Micrel, Inc.
MIC2590B
September 2008
18
M9999-091808
Application Information
Current Sensing
For the three power supplies switched with internal
MOSFETs (+12V, 12V, and V
AUX
), the MIC2590B
provides all necessary current sensing functions to protect
the IC, the load, and the power supply. For the remaining
four supplies which the part is designed to control, the
high currents at which these supplies typically operate
makes   sensing   the   current   inside   the   MIC2590B
impractical. Therefore, each of these supplies (3VA, 5VA,
3VB, and 5VB) requires an external current sensing
resistor. The V
IN
connection to the IC from each supply
(e.g., 5V
INA
) is connected to the positive terminal of the
slots current sense amplifier, and the corresponding
SENSE input (in this case, 5V
SENSEA
) is connected to the
negative terminal of the current sense amplifier.
Sense Resistor Selection
The   MIC2590B   uses   low-value   sense   resistors   to
measure the current flowing through the MOSFET
switches   to   the   loads.   These   sense   resistors   are
nominally valued at 50m&/I
LOAD(CONT)
. To accommodate
worst-case tolerances for both the sense resistor, (allow
?% over time and temperature for a resistor with ?%
initial tolerance) and still supply the maximum required
steady-state   load   current,   a   slightly   more   detailed
calculation must be used.
The current limit threshold voltage (the trip point) for the
MIC2590B may be as low as 35mV, which would equate
to a sense resistor value of 35m&/I
LOAD(CONT)
. Carrying the
numbers through for the case where the value of the
sense resistor is 3% high, this yields:
(    )(
)
LOAD(CONT)
LOAD(CONT)
SENSE
I
34m&
I
1.03
35m&
R
=
=
Once the value of R
SENSE
has been chosen in this
manner, it is good practice to check the maximum
I
LOAD(CONT)
which the circuit may let through in the case of
tolerance build-up in the opposite direction. Here, the
worst-case maximum is found using a 65mV trip voltage
and a sense resistor which is 3% low in value. The
resulting current is:
(    )(
)
SENSE(NOM)
SENSE(NOM)
MAX)
LOAD(CONT,
R
67m&
R
0.97
65m&
I
=
=
As an example, if an output must carry a continuous 4.4A
without nuisance trips occurring, R
SENSE
for that output
should be 34m&/4.4A = 7.73m&. The nearest standard
value is 7.5m&, so a 7.5m& ?% resistor would be a
good choice. At the other set of tolerance extremes,
I
LOAD(CONT, MAX)
for the output in question is then simply
67mV/7.5m& = 8.93A. Knowing this final datum, we can
determine the necessary wattage of the sense resistor,
using P = I
2
R. Here I will be I
LOAD(CONT, MAX)
, and R will be
(0.97)(R
SENSE(NOM)
). These numbers yield the following:
P
MAX
= (8.93A)
2
(7.28m&) = 0.581W
A 1.0W sense resistor would work well in this application.
Kelvin Sensing
Because of the low values of the sense resistors, special
care must be used to accurately measure the voltage
drop across them. Specifically, the voltage across each
R
SENSE
must employ Kelvin sensing. This is simply a
means of making sure that any voltage drops in the power
traces connecting to the resistors are not picked up in
addition to the voltages across the sense resistors
themselves. If accuracy must be paid for, its worth
keeping.
Figure 9 illustrates how Kelvin sensing is performed. As
can be seen, all the high current in the circuit (let us say,
from +5V
INA
through R
SENSE
and then to the drain of the
+5VA output MOSFET) flows directly through the power
PCB traces and R
SENSE
. The voltage drop resulting across
R
SENSE
is sampled in such a way that the high currents
through   the   power   traces   will   not   introduce   any
extraneous IR drops.
R
SENSE
Powe  Trace
From V
CC
Powe  Trace
To MOSFET Drain
Signal Trace
to MIC2590B V
CC
Signal Trace
to MIC2590B V
SENSE
Figure 9. Kelvin Sensing Connections for R
SENSE
MOSFET Selection
Selecting the proper MOSFET for use as current pass
and switching element for each of the 3V and 5V slots of
the MIC2590B involves four straight forward tasks:
1.   Choice of a MOSFET which meets the minimum
voltage requirements.
2.   Determination of maximum permissible on-state
resistance [R
DS(ON)
].
3.   Selection of a device to handle the maximum
continuous current (steady-state thermal issues).
4.   Verification   of   the selected parts   ability to
withstand   current   peaks   (transient   thermal
issues).
MOSFET Voltage Requirements
The first voltage requirement for each MOSFET is easily
stated:   the   drain-source   breakdown   voltage   of   the
MOSFET must be greater than V
IN(MAX)
for the slot in
question. For instance, the 5V input may reasonably be
expected to see high-frequency transients as high as
5.5V. Therefore, the drain-source breakdown voltage of
the MOSFET must be at least 6V.