 FIG. is a flowchart of an operation method of an intelligent power stage circuit according to still another specific embodiment of the present invention. MAIN ELEMENT SYMBOL DESCRIPTION:

[0019] 1…SPS circuit

[0020] 10…temperature sensing circuit

[0021] 12…temperature feedback signal generator

[0022] 14…compensation circuit

[0023] 16…current monitoring circuit

[0024] 18…output stage circuit

[0025] P11…temperature feedback pin

[0026] P12…PWM pin

[0027] P13…current monitoring pin

[0028] P14…output current pin

[0029] N1…first node

[0030] N2…second node

[0031] LD…load

[0032] TMON…temperature feedback signal

[0033] TMON1…temperature sensing signal

[0034] IMON1…Current monitoring signal

[0035] CMP1…Compensation signal

[0036] IOUT1…Output current

[0037] PWM1…Control signal

[0038] 140…Comparator

[0039] 160…Digital - to - analog converter

[0040] 162…Monitoring signal generator

[0041] 164…Logic circuit

[0042] CD1…Compensation code

[0043] TR1…Preset current monitoring signal

[0044] IOUT1…Output current

[0045] SY…Intelligent power stage system

[0046] 2…SPS circuit

[0047] 20…Temperature sensing circuit

[0048] 22…Temperature feedback signal generator

[0049] 24…Compensation circuit

[0050] 26…Current monitoring circuit

[0051] 28…Output stage circuit

[0052] P21…Temperature feedback pin

[0053] P22…PWM pin

[0054] P23…Current monitoring pin

[0055] P24…Output current pin

[0056] TMON2…Temperature sensing signal

[0057] IMON2…Current monitoring signal

[0058] CMP2…Compensation signal

[0059] IOUT2…Output current

[0060] PWM2…Control signal

[0061] 3…SPS circuit

[0062] 30…Temperature sensing circuit

[0063] 32…Temperature feedback signal generator

[0064] 34…Compensation circuit

[0065] 36…Current monitoring circuit

[0066] 38…Output stage circuit

[0067] P31…Temperature feedback pin

[0068] P32…PWM pin

[0069] P33…Current monitoring pin

[0070] P34…Output current pin

[0071] TMON3…Temperature sensing signal

[0072] IMON3…Current monitoring signal

[0073] CMP3…Compensation signal

[0074] IOUT3…Output current

[0075] PWM3…Control signal

[0076] LD1…Load

[0077] LD2…Load

[0078] LD3…Load

[0079] 4…SPS circuit

[0080] P41…First control pin

[0081] P42…Second control pin

[0082] P43…Third control pin

[0083] P44…Temperature monitoring pin

[0084] P45…Current receiving pin

[0085] t0~t5…Time

[0086] S10~S20…Steps Detailed implementation manners

[0087] Now, reference will be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and examples of the exemplary embodiments will be described in the drawings. Elements / components using the same or similar reference numerals in the drawings and the embodiments are used to represent the same or similar parts.

[0088] A specific embodiment according to the present invention is an intelligent power stage circuit. In this embodiment, the intelligent power stage circuit receives a control signal and provides an output current. Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 which is a schematic diagram of the intelligent power stage circuit in this embodiment.

[0089] As Figure 1 shown, the SPS circuit 1 has a temperature feedback pin P11, a PWM pin P12, a current monitoring pin P13, and an output current pin P14. The temperature feedback pin P11 is used to transmit a temperature sensing signal TMON1 and receive a temperature feedback signal TMON. The PWM pin P12 is used to receive a control signal PWM1. The current monitoring pin P13 is used to output a current monitoring signal IMON1. The output current pin P14 is used to output an output current IOUT1 to the load LD. In practical applications, the PWM pin P12 of the SPS circuit 1 can be coupled to other control circuits CON to receive the control signal PWM1 generated by the control circuit CON, but this is not limited thereto.

[0090] The SPS circuit 1 includes a temperature sensing circuit 10, a temperature feedback signal generator 12, a compensation circuit 14, a current monitoring circuit 16, and an output stage circuit 18. The temperature sensing circuit 10 is coupled to the input end of the temperature feedback signal generator 12. The input end of the temperature feedback signal generator 12 is coupled to the temperature sensing circuit 10 and the output end of the temperature feedback signal generator 12 is coupled to the temperature feedback pin P11. The compensation circuit 14 is coupled to the first node N1, the second node N2, and the current monitoring circuit 16. The first node N1 is located between the temperature sensing circuit 10 and the temperature feedback signal generator 12. The second node N2 is located between the temperature feedback signal generator 12 and the temperature feedback pin P11. The current monitoring circuit 16 is coupled to the compensation circuit 14, the PWM pin P12, and the current monitoring pin P13. The output stage circuit 18 is coupled to the PWM pin P12 and the output current pin P14.

[0091] The temperature sensing circuit 10 is used to sense the temperature of the SPS circuit 1 to provide a temperature sensing signal TMON1 to the temperature feedback signal generator 12. The temperature feedback signal generator 12 uses the temperature sensing signal TMON1 as the temperature feedback signal TMON and transmits it to a control circuit external to the SPS circuit 1 through the temperature feedback pin P11. The compensation circuit 14 is used to receive the temperature sensing signal TMON1 on the first node N1 and the temperature feedback signal TMON on the second node N2, and generate a compensation signal CMP1 to the current monitoring circuit 16 according to the temperature sensing signal TMON1 and the temperature feedback signal TMON. The current monitoring circuit 16 receives the control signal PWM1 from the PWM pin P12 and the compensation signal CMP1 from the compensation circuit 14, and generates a current monitoring signal IMON1 according to the control signal PWM1 and the compensation signal CMP1. The current monitoring signal IMON1 is related to the output current IOUT1. When the temperature sensing signal TMON1 is greater than the temperature feedback signal TMON, the current monitoring circuit 16 adjusts the value of the current monitoring signal IMON1 according to the compensation signal CMP1 and feeds it back to the control circuit external to the SPS circuit 1 to adjust the control signal PWM1 issued at the next time. The output stage circuit 18 receives the control signal PWM1 from the PWM pin P12 at the next time to adjust the output current IOUT1.

[0092] In this embodiment, the temperature sensing signal TMON1, the temperature feedback signal TMON, and the current monitoring signal IMON1 are all in the form of voltage.

[0093] Please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 For Figure 1 an embodiment of the compensation circuit 14 and the current monitoring circuit 16 in Figure 2 As shown in

[0094] Comparator 140 is used to receive and compare the magnitudes of the temperature sensing signal TMON1 and the temperature feedback signal TMON, and generate a compensation signal CMP1 to the digital-to-analog converter 160 according to the comparison result. The digital-to-analog converter 160 is used to receive the compensation signal CMP1, the temperature sensing signal TMON1, and the temperature feedback signal TMON, and output a compensation code CD1 to the logic circuit 164. The monitoring signal generator 162 is used to generate a preset current monitoring signal TR1 to the logic circuit 164. The logic circuit 164 is used to receive the compensation code CD1 and the preset current monitoring signal TR1, and output a current monitoring signal IMON1.

[0095] Specifically, when the comparison result of the comparator 140 is that the temperature sensing signal TMON1 is less than or equal to the temperature feedback signal TMON, the compensation signal CMP1 output by the comparator 140 to the digital-to-analog converter 160 has a low level, and the logic circuit 164 will provide the current monitoring signal IMON1 according to the preset current monitoring signal TR1 generated by the monitoring signal generator 162; when the comparison result of the comparator 140 is that the temperature sensing signal TMON1 is greater than the temperature feedback signal TMON, the compensation signal CMP1 output by the comparator 140 to the digital-to-analog converter 160 has a high level, and the digital-to-analog converter 160 will generate a compensation code CD1 to the logic circuit 164, so that the logic circuit 164 compensates the current monitoring signal IMON1 according to the compensation code CD1 to generate a compensated current monitoring signal IMON1. In one embodiment, the comparator 140 and the digital-to-analog converter 160 may have a self-offset cancellation function, so that these two components can be unaffected by errors, which can reduce the error of the compensation signal CMP1.

[0096] Another specific embodiment according to the present invention is an intelligent power stage system. In this embodiment, the intelligent power stage system includes a control circuit and a plurality of SPS circuits, and the control circuit is coupled to the plurality of SPS circuits. Please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the intelligent power stage system in this embodiment. It should be noted that although Figure 3 shows an intelligent power stage system including three SPS circuits, the intelligent power stage system may also include other numbers of SPS circuits according to actual needs, and is not limited thereto.

[0097] As Figure 3 shown, the intelligent power stage system SY includes a first SPS circuit 1, a second SPS circuit 2, a third SPS circuit 3, and a control circuit 4. The control circuit 4 is respectively coupled to the first SPS circuit 1, the second SPS circuit 2, and the third SPS circuit 3.

[0098] The control circuit 4 has a first control pin P41, a second control pin P42, a third control pin P43, a temperature monitoring pin P44, and a current receiving pin P45. The first control pin P41 is coupled to the PWM pin P12 of the first SPS circuit 1 to provide a first control signal PWM1 to the first SPS circuit 1. The second control pin P42 is coupled to the PWM pin P22 of the second SPS circuit 2 to provide a second control signal PWM2 to the second SPS circuit 2. The third control pin P43 is coupled to the PWM pin P32 of the third SPS circuit 3 to provide a third control signal PWM3 to the third SPS circuit 3. The temperature monitoring pin P44 is respectively coupled to the temperature feedback pin P11 of the first SPS circuit 1, the temperature feedback pin P21 of the second SPS circuit 2, and the temperature feedback pin P31 of the third SPS circuit 3 to receive the temperature feedback signal TMON. The current receiving pin P45 is actually a plurality of pins corresponding to the number of SPS circuits, and is respectively coupled to the output current pin P13 of the first SPS circuit 1, the output current pin P23 of the second SPS circuit 2, and the output current pin P33 of the third SPS circuit 3 to receive the first current monitoring signal IMON1, the second current monitoring signal IMON2, and the third current monitoring signal IMON3.

[0099] The first SPS circuit 1 has a temperature feedback pin P11, a PWM pin P12, a current monitoring pin P13, and an output current pin P14. The temperature feedback pin P11 is used to transmit a first temperature sensing signal TMON1 as the temperature feedback signal TMON. The PWM pin P12 is used to receive the first control signal PWM1. The current monitoring pin P13 is used to output the first current monitoring signal IMON1. The output current pin P14 is used to output a first output current IOUT1 to the load LD1. The first SPS circuit 1 includes a temperature sensing circuit 10, a temperature feedback signal generator 12, a compensation circuit 14, a current monitoring circuit 16, and an output stage circuit 18. The temperature sensing circuit 10 is coupled to the input terminal of the temperature feedback signal generator 12. The output terminal of the temperature feedback signal generator 12 is coupled to the temperature feedback pin P11. The compensation circuit 14 is respectively coupled to the input terminal and the output terminal of the temperature feedback signal generator 12 and the current monitoring circuit 16. The current monitoring circuit 16 is coupled to the compensation circuit 14, the PWM pin P12, and the current monitoring pin P13. The output stage circuit 18 is coupled to the PWM pin P12 and the output current pin P14.

[0100] The temperature sensing circuit 10 senses the temperature of the first SPS circuit 1 to provide a first temperature sensing signal TMON1 to the temperature feedback signal generator 12. The temperature feedback pin P11 transmits the temperature feedback signal TMON to the temperature feedback signal generator 12. The compensation circuit 14 receives the temperature sensing signal TMON1 and the temperature feedback signal TMON, and generates a compensation signal CMP1 to the current monitoring circuit 16 according to the temperature sensing signal TMON1 and the temperature feedback signal TMON. The current monitoring circuit 16 receives a first control signal PWM1 from the PWM pin P12 and a first compensation signal CMP1 from the compensation circuit 14, and generates a first current monitoring signal IMON1 related to the first output current IOUT1 according to the first control signal PWM1 and the first compensation signal CMP1. When the first temperature sensing signal TMON1 is greater than the temperature feedback signal TMON, the current monitoring circuit 16 modulates the value of the first current monitoring signal IMON1 according to the first compensation signal CMP1. The output stage circuit 18 receives the control signal PWM1 from the PWM pin P12 and generates the output current IOUT1 for the next time according to the control signal PWM1. As for the second SPS circuit 2 and the third SPS circuit 3, they have the same design as the first SPS circuit 1, so they will not be described separately here.

[0101] In practical applications, since the temperature sensing signals TMON1~TMON3 and the temperature feedback signal TMON are all voltage signals, the signals on the temperature feedback pins P11, P21, P31 and the temperature monitoring pin P44 are the ones with the highest voltage value among the temperature sensing signals TMON1~TMON3. In this case, for the first SPS circuit 1~the third SPS circuit 3, the temperature sensing signal TMONn may not be equal to the temperature feedback signal TMON.

[0102] In practical applications, the control circuit 4 receives the first current monitoring signal IMON1 of the first SPS circuit 1, the second current monitoring signal IMON2 of the second SPS circuit 2, and the third current monitoring signal IMON3 of the third SPS circuit 3 through the current receiving pin P45 respectively, and modulates the first control signal PWM1 provided to the first SPS circuit 1, the second control signal PWM2 provided to the second SPS circuit 2, and the third control signal PWM3 provided to the third SPS circuit 3 accordingly.

[0103] Please refer to Figure 4 , Figure 4 for Figure 3Waveform diagrams of the first control signal PWM1 to the third control signal PWM3, the temperature feedback signal TMON, the first temperature sensing signal TMON1 to the third temperature sensing signal TMON3, the first current monitoring signal IMON1 to the third current monitoring signal IMON3, and the first compensation signal CMP1 to the third compensation signal CMP3 in

[0104] As Figure 4 shown, at time t0, Figure 3 the temperature values of the first temperature sensing signal TMON1 of the first SPS circuit 1, the second temperature sensing signal TMON2 of the second SPS circuit 2, and the third temperature sensing signal TMON3 of the third SPS circuit 3 in

[0105] are 90°C, 80°C, and 80°C respectively, that is, the temperatures of the first SPS circuit 1, the second SPS circuit 2, and the third SPS circuit 3 are not balanced, and the temperature value of the temperature feedback signal TMON is 90°C. At this time, the values of the first compensation signal CMP1, the second compensation signal CMP2, and the third compensation signal CMP3 are all 0, and the current values of the first current monitoring signal IMON1 of the first SPS circuit 1, the second current monitoring signal IMON2 of the second SPS circuit 2, and the third current monitoring signal IMON3 of the third SPS circuit 3 are all 200 μA.

[0106] When the control circuit 4 receives the first current monitoring signal IMON1, the second current monitoring signal IMON2, and the third current monitoring signal IMON3 respectively, the control circuit 4 modulates the periods of the first control signal PWM1, the second control signal PWM2, and the third control signal PWM3 it provides correspondingly according to the current values of the first current monitoring signal IMON1, the second current monitoring signal IMON2, and the third current monitoring signal IMON3.

[0107] For example, since the first current monitoring signal IMON1 is maintained at 200 uA, and both the second current monitoring signal IMON2 and the third current monitoring signal IMON3 decrease from 200 uA to 180 uA, at time t2, the control circuit 4 correspondingly reduces the period of the first control signal PWM1 from 10% to 9.8%, and increases the periods of the second control signal PWM2 and the third control signal PWM3 from 10% to 10.1%, causing the first output current IOUT1, the second output current IOUT2, and the third output current IOUT3 to increase or decrease, resulting in the increase or decrease of the first current monitoring signal IMON1 related to the first output current IOUT1, the second current monitoring signal IMON2 related to the second output current IOUT2, and the third current monitoring signal IMON3 related to the third output current IOUT3.

[0108] It should be noted that since the control circuit 4 itself has the function of current balance, the total current in the intelligent power stage system SY will be fixed. That is, the output current of the SPS circuit with the highest temperature and its current monitoring signal (i.e., the first output current IOUT1 and the first current monitoring signal IMON1 of the first SPS circuit 1) will decrease. For example, the first current monitoring signal IMON1 decreases from 200 uA to 196 uA, and the second current monitoring signal IMON2 and the third current monitoring signal IMON3 increase from 180 uA to 181.8 uA, but not limited to this. At this time, the temperature values of the first temperature sensing signal TMON1 of the first SPS circuit 1, the second temperature sensing signal TMON2 of the second SPS circuit 2, and the third temperature sensing signal TMON3 of the third SPS circuit 3 become 88 °C, 82 °C, and 82 °C respectively, and the temperature value of the temperature feedback signal TMON is 88 °C.

[0109] Similarly, since the first current monitoring signal IMON1 drops from 200 uA to 196 uA, and the second current monitoring signal IMON2 and the third current monitoring signal IMON3 rise from 180 uA to 181.8 uA, at time t3, the control circuit 4 will accordingly adjust the cycle sizes of the first control signal PWM1, the second control signal PWM2, and the third control signal PWM3. For example, the cycle size of the first control signal PWM1 is adjusted from 9.8% to 9.6%, and the cycle sizes of the second control signal PWM2 and the third control signal PWM3 are adjusted from 10.1% to 10.2%, causing the first output current IOUT1, the second output current IOUT2, and the third output current IOUT3 to increase or decrease, and in turn causing the first current monitoring signal IMON1, the second current monitoring signal IMON2, and the third current monitoring signal IMON3 to increase or decrease accordingly.

[0110] Since the total current in the intelligent power stage system SY is fixed, that is, it will reduce the output current of the SPS circuit with the highest temperature and its current monitoring signal (i.e., the first output current IOUT1 and the first current monitoring signal IMON1 of the first SPS circuit 1), causing the temperature values of the first temperature sensing signal TMON1 of the first SPS circuit 1, the second temperature sensing signal TMON2 of the second SPS circuit 2, and the third temperature sensing signal TMON3 of the third SPS circuit 3 to become 86 °C, 84 °C, and 84 °C respectively, and the temperature value of the temperature feedback signal TMON is 86 °C. The first current monitoring signal IMON1 drops from 196 uA to 192 uA, and the second current monitoring signal IMON2 and the third current monitoring signal IMON3 rise from 181.8 uA to 183.6 uA.

[0111] And so on, since the first current monitoring signal IMON1 drops from 196 uA to 192 uA, and the second current monitoring signal IMON2 and the third current monitoring signal IMON3 rise from 181.8 uA to 183.6 uA, at time t4, the control circuit 4 will accordingly adjust the cycle sizes of the first control signal PWM1, the second control signal PWM2, and the third control signal PWM3. For example, the cycle size of the first control signal PWM1 is adjusted from 9.6% to 9.4%, and the cycle sizes of the second control signal PWM2 and the third control signal PWM3 are adjusted from 10.2% to 10.3%, causing the first output current IOUT1, the second output current IOUT2, and the third output current IOUT3 to increase or decrease, and in turn causing the first current monitoring signal IMON1, the second current monitoring signal IMON2, and the third current monitoring signal IMON3 to increase or decrease accordingly.

[0112] Since the total current in the intelligent power stage system SY is fixed, that is, the output current of the SPS circuit with the highest temperature and its current monitoring signal (i.e., the first output current IOUT1 and the first current monitoring signal IMON1 of the first SPS circuit 1) will be reduced, making the temperature values of the first temperature sensing signal TMON1 of the first SPS circuit 1, the second temperature sensing signal TMON2 of the second SPS circuit 2, and the third temperature sensing signal TMON3 of the third SPS circuit 3 balance with the temperature value of the temperature feedback signal TMON at 85°C. The first current monitoring signal IMON1 drops from 192 uA to 188 uA, and the second current monitoring signal IMON2 and the third current monitoring signal IMON3 rise from 183.6 uA to 185.4 uA. At time t5, since the first SPS circuit 1, the second SPS circuit 2, and the third SPS circuit 3 have reached temperature equilibrium, the values of the second compensation signal CMP2 and the third compensation signal CMP3 will change from 1 to 0, while the first compensation signal CMP1 remains at 0 unchanged.

[0113] Another specific embodiment according to the present invention is an operation method of an intelligent power stage circuit. Please refer to Figure 5 , Figure 5 This is the flowchart of the operation method of the intelligent power stage circuit in this embodiment.

[0114] As Figure 5 shown, the operation method of the intelligent power stage circuit includes the following steps:

[0115] Step S10: Receive a control signal to provide an output current;

[0116] Step S12: Sense the temperature of the SPS circuit to provide a temperature sensing signal;

[0117] Step S14: The temperature feedback signal generator generates a temperature feedback signal according to the temperature sensing signal;

[0118] Step S16: Generate a compensation signal according to the temperature sensing signal and the temperature feedback signal;

[0119] Step S18: Generate a current monitoring signal related to the output current according to the control signal and the compensation signal; and

[0120] Step S20: When the temperature sensing signal is greater than the temperature feedback signal, modulate the value of the current monitoring signal according to the compensation signal.

[0121] Compared with the prior art, when the sensed temperature of each SPS circuit in the intelligent power stage system, intelligent power stage circuit and its operation method proposed by the present invention is higher than the external temperature, a compensation signal is generated to increase the current value of the current monitoring signal related to the output current, so that the operating temperatures of each SPS circuit in the SPS system can approach balance with each other, thus greatly improving the overall efficiency of the SPS system.

Claims

1. An intelligent power stage circuit that receives a control signal and provides an output current, characterized in that, The intelligent power stage circuit has a temperature feedback pin for transmitting and receiving temperature feedback signals, and the intelligent power stage circuit includes: A temperature sensing circuit for sensing the temperature of the intelligent power stage circuit to provide a temperature sensing signal; A temperature feedback signal generator, whose input terminal is coupled to the temperature sensing circuit and whose output terminal is coupled to the temperature feedback pin, for generating the temperature feedback signal according to the temperature sensing signal; A compensation circuit, coupled to the input terminal and the output terminal of the temperature feedback signal generator, for generating a compensation signal according to the temperature sensing signal and the temperature feedback signal; and A current monitoring circuit, coupled to the compensation circuit, for generating a current monitoring signal related to the output current according to the control signal and the compensation signal, wherein, when the temperature sensing signal is greater than the temperature feedback signal, the current monitoring circuit modulates the value of the current monitoring signal according to the compensation signal, thereby adjusting the output current at the next time.

2. The intelligent power stage circuit according to claim 1, wherein The compensation circuit includes: A comparator, coupled to the input terminal and the output terminal of the temperature feedback signal generator, for comparing the temperature sensing signal and the temperature feedback signal to generate the compensation signal.

3. The intelligent power stage circuit according to claim 2, wherein, The comparator has a self-offset cancellation function.

4. The intelligent power stage circuit according to claim 1, wherein, The current monitoring circuit includes: A digital-to-analog converter, coupled to the compensation circuit, for receiving the compensation signal, the temperature sensing signal and the temperature feedback signal and outputting a compensation code; A monitoring signal generator for generating a preset current monitoring signal; and A logic circuit, coupled to the digital-to-analog converter and the monitoring signal generator, for receiving the compensation code and the preset current monitoring signal and outputting the current monitoring signal.

5. The intelligent power stage circuit according to claim 4, wherein The digital-to-analog converter has a self-offset cancellation function.

6. An intelligent power stage system, characterized in that, The intelligent power stage system includes: A plurality of intelligent power stage circuits as described in claims 1 to 5; and A control circuit having: A plurality of control pins, coupled to the plurality of intelligent power stage circuits, for receiving a plurality of current monitoring signals provided by the plurality of SPS circuits and providing a plurality of control signals to the plurality of intelligent power stage circuits; and A temperature monitoring pin, coupled to the plurality of intelligent power stage circuits, for receiving a plurality of temperature sensing signals emitted by the plurality of intelligent power stage circuits and transmitting the temperature feedback signal to the plurality of intelligent power stage circuits; wherein, the control circuit is used for modulating to generate the plurality of control signals according to the plurality of current monitoring signals received by the plurality of control pins, and selecting the one with the highest voltage value from the plurality of current monitoring signals received from the plurality of control pins to generate the temperature feedback signal.

7. A method for operating an intelligent power stage circuit, characterized in that, Including the following steps: Receiving a control signal to provide an output current; Sensing the temperature of the intelligent power stage circuit to provide a temperature sensing signal; Generating a temperature feedback signal according to the temperature sensing signal; Generating a compensation signal according to the temperature sensing signal and the temperature feedback signal; Generating a current monitoring signal related to the output current according to the control signal and the compensation signal; And When the temperature sensing signal is greater than the temperature feedback signal, adjust the value of the current monitoring signal according to the compensation signal, thereby adjusting the output current at the next time.

8. The operating method of the intelligent power stage circuit according to claim 7, characterized in that, Further comprising: Adjust the control signal according to the current monitoring signal provided by the intelligent power stage circuit.

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