The invention relates to an electronic device for regulating the voltage across a high-side load, especially for regulating a fan in a motor vehicle.
Such control devices are generally known through their use in motor vehicles.
There is known through JP 01302409 AA or DE 2708021 C3 an electronic control device in which a control voltage referenced to the positive high-side supply voltage is used as the command variable for the regulation.
An important fundamental function of the control device is to regulate the motor voltage in dependence on a control signal. That control signal may be an analogue control voltage, an analogue control current or a digital signal. Control devices for fans in accordance with the teaching of the prior art convert control currents and digital control signals internally into a control voltage, so that in principle there is always a control circuit that regulates the motor voltage as a function of a control voltage.
Known linear control devices for fans use in general the circuit topology illustrated in
An important requirement to be met by a control device for a fan is the correction of on-board voltage fluctuations. Umot should be independent of V2. That applies only when R1/R2=R3/R4. The behaviour of the control device shown in
Assuming ideal components and ideal matching tolerance R1/R2=R3/R4, the relationship Umot=f(V1) is determined only by the resistance ratio R1/R2. Umot is largely independent of V2. The operational amplifier corrects on-board voltage fluctuations. In standby operation, V1=0. The current consumption Ib of the arrangement is in this case described as closed-circuit current and should be as low as possible so as not to discharge the battery V2.
In the case where V1=0, Umot=0 and hence also Id=0 (modern mosfets have very small cut-off currents). Accordingly, Ib=I1+I2+I3. I3 can be kept at a very low level by the use of an ultra-low-power opamp.
If it is desired for reasons of costs to dispense with encapsulation of the controller electronics, then the use of high-resistance resistors is problematic. Condensation and the associated contamination on the printed circuit board surface, which occur in the vehicle, lead to tracking currents which affect the functioning of circuits dimensioned to be of high-impedance. R1 to R4 cannot, therefore, be made to be high-resistance to an arbitrarily high degree. Thus, I1 and I2 load the battery in standby operation.
The problem underlying the invention is to develop a control device that permits relatively low-resistance resistors to be used even in the case of low closed-circuit current consumption, while compensating for thermal effects on the command variable.
The problem is solved by a control device in accordance with patent claim 1. Advantageous developments of the invention are given in patent claims 2 to 4.
The invention makes it possible to construct a control device, especially for a fan, using comparatively few discrete components. The control device is distinguished by having a good regulating behaviour and an extremely small closed-circuit current consumption.
Compensation for temperature effects of the base-emitter voltage of the first transistor is performed by the base-emitter path of a second transistor of the same conductivity type in series with the first transistor.
A preferred illustrative embodiment of the invention is illustrated schematically in the drawings and will be described hereinafter with reference to the Figures of the drawings, in which:
As shown in
The control voltage V1 is fed to the base of a transistor Q1 operated in common-emitter connection. Connected in the emitter circuit thereof, there is a resistor R1 and, in the collector circuit thereof, a resistor R2 and, in series with the latter, the base-emitter diode of a further transistor Q2. The voltage U−, which drops across R2 and Q2, is now given by U−=Ube(Q2)+R2/R1*(V1-Ube(Q1)). The voltage U−now corresponds approximately to the input voltage V1 amplified by R2/R1.
Selecting R1=R2 and Q1/Q2 with matched characteristics, U−is an exact image of V1. It is especially advantageous for the two transistors Q1 and Q2 to be thermally coupled, then the condition Ube(Q1)=Ube(Q2) is satisfied to a good approximation also in the case of temperature fluctuations. V1 is referenced to ground, U−is referenced to the positive potential of V2. By that arrangement, therefore, V1 is mirrored from the ground reference potential to the positive supply potential.
The two input voltages of the controller U1A may be referenced to the positive supply voltage U2. Thus, according to the circuit diagram shown in
and is thus independent of V2.
Resistance matching tolerances are not included in the relationship dUmot=f(dV2) in contrast to the circuit diagram shown in
According to the teaching of the invention, better correction of on-board voltage fluctuations is therefore achieved.
The closed-circuit current of the circuit may be given only by the closed-circuit current of the controller U1A. In the case where V1=0, Q1 becomes non-conductive. Hence, it follows that I1=0, U−=U+=0, Id=0, I2=0 and Ib=I3.
Even in the case of low-resistance dimensioning, I1 and I2 do not load the battery V2 in closed-circuit operation.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2006 008 839.5 | Feb 2006 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/DE2007/000268 | 2/14/2007 | WO | 00 | 10/3/2008 |