Power integrated circuit with autonomous limit checking of ADC channel measurements

• US 9,791,482 B1
• Filed: 05/30/2017
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Active-Semi, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Active-Semi, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Carpenter, Jr., John H., Smith, Brett E., Watanabe, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Cox, Cassandra
• Application Number:
  US15/607,683
• Time in Patent Office: 140 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/2513 Arrangements for monitoring electric power systems, e.g. power lines or loads; Logging
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 27/2605 Measuring capacitance capacitive sensors G01D5/24
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3835 involving only voltage measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/392 Determining battery ageing or deterioration, e.g. state of health
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/64 Testing of capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 11/28 using pulse-height modulation; using pulse-width modulation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/30 Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations for resetting only G06F1/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0757 by exceeding a time limit, i.e. time-out, e.g. watchdogs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3013 where the computing system is an embedded system, i.e. a combination of hardware and software dedicated to perform a certain function in mobile devices, printers, automotive or aircraft systems testing or monitoring of control systems or parts thereof G05B23/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3062 where the monitored property is the power consumption power management in a computing system G06F1/3203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/81 Threshold
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 85/0241 Structural association of a fuse and another component or apparatus switches with built-in fuses H01H9/10, spark-gap arresters H01H85/44, transformers and inductances H01F27/402, capacitors H01G2/14, lamps H01K1/66, semiconductors H01L23/5256 or H01L23/62
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/08 responsive to excess current responsive to abnormal temperature caused by excess current H02H5/04
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/061 for DC powered loads
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0009 Devices or circuits for detecting current in a converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/08 Circuits specially adapted for the generation of control voltages for semiconductor devices incorporated in static converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/32 Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/156 with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/158 : including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/1582 : Buck-boost converters H02M3/1584 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/1588 : comprising at least one synchronous rectifier element H02M3/1582, H02M3/1584 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 1/122 : Shared using a single converter or a part thereof for multiple channels, e.g. a residue amplifier for multiple stages
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 1/765 : using a single level of switches which are controlled by unary decoded digital signals

Abstract

A power loss protection integrated circuit includes a current switch circuit portion (eFuse) and an autonomous limit checking circuit. The limit checking circuit includes an input analog multiplexer, an ADC, a plurality of capture registers, a state machine, and a flag output terminal. For each capture register, the limit checking circuit further includes an associated lower limit register and an associated upper limit register. The state machine controls the multiplexer and the capture registers so the ADC digitizes voltages on various nodes to the monitored, and stores the results into corresponding capture registers. In integrated circuit has circuitry that allows both a high voltage as well as a high current to be monitored. The value in a capture register is compared to upper and lower limit values. If any capture value is determined to be outside the limits, then a digital flag signal is asserted onto the flag output terminal.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit, comprising:

a first terminal;

a second terminal;

a current switch circuit that can receive a current of up to a maximum input current from the first terminal, wherein the current switch circuit can conduct a through-current from the first terminal, through the current switch circuit to the second terminal with a resistance, and wherein the current switch circuit outputs a current sense voltage whose magnitude is indicative of a magnitude of a current flowing through the current switch circuit;

an input analog multiplexer circuit having a first analog input lead, a second analog input lead, at least one select input lead, and an analog output lead, wherein the first analog input lead is coupled to receive the current sense voltage, and wherein the second analog input lead is coupled to receive an input voltage;

an Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) that is coupled to the output lead of the input analog multiplexer circuit, wherein the ADC is adapted to output a first digital value indicative of a magnitude of the current flowing through the current switch circuit, and wherein the ADC is adapted to output a second digital value indicative of a magnitude of the input voltage;

a first comparator circuit adapted to compare the first digital value to a first limit value and to output a first comparison signal indicative of the comparison;

a second comparator circuit adapted to compare the second digital value to a second limit value and to output a second comparison signal indicative of the comparison; and

a third terminal adapted to output a flag signal, wherein the flag signal is indicative of a condition in which either the first comparison signal is asserted or the second comparison signal is asserted.

2. The integrated circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a first limit register adapted to store the first limit value;

a second limit register adapted to store the second limit value;

a first capture register adapted to store the first digital value; and

a second capture register adapted to store the second digital value, wherein the maximum input current is at least two amperes, wherein the through-current is two amperes, wherein the resistance is less than one ohm, and wherein the integrated circuit does not include a processor that fetches, decodes or executes instructions.

3. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the first terminal is adapted to receive the input voltage onto the integrated circuit, wherein the input voltage can have a magnitude of up to a maximum input voltage, wherein the first terminal is coupled to the second analog input lead of the input analog multiplexer circuit, wherein the integrated circuit further comprises digital logic circuitry adapted to control the input analog multiplexer circuit by driving a digital logic signal onto the select input lead of the input analog multiplexer circuit, wherein the digital logic circuitry is powered from a digital logic supply voltage, and wherein the digital logic supply voltage is a voltage smaller than the maximum input voltage.

4. The integrated circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a fourth terminal, wherein the fourth terminal is adapted to receive the input voltage onto the integrated circuit, and wherein the fourth terminal is coupled to the second analog input lead of the input analog multiplexer circuit.

5. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the current of which the current sense voltage is indicative is a current received by the current switch circuit from the first terminal.

6. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the current of which the current sense voltage is indicative is a current output by the current switch circuit.

7. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the current of which the current sense voltage is indicative is a current supplied by the current switch circuit to the second terminal.

8. The integrated circuit of claim 2, further comprising:

a third limit register, wherein the first comparator circuit is also adapted to compare the value stored in the first capture register to a value stored in the third limit register, and wherein the first comparison signal is asserted if either;

     1) the value stored in the first capture register is greater than the value stored in the first limit register, or

     2) the value stored in the first capture register is smaller than the value stored in the third limit register.

9. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the input analog multiplexer circuit comprises:

a first resistor voltage divider circuit;

a second resistor voltage divider circuit; and

an analog multiplexer having a first data input lead, a second data input lead, a select input lead, and an output lead, wherein the first data input lead is coupled to the first resistor voltage divider circuit, and wherein the second data input lead is coupled to the second resistor voltage divider circuit.

10. The integrated circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a fourth terminal; and

a switching converter control circuit adapted to output a direct current supply voltage onto the fourth terminal, wherein the fourth terminal is coupled to a third analog input lead of the input analog multiplexer circuit.

11. The integrated circuit of claim 2, further comprising:

a serial bus interface circuit, wherein the serial bus interface circuit is operable to read the value stored in the first capture register and to cause the value to be output from the integrated circuit in serial fashion across a serial bus, and wherein the serial bus interface circuit is operable to read the value stored in the second capture register and to cause the value to be output from the integrated circuit in serial fashion across the serial bus.

12. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the first comparator circuit comprises a first latch that outputs the first comparison signal, and wherein the second comparator circuit comprises a second latch that outputs the second comparison signal.

13. An integrated circuit, comprising:

a first terminal;

a second terminal;

an eFuse circuit that can receive a current from the first terminal and can conduct the current to the second terminal; and

an autonomous limit checking circuit comprising an input analog multiplexer circuit, an Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) coupled to an output lead of the input analog multiplexer circuit, a digital state machine that controls the input analog multiplexer circuit, and a plurality of compare-and-mask circuits, wherein each compare-and-mask circuit comprises a capture register, a lower limit register, and an upper limit register, wherein the compare-and-mask circuit is adapted to compare a digital value stored in its capture register to a lower limit value stored in its lower limit register and to compare the digital value stored in its capture register to an upper limit value stored in its upper limit register, wherein the compare-and-mask circuit is adapted to assert a digital output signal indicative of a comparison performed by the compare-and-mask circuit.

14. The integrated circuit of claim 13, wherein a first analog input lead of the analog input multiplexer circuit is coupled to receive a voltage-divider divided down version of a voltage present on the first terminal, and wherein a second analog input lead of the analog input multiplexer circuit is coupled to receive a voltage whose magnitude is proportional to a current flowing through the eFuse circuit.

15. The integrated circuit of claim 13, wherein the digital state machine is powered from a digital supply voltage, and wherein the voltage present on the first terminal can be substantially larger than the digital supply voltage, wherein the integrated circuit further comprises a third terminal, and wherein a digital signal is asserted onto the third terminal if any of the compare-and-mask circuits asserts its digital output signal.

16. The integrated circuit of claim 13, wherein the autonomous limit checking circuit further comprises a mask register, and wherein a bit of the mask register being set causes a comparison performed by one of the compare-and-mask circuits to be masked.

17. The integrated circuit of claim 13, further comprising:

a serial data bus interface, wherein the serial data bus interface is usable by external circuitry to read a selected capture register of the autonomous limit checking circuit, and wherein the input analog multiplexer circuit comprises a plurality of resistor voltage dividers.

18. The integrated circuit of claim 13, where each compare-and-mask circuit has a bit that stores a value indicative of a comparison performed by the compare-and-mask circuit, wherein a reading of the selected capture register causes the bit of the compare-and-mask circuit that includes the selected capture register to be reset, and wherein the integrated circuit does not include a processor that fetches, decodes or executes any instructions.

19. An integrated circuit, comprising:

a first terminal;

a second terminal;

an eFuse means for receiving a current from the first terminal and for conducting the current to the second terminal in a non-fault condition, and for opening in a fault condition; and

means for autonomously limit checking a plurality of voltages, for generating a digital value indicative of a magnitude of each such voltage, for each such voltage comparing the corresponding digital value to an upper limit value and comparing the corresponding digital value to a lower limit value, and for asserting a digital output signal indicative of a comparison pertaining to the corresponding digital value.

20. The integrated circuit of claim 19, further comprising:

a third terminal, wherein a digital signal is asserted onto the third terminal by the means for limit checking if any of the multiple such digital output signals is asserted;

an upper limit register adapted to store the upper limit value; and

a lower limit register adapted to store a lower limit value, wherein the integrated circuit does not include a processor that fetches, decodes or executes any instructions.