ADT7481
http://onsemi.com
16
standby mode. ALERT
 and THERM
 are not available in
standby mode and, therefore, should not be used because the
state of these pins is unreliable.
Sensor Fault Detection
The ADT7481 has internal sensor fault detection circuitry
at its D+ input. This circuit can detect situations where a
remote diode is not connected, or is incorrectly connected,
to the ADT7481. If the voltage at D+ exceeds V
DD
1.0 V
(typical), it signifies an open circuit between D+ and D, and
consequently,  trips  the  simple  voltage  comparator.  The
output of this comparator is checked when a conversion is
initiated.  Bit 2  (D1  open  flag)  of  the  Status  Register 1
(Address 0x02) is set if a fault is detected on the Remote 1
channel.  Bit 2  (D2  open  flag)  of  the  Status  Register 2
(Address 0x23) is set if a fault is detected on the Remote 2
channel. If the ALERT
 pin is enabled, setting this flag will
cause ALERT
 to assert low.
If a remote sensor is not used with the ADT7481, then the
D+ and D inputs of the ADT7481 need to be tied together
to prevent the open flag from being continuously set.
Most  temperature  sensing  diodes  have  an  operating
temperature range of 55癈 to +150癈. Above 150癈, they
lose their semiconductor characteristics and approximate
conductors instead. This results in a diode short, setting the
open flag. The remote diode in this case no longer gives an
accurate   temperature   measurement.   A   read   of   the
temperature  result  register  will  give  the  last  good
temperature measurement. The user should be aware that
while  the  diode  fault  is  triggered,  the  temperature
measurement  on  the  remote  channels  is  likely  to  be
inaccurate.
Interrupt System
The ADT7481 has two interrupt outputs, ALERT
 and
THERM
.  Both  outputs  have  different  functions  and
behavior. ALERT
 is maskable and responds to violations of
software-programmed temperature limits or an open-circuit
fault on the remote diode. THERM
 is intended as a fail-safe
interrupt output that cannot be masked.
If the Remote 1, Remote 2, or local temperature exceeds
the  programmed  high  temperature  limits,  or  equals  or
exceeds the low temperature limits, the ALERT
 output is
asserted low. An open-circuit fault on the remote diode also
causes ALERT
 to assert. ALERT
 is reset when serviced by
a  master  reading  its  device  address,  provided  the  error
condition has gone away, and the status register has been
reset.
The  THERM
  output  asserts  low  if  the  Remote 1,
Remote 2, or local temperature exceeds the programmed
THERM
 limits. The THERM
 temperature limits should
normally be equal to or greater than the high temperature
limits. THERM
 is automatically reset when the temperature
falls back within the (THERM
hysteresis) limit. The local
and remote THERM
 limits are set by default to 85癈. A
hysteresis value can be programmed, in which case THERM
will reset when the temperature falls to the limit value minus
the hysteresis value. This applies to both local and remote
measurement  channels.  The  power-on  hysteresis  default
value is 10癈, but this may be reprogrammed to any value
after powerup.
The hysteresis loop on the THERM
 outputs is useful when
THERM
 is used for on/off control of a fan. The users
system can be set up so that when THERM
 asserts, a fan can
be switched on to cool the system. When THERM
 goes high
again, the fan can be switched off. Programming a hysteresis
value  protects  from  fan  jitter,  a  condition  wherein  the
temperature hovers around the THERM
 limit, and the fan is
constantly being switched on and off.
Table 17. THERM
 HYSTERESIS
THERM
 Hysteresis
Binary Representation
0癈
0 000 0000
1癈
0 000 0001
10癈
0 000 1010
Figure 19 shows how the THERM
 and ALERT
 outputs
operate. A user may wish to use the ALERT
 output as a
SMBALERT
 to signal to the host via the SMBus that the
temperature  has  risen.  The  user  could  use  the  THERM
output to turn on a fan to cool the system, if the temperature
continues to increase. This method would ensure that there
is a fail-safe mechanism to cool the system, without the need
for host intervention.
Figure 19. Operation of the ALERT
 and THERM
Interrupts
1005C
THERM
 LIMIT
905C
805C
705C
605C
505C
405C
THERM
 LIMIT  HYSTERESIS
HIGH TEMP LIMIT
RESET BY MASTER
TEMPERATURE
1
2
3
4
ALERT
THERM
" If the measured temperature exceeds the high
temperature limit, the ALERT
 output will assert low.
" If the temperature continues to increase and exceeds the
THERM
 limit, the THERM
 output asserts low. This can
be used to throttle the CPU clock or switch on a fan.
" The THERM
 output de-asserts (goes high) when the
temperature falls to THERM
 limit minus hysteresis. In
Figure 19, the default hysteresis value of 10癈 is
shown.
" The ALERT
 output de-asserts only when the
temperature has fallen below the high temperature
limit, and the master has read the device address and
cleared the status register.