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Overtemperature Protection (OTP)
Auto-Track Function
How Auto-Track Works
Typical Application
www.ti.com ................................................................................................................................................... SLTS262I – OCTOBER 2005 – REVISED MARCH 2009
A thermal shutdown mechanism protects the module’s internal circuitry against excessively high temperatures. A
rise in the internal temperature may be the result of a drop in airflow, or a high ambient temperature. If the
internal temperature exceeds the OTP threshold, the module’s Inhibit control is internally pulled low. This turns
the output off. The output voltage drops as the external output capacitors are discharged by the load circuit. The
recovery is automatic, and begins with a soft-start power up. It occurs when the sensed temperature decreases
by about 10°C below the trip point.
The overtemperature protection is a last resort mechanism to prevent thermal stress to the regulator.
Operation at or close to the thermal shutdown temperature is not recommended and reduces the long-term
reliability of the module. Always operate the regulator within the specified safe operating area (SOA) limits for
the worst-case conditions of ambient temperature and airflow.
The Auto-Track function is unique to the PTH/PTV family, and is available with all POLA products. Auto-Track
was designed to simplify the amount of circuitry required to make the output voltage from each module power up
and power down in sequence. The sequencing of two or more supply voltages during power up is a common
requirement for complex mixed-signal applications that use dual-voltage VLSI ICs such as the TMS320 DSP
family, microprocessors, and ASICs.
Auto-Track works by forcing the module output voltage to follow a voltage presented at the Track control pin (1).
This control range is limited to between 0 V and the module set-point voltage. Once the track-pin voltage is
raised above the set-point voltage, the module output remains at its set-point (2). As an example, if the Track pin
of a 2.5-V regulator is at 1 V, the regulated output is 1 V. If the voltage at the Track pin rises to 3 V, the regulated
output does not go higher than 2.5 V.
When under Auto-Track control, the regulated output from the module follows the voltage at its Track pin on a
volt-for-volt basis. By connecting the Track pin of a number of these modules together, the output voltages follow
a common signal during power up and power down. The control signal can be an externally generated master
ramp waveform, or the output voltage from another power supply circuit (3). For convenience, the Track input
incorporates an internal RC-charge circuit. This operates off the module input voltage to produce a suitable rising
waveform at power up.
The basic implementation of Auto-Track allows for simultaneous voltage sequencing of a number of Auto-Track
compliant modules. Connecting the Track inputs of two or more modules forces their track input to follow the
same collective RC-ramp waveform, and allows their power-up sequence to be coordinated from a common
Track control signal. This can be an open-collector (or open-drain) device, such as a power-up reset voltage
To coordinate a power-up sequence, the Track control must first be pulled to ground potential. This should be
done at or before input power is applied to the modules. The ground signal should be maintained for at least
20 ms after input power has been applied. This brief period gives the modules time to complete their internal
soft-start initialization (4), enabling them to produce an output voltage. A low-cost supply voltage supervisor IC,
that includes a built-in time delay, is an ideal component for automatically controlling the Track inputs at power
up.
Figure 24 shows how the TL7712A supply voltage supervisor IC (U3) can be used to coordinate the sequenced
power up of PTH08T210W modules. The output of the TL7712A supervisor becomes active above an input
voltage of 3.6 V, enabling it to assert a ground signal to the common track control well before the input voltage
has reached the module's undervoltage lockout threshold. The ground signal is maintained until approximately 28
ms after the input voltage has risen above U3's voltage threshold, which is 10.95 V. The 28-ms time period is
controlled by the capacitor C3. The value of 2.2 F provides sufficient time delay for the modules to complete
their internal soft-start initialization. The output voltage of each module remains at zero until the track control
voltage is allowed to rise. When U3 removes the ground signal, the track control voltage automatically rises. This
causes the output voltage of each module to rise simultaneously with the other modules, until each reaches its
respective set-point voltage.
Copyright 2005–2009, Texas Instruments Incorporated
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