TWI439847B - Voltage output device - Google Patents

Description

Voltage output device

The present invention relates to a voltage output device, and more particularly to a voltage output device having over voltage protection (OVP).

In general, the electronic components in the electronic device each have a corresponding operating voltage range to ensure that each electronic component can operate normally. Among them, the operating voltage range of each electronic component is provided by the manufacturer. When the operating voltage or the input voltage exceeds the allowable voltage range of the electronic component, the electronic component may be malfunctioned or damaged, and the electronic device may not operate normally.

For example, a computer's motherboard includes many complex and sophisticated electronic components such as chipsets, integrated circuits, active components, and passive components. Among them, different electronic components may have different operating voltage ranges, such as: 3V, 5V, and 12V. Therefore, the motherboard can provide different supply voltages to ensure that each electronic component can operate within the proper operating voltage. However, in order to avoid excessive supply voltages of the various electronic components, the motherboard requires a number of overvoltage protection circuits to protect the supply voltages of different voltage ranges. Wherein, when the supply voltage of the electronic component exceeds its rated range, the overvoltage protection circuit can prevent the electronic component from continuously receiving an excessive supply voltage to prevent damage from occurring and causing the entire computer system to fail to operate normally.

However, the more the number of groups of voltages supplied on the motherboard, the more the overvoltage protection circuit required will be, that is, the area occupied by the overvoltage protection circuit on the motherboard will also increase. Therefore, increasing the number of overvoltage protection circuits can make the design of the motherboard more difficult and complicated.

The present invention provides a voltage output device, which is adapted to provide a plurality of supply voltages to corresponding electronic components, including: a voltage source for providing a voltage signal; a control circuit coupled to the voltage source for receiving the voltage signal And outputting the voltage signal according to a control signal; a voltage converter coupled to the control circuit for generating the supply voltage according to the voltage signal from the control circuit; and a voltage detecting circuit for Detecting the supply voltage and generating the control signal according to the detected supply voltage.

Furthermore, the present invention provides another voltage output device, which is adapted to provide a first supply voltage and a second supply voltage, including: a voltage source for providing a voltage signal; and a control circuit coupled to the voltage source And receiving the voltage signal and outputting the voltage signal according to a control signal; a voltage converter coupled to the control circuit, configured to provide the first supply voltage according to the voltage signal from the control circuit, and the foregoing a second supply voltage, wherein the first supply voltage has a first rated output voltage range and the second supply voltage has a second rated output voltage range; and a voltage detection circuit for detecting the first supply a voltage and the second supply voltage, wherein the voltage detecting circuit outputs the control signal to control when the first supply voltage exceeds the first rated output voltage range or the second supply voltage exceeds the second rated output voltage range The control circuit stops outputting the voltage signal.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more <RTIgt;

Example:

1 shows a voltage output device 100 according to an embodiment of the invention, wherein the voltage output device 100 can provide supply voltages having different voltage values for use by other electronic devices. The voltage output device 100 includes a voltage source 110, a control circuit 120, a voltage converter 130, a voltage detecting circuit 140, and a voltage regulator 150. As shown in FIG. 1, the voltage source 110 provides a voltage signal V _in to the control circuit 120 and a regulator 150, wherein the voltage signal V _in direct current (DC) signal. In an embodiment, voltage source 110 can be an adapter. Further, the control circuit 120 includes transistors M1, M2, and M3 and resistors R7 and R8, wherein the transistor M1 is a P-type transistor and the transistor M2 and the transistor M3 are N-type transistors. In an embodiment, the transistors M1, M2, and M3 within the control circuit 120 can be replaced directly using switching elements. In the control circuit 120, the transistor M1 is coupled between the voltage source 110 and the voltage converter 130, and the transistor M2 is coupled between the gate (or control terminal) of the transistor M1 and the ground, and the transistor M3. It is coupled between the gate of the transistor M2 and the ground. In addition, the resistor R7 is coupled between the voltage source 110 and the gate of the transistor M2, and the resistor R8 is coupled between the voltage source 110 and the gate of the transistor M1. When the transistor M1 is turned on, the voltage signal V _in from the voltage source 110 can be transmitted to the voltage converter 130, wherein the voltage converter 130 is a DC/DC converter. Next, the voltage converter 130 can generate the supply voltages V ₁ , V _{2 ,} and V ₃ required by other electronic components according to the voltage signal V _in . For example, supply voltages V ₁ , V _{2 ,} and V ₃ can provide voltages of 3V, 5V, and 12V, respectively. In an embodiment, voltage converter 130 may include a plurality of voltage conversion units to provide supply voltages of different voltages, respectively. In addition, in the voltage converter 130, each supply voltage has a corresponding output voltage range, which may also be referred to as a rated output voltage range. For example, with the supply voltage V ₁ being 3V as an example, the rated output voltage range of the supply voltage V ₁ can be set to 2.7V to 3.3V or 2.5V to 3.5V, etc., wherein the rated output voltage range can be set according to practical applications. Decide to ensure that each electronic component can operate within the appropriate operating voltage.

The voltage detecting circuit 140 can detect all the supply voltages generated by the voltage converter 130 to determine whether the supply voltages V ₁ , V _{2 ,} and V ₃ exceed the rated output voltage range, that is, provide the function of overvoltage detection. In the voltage detection circuit 140, voltage V ₁ is supplied via the voltage dividing circuit 142 generates divided signal S _1, the supply voltage V ₂ via a voltage divider circuit 144 generates divided signal S _2, V ₃ and the supply voltage via The voltage dividing circuit 146 generates a divided voltage signal S ₃ . Then, the divided voltage signals S ₁ , S ₂ and S ₃ are respectively coupled to the positive input terminal of the comparator 148 via the diodes D1 , D2 and D3 to generate a signal S ₄ , wherein the diodes D1 , D2 and D3 can be It is a Schottky diode with a faster reaction speed, which has a lower forward voltage and prevents the signal S _{4 from} affecting the voltage division signals S ₁ , S ₂ and S ₃ . In addition, the regulator 150 generates a reference voltage V _ref to the negative input of the comparator 148 according to the voltage signal V _in . Therefore, when the reference voltage V _{ref is} greater than the signal S ₄ , the comparator 148 generates a low logic level control signal S _ctrl to the gate of the transistor M3 such that the transistor M3 is not conducting. When transistor M3 is not turned on, the voltage signal V _in can provide a signal S having a high voltage level of ₅ to turn-on transistor M2 to M2 through the crystal by resistor R7. When the transistor M2 is turned on, the signal S ₆ becomes low voltage level, the transistor M1 is turned on. Conversely, when the signal S _{4 is} greater than the reference voltage V _ref , the comparator 148 generates a high logic level control signal S _ctrl to the transistor M3 to conduct the crystal M3. When transistor M3 is turned on, the signal S ₅ becomes low voltage level, and therefore the transistor M2 is not turned on. When the transistor M2 is not turned on, the voltage signal V _in can provide a signal S having a high voltage level to the transistor ₆ via a resistor R8 so that the M1 transistor M1 is not turned on.

Therefore, when any of the supply voltages V ₁ , V _{2 ,} and V ₃ exceeds the corresponding rated output voltage range, the voltage detecting circuit 140 issues a control signal S _ctrl having a high logic level to the control circuit 120. So that the transistor M1 is not turned on. Since transistor M1 is not turned on, the voltage signal V _in can not be transmitted to the voltage converter 130, the converter 130 so that the voltage can not continue to produce the supply voltage V _1, V ₂ and V _3. Then, the voltage detecting circuit 140 continues to detect the supply voltages V ₁ , V _{2 ,} and V ₃ . When the case of over-voltage release, a voltage detection circuit 140 will send a control signal S _ctrl having a low logic level to the control circuit 120 to turn on the power crystals M1, so that the voltage converter 130 may then continue depending on the voltage signal V _in Supply voltages V ₁ , V ₂ and V ₃ .

As shown in Figure 1, the present invention provides overvoltage protection for multiple supply voltages simultaneously. The upper limit value of the overvoltage of each supply voltage can be elastically adjusted by the resistance in the voltage dividing circuit. For example, the voltage dividing circuit 142 is coupled between the supply voltage V ₁ and the ground terminal, and can provide the divided voltage signal S ₁ to the diode D1 of the supply voltage V ₁ according to the ratio of the resistor R1 and the resistor R2. In addition, when the number of groups of the supply voltage is increased, the additional supply voltage can be coupled to the positive input terminal of the comparator 148 via the voltage dividing circuit and the diode according to the embodiment of the present invention, thereby elastically expanding the overvoltage. Protection detection circuit.

The present invention has been described above with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and the invention may be modified and modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

100. . . Voltage output device

110. . . power source

120. . . Control circuit

130. . . Voltage converter

140. . . Voltage detection circuit

142, 144, 146. . . Voltage dividing circuit

148. . . Comparators

150. . . Stabilizer

D1-D3. . . Dipole

M1-M3. . . Transistor

R1-R8. . . resistance

S ₁ -S ₆ . . . signal

S _ctr1 . . . control signal

V ₁ , V ₂ , V ₃ . . . Supply voltage

V _in . . . Voltage signal

V _ref . . . Reference voltage

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a voltage output device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

100. . . Voltage output device

110. . . power source

120. . . Control circuit

130. . . Voltage converter

140. . . Voltage detection circuit

142, 144, 146. . . Voltage dividing circuit

148. . . Comparators

150. . . Stabilizer

D1-D3. . . Dipole

M1-M3. . . Transistor

R1-R8. . . resistance

S ₁ -S ₆ . . . signal

S _ctrl . . . control signal

V ₁ , V ₂ , V ₃ . . . Supply voltage

V _in . . . Voltage signal

V _ref . . . Reference voltage

Claims (10)

A voltage output device for generating and outputting a plurality of supply voltages, wherein the plurality of supply voltages respectively correspond to a rated output voltage range, comprising: a voltage converter for generating the plurality of supply voltages according to a voltage source; and a voltage detection Measuring circuit for generating a plurality of divided voltage signals respectively corresponding to the plurality of supply voltages according to the plurality of supply voltages, and generating a control signal according to the plurality of divided voltage signals, wherein any one of the plurality of supply voltages exceeds And corresponding to the rated output voltage range, the voltage detecting circuit outputs the control signal to control the voltage converter to stop generating the plurality of supply voltages according to the voltage source. The voltage output device of claim 1, wherein the voltage detecting circuit comprises: a comparator having a first input terminal, a second input terminal, and an output terminal, wherein the output terminal outputs the above a control signal, wherein the second input terminal receives a reference voltage; the plurality of voltage dividing circuits are respectively coupled between the corresponding supply voltage and a ground terminal, and respectively output corresponding to the supply voltage And a plurality of diodes, wherein one of the anodes of the diode is coupled to the corresponding voltage dividing signal, and one of the cathodes of the diode is coupled to the first input of the comparator , When the voltage level of one of the first input terminals of the comparator exceeds the reference voltage, the comparator outputs the control signal to control the voltage converter to stop generating the complex supply voltage according to the voltage source. The voltage output device of claim 2, wherein the voltage dividing circuit comprises: a first resistor coupled between the corresponding supply voltage and the anode of the corresponding diode; and a The second resistor is coupled between the anode of the corresponding diode and the ground terminal. The voltage output device according to claim 3, wherein the first resistor and the second resistor of the voltage dividing circuit are adjusted according to the rated output voltage range of the corresponding supply voltage. The voltage output device of claim 2, wherein the diode is a Schottky diode. The voltage output device of claim 2, further comprising a voltage regulator, wherein the voltage regulator generates the reference voltage according to the voltage source. The voltage output device of claim 1, wherein the voltage converter comprises a plurality of voltage conversion units for respectively generating the supply voltage. The voltage output device of claim 1, further comprising: a control circuit coupled to the voltage converter, the voltage source, And the voltage detecting circuit, according to the control signal, to control whether the voltage converter receives or does not receive the voltage source. The voltage output device of claim 8, wherein the control circuit comprises: a first switch having a first control end coupled or uncoupled according to a voltage level of the first control terminal The voltage converter is connected to the voltage source; a second switch has a second control terminal, and is coupled to the first control terminal of the first switch according to a voltage level of the second control terminal a third switch, coupled to the second control terminal of the second switch to the ground end according to the control signal; a third resistor coupled to the voltage source and the first switch Between the first control terminals; and a fourth resistor coupled between the voltage source and the second control terminal of the second switch. The voltage output device of claim 9, wherein the first switch is a P-type transistor, and the second switch and the third switch are N-type transistors.