
STATUS_INPUT (7Ch) register, the INPUT bit in the
STATUS_WORD
(79h)
register,
and
the
IIN_OC/
PFET_OP_FAULT bit in the DIAGNOSTIC_WORD (E1h)
register will be toggled high and SMBA pin will be pulled low
unless this feature is disabled using the ALERT_MASK (D8h)
register. For proper operation, the R
S resistor value should be
less than 200 m
. Higher values may create instability in the
current limit control loop. The current limit threshold pin value
may be overridden by setting appropriate bits in the
DEVICE_SETUP register (D9h).
Circuit Breaker
If the load current increases rapidly (e.g. the load is short cir-
cuited), the current in the sense resistor (R
S) may exceed the
current limit threshold before the current limit control loop is
able to respond. If the current exceeds 1.8 or 3.6 times (user
settable) the current limit threshold, Q
1 is quickly switched off
by the 190 mA pull-down current at the GATE pin, and a Fault
Timeout Period begins. When the voltage across R
S falls be-
low the threshold the 190 mA pull-down current at the GATE
pin is switched off and the gate voltage of Q
1 is then deter-
mined by the current limit or power limit functions. If the
TIMER pin reaches 1.7V before the current limiting or power
limiting condition ceases, Q
1 is switched off by the 2 mA pull-
down current at the GATE pin as described in the Fault Timer
& Restart section. A circuit breaker event will cause the CIR-
CUIT BREAKER FAULT bit in the STATUS_MFR_SPECIFIC
(80h) and DIAGNOSTIC_WORD (E1h) registers to be tog-
gled high and SMBA pin will be pulled low unless this feature
is disabled using the ALERT_MASK (D8h) register. The cir-
cuit breaker pin configuration may be overridden by setting
appropriate bits in the DEVICE_SETUP (D9h) register.
Power Limit
An important feature of the LM25066 is the MOSFET power
limiting. The Power Limit function can be used to maintain the
maximum power dissipation of MOSFET Q
1 within the device
SOA rating. The LM25066 determines the power dissipation
in Q
1 by monitoring its drain-source voltage (SENSE to OUT),
and the drain current through R
S (VIN to SENSE). The prod-
uct of the current and voltage is compared to the power limit
threshold programmed by the resistor at the PWR pin. If the
power dissipation reaches the limiting threshold, the GATE
voltage is controlled to regulate the current in Q
1. While the
power limiting circuit is active, the fault timer is active as de-
scribed in the Fault Timer & Restart section. If the power limit
condition persists for longer than the Fault Timeout Period set
by the timer capacitor, C
T, the IIN_OC_FAULT bit in the
STATUS_INPUT (7Ch) register, the INPUT bit in the
STATUS_WORD
(79h)
register,
and
the
IIN_OC/
PFET_OP_FAULT bit in the DIAGNOSTIC_WORD (E1h)
register will be toggled high and SMBA pin will be pulled low
unless this feature is disabled using the ALERT_MASK (D8h)
register.
Fault Timer & Restart
When the current limit or power limit threshold is reached
during turn-on, or as a result of a fault condition, the gate-to-
source voltage of Q
1 is controlled to regulate the load current
and power dissipation in Q
1. When either limiting function is
active, a 90 A fault timer current source charges the external
capacitor (C
T) at the TIMER pin as shown in Figure 2 (Fault Timeout Period). If the fault condition subsides during the
Fault Timeout Period before the TIMER pin reaches 1.7V, the
LM25066 returns to the normal operating mode and C
T is dis-
charged by the 1.9 mA current sink. If the TIMER pin reaches
1.7V during the Fault Timeout Period, Q
1 is switched off by a
2 mA pull-down current at the GATE pin. The subsequent
restart procedure then depends on the selected retry config-
uration.
If the RETRY pin is high, the LM25066 latches the GATE pin
low at the end of the Fault Timeout Period. C
T is then dis-
charged to ground by the 2.8 A fault current sink. The GATE
pin is held low by the 2 mA pull-down current until a power up
sequence is externally initiated by cycling the input voltage
(V
SYS), or momentarily pulling the UVLO/EN pin below its
threshold with an open-collector or open-drain device as
shown in
Figure 3. The voltage at the TIMER pin must be
<0.3V for the restart procedure to be effective. The
TIMER_LATCHED_OFF bit in the DIAGNOSTIC_WORD
(E1h) register will remain high while the latched off condition
persists.
30115815
FIGURE 3. Latched Fault Restart Control
The LM25066 provides an automatic restart sequence which
consists of the TIMER pin cycling between 1.7V and 1V seven
times after the Fault Timeout Period, as shown in
Figure 4.
The period of each cycle is determined by the 90 A charging
current, and the 2.8 A discharge current, and the value of
the capacitor C
T. When the TIMER pin reaches 0.3V during
the eighth high-to-low ramp, the 22 A current source at the
GATE pin turns on Q
1. If the fault condition is still present, the
Fault Timeout Period and the restart sequence repeat. The
RETRY pin allows selecting no retries or infinite retries. Finer
control of the retry behavior can be achieved through the
DEVICE_SETUP (D9h) register. Retry counts of 0, 1, 2, 4, 8,
16 or infinite may be selected by setting the appropriate bits
in the DEVICE_SETUP (D9h) register.
15
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LM25066