LTC7860
8
7860f
For more information www.linear.com/LTC7860
operaTion
High Efficiency Switching Surge Stopper Overview
The LTC7860 is designed for use as a high efficiency
switching surge stopper and/or input inrush current lim-
iter. Normal operation for the LTC7860 is in "dropout" or
SWITCH-ON mode. The LTC7860 switches during start-up
or in response to either an input over-voltage or output
short-circuit event (PROTECTIVE PWM mode). If the time
spent switching exceeds the time programmed by the
timer the LTC7860 will shut down.
A high efficiency surge stopper or input inrush current
limiter can be thought of as a pre-regulator. As an example
of a MIL1275 application, the input voltage connects to
a 28V vehicle power bus. The 28V power bus can go as
high as 100V with a surge profile lasting up to 500mS. The
output must be pre-regulated or limited to 34V maximum
and can go as low as 12V during engine cranking. The
LTC7860 limits the voltage seen at the output and pro-
tects any load connected to the 28V bus from potentially
destructive voltage levels. The LTC7860 timer limits
the time spent switching where excessive and thermally
destructive power loss can occur.
For both a linear surge stopper such as the LTC4363 and
the LTC7860 switching surge stopper, the power loss
increases significantly once regulation begins. In a linear
surge stopper, the power loss is the power loss of the
regulating MOSFET. In a high efficiency surge stopper or
switching surge stopper, internal power loss is determined
by conversion efficiency. A switching surge stopper will
allow higher output current and power levels than a com-
parable linear solution by virtue of reduced power loss. In
a switching surge stopper the internal surge power loss
can increase by as much as 10 times the normal power
loss. If the time spent in PWM mode regulation is limited,
the operating power can be pushed beyond what can be
achieved in steady state operation. This is precisely the
same concept as utilized in linear surge stoppers but
extended to a switching supply. The use of the timer
improves reliability and reduces component size when
compared to a continuous solution. By limiting the time in
regulation when the power loss is high, the components
and thermal design can be optimized for normal operation
and safely operate through high voltage input surges and/
or overcurrent faults.
In a switching surge stopper the insertion loss in normal
operation or SWITCH-ON mode is the primary consider-
ation and not efficiency in switching. The LTC7860 circuit
must operate without damage during a surge or fault
event. The Switching Surge Stopper is effectively a wire
in normal operation where the insertion loss is determined
by multiplying the input current by the effective resistance.
LTC7860 Main Control Loop
The LTC7860 uses a peak current-mode control
architecture to regulate the output in a step-down DC/
DC switching regulator. The VFB input is compared to an
internal reference by a transconductance error amplifier
(EA). The internal reference can be either a fixed 0.8V
reference VREF or the voltage input on the SS pin. In
normal operation VFB regulates to the internal 0.8V
reference voltage. In soft-start, when the SS pin voltage
is less than the internal 0.8V reference voltage, VFB will
regulate to the SS pin voltage. The error amplifier output
connects to the ITH (current [I] threshold [TH]) pin. The
voltage level on the ITH pin is then summed with a slope
compensation ramp to create the peak inductor current
set point.
The peak inductor current is measured through a sense
resistor, RSENSE, placed across the VIN and SENSE pins.
The resultant differential voltage from VIN to SENSE is
proportional to the inductor current and is compared to
the peak inductor current setpoint. During normal opera-
tion the P-channel power MOSFET is turned on when the
clock leading edge sets the SR latch through the S input.
The P-channel MOSFET is turned off through the SR latch
R input when the differential voltage from VIN to SENSE
is greater than the peak inductor current setpoint and the
current comparator, ICMP, trips high.