Auxiliary Voltage Supply Circuit for Overvoltage Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic circuits supplied with higher-than-acceptable voltages experience transient overvoltage stress during start-up, leading to reduced reliability, lifetime, and accuracy due to frequent violations of their safety operation area.
Innovation Solution
A voltage supply circuit that temporarily provides an intermediate supply voltage lower than the external supply voltage during start-up, using an auxiliary voltage supply unit and a switch to disconnect the main supply voltage until the electronic circuit has settled, thereby preventing overvoltage conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the external supply voltage is directly applied to the electronic circuit during start-up, then the circuit can quickly reach its operating voltage level, but the internal components experience transient overvoltage stress that exceeds their safety operation area
Solution Approach 1:
The voltage supply is segmented into two stages: an intermediate voltage level during start-up and the full external supply voltage during normal operation. This segmentation allows the circuit to gradually adapt to the full voltage, preventing transient overvoltage stress on internal components while maintaining quick start-up performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The voltage supply circuit performs preliminary action by establishing an intermediate voltage level before applying the full external supply voltage. This preliminary voltage establishment protects internal components from overvoltage stress during the critical start-up transient period, ensuring reliable operation before full power is applied.
2Reliability
If protection circuits are added to prevent overvoltage during start-up, then component reliability is improved, but the overall circuit complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protection function is merged with the existing voltage supply circuit by integrating the intermediate voltage generation and switching control directly into the supply path. This consolidation provides overvoltage protection during start-up without adding separate protection circuits, thereby maintaining component reliability while minimizing additional circuit complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The voltage supply circuit is designed to perform multiple functions: it generates the intermediate voltage during start-up, switches to full voltage during normal operation, and simultaneously provides overvoltage protection. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate protection circuits, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining high reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A voltage supply circuit for an electronic circuit includes a switch configured to selectively connect a supply input of the electronic circuit with a main supply voltage source. An auxiliary voltage supply unit has an auxiliary voltage output coupled to the supply input of the electronic circuit. The auxiliary voltage supply unit is configured to at least temporarily output an auxiliary voltage to the supply input. The auxiliary voltage has a voltage level lower than a voltage level of a main supply voltage supplied by the main supply voltage source.