Adaptive overvoltage protection circuit and method, and power system including the same

• US 9,240,679 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2011
• Issued: 01/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries LLC (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fairchild Korea Semiconductor Limited (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Inventors: Jung, Il-young, Ahn, Byung-hak, Chung, Youn-woong, Choi, Moon-ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ortiz, Elim
• Application Number:
  US13/324,825
• Publication Number:
  US 20120170165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,498 Days
• Field of Search: 361/86, 361/78, 361/91.7
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 1/06 Arrangements for supplying operative power power supply arrangements in general G05F, H02M
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/20 responsive to excess voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/32 Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/34 Snubber circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/348 Passive dissipative snubbers

Abstract

An adaptive over-voltage protection circuit includes an over-voltage protection reference voltage provider and an over-voltage signal output unit. The over-voltage protection reference voltage provider provides a voltage of an over-voltage protection level higher than that of an over-voltage protection voltage corresponding to an output voltage supplied to a load from among a plurality of different over-voltage protection levels as an over-voltage protection reference voltage when the output voltage reaches a range of a rated voltage of the load. The over-voltage signal output unit outputs an over-voltage signal indicating an over-voltage by comparing the over-voltage protection voltage with the over-voltage protection reference voltage.

Claims

1. An adaptive over-voltage protection circuit comprising:

an over-voltage protection reference voltage provider for determining an over-voltage protection reference voltage as a predetermined reference voltage of an over-voltage protection level by comparing a feedback signal corresponding to an output voltage supplied to a load with a feedback reference signal; and

an over-voltage signal output unit for outputting an over-voltage signal indicating an over-voltage by comparing an over-voltage protection voltage corresponding to the output voltage with the over-voltage protection reference voltage.

2. The adaptive over-voltage protection circuit of claim 1, wherein the over-voltage protection reference voltage provider determines the over-voltage protection reference voltage as a voltage of an over-voltage protection level higher than and closest or second closest to that of the over-voltage protection voltage from among a plurality of different over-voltage protection levels.

3. The adaptive over-voltage protection circuit of claim 1, wherein the over-voltage protection reference voltage provider senses a time when the output voltage reaches a range of a rated voltage by comparing the feedback signal with the feedback reference signal and determines the over-voltage protection reference voltage when the output voltage reaches the range of the rated voltage.

4. The adaptive over-voltage protection circuit of claim 3, wherein the over-voltage protection reference voltage provider sequentially compares the over-voltage protection voltage with voltages of a plurality of over-voltage protection levels until the output voltage reaches the range of the rated voltage.

5. The adaptive over-voltage protection circuit of claim 1, wherein the over-voltage protection reference voltage provider comprises:

a first comparison unit for receiving the feedback signal and comparing the feedback signal with the feedback reference signal;

a second comparison unit for comparing the over-voltage protection voltage with a voltage of an over-voltage protection level currently output from a level output unit among a plurality of over-voltage protection levels;

a clock generator for generating a clock signal based on an output signal of the first comparison unit and an output signal of the second comparison unit; and

the level output unit for sequentially outputting the plurality of over-voltage protection levels one-by-one in response to the clock signal.

6. The adaptive over-voltage protection circuit of claim 5, wherein the over-voltage protection reference voltage provider further comprises an over-voltage protection reference voltage output unit for outputting a voltage of an over-voltage protection level currently output from the level output unit as the over-voltage protection reference voltage when a voltage of the feedback signal is higher than a voltage of the feedback reference signal while outputting a voltage of the highest over-voltage protection level among the plurality of over-voltage protection levels as the over-voltage protection reference voltage.

7. The adaptive over-voltage protection circuit of claim 5, wherein the clock generator generates the clock signal to have a rising or falling edge whenever the over-voltage protection voltage is higher than a voltage of an over-voltage protection level currently output from the level output unit.

8. The adaptive over-voltage protection circuit of claim 5, wherein the clock generator generates the clock signal to have a rising or falling edge when a voltage of the feedback signal is higher than a voltage of the feedback reference signal.

9. The adaptive over-voltage protection circuit of claim 5, wherein the clock generator generates the clock signal not to have a rising or falling edge any more when a voltage of the feedback signal is higher than a voltage of the feedback reference signal.

10. The adaptive over-voltage protection circuit of claim 5, wherein the clock generator comprises:

a first logic gate for performing a NOR operation of an output signal of the first comparison unit and an output signal of the second comparison unit;

a latch for latching the output signal of the first comparison unit; and

a second logic gate for generating the clock signal by performing an AND operation of an output signal of the first logic gate and a reverse output signal of the latch.

11. The adaptive over-voltage protection circuit of claim 5, wherein the clock generator comprises:

a first logic gate for performing an OR operation of an output signal of the first comparison unit and an output signal of the second comparison unit;

a latch for latching the output signal of the first comparison unit; and

a second logic gate for generating the clock signal by performing a NAND operation of an output signal of the first logic gate and a reverse output signal of the latch.

12. The adaptive over-voltage protection circuit of claim 5, wherein the level output unit comprises:

a clock counter for receiving the clock signal and outputting a clock count signal by counting clocks of the clock signal; and

a multiplexer for receiving the clock count signal and the plurality of over-voltage protection levels and outputting a voltage of an over-voltage protection level corresponding to the clock count signal among the plurality of over-voltage protection levels.

13. A power system comprising:

a power supply unit for generating an output voltage supplied to a load;

an over-voltage protection voltage generator, which is connected between the output voltage and a ground voltage and generates an over-voltage protection voltage corresponding to the output voltage;

a feedback signal generator, which is connected between the load and the ground voltage and generates a feedback signal corresponding to the output voltage; and

an adaptive over-voltage protection circuit comprising an over-voltage protection reference voltage provider for receiving the over-voltage protection voltage and the feedback signal and determining an over-voltage protection reference voltage as a predetermined voltage of an over-voltage protection level by comparing the feedback signal and a feedback reference signal and an over-voltage signal output unit for outputting an over-voltage signal indicating an over-voltage by comparing the over-voltage protection voltage with the over-voltage protection reference voltage.

14. The power system of claim 13, wherein the over-voltage protection voltage is proportional to the output voltage.

15. The power system of claim 13, wherein the feedback signal generator comprises:

a transistor comprising a first terminal to which the load is connected and a second terminal to which a first node is connected;

a resistor connected between the first node and a ground voltage; and

an amplifier comprising a reverse input terminal to which the first node is connected, a non-reverse input terminal through which a reference voltage is input, and an output terminal connected to a gate of the transistor, and

a voltage of the first terminal of the transistor is provided as a voltage of the feedback signal.

16. The power system of claim 13, wherein the over-voltage protection reference voltage provider determines the over-voltage protection reference voltage as a voltage of an over-voltage protection level higher than and closest or second closest to that of the over-voltage protection voltage from among a plurality of different over-voltage protection levels when a voltage of the feedback signal is higher than a voltage of the feedback reference signal.

17. The power system of claim 13, wherein the over-voltage protection reference voltage provider comprises:

a first comparison unit for comparing the feedback signal with the feedback reference signal;

a second comparison unit for comparing the over-voltage protection voltage with a voltage of an over-voltage protection level currently output from a level output unit among the plurality of over-voltage protection levels;

a clock generator for generating a clock signal in response to an output signal of the first comparison unit and an output signal of the second comparison unit; and

the level output unit for sequentially outputting the plurality of over-voltage protection levels one- by-one in response to the clock signal.

18. An adaptive over-voltage protection method comprising:

a reference voltage providing operation of determining an over-voltage protection reference voltage as a predetermined voltage of an over-voltage protection level by comparing a feedback signal corresponding to an output voltage supplied with a load with a feedback reference signal; and

an over-voltage signal outputting operation of outputting an over-voltage signal indicating an over-voltage by comparing an over-voltage protection voltage corresponding to the output voltage with the over-voltage protection reference voltage.

19. The adaptive over-voltage protection method of claim 18, wherein the reference voltage providing operation comprises:

a preparation operation of receiving the over-voltage protection voltage and the feedback signal and generating a plurality of over-voltage protection levels and the feedback reference signal;

an initialization operation of setting the lowest one of the plurality of over-voltage protection levels as a comparison level;

a first comparison operation of comparing the feedback signal with the feedback reference signal;

a second comparison operation of comparing the over-voltage protection voltage with a voltage of the over-voltage protection level set as the comparison level;

a level resetting operation of resetting the second lowest one of the plurality of over-voltage protection levels as the comparison level; and

a determination operation of determining a voltage of the over-voltage protection level set as the comparison level, as the over-voltage protection reference voltage.

20. The adaptive over-voltage protection method of claim 19, wherein, after the first comparison operation, if a voltage of the feedback signal is higher than a voltage of the feedback reference signal, proceeding to the determination operation, and if the feedback voltage is lower than the feedback reference voltage, proceeding to the second comparison operation, and after the second comparison operation, if the over-voltage protection voltage is higher than the voltage of the over-voltage protection level set as the comparison level, proceeding to the level resetting operation, and if the over-voltage protection voltage is lower than the voltage of the over-voltage protection level set as the comparison level, proceeding to the first comparison operation.