
DRV591
SLOS389
–
NOVEMBER 2001
15
www.ti.com
APPLICATION INFORMATION
fault reporting
The DRV591 includes circuitry to sense three faults:
Overcurrent
Undervoltage
Overtemperature
These three fault conditions are decoded via the FAULT1 and FAULT0 terminals. Internally, these are
open-drain outputs, so an external pull-up resistor of 5 k
or greater is required.
Table 2. Fault Indicators
FAULT1
FAULT0
0
0
Overcurrent
0
1
Undervoltage
1
0
Overtemperature
1
1
Normal operation
The over-current fault is reported when the output current exceeds four amps. As soon as the condition is
sensed, the over-current fault is set and the outputs go into a high-impedance state for approximately 3
μ
s to
5
μ
s (500 kHz operation). After 3
μ
s to 5
μ
s, the outputs are re-enabled. If the over-current condition has ended,
the fault is cleared and the device resumes normal operation. If the over-current condition still exists, the above
sequence will repeat.
The under-voltage fault is reported when the operating voltage is reduced below 2.8 V. This fault is not latched,
so as soon as the power-supply recovers, the fault will be cleared and normal operation will resume. During the
under-voltage condition, the outputs go to 3-state to prevent over-dissipation due to increased r
DS(on)
.
The over-temperature fault is reported when the junction temperature exceeds 130
°
C. The device continues
operating normally until the junction temperature reaches 190
°
C, at which point the IC is disabled to prevent
permanent damage from occurring. The system
’
s controller must reduce the power demanded from the
DRV591 once the over-temperature flag is set, or else the device switches off when it reaches 190
°
C. This fault
is not latched; once the junction temperature drops below 130
°
C, the fault is cleared, and normal operation
resumes.
power dissipation and maximum ambient temperature
Though the DRV591 is much more efficient than traditional linear solutions, the power drop across the
on-resistance of the output transistors does generate some heat in the package, which may be calculated as
shown in equation (8):
PDISS
For example, at the maximum output current of 3 A through a total on-resistance of 130 m
(at T
J
= 25
°
C), the
power dissipated in the package is 1.17 W.
IOUT
2
rDS(on), total
Calculate the maximum ambient temperature using equation (9):
TA
TJ
θ
JA
PDISS
(8)
(9)