Switching regulators such as direct-current to direct-current (DC to DC) switching regulators often employ a control loop with current feedback. An easy, inexpensive and therefore attractive method for sensing load currents of a transistor is to measure the voltage drop over a load-path (e.g., source-to-drain path) of the respective transistor. Such a method does not require any external components and is lossless because it makes use of a parameter inherent to the transistor, i.e. the on-resistance. On the other hand, other methods such as measuring the voltage drop over a shunt-resistor entails a loss of power proportional to the resistance of the shunt-resistor.
In order to be able to determine the load current of a transistor by measuring the voltage drop over the load-path of the transistor, it has been necessary for the on-resistance of the load-path of the transistor to be known. At the present time, the resistance value given by suppliers of the transistors is used for calculating the load current from the measured voltage drop over the load-path of the transistor. The resistance values of the on-resistance given by suppliers or manufacturers often exhibit tolerance ranges of 40 percent of its nominal value, what entails intolerable inaccuracies of the current measurement. Additionally, the resistance value of the on-resistance of a transistor can vary considerably over temperature. Consequently, there is a general need to provide a way for in-circuit measurement of the on-resistance of a load-path of a transistor in order to be able to precisely measure the on-resistance of a transistor during operation for performing a calibration or recalibration of a current measurement of the load current through the transistor.
Various aspects are described herein. For example, some aspects are directed to a method including the following: applying a control signal to a control terminal of a transistor, to switch the transistor to an on-state such that the transistor carries a load current through a load-path of the transistor; measuring a voltage drop across the load-path of the transistor while the load current is passing through the load-path of the transistor, yielding a first measurement value; feeding a test current into the load-path of the transistor, such that the test current and the load current are combined; measuring a voltage drop across the load-path of the transistor while the combined test and load currents are passing through the load-path of the transistor, a second measurement value; and determining an on-resistance of the load-path of the transistor from a difference of the first and second measurement values.
Further aspects are directed to providing apparatuses for performing the above method and/or other methods.
These and other aspects of the disclosure will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of illustrative aspects.
A more complete understanding of the present disclosure may be acquired by referring to the following description in consideration of the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numbers indicate like features, and wherein:
a is a schematic diagram of an illustrative embodiment of a circuit arrangement for an in-circuit measurement of the on-resistance of a transistor in order to be able to perform a current measurement by measuring the voltage drop across a load-path of the transistor having an a-priori unknown on-resistance.
b is a schematic diagram of the circuit of
The various aspects summarized previously may be embodied in various forms. The following description shows by way of illustration various examples in which the aspects may be practiced. It is understood that other examples may be utilized, and that structural and functional modifications may be made, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
Except where explicitly stated otherwise, all references herein to two or more elements being “coupled,” “connected,” and “interconnected” to each other is intended to broadly include both (a) the elements being directly connected to each other, or otherwise in direct communication with each other, without any intervening elements, as well as (b) the elements being indirectly connected to each other, or otherwise in indirect communication with each other, with one or more intervening elements.
Illustrative embodiments of apparatuses and methods will be described herein for measuring the on-resistance of a load-path of a transistor, which may allow in-circuit measurements such as power metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) or other high or low power switching devices.
For example, a method may be provided for measuring an on-resistance of a load-path of a transistor which has a control terminal and is connected between the first and the second supply terminal. The method may include the following: applying a control signal to the control terminal of the transistor for switching the transistor into an on-state, such that the transistor carries a load current, measuring a voltage drop across the load-path of the transistor yielding a first measurement value, feeding a test current into the load-path of the transistor, such that the test current and the load current superpose, measuring a voltage drop across the load-path of the transistor yielding a second measurement value, and determining the on-resistance of the load-path of the transistor from difference of the first and second measurement value.
The step of measuring the voltage drop across the load-path of the transistor may further include amplifying by a first factor the voltage drop across the load-path of the transistor yielding the first measurement value, and digitizing the first measurement value yielding a first digital value.
In another example, the test current may be provided by a current source. The test current may also be determined by a resistance being connected between the load-path of the transistor and one of the supply terminals, wherein the resistance may be a series circuit of a shunt-resistor and a further resistor for limiting the current. The value of the test current may be determined by measuring the voltage drop across the shunt-resistor.
According to further illustrative embodiments, a circuit arrangement may be provided for measuring an on-resistance of a load-path of a first transistor is provided. The first transistor may be connected between a first and a second supply terminal and carries a load current. The circuit arrangement may include a measurement device connected with the first transistor for measuring the voltage drop across the load-path of the first transistor and for providing a measurement signal being a representation of the voltage drop, a switchable current source for providing a test current to the load-path of the first transistor, such that the test current and the load current can superpose, the current source being capable of being switched on and off by a switch which is responsive to a control signal, an evaluation circuit adapted for providing a control signal for the switch, for storing the measurement signal, and for calculating the on-resistance of the load-path of the first transistor from the test current, an actual measurement signal, and a stored measurement signal, where at least one of the measurement signals has been measured with the current source switched on.
Turning to the figures,
The control circuit 10 further includes a first amplifier 11 connected to the load terminals of the low-side transistor LT of the half bridge for amplifying the voltage drop across the load-path of the low-side transistor LT. This voltage drop across the low path is amplified by a factor ACS. The output signal of the first amplifier 11 is a first measurement signal vCS. Assuming the high-side transistor UT is in an off-state and the low-side transistor LT is in an on-state, the output current IL has to flow through the load-path of the low-side transistor LT resulting in an voltage drop of RON·IL across the load-path, wherein RON denotes the on-resistance of the low-side transistor LT. Accordingly, the output of the first amplifier 11, that is the first measurement signal vCS, equals:
νcs=Acs·RON·IL (1)
The first measurement signal vCS is, according to equation (1), proportional to the current IL through the load-path of the low-side transistor LT. For actually calculating the current IL through the load-path of the transistor the on-resistance RON of the transistor has to be known.
As mentioned above, the resistance values for the on-resistance RON may vary due to tolerances in the production process, so that, as a consequence, the resistance values given by the manufactures or the suppliers of power transistors may exhibit a tolerance range of up to 40 percent of the nominal value, what entails a very inaccurate current measurement results. Moreover the on-resistance RON of a transistor may change over temperature, and this temperature behavior may be non-linear. However, it may be desired to provide a method for calibrating the current measurement circuit in order to potentially achieve a more accurate measurement of the load current IL.
a shows a circuit diagram of an illustrative embodiment of a control circuit 10 including a circuit arrangement for measuring the load current through a load-path of a transistor similar to the circuit arrangement of
In the example of
In the shown example, if the low-side transistor LT is in an on-state and switch Sw is closed, a test current IR is injected into the load-path of the transistor LT. The test current IR flowing from the first supply terminal VIN through the load-path of the transistor LT to the second supply terminal GND may be determined by observing the voltage drop over the shunt-resistor RS. Therefore a second amplifier 12 may have its inputs connected to a first and a second terminal of the shunt-resistor RS respectively and provide as its output signal a second measurement signal vR that is proportional to the test current IR and calculated as follows:
νR=AR·RS·IR, (2)
wherein the amplifier 12 has a second gain factor AR. The second measurement signal vR is supplied to a second analog-to-digital converter 13 for converting the second measurement signal VR into a second sequence of digital values qR(k).
An illustrative embodiment of a method for measuring the on-resistance of the load-path of the transistor LT performed by means of the control circuit 10 of
It can be easily derived that the first measurement value vCS(k) and the second measurement value vCS(k+1) can be calculated as follows:
νCS(k)=ACS·RON·IL, (3)
νCS(k+1)=ACS·RON·(IL−IR). (4)
Taking the difference of the first measurement value VCS(k) and the second measurement value VCS(k+1), that is the difference between equations (3) and (4), yields
νCS(k)−νCS(k+1)=ACS·RON·IR. (5)
If the test current IR is known, the on-resistance RON may be calculated according to equation (5). The test current IR may be supplied by any current source. In the example of
wherein the variable g denotes a scaling factor which is equal to ACS/(ARRS) and a value vR(k+1) of the second measurement signal vR (further denoted as “third measurement value) represents the test current IR.
The calculation of the on-resistance RON may be performed manually and/or automatically, such as digitally by any computer and/or processor, e.g., an arithmetic/logic-unit (ALU), microcontroller, etc. For a digital signal processing the first measurement value vCS (k), the second measurement value vCS (k+1), and the third measurement value vR (k+1) may be replaced by their digital representations (first digital value qCS(k), second digital value qCS (k+1), and third digital value qR (k+1)). The on-resistance are may be then calculated (cf. equation 6) as the quotient of the difference qCS (k)−qCS (k+1) and a digital representation (qR·ACS/(ARRS) of the test current IR.
The above described determination of the on-resistance RON for calibrating the current measurement of the load current of the transistor under test may involve the value of the shunt-resistor RS to be known. Any error in the value of the shunt-resistor RS may propagate and potentially result in a respective systematic error in the calculated value for the on-resistance RON and therefore in a systematic error in the load current measurement as well. It may be therefore useful to measure the value of the shunt-resistor RS once, for example, during chip testing after the production process. The measured value for the shunt-resistor RS may then be saved into memory, such as a non-volatile memory (e.g., an EEPROM) accessible to the computer or processor that may also be used to perform the above-mentioned calculations.
b shows an illustrative embodiment of a circuit that may be used for measuring the shunt-resistor RS using a precalibrated current source being connected to the control circuit 10 in place of the load-path of the low-side transistor LT. When switch Sw is closed, a test current flows from a first supply terminal (VCC) via the shunt resistor RS and the current limiting resistor Rlim into the current source which replaces the load-path of the low-side transistor LT of
Measuring the shunt-resistance RS may involve the following, for example:
νR(j)=AR·RS·Itest, (7)
The calculated resistance value for the shunt-resistor RS then may be saved into the memory as explained above for the use in further calculations that are performed in order to obtain measurement values for the on-resistance RON as explained with reference to