Voltage Slew Rate Throttling for Anomalous Charging Current
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Solution Overview
Problem
Charging of energy-storage devices like capacitors can result in anomalous charging current, leading to violations of charging-current specifications, tripping of upstream circuit protection, overloading, shutdown of power supplies, and drooping of supply voltage, due to undetected defects or non-ideal behavior.
Innovation Solution
A power-control circuit that includes a controlled device with a selective current shunt to shunt away a portion of the biasing current from the control terminal when anomalous charging current is detected, reducing the slew rate of the output voltage and thus the charging current, while allowing normal charging to proceed without limitation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If rapid charging is applied to energy-storage devices, then charging speed is improved, but anomalous charging current increases causing system violations and shutdowns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic control of the charging process by monitoring charging current in real-time and adjusting the biasing current to the control terminal accordingly. When anomalous current is detected, the system dynamically reduces the biasing current to throttle the slew rate and reduce charging current. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to achieve rapid charging under normal conditions while preventing system violations when anomalies occur, thus resolving the contradiction between charging speed and system stability.
2Productivity
If high biasing current is applied to the control terminal, then charging current increases improving charging speed, but slew rate becomes too high causing anomalous behavior
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the biasing current parameter dynamically based on the detected charging current conditions. When anomalous charging current is detected, the system reduces the biasing current parameter to control the slew rate of the output voltage. This parameter adjustment allows the system to maintain high charging speeds under normal conditions while preventing anomalous behavior by reducing the slew rate when necessary, thus resolving the contradiction between charging speed and slew rate control.
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
This solution effectively reduces anomalous charging current, preventing system violations and shutdowns while ensuring rapid charging of energy-storage devices by selectively throttling the charging current only when necessary.
Implementation Method 1
a selective current shunt to shunt away a portion of the biasing current from the control terminal when anomalous charging current is detected
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods and/or devices are used to reduce anomalous charging current by selectively shunting biasing current away from a control terminal of a controlled device that conducts the charging current during a charging mode. In some embodiments, a power-control circuit includes: (1) a controlled device with a first terminal coupled to a power-supply node, a second terminal to provide a first output voltage, and a control terminal; (2) a current source to provide a biasing current to the control terminal of the controlled device during a charging mode; and (3) a selective current shunt to shunt a portion of the biasing current away from the control terminal of the controlled device in response to a determination that a charging current through the first and second terminals of the controlled device satisfies a threshold during the charging mode.