PTH04T240W Datasheet, PDF (27/36 Pages) Texas Instruments – 10-A, 2.2-V to 5.5-V INPUT, NON-ISOLATED, WIDE-OUTPUT, ADJUSTABLE POWER MODULE WITH TURBOTRANS™

PTH04T240W, PTH04T241W
www.ti.com
SLTS276 – OCTOBER 2006
Auto-Track™ Function
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.
How Auto-Track™ Works
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.
Typical Application
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
supervisor IC. See U3 in Figure 24.
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 a TPS3808 supply voltage supervisor IC (U3) can be used to coordinate the sequenced
power up of 5-V PTH modules. The output of the TPS3808 supervisor becomes active above an input voltage of
0.8 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 27 ms
after the input voltage has risen above U3's voltage threshold, which is 4.65 V. The 27-ms time period is
controlled by the capacitor C3. The value of 4700 pF 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.
Figure 25 shows the output voltage waveforms after input voltage is applied to the circuit. The waveforms, V_O1
and V_O2, represent the output voltages from the two power modules, U1 (3.3 V) and U2 (1.8 V), respectively.
V_TRK, V_O1, and V_O2 are shown rising together to produce the desired simultaneous power-up characteristic.
The same circuit also provides a power-down sequence. When the input voltage falls below U3's voltage
threshold, the ground signal is re-applied to the common track control. This pulls the track inputs to zero volts,
forcing the output of each module to follow, as shown in Figure 26. Power down is normally complete before the
input voltage has fallen below the modules' undervoltage lockout. This is an important constraint. Once the
modules recognize that an input voltage is no longer present, their outputs can no longer follow the voltage
applied at their track input. During a power-down sequence, the fall in the output voltage from the modules is
limited by the Auto-Track slew rate capability.
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