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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device for protection in the case of a
drop of the voltage of a d.c. power supply which includes a capacitor in
parallel with its terminals, said device having first and second supply
voltage inputs and two outputs between which a circuit to be powered may
be included.
As is known, domestic electrical appliances more and more utilize control
devices with memory functions, in conjunction with timers, which put the
appliance into operation after a predetermined time interval.
In the event of a current failure during said interval the information is
generally seriously disturbed. It has already been attempted to mitigate
the effects of brief current failures by connecting a capacitor in
parallel with the input, which capacitor may at the same time constitute a
smoothing capacitor. This capacitor discharges into the circuit and
furnishes the required voltage and current for some time.
Circuit arrangements comprising such capacitors are given in all manuals
and for example in the "Cours de base de l'agent technique electronicien"
by C. Granfils, published by Les Editions Chiron.
Obviously the users of such an appliance wish that in the event of a
failure said appliance keeps operating correctly for the longest possible
time.
The present invention provides a solution to these problems; it is based on
the recognition that an integrated circuit can correctly preserve the
information it has received, even if it loses its dynamic properties, in
the event of a reduced current.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device for protection in the case of a
drop of the voltage of a d.c. power supply, including a capacitor in
parallel with its terminals, said device having a first and a second
supply voltage input and two outputs between which a circuit to be powered
may be included, which device is characterized in that said outputs are
energized via a programmable current source with two levels and in that,
in parallel with said inputs, there is included a threshold-voltage
detector which, depending on the relative values of the input voltage and
the threshold voltage detected by said detector, selects a first level of
the current from said programmable current source at high voltages and a
second level at low voltages, said second current level being lower than
said first level.
As the reduced current necessary to preserve the information is of the
order of 100 times as small as the normal operating current, the duration
of the failure which can be handled by the system is multiplied by a high
factor of the order of 15 to 300.
The device in accordance with the invention can be realized in the form of
a monolithic integrated circuit.
Since integrated threshold detectors can be realized in a very reliable
manner, the simple device which is proposed is also reliable, effective
and easy-to-integrate.
In a preferred embodiment of the device in accordance with the invention
said programmable current source comprises a bridge of series resistors,
of which at least one resistor is connected in parallel with a switch
whose change-over is controlled by said threshold detector, said switch
being closed at high voltages and open at low voltages.
This solution is particularly interesting because the two resistors
together provide the high resistance for adjusting the reduced current. As
is known, high resistances are often difficult to realize in integrated
circuits. As the ratio of the resistance values in the stand-by-condition
and the normal operating condition is of the order of 20, the
short-circuited resistor will have a high value, but for a correct
operation of the appliance it is not necessary that this value is
accurately defined.
In a variant of said preferred embodiment of the device in accordance with
the invention said programmable current source specifically comprises, in
series with said circuit to be powered, a combination of at least two
parallel-connected resistors, of which one resistor is connected in series
with the switch whose change-over is controlled by said threshold
detector, said switch being closed at high voltages and open at low
voltages.
This solution may be particularly advantageous for reasons of topology.
Suitably, said switches are amplifiers comprising at least one bipolar
transistor operated in the on-off mode.
Preferably use is made of an amplifier of the normal or mixed Darlington
type, whose input transistor operates at a very small current, for example
of a few nanoamperes; thus, the current source supplying the base of the
input transistor only contributes to very small extent to the discharge of
the capacitor.
Suitably, the threshold detector is a hysteresis detector, so that hunting
effects can be avoided.
It is evident that the presence of this device does not exclude the
presence of devices which, if the voltage decreases to such a value that
the information is destroyed, reset the device to be energized to zero,
thus providing an indication to the user that a failure has occurred.
The present invention is in particular applicable to power supplies for
integrated logic circuits and more in particular to I.sup.2 L circuits.
The device can frequently be integrated on the same monolithic
semiconductor chip as the circuit to be energized which it protects.
Furthermore, it will also be evident that this device, which has been
developed to overcome the effects of current failures, may alternatively
be used in the case of exhausted accumulators or batteries.
The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings,
given by way of non-limitative example, will enable the invention to be
more fully understood.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of the invention.
FIG. 2 represents the decrease, as a function of time, of the voltage
V.sub.c across the capacitor in the absence (curve 2a) and the presence
(curve 2b) of the device in accordance with the invention if the current
source powering the device to be energized has ideal characteristics.
FIG. 3 represents the decrease, as a function of time, of the voltage
V.sub.c across the capacitor in the absence (curve 3a) and the presence
(curve 3b) of the device in accordance with the invention if said current
source is an approximately ideal source constituted by resistors in series
with a supply voltage.
FIG. 4 is a diagram of a preferred embodiment of a device in accordance
with the invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram of that part of the device in accordance with the
invention which is a modification to the preferred embodiment of the
invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In FIG. 1 the reference numeral 1 represents the circuit to be powered and
to be protected included between the output terminal 1a and 1b of the
device 2 in accordance with the invention. 7a and 7b represent the first
and the second input for the supply voltage V.sub.e, which inputs also
constitute the output terminals of the actual power supply, not shown. 3
represents the output capacitor of said power supply in parallel with said
input 7a and 7b. 4 represents the programmable current source powering the
circuit to be protected and 5 the threshold voltage detector which at 6
cooperates with said current source 4.
Said detector may control the change-over of the programmable current
source from a first high (normal) current level to a second lower
(reduced) current level and vice versa.
These change-overs are obtained by changing the circuit arrangement of the
programmable current source 4, by switching resistors which form part of
the current source, into or out of circuit with the aid of a set of
switches, said resistors being referred to hereinafter by the term
"internal resistance" of the current source.
It is to be noted that at a "large current" the voltage which is necessary
across an I.sup.2 L circuit in order to preserve the information, i.e. the
voltage V.sub.d across a diode in the forward direction or the internal
voltage of V.sub.BE of an emitter-base junction is 0.7 V, while it is only
0.5 V at a "small current" (1 .mu.A).
When the input voltage V.sub.e at 7a, 7b has its normal value V.sub.en (for
example 5 V), capacitor 3 is charged until it carries the charge Q.sub.n
=CV.sub.en. The resistance which is equivalent to the internal resistance
of the source is low, the current i fed into the circuit 1 by the source 4
being the normal operating current I.sub.n.
If at the instant t.sub.1 the supply voltage is interrupted after capacitor
3 has been charged, said charge produces a voltage V.sub.c across the
capacitor 3, which voltage is V.sub.en upon interruption. The capacitor
discharges in accordance with the relationship CV.sub.c =i.t for an ideal
current source or in accordance with the function with the exponent -t/RC
for a current source which is approximated by a voltage and a resistance,
t being the discharge time, R the equivalent series resistance, C the
capacitance of the capacitor, V.sub.c the voltage across the capacitor.
The curve 2a represents the discharge in accordance with the first
function and the curve 3a the discharge in accordance with the second
function, in the absence of the device in accordance with the invention.
If the current source supplies its high level (during normal operation),
the charge of the capacitor decreases rapidly.
For an ideal current source (function CV.sub.c =it) it may roughly be
assumed that at a voltage of 5 V applied to the terminals of a 100-.mu.F
capacitor and at a high current level of the order of 0.5 mA the charge of
the capacitor and the voltage across it are halved in 0.5 seconds. In the
absence of the device in accordance with the invention this voltage
V.sub.c will be smaller than 0.7 V in 0.86 seconds (time t.sub.2 of the
curve 2a), which is the minimum voltage for maintaining the information
(at high current level) in an I.sup.2 L circuit. From this instant on the
information will be destroyed.
If the ideal current source is replaced by a 10 k.OMEGA. resistor (function
with exponent t/RC), the time intervals after which the voltage V.sub.c
across the capacitor has been halved and subsequently becomes smaller than
0.7 V are 1 and 3 seconds respectively. From this moment on the
information will be destroyed.
However, if the device in accordance with the present invention is used and
an interruption occurs at the instant t'1 (curves 2b and 3b), the
capacitor at first discharges rapidly in exactly the same way as in the
preceding case, but when at the instant t'2 the voltage V.sub.c across it
reaches a threshold value V.sub.s1 the detector detects this and ensures
via 6 that the current source 4 is adapted; the current supplied by this
source is then a reduced current and the capacitor discharges very slowly.
On the curve 2b and on the curve 3b this discharge is represented between
t'2 and t'3. (These portions of the curves have been interrupted at
Z.times.Z' in order to maintain a certain homogeneity in scale).
The example is considered of an I.sup.2 L circuit which, in order to
maintain the information which it contains, requires a current which is
slightly greater than 10 nA per port and which comprises for example
approximately 300 ports. For an ideal current source having a reduced
current of 3 .mu.A and a V.sub.sl of 3.1 V, the charge of the capacitor,
i.e. the voltage V.sub.c across it, is halved in 43 seconds; the voltage
V.sub.c reaches the value of 1 V in 53 seconds. If the ideal source is
replaced by a 167,000.OMEGA. resistor, the voltage across the capacitor is
halved in 16.7 seconds and reaches a value of 0.7 V in 34 seconds.
Depending on the embodiment, a circuit protected by the device in
accordance with the invention can cope with an interruption of 30 to 50
seconds instead of 0.86 second and 3 seconds.
It is to be noted that without any problems a capacitor may be used having
a value which is 10 times as high, which multiplies the times by 10, and
that if the power supply to be used does not comprise an output capacitor
or comprises a capacitor of insufficient capacitance, it suffices to add a
suitable capacitance.
When the current interruption terminates within said time interval, for
example at t'3, the voltage increases rapidly to its normal value and the
normal power supply of the circuit is restored.
In order to avoid hunting, it is preferred to use a threshold detector with
hysteresis, whose second threshold V.sub.s2 is higher than the first
threshold V.sub.s1. For example, for an input voltage of 5 V and a V.sub.s
of 3.1 V, V.sub.s2 may be fixed at 3.5 V. On the curves 2b and 3b the
instant t't is indicated after which the circuit to be energized resumes
it dynamic operation, the charge of capacitor 3 not being complete until
the instant t'5.
In FIG. 4 the reference numeral 11 represents the circuit to be energized
which is inserted between the outputs 11a and 11b of the device, 12a
represents the first input of the device connected to the negative pole of
the power supply, and 12b the second input connected to the positive pole
of the power supply (said power supply not being shown in the Figure,
except for the output capacitor 13), the frame 15 representing the
threshold detector and the frame 14 a set of transistors and resistors
controlled by the threshold detector at Y; said combination 14 constitutes
the programmable current source in its preferred embodiment.
The programmable current source 14 comprises a resistor bridge 17
comprising at least two resistors in series: 17a, of which one end is
connected to the output 11a, and 17b, of which one end is connected to the
negative input 12a. The characteristics of this current source are not
ideal, but approximately ideal, which is not objectionable for its use in
the present invention.
Across the resistor 17b an NPN switching transistor 18a is included in
common-emitter arrangement, whose emitter is connected to the input 12 and
whose collector is connected to the point which is common to the resistors
17a and 17b. In the present example this transistor is the output
transistor of a Darlington circuit 18 of the normal type, whose NPN-type
input transistor is designated 18b. The base of transistor 18a is thus
connected to the emitter of the transistor 18b, whose collector is
connected to the collector of the transistor 18a. This Darlington circuit
with two transistors of the same type may be replaced by a Darlington
circuit of the "mixed" type with two complementary transistors.
The base Y of the transistor 18b is connected directly to an NPN output
transistor 21 of the threshold detector 15, which is to be described
hereinafter, and to the current source 19 which supplies a very small
current.
When the supply voltage V.sub.e has its normal value V.sub.en (for example
5 V), the voltage at Y supplied by the threshold detector has its high
level (1.4 V=2 V.sub.BE) relative to the negative terminal of the circuit
and the Darlington circuit 18 is conductive (transistor 21 is cut off). As
transistor 18a, which operates as switch, is bottomed, it constitutes a
short-circuit across the resistor 17b (but a voltage of 0.7 V remains
across said resistor). The circuit to be energized 11 is then supplied via
the resistor 17a, which then substantially constitutes the internal
resistance of the current source 14 in this mode, its value mainly
determining the level of the current from the current source 14. This
resistor is proportioned so as to obtain the normal operating current for
the circuit 11 to be energized.
For example, if the voltage V.sub.en is 5 V and the desired normal current
is 0.5 mA, while the voltages across transistor 18a and across the circuit
to be energized, at the high current level, are 0.7 V each, the voltage
across the resistor 17a will be 3.6 V and the value of said resistor 7.2 k
ohms.
When the supply voltage is interrupted the capacitor 13 at first discharges
rapidly in accordance with the curve portion t'1, t'2 in FIG. 3b and the
circuit to be energized is no longer in its dynamic state and assumes a
stand-by state. When the voltage across capacitor V.sub.c reaches the
threshold value V.sub.s1, transistor 21 is turned on and the voltage
supplied to Y by detector 15 drops to V.sub.ce sat. of transistor 21,
substantially below 1.4 V; the Darlington circuit 18 is then no longer
conductive. The switch constituted by the transistor 18a is open. The
current from the source 19 passes through the transistor 21 back to the
line of the negative connection 12a; as said source only supplies a few
nanoamperes, it contributes only slightly to the discharge of the
capacitor. It is to be noted that the current sources 24, 25, 27 and 19
are sources of the I.sup.2 L type, so that their current is related to the
current of the circuit to be powered; as a result of this, all these
currents decrease at the same time.
The current source 14 is then connected in series with an additional
internal resistance 17b, which may be given a high value.
The value of the internal resistance of the current source 14 is
consequently the sum of the values of the resistors 17a and 17b. For
example, for a device whose limit voltage and minimum current for
maintaining the information are 0.5 V and 3 .mu.A respectively, a resistor
17a+17b of approximately 167,000.OMEGA. (i.e. a resistor 17a of
approximately 160,000.OMEGA.) enables the system to remain in the stand-by
mode as long as the voltage across the capacitor is higher than 1 V. If
the threshold V.sub.s1 is 3.1 V, the stand-by period which is attainable
is approximately 25 seconds. It is thus of the order 10 to 15 times longer
than it would have been in the absence of the additional internal
resistance, because in that case it would have been less than 3 seconds.
As has already been stated in the foregoing, it is readily possible to
employ a capacitor having a capacitance which is 10 times as high, so that
the stand-by period attainable is multiplied by 10. It is then of the
order of 5 minutes and a mains failure rarely continues for longer than 5
minutes.
For the example whose diagram is shown in FIG. 4, a threshold detector has
been chosen which is an improved version of the detector described in
Patent Application no. 75 12 480, filed by the Applicant on Apr. 22, 1975.
This detector comprises at least two complementary transistors 22 and 23
and an output transistor 21, the base of transistor 21 being connected
directly to the collector of the transistor 23, which is of the same type
as said transistor 21, and a point hereinafter referred to as X. In this
specific example shown the transistor 21 is of the NPN-type, the
transistor 22 is of the PNP-type, its emitter being connected to the
positive input 12b via a current source 24 and its collector being
connected to the base of transistor 23. The transistor 23 is of the
NPN-type, its emitter being connected to the negative input 12a.
The base of the transistor 22 is connected to the positive input 12b via a
current source 25 and to the point X via several series-connected diodes
26 (five in the present example, 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d, 26e), included in the
forward direction.
The detector output-transistor 21, which is of the NPN type, is connected
in common emitter arrangement and its emitter is connected directly to the
negative input 12a. The base of this transistor (point X) is fed by the
current generator 27. Its collector directly controls the current source
14, as has been described in the foregoing. The five diodes 26 mentioned
in the foregoing may be replaced by one zener diode with a break-down
voltage of 2.5 V.
This detector is a hysteresis detector which complies with the requirement
of compatibility with current-injection integrated circuits and which
operates as follows:
When the input voltage V.sub.e is zero, or rather very low, the two
complementary input transistors 22 of the PNP-type and 23 of the NPN-type,
(in present example), conduct no current because they receive no power
supply. As the two transistors 22 and 23 are not in the conductive state,
the current injected by the source 27, which current reaches the base of
the transistor 21 at X at the base of transistor 21, cannot pass through
this last-mentioned transistor. The value of the voltage V.sub.y between
the collector and the emitter of the detector output-transistor 21, which
defines the level at the output point Y of the detector and which
influences the programmable current source, is minimal: V.sub.yb (for
example 0.3 V). The Darlington circuit 18 is not conductive. The current
from the source 19 flows through the transistor 21.
If the input voltage V.sub.3 increases, transistor 22 is turned on when the
voltage between its base and its emitter becomes higher than the internal
base-emitter voltage V.sub.BE22, i.e. for silicon transistors when it
reaches the value 0.5 V.
As the two transistors 22 and 21 are connected oppositely and are of
opposite types, the two internal voltages V.sub.BE22 and V.sub.BE21
augment each other and the presence of the n diodes 26 connected in the
forward direction causes a shift of the voltages applied to the transistor
22 relative to the voltages applied to the transistor 21 by a voltage
equal to n times the voltage V.sub.d across said diodes in the forward
direction.
When the input voltage V.sub.e thus reaches the value V.sub.BE22
+V.sub.BE21 +n.V.sub.d, the transistor 22 is turned on and drives
transistor 23 which is also turned on.
For silicon transistors and diodes, as a result of the fact that the
circuit operates at a very small current, the base emitter voltages and
the forward voltages V.sub.d are equal to 0.5 V. If n=5, the threshold
voltage, V threshold (V.sub.s2), is 7.times.0.5 V=3.5 V. The voltage at X
on the base of transistor 21 drops to the value of the internal
collector-emitter voltage V.sub.CE23 of the transistor 23 (for example 0.1
V for a silicon transistor at a small current) and the output transistor
21 of the detector is turned off, the output voltage at point Y increasing
to a high level V.sub.yh (for example 1.4 V).
The value of the input voltage V.sub.e, which is equal to V.sub.BE22
+V.sub.BE21 +nV.sub.d, thus constitutes a rising threshold V.sub.s2 which
determines the change-over of the voltage V.sub.y (at the output of the
detector) from a low level V.sub.yb to a high level V.sub.yh.
When the input voltage V.sub.e has its high level, transistor 22 and
transistor 23 are conductive, the voltage at X has its low level (for
example 0.1 V), transistor 21 is cut-off, the voltage at Y thus has its
high level (for example higher than 1.4 V for silicon transistors), the
Darlington circuit 18 is conductive, and the resistance 17b is
short-circuited. The internal resistance of the current source 14
constituting said source is then limited to the resistance value 17a. The
circuit 11 to be powered is energized normally (for example with 0.5 mA
for a voltage V.sub.e =5 V). It is to be noted that the current from the
source 19 is taken up by the Darlington circuit 18 and not by the
transistor 21.
If the voltage V.sub.e decreases, the state of the system does not change,
even when it becomes lower than the risingthreshold V.sub.s2, and as long
as it remains higher than the value V.sub.BE22 +nV.sub.d +V.sub.Ce23,
below which the combination of the two complementary transistors 22 and 23
cannot conduct. This value of the input voltage thus constitutes a falling
threshold V.sub.s1, which determines the change-over of the voltage at Y
from the high level V.sub.yh to the low level V.sub.yb, the system
resuming its previous state; the resistance 17b is no longer
short-circuited and the system changes over to the stand-by state with
reduced current.
In the example chosen, for which V.sub.BE22 =V.sub.d =0.5 V and V.sub.CE23
=0.1 V, V.sub.s1 =3.1 V.
It is to be noted that the entire system operates with a very small
current, for example 1 .mu.A for the source 24 and 0.1 .mu.A for the base
current of the transistor 22. Such a small base current may vary from one
batch to another. The source 25, as it supplies a higher base current (of
the order of 1 .mu.A) which is better reproducible, makes it possible to
obtain diode voltages which are slightly higher and to adjust the
threshold more accurately to the desired value, for example 3.1 V.
It is to be noted that the device as described in the foregoing, as well as
the variant described further on, can be realized with transistors of
inverse types. Such an inversion will not present any problems to those
skilled in the art.
FIG. 5 shows a variant of the programmable current source, which in the
device of FIG. 4 may replace the current source within the frame 14.
Said source comprises two resistors in parallel, on the one hand 37.sub.b
of a high value (of the order of 150,000 or 200,000.OMEGA.), for example,
and on the other hand 37.sub.a of low value (5 to 15,000.OMEGA. for
example) in series with the main current path of a transistor 38.sub.a,
which in the present example is of the NPN type. This transistor, whose
emitter is connected to the negative input 12.sub.a is the output
transistor of a Darlington circuit of the normal type, whose input
transistor is the transistor 38.sub.b of the NPN type. The base of this
transistor is the point Y, which is connected to the current source 39,
which is similar to the source 19, and to the collector of the transistor
T.sub.21, which is not shown in FIG. 5.
The operation is as follows:
At high voltages (higher than V.sub.s1) point Y is at a voltage higher than
1.4 V, the Darlington circuit 38 conducts and functions as a closed
switch, the normal current (0.5 mA) being distributed between the two
resistors 37.sub.a and 37.sub.b. At low voltages, point Y is at a voltage
much lower than 1.4 V, the Darlington circuit 38 is turned off and
functions as an open switch, the stand-by current flowing only in the
resistor 37.sub.b of high value. The resistor values may for example be
170 k.OMEGA. for 37.sub.b and 10 k.OMEGA. for 37.sub.a.
The device in accordance with the present invention may be realized by
means of discrete elements. It may also be realized in the form of a
monolithic integrated circuit: the various elements may for example be
integrated in a silicon monocrystal, whose substrate of a first
conductivity type (for example P) carries an epitaxial layer of the
opposite type (for example N) arranged in islands which are insulated from
each other. The device can be realized using solely known techniques:
epitaxial growth, diffusion, metallization, a description of which is
beyond the scope of this application.
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