Voltage Regulator Safety via PTC Thermistor Protection Switch
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional power-supply systems with switching elements face issues of smoking and burning due to resistance short-circuits, which can lead to device damage and fire risks, as existing protection mechanisms are inadequate in preventing these occurrences, especially when switching elements fail and generate excessive heat.
Innovation Solution
A power-supply system incorporating a protection switch controlled by temperature sensors, including PTC thermistors, that detects temperature increases and automatically turns off the power supply to voltage regulators to prevent smoking and burning, providing dual protection through primary and secondary circuits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fuses are used for protection against short-circuit, then circuit protection is achieved, but smoking and burning occur before fuse blowout due to long pre-arcing time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by introducing temperature sensors that detect temperature rises before the fuse blows, enabling early intervention. The temperature detection circuit monitors the switching element's temperature continuously, and when a rise is detected, the control circuit turns off the protection switch before the fuse has a chance to blow, preventing smoking and burning from occurring in the first place
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback through temperature detection circuits that continuously monitor the switching element's temperature and feed this information back to the control circuit. This feedback mechanism enables the system to respond dynamically to temperature changes, turning off the protection switch when temperature rises indicate potential smoking or burning, thus preventing the harmful effects before they manifest
2Productivity
If fuse blowout current is set high for rated current protection, then normal operation is maintained, but resistance short-circuit failures are not prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses feedback through temperature sensors that continuously monitor the switching element's temperature. When a resistance short-circuit occurs, the temperature rises even though the current may not be high enough to blow the fuse. The control circuit receives this temperature feedback and turns off the protection switch, enabling detection and prevention of resistance short-circuits that would otherwise go undetected by current-based protection alone
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces temperature as an intermediary parameter for detecting short-circuit conditions. Instead of relying solely on current measurement, the system uses temperature rise as an intermediate indicator that switching elements are failing. This intermediary approach allows the system to detect resistance short-circuits before they cause damage, bridging the gap between normal operation and protective shutdown
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively prevents smoking and burning of switching elements by promptly shutting off power in case of temperature anomalies, ensuring the safety of the system and preventing device latch-up, thereby reducing the risk of fire and maintaining system functionality.
Implementation Method 1
A power-supply system incorporating a protection switch controlled by temperature sensors, including PTC thermistors
Implementation Method 2
A direct cause of the burning of a switching element results from the element generating a large amount of heat due to large current
Data Source
AI summary
A method for improving safety of voltage regulator is disclosed. In order to improve safety of a voltage regulator, a MOS-FET is disposed on a source power lane that receives power supplied from a DC power supply. A set of voltage regulators is connected to a set of fork power lanes, correspondingly, branching off from the source power lane. PTC thermistors are disposed on a surface or in the vicinity of semiconductor chips of the voltage regulators. When temperature at any one of the PTC thermistors increases, a protection controller turns off the MOS-FET. When temperature detected by a temperature sensor incorporated within the semiconductor chip has increased, each of the voltage regulators turns off the MOS-FET via a base management controller.