Voltage Regulator Circuit with Shared Warning Pin for Over-Voltage and Thermal Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing voltage regulators, especially simple systems, lack cost-effective solutions for distinguishing between under-voltage and over-voltage events and providing thermal warnings, often requiring additional integrated circuits and complex diagnostics protocols.
Innovation Solution
A circuit with processing circuitry that senses voltage and temperature thresholds, using a shared warning pin to indicate over-voltage and thermal conditions, prioritizing over-voltage events and avoiding the need for SPI protocols, allowing simple devices to detect and differentiate between under-voltage, over-voltage, and thermal warnings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If additional integrated circuits are used for over-voltage detection, then detection capability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines over-voltage detection, under-voltage detection, and thermal warning functions into a single integrated circuit. The processing circuitry includes voltage sensing circuitry, temperature sensing circuitry, and a state machine that integrates multiple diagnostic functions that would traditionally require separate ICs, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining comprehensive protection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The voltage regulator circuit performs multiple functions simultaneously: voltage regulation, over-voltage detection, under-voltage detection, and thermal warning. The single IC serves as both a power regulator and a comprehensive protection device, eliminating the need for separate monitoring circuits and reducing overall system complexity.
2Loss of information
If extensive diagnostics information is provided through SPI bus, then diagnostic capability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to protocol complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts critical diagnostic information (over-voltage, under-voltage, thermal warnings) from complex SPI communication and presents it through simple, dedicated warning outputs. The state machine generates distinct warning signals that can be directly monitored by microcontrollers without requiring implementation of SPI protocols, thereby simplifying the interface while maintaining comprehensive diagnostic capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the output parameter format from complex SPI digital communication to simple analog/digital warning signals. The warning outputs provide direct voltage-level indications of fault conditions that can be easily read by microcontrollers, transforming complex diagnostic data into simple, actionable warning states.
3Device complexity
If a shared warning pin is used for multiple warnings, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The state machine generates periodic warning signals with distinct temporal patterns for different fault conditions. Over-voltage, under-voltage, and thermal warnings can be differentiated by their timing characteristics and signal patterns, allowing precise fault identification through a single shared warning pin while maintaining device simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
A circuit includes processing circuitry is sensitive to a regulated voltage at the output node and to a temperature of the circuit. The processing circuit is configured to provide voltage and temperature sensing signals indicative of the regulated voltage at the output node and the temperature of the circuit. The processing circuitry is configured to assume i) a first state, as a result of the voltage sensing signal reaching a voltage threshold, ii) a second state, as a result of the temperature detection signal reaching a temperature threshold, or iii) a third state, as a result of both the voltage and the temperature sensing signals failing to reach the thresholds. The circuit comprises a warning output coupled to a warning signal generation network controlled by the processing circuitry.