Circuit configuration for generating a stabilized power...

Details Circuit configuration for generating a stabilized power... Circuit configuration for generating a stabilized power...

2000-04-13

2001-06-19

Wong, Peter S. (Department: 2838)

Electricity: power supply or regulation systems

Output level responsive

Using a three or more terminal semiconductive device as the...

C323S269000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06249110

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a circuit configuration for generating a stabilized power supply voltage, and in particular the voltage supply for consumers in automotive electrical systems.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The electric power supply for consumers in a motor vehicle makes special demands on the voltage regulator used because the on-board voltage fluctuates in a relatively wide range and drops significantly when heavy loads are switched on, for example. Especially when starting the engine, as long as the starter is in operation, these voltage drops may be considerable. In supplying electric power to voltage-sensitive consumers such as a controller or a microprocessor and especially in supplying electric power to an automotive PC to be used in future motor vehicles, it is necessary to ensure that no voltage drop will be so great as to lead to a reset of the controller or the PC.
One possibility of supplying a stabilized power supply voltage for controllers or other voltage-sensitive consumers is to use complex switched-mode power supplies. Such switched-mode power supplies are necessary to minimize the resulting power loss, but when starting the engine, it can nevertheless occur that there is a great dip in the power supply voltage; in this case, the switched-mode power supply parts are shut down and cause an unwanted reset of the PC.
A circuit configuration for generating a power supply voltage which protects sensitive electronic consumers such as microprocessors but will also shut down when the voltage is too low is described in German Patent No. 33 35 200. With this power supply voltage circuit, two downstream voltage converters are used, making available an unstabilized consumer voltage as well as a stabilized consumer voltage. The unstabilized consumer voltage is generated in a separate voltage converter and is used as the input voltage for the downstream second voltage converter which includes a voltage regulator. Both voltage converters are active at the same time. In addition, there is a low voltage detection which shuts down the consumer when the power supply voltage drops below an allowed minimum level.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to expand the input voltage range with a circuit for generating a stabilized power supply voltage for voltage-sensitive consumers such as microprocessors, thereby preventing the microprocessor or automotive PC to be supplied with power from being shut down and then having to be rebooted when a low voltage level occurs at the input of the circuit configuration.
The circuit configuration according to the present invention for generating a stabilized power supply voltage has the advantage that the working range in which the circuit can operate has been greatly expanded in comparison with traditional voltage stabilizer circuits and this prevents the consumers such as microprocessors or automotive PCs which are to be supplied with power from being shut down when the voltage is very low.
These advantages are achieved by connecting an in-phase regulator in parallel with a switched-mode regulator between the supply voltage input and the output and selecting the dimensions of the in-phase regulator and the switched-mode regulator so that the in-phase regulator is responsible for the power supply voltage at lower voltage levels and at the higher voltages which are usually available, the switched-mode regulator is responsible for supplying the voltage, and it turns itself off when the voltage drops too far.
The circuit configuration according to the present invention can be used in an especially advantageous manner in a motor vehicle for supplying power to voltage-sensitive consumers, in particular controllers or PCs.
The circuit configuration according to the present invention having the two parallel regulators is an advantageous parallel system which also serves to reduce the probability of failure because a power supply with a somewhat stabilized power supply voltage is guaranteed even in the event of failure of one of the two regulators.


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patent: 18977 (1983-07-01), None
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