Voltage Supervisor Differential Sensing for Fast Transient Detection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing voltage supervisors are unable to detect fast voltage transient events lasting less than 100ns, which can damage and negatively affect electronic devices by failing to prevent performance issues or failures.
Innovation Solution
A voltage supervisor with a dedicated differential pair routed between a point of load and the circuitry, enabling detection and response to fast voltage transients by sensing differential voltage changes at the load level, allowing for adjustments in voltage trigger levels and minimizing propagation delays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a typical voltage supervisor is used to monitor voltage transients, then it can detect voltage events longer than 100ns, but it fails to detect fast transient events lasting less than 100ns
Solution Approach 1:
The voltage supervisor functionality is segmented into two independent detection paths: a traditional supervisory path for slow transients and a new fast transient detection path using a dedicated differential pair. This segmentation allows each path to be optimized for its specific detection range without compromising the other, enabling the system to detect both slow and fast voltage transients effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
A dedicated differential pair serves as an intermediary sensing mechanism between the power supply and the voltage supervisor circuitry. This differential pair directly senses fast voltage transients at the point of load and transmits the signal to the voltage supervisor, enabling detection of sub-100ns events that would otherwise be missed by traditional monitoring paths.
2Reliability
If voltage supervisors are used to prevent performance issues, then they can reset electronic devices during slow transients, but they cannot respond to fast transient events that occur before the supervisor can detect and act on them
Solution Approach 1:
The dedicated differential pair is positioned to sense voltage transients at the point of load before they propagate to the main supervisor circuitry. This preliminary sensing action at the source enables the voltage supervisor to detect and respond to fast transients earlier in the event timeline, reducing the loss of time before protective action is taken.
Solution Approach 2:
The traditional voltage supervision mechanism is supplemented with a dedicated differential sensing path that directly couples to the point of load. This substitution creates a faster sensing mechanism that bypasses the limitations of conventional voltage supervisor response times, enabling sub-100ns detection capability.
3Measurement precision
If traditional voltage monitoring circuitry is used, then it can monitor power supply voltage, but it cannot sense differential voltage changes at the point of load with sufficient speed
Solution Approach 1:
A dedicated differential pair acts as an intermediary sensing element that directly connects to the point of load. This differential pair captures rapid voltage changes at the source and transmits the signal to the voltage monitoring circuitry, enabling both high detection speed and precise measurement of differential voltage changes that occur at the load.
Solution Approach 2:
The voltage monitoring system implements local quality by placing a dedicated differential sensing pair directly at the point of load rather than using a single remote monitoring point. This local sensing approach enables the system to detect voltage transients with both high speed and high precision at the critical location where fast transients occur.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A voltage supervisor (325), VS, or voltage sensing circuitry or architecture that can detect fast voltage transients. To detect fast voltage transients, a dedicated differential pair is routed between a point of load (216), such as a die (353) or other chip, processor, etc., and the circuitry of the voltage supervisor (VS). By connecting the differential pair at the point of load (216), fast voltage transients may be detected at the load level (e.g., at the point of load) and thereafter used to enable, disable, and/or restart an electronic device, such as a die (353), chip, processor, or other electronic component or system.