Unique Analog Multiplier Continuously Monitors Instantaneous Power and Simplifies Design of Power Control Loops

Unique Analog Multiplier Continuously Monitors
Instantaneous Power and Simplifies Design of
Power Control Loops
Mitchell Lee and Thomas DiGiacomo
As energy consumption in electronics is increasingly scrutinized, the ability to accurately
monitor and control power becomes an important part of any system design. To measure
instantaneous power, one must simultaneously measure current and voltage and multiply
the results. While traditional analog multiplier ICs can perform continuous multiplication,
they typically lack the operating range and input sensitivity required for power monitoring
and control. The high price of the multiplier itself and the necessary additional signal
conditioning circuits make such a solution costly both in dollars and in board area.
Digital solutions, on the other hand,
can provide sensitivity and dynamic
range, but lack the ability to continuously monitor power. For instance, the
LTC4151 combines a 7V to 80V operating
voltage range, a current sense amplifier,
a MUX, and an I2C interface with a 12-bit
ADC to measure current and voltage.
Multiplication is performed in a host
processor. This makes for an accurate
power monitoring solution, but the 7.5Hz
conversion rate of the ADC limits its utility in closed loop applications, where it
is unable to respond to rapid changes.
The LT2940 power monitor solves the
problems of creating power monitor
and control systems by combining all of
the necessary features in a single IC (see
Figure 1). Here are a few of its features:
•Measures Power of a Supply or Load
•4V–80V High Side Current
Sense, 100V Max
•Full 4-Quadrant Operation
•500kHz Bandwidth
•Current Mode Power and
Current Monitor Outputs
A wide, 4V to 80V operating range makes
the LT2940’s current sense suitable for
48V telecom power as well as intermediate bus voltages in the 5V to 24V range.
10 | July 2010 : LT Journal of Analog Innovation
4-quadrant capability allows the LT2940
to monitor bidirectional power flow
such as in battery applications, or to
measure power flow in reversible and
regenerative motor drives. In AC applications where 4-quadrant operation
is necessary, there is plenty of bandwidth to accurately track the results
of a chopped sinusoid at common line
frequencies of 50Hz, 60Hz and 400Hz.
The LT2940 also includes a current monitor output that allows the load current to
be examined directly. The output signals
for both the power and current are current mode, a feature readily appreciated
when using the LT2940 in a servo loop,
or when simply filtering the output. An
integrated comparator with complementary open-collector outputs and selectable
latching allows the LT2940 to be used for
direct control, so an entire control loop
can be implemented with a single IC.
Figure 1. Block diagram of the LT2940
11 10
I+ I–
12
6
GIMON = 1000
VCC
µA
V
+
GND
IMON
–
5
µA
KPMON = 500 2
V
8
7
V+
+
V–
–
4-QUADRANT
MULTIPLIER
3
CMP+
1.24V
VCC
9
LATCH
PMON
BGAP REF
AND UVLC
UVLC
+
–
CMPOUT
D
CLR
4
1
Q
LE
CMPOUT
LATCHLO
THREE-STATE
LATCHHI
DECODE
LT2940
2
design features
The LT2940 has been designed specifically for measuring
the power flowing into or out of sources such as regulators,
converters and batteries, as well as input power to loads
ranging from telecom cards to motors to RF amplifiers.
CURRENT IS NOT (ALWAYS) POWER
In systems supplied by a well-regulated
fixed voltage, there is no need to directly
measure power. In these systems, power
is simply inferred by measuring current,
and scaling the gain of the current sense
amplifier to represent multiplication by the
fixed supply voltage. In systems where the
supply voltage is not regulated to a fixed
value, or is not regulated at all, monitoring current as a means of inferring power
is not feasible. Instead, both voltage and
current must be measured simultaneously
and multiplied together to determine the
power. Central office telecom systems are
good examples of wide-range, unregulated
supplies. These systems are battery operated and commonly designed to operate
over a range of 36V to 72V or more.
Other 48V–based systems such as servers
and mass storage are powered by regulated supplies, but it is not unusual for
the supply bus to be set to a regulation
point higher than 48V to reduce backplane
Figure 3. A load monitor that
alarms above 60W
VIN
IIN
PIN = VIN • IIN
RSENSE
I+ I–
+
R1
V V • VI
V–
±0.4V2
VV = VV+ – VV –
±8V (MAX)
VV = VIN •
IPMON = KPMON • VV • VI
PMON
±200µA
FULL-SCALE
–
VPMON
RPMON
R1
R1
→ kV =
R1 + R2
R1 + R2
Figure 2. The LT2490 signal path and typical external components
distribution current, or to achieve longer
hold-up times in case of supply dropouts or outright loss of power. A product
designed into such a system may encounter one application regulated to 48V,
while another might be adjusted for 57V,
and yet another set to 62V. Such a wide
operating range precludes ascertaining
power from a simple current measurement
without customized gain calibration.
VCC
I+
LOAD
I–
+
VLOAD
–
110k
V+
LT2940
CMPOUT
10.0k
CMP+
V–
PMON
GND
CORE OPERATION
The LT2940 has been designed specifically
for measuring the power flowing into or
out of sources such as regulators, converters, and batteries, as well as input power
to loads ranging from telecom cards to
motors to RF amplifiers. Unlike traditional analog multipliers that conjure
up images of split supplies and narrow
input ranges, the LT2940 is designed to
bolt up to DC supplies ranging from
6V to 80V with little more than a current
sense resistor and a voltage divider.
0A TO 10A
LATCH
CMPOUT
IMON
mV
A
10A FULL SCALE
VIMON = ILOAD • 100
24.9K
1
12
kI = 20mΩ
FULL-SCALE
µA
KPMON = 500 2
V
VIMON
RIMON
VI = IIN • RSENSE → k I = RSENSE
5V
kV =
IIMON = GIMON • VI
IMON
+
20mΩ
2W
VPMON = PLOAD • 20.75 mV
W
240W FULL SCALE
LT2940
µA
V
±200µA
FULL-SCALE
V+
ILOAD
LED ON WHEN
PLOAD > 60W
GIMON = 1000
–
R2
6V TO 80V
1k
LOAD
VI = VI+ – VI–
±200mV (MAX)
4.99k
Figure 2 illustrates the signal path block
diagram along with typical external components common to almost all applications. The current sense input pins I+ and
I– measure up to ±200mV differentially
over a common mode range of 4V to 80V,
independent of the supply pin VCC . The
voltage sense input pins V+ and V– measure up to ±8V with a common mode
range limited by the VCC and GND pins.
PLOAD = VLOAD • ILOAD
July 2010 : LT Journal of Analog Innovation | 11
R S*
25mΩ
2
12V
+
I+
VCC
I–
LT2940
RESET
R3
10k
LATCH
R2A
10k
1%
V+
V
–
IMON GND PMON
C5
33nF
R5
12.4k
MUR120
R2B
10k
1%
CMP+
VIMON
6.5A/V
C10
100µF
25V
GE
5BPA34KAA10B
12V, 8A
PM FIELD
R1
10k
1%
CMPOUT
CMPOUT
In many applications there is an attendant
need to know the current. To this end, the
current sense input is separately amplified
and made available at the IMON pin, also
as a current with a full scale of ±200µA.
*TWO 25mΩ RESISTORS IN PARALLEL
R4
4.99k
VPMON
100W/ V
C4
100nF
kV = 1
3
kI = 25mΩ
2
Q1
FDB3632
2940 TA09
OVERCURRENT TRIP = 8A
Figure 4. A motor monitor with circuit breaker
Internally, the output of the multiplier
block reaches full scale at input products
of ±0.4V2, yet the input ranges are capable
of exceeding this value (the product of
200mV and 8V is 1.6V2). The seemingly
wasted input range permits the multiplier
to operate at full scale over a wide range
of input combinations, such as 50mV and
8V, 100mV and 4V and 200mV and 2V.
The power monitor output pin, PMON, is
current mode in nature with a full scale
of ±200µA output for multiplier products
of ±0.4V2. The output current operates
beyond full scale at reduced accuracy.
The mathematics of the transfer function
and the design approach are detailed in the
LT2940’s data sheet. In short, in almost all
applications a resistive divider and a sense
resistor scale the voltage and current to the
LT2940’s input ranges. In most power measuring applications, a resistor converts and
scales the PMON output current back into
a voltage; in most power servoing applications, the PMON current is used directly.
The current mode PMON and IMON outputs allow for bidirectional operation
on a single supply, since these pins can
source and sink current, depending on
the operating conditions. Driving a load
resistor to ground, these outputs may
be operated in the sourcing mode; if
the load resistor is biased to an intermediate voltage above ground, the
PMON and IMON outputs can also sink
current to indicate negative values.
The LT2940 also provides an integrated
comparator with complementary open-collector output pins CMPOUT and CMPOUT.
The CMP+ pin is the comparator’s positive input, while the negative input is an
internal 1.24V voltage reference. Outputs
may be transparent, latch-on-high or reset,
as determined by the three-state LATCH pin
input. The comparator can be used as a
threshold for power or current monitoring,
or as a pulse-width modulation control.
Figure 5. A 1-cell monitor with bottom-side sense
12V
C1
100nF
R12
1k
5%
1W/ V
R4 ±2.5W MAX
12.4k
R5
4.99k
D1
5.1V
RS1
215Ω
VCC
I+
RS2
215Ω
LOAD+
I–
CHARGER+
V+
PMON
LT2940
V–
IMON
1A/ V
±1A MAX
R2
30k
1%
R1
121k
200mV
CYCLON
2V, 4.5AH
DT CELL*
LT1635
+
REF
–
Q1
2N3904
+
OA
–
GND
kV = 121 = 0.8
151
12V
R6
1k
1%
R7
200Ω
1%
R8
1k
1%
Q2
2N3904
R9
200Ω
1%
RS3
200mΩ
kI = 200mΩ
LOAD–
*www.hawkerpowersource.com
(423) 238-5700
12 | July 2010 : LT Journal of Analog Innovation
CHARGER–
design features
APPLICATIONS
The LT2940 translates power into a simple
analog control signal, making it possible
to easily produce a variety of applications
that were heretofore difficult, or nearly
impossible, to realize: power monitors,
power servo controls and regulated heaters, just to name a few. What follows are
just a few of the possible applications.
kV = 1
5
RS
200mΩ
28V INPUT
10V TO 40V
R2
120k
kI = 200mΩ
The circuit breaker application in
Figure 4 extends simple monitoring
into the realm of control. The LT2940
is configured to measure motor current and power, and to protect the field
magnets in the event the current exceeds
the motor’s 8A rating. This circuit also
highlights the use of the LATCH pin to
keep the motor off after a triggering event
until the RESET signal is pulled low.
Addition of positive voltage bias to
the PMON and IMON output networks,
and a rectifier between IMON and
CMP+ allows the monitor and circuit
breaker to work in two quadrants,
covering both “motor” and “generator” modes of operation. Other applications below employ these techniques.
The LT2940 current sense inputs, I+ and
I– are designed to operate over a range
of 4V to 80V. Nevertheless, it is possible to translate bottom-side (ground)
V+
V–
LATCH
fOUT = 10W
1000Hz
R1A
30k
I–
PMAX = 10W
LT2940
R5, 100k
CMPOUT
PMON
D3
D4
CMPOUT
Simple Power Monitoring
Figure 3 shows a core use of the LT2940,
a simple power monitoring application. The circuit operates over a 6V to
80V range, measuring up to 240W. Below
24V the measurement range is limited to
10A maximum. The comparator output
lights an alarm LED when the load power
exceeds 60W. Owing to the bandwidth of
the LT2940, even relatively short overpower excursions in the 2µs–3µs range
are easily detected by the comparator. By
adding a MOSFET disconnect switch and
controlling the LATCH pin, it is possible to
form a 60W overpower circuit breaker (see
the application in Figure 4, for example).
I+
VCC
C5
1µF
WIMA
Q2
VCC
R6, 100k
VCC
D1
10V
+
–
HYST
D2
Q3
LTC1440
IN –
V+
C6
VCC
100nF
OUT
CENTRAL SEMI
CCLM2700
R9
1M
REF
V–
R4A
240k
= 1N4148
OPTO-ISOLATOR
Q1
R4B
10k
C7
10nF
R1B
30k
IMON GND CMP+
IN +
LOAD
= 2N7000
GND
C4
2.2nF
Figure 6. A 28V power-to-frequency converter
current sense information to I+ and
I– using the circuit shown in Figure 5.
An LT1635 performs the necessary translation for both positive and negative
current flow. The PMON and IMON outputs are biased with a Zener diode so
that positive and negative power and
current measurements are available.
In some environments isolation is necessary for safety or noise reasons. Figure 6
shows a power-to-frequency converter
using the LT2940. The PMON output alternately charges and discharges a film capacitor, C5. When the voltage on C5 charges to
the upper threshold on hysteretic comparator LTC1440, its output flips the phase of
Figure 7. A Hot Swap™ application with 35W input power limiting
RS1
50mΩ
1%
VIN
10.8V TO 43.2V
D1
SMAT70A
RS2
56.2Ω
R7
22.1k
VCC
UVLO = 10.8V
C6
100nF
SENSE
GATE
UV
FB
R6
13.0k
C10
100nF
R10
150Ω
Q1
IRF540
R3
100Ω
R9
10Ω
C3
100nF
LT4256-1
LOAD
CL
100µF
R8
100Ω
C8
10nF
TIMER
GND
R2
56.2k
CT
100nF
Q2
2N3904
Q3
2N3904
R5
1.50k
R4
7.50k
V+
C1
100nF
VCC
R1
16.2k
I+
I–
LT2940
V–
PMON
kV = 162
724
GND
IMON
kI = 50mΩ
July 2010 : LT Journal of Analog Innovation | 13
VIN
6.5V TO 75V
RS1
50mΩ
1%
D1
SMAT70A
Q1
IRF1310
R3
100Ω
C3
100nF
C10
100nF
I
CMP+ VCC
UVLO = 6.2V
+
I
–
LT2940
R1
2.55k
SNS
CMPOUT
V–
PMON
GND
IMON
R4
7.50k
Figure 8. An overvoltage protection regulator
with power and current limiting
LT4356-3
To limit the input power in the LT4256-1
Hot Swap application shown in Figure 7,
the LT2940 controls its current sense input.
The Hot Swap controller servos the
12V
I+
I–
V–
V
1
4
kI = 200mΩ
+
IMON GND PMON
200µA/A
CURRENT
MONITOR
OUTPUT
14 | July 2010 : LT Journal of Analog Innovation
R5
7.50k
R3
2k
LT2940
kV =
Q5
Power limiting is crucial to applications
such as running off a backup generator or supplying multiple line cards in
an enclosure with low air flow. The
LT2940 meshes well with Hot Swap
and Surge Stopper circuits, which
control current or voltage to provide
important power control capability.
12V
VCC
R23
7.50k
R2
30k
C1
100nF
V+
R1
10k LM334
V–
D1
1N457
C4
100nF
R7
6.8Ω
10W
R
R4
680Ω
R5
6.8k
R6
10Ω
FB
R6
2.00k
GND
CT
100nF
Advanced Power Monitoring
RS
200mΩ
8V TO 32V
Q2 Q3
OUT
R7
61.9k
TIMER
kI = 50mΩ Q4
Figure 9. An 8W load
for an 8V to 32V
supply bus
GATE
VCC
D2
10V
SHDN
kV = 1
5
the voltage sense inputs V+ and V– using a
pair of MOSFETs (Q2 and Q3). The LT2940’s
comparator serves as a phase splitter
to develop complementary signals with
which to drive Q2 and Q3. When the phasing of the voltage sense inputs is reversed,
PMON discharges C5 to the LTC1440’s
lower threshold, whereupon the action is
repeated. The frequency is proportional
to the current at PMON and, ultimately, the
power consumed by the load. An optoisolator conveniently communicates the
frequency across an isolation barrier.
R8
10Ω
C8
100nF
RS2
249Ω
V+
C1
100nF
R9
10Ω
R10
100Ω
R2
10.2k
LOAD
CL
220µF
Q1
FDB3632
= 2N3904
PARAMETER
VOLTAGE
CURRENT
POWER
LIMIT
40V
4A
40W
GATE pin to achieve a known drop across
a sense resistor in a standard application. The inrush current is set by gate
capacitor, C8. In this application circuit,
the LT2940’s output signal substitutes
power for current at the LT4256’s current sense, so that the load current is
limited in inverse proportion to the
input supply voltage; load power is thus
regulated. The LT4256’s current circuit
breaker behaves as a power circuit
breaker with a regulated limit of 35W.
The 5:1 multiplying mirror brings
the 200µA full scale PMON output current up to 1mA, which makes the
SENSE pin input current error negligible,
in addition to avoiding the LT2940’s
PMON pin compliance limit. The 100nF and
–
150Ω between SENSE and I provide necessary feed-forward compensation.
The application in Figure 8 marries the
power and current sensing of the LT2940
with the surge voltage protection of the
LT4356-3 to put a lid on excess voltage,
current, and power. The LT4356 servos
the GATE pin to limit the output voltage
normally. The LT2940 limits power and
current by feeding a control signal into
the SNS input. Transistors Q2 through
design features
The LT2940 translates power into a simple analog
control signal, making it possible to easily produce a
variety of applications that were heretofore difficult or
nearly impossible to realize: power monitors, power
servo controls and regulated heaters, to name a few.
Q5 ensure that either an overcurrent
or an overpower condition can seize
control. The LT2940’s comparator path
controls the LT4356’s SHDN pin while
setting the system’s UVLO to meet the
6V minimum supply requirement.
Unlike ADC-based servo loop designs, the
analog PMON output signal drives analog control inputs without the addition
of a DAC, and its speedy response avoids
loop compensation difficulty associated with long ADC conversion times.
Regulated Loads and Heaters
Figure 9 shows an example of controlling
power to create a fixed power load for a
supply bus. The PMON output is balanced
against a fixed 200µA current generated by an LM334. Initially, load power
is increased toward maximum by the
sourced 200µA pulling up on the gate of
Q1. The LT2940 measures the power and
pulls down on the gate, thus regulating
the load power to 8W. PMON sinks exactly
200µA at 8W load power. IMON sources
200µA per ampere of load current.
Compensation of the loop requires
only a 100nF capacitor (C4), which is
straightforward, although it reduces the
A regulated electrical power sink can
be used to test the behavior of a supply or a cooling system. A regulated
heat source can be used to test the thermal performance of a heat sink or an
enclosure, or to add a known amount
of heat flux for process control. The
circuit required in both cases must
servo constant power in a pass device
or in a load—the difference is whether
the heat generated is useful or waste.
With its 500kHz bandwidth and proportional-to-power analog output, the LT2940
makes power regulation applications easy.
Figure 10. An adjustable 0W to 10W load box
with UVLO and thermal shutdown
loop response to rapid voltage changes.
Nevertheless, the power of the R7/Q1
load exactly maintains an 8W average.
This circuit takes advantage of the
LT2940’s 4-quadrant capability by
reverse-connecting the V+ and V– pins
so that the PMON output sinks current,
while IMON sources current. This gives
proper phasing to the feedback without
the need for an external inverting gain
stage. PMON is guaranteed to sink current
down to 0.5V, more than adequate for
controlling Q1. The same PMON direction
sense can be achieved instead by reverseconnecting the current sense inputs I+ and
I–, in which case IMON sinks current.
Another example of a linear servo loop is
shown in Figure 10. The LT2940 forms the
basis of a 0W to 10W load box that is used
to test power supplies of 10V to 40V. An
adjustable programming current of 0µA to
10V TO 40V
INPUT
V–
V+
12V
R13
10k
VCC
LATCH
I+
I–
PMON
CMPOUT
CMPOUT
IMON GND CMP+
R4
4.99k
TEMP R10
ADJ
500Ω
R1
30k
D1
1N4003
R11
33Ω
C11
10nF
12V
12V
R15
10k
R16
10k
LT2940
R12
12k
1A/V
CURRENT
MONITOR
OUTPUT
R2
120k
Q2
2N3904*
RS
200mΩ
R14
10Ω
Q1
FDB3632
Q3
2N3906
ICONTROL
= 50mW/µA
R3B
91k
UVLO
R3A
13k
C13
10nF
R17
100Ω
Q4
2N3906
R18
1k
kV =
0W TO 10W ADJ
10-TURN POT
–
+
OA
R19
10k
+
–
REF
200mV
LT1635
1
5
kI = 200mΩ
*THERMAL SHUTDOWN; COUPLE TO Q1’s HEAT SINK
July 2010 : LT Journal of Analog Innovation | 15
RS*
200mΩ
3
10V TO 40V
+
R3
10k
D2
27V
C1
100µF
50V
I–
VCC
I+
LT2940
C2
22nF
Figure 11. A 30W linear heat source
*THREE 200mΩ RESISTORS IN PARALLEL
R2
102k
V+
V
R1
25.5k
–
V+
R
PMON GND IMON
LM334
V–
R4
680Ω
D1
1N457
R6
51Ω
R5
6.8k
R7
3.3k
C3
470pF
kV = 1
15
kI = 200mΩ
3
HEATSINK
Q = 30W
Q1
VN2222
R8
1k
R9
10k
Q2
TIP129
R10
100Ω
Q3
D44VH11
10A/ V
R11
100mΩ
of infinite current at zero input voltage.
Undervoltage lockout prevents the servo
loop from shorting the supply at low input
voltages. The input voltage is monitored
by the comparator and if less than 10V,
CMPOUT shorts the MOSFET gate to ground.
200µA is generated by an LT1635 op amp
and reference, and controlled by a 10-turn
potentiometer. This current balances
against the measured power at PMON and
regulates Q1 to a predictable power.
The LT2940’s integrated comparator is
used to shut down the circuit in case of
undervoltage or overtemperature conditions. At reduced input voltage, a constant
power servo attempts to draw ever more
current, leading to a theoretical result
22.4V TO 72V
Overtemperature is sensed by Q2, which
pulls down on CMP+ and shuts the
MOSFET off in case of excessive temperature. Although the comparator includes
its own small hysteresis, generous
R S*
200mΩ
3
+
C1
100µF
100V
Q3
2N3906
additional thermal hysteresis is provided
by R13 and the complementary comparator output, CMPOUT. One last feature of
the load box circuit is reverse polarity protection, courtesy of diode D1.
Figure 11 shows a 30W linear heat source
using a bipolar transistor in a TO-220
package as the primary dissipater (Q3).
Components Q2, Q3 and R11 are mounted
on the body to be heated, such as a heat
sink, an enclosure, or a reaction vessel.
For testing thermal performance, thermal
resistance is given by TRISE /30W. Here the
I+ and I– pins are reverse connected so that
the PMON pin sinks current. The PMON output is balanced against a 200µA current
source, the result driving the gate of Q1
to servo the power dissipation to 30W.
By using pulse width modulation, heat
can be dissipated efficiently in one or
more resistors. Figure 12 illustrates a
Figure 12. A wide input range
10W PWM heat source
*THREE 200mΩ RESISTORS IN PARALLEL
12V
R6
10k
R5
10k
I+
VCC
LT2940
LATCH
I–
V+
CMPOUT
CMPOUT
V–
CMP+
R2
220k
D2
1N4148
R1
13k
12V
Q2
BSS123
R7
50Ω
25W
HEATSINK
Q = 10W
D3
1N4148
PMON GND IMON
C4
4.7µF
16 | July 2010 : LT Journal of Analog Innovation
R4
68k
13
233
kI = 200mΩ
3
tOFF ≈ 2ms
kV =
C2
100nF
Q1
FDS3672
D1
MUR1100E
design features
T1
Figure 13. An AC power and current monitor
12.6VAC
SECONDARY
+
R3
10Ω
10W
pulse-width modulated heat source
that operates over a wide, telecom-like
supply range. To distribute the heat across
a circuit board, around an enclosure, or
at various key points on a heat sink (to
create a physical model of actual thermal
conditions), multiple resistors connected
in series and/or parallel may be substituted for the single 50Ω unit shown.
The integrated comparator is used as a
PWM engine. When the CMP+ pin is low, Q1
is turned on, which connects the load resistor to the input. The PMON output sources
current into C4 and R4, charging the CMP+
pin to its threshold of 1.24V. Q1 turns off,
the power (and PMON’s output current)
falls to zero, and R4 discharges C4 slightly
until the comparator trips and again
drives Q1 on. The typical 35mV hysteresis
in the comparator assures oscillation.
Constant average power is maintained,
with CMP+ maintained around 1.24V,
RS
200mΩ
3
C1A
220µF
25V
D1
1N4001
I+
VCC
+
LOAD
I–
V+
C1B
220µF
25V
R1
30k
LT2940
V–
D3
5.1V
D2
1N4001
R6
1k
GND PMON
IMON
R4
15k
10W/ V
±30WPK
R2
120k
kV = 1
5
kI = 200mΩ
3
R5
15k
1A/ V
±3APK
and R4 sinking a roughly constant current away from the CMP+ node, balanced
by an equivalent average from PMON.
them from harm. See the LT2940 data
sheet for a simpler PWM heater application for lower supply voltages.
The simplest PWM scheme is employed
here, with an N-channel MOSFET driven
directly from one of the comparator’s
outputs, made push-pull with help from
Q3. One side of the load is connected
to the supply, and this means that during off times the voltage sense inputs,
V+ and V– would be pulled up to as high
as 72V, in violation of their 36V absolute
maximum rating. Q2 and D2 clamp the
inputs during the off time, protecting
AC Power Monitoring
4-quadrant operation allows the LT2940
to be used in AC applications, as shown
in Figures 13, 14 and 15. Note that the
LT2940 outputs a current proportional
to instantaneous power, which is different from RMS-to-DC power metering such as the LTC1968 provides.
The LT2940 monitors the load power
and current on a 12.6V secondary winding in Figure 13. A split supply is derived
Figure 14. A secondary
side AC circuit breaker
T1
+
R0
10Ω
C1A
220µF
25V
D1
1N4001
R9
10k
Q1
I+
VCC
R6
1k
+
C1B
220µF
25V
2X
FDS3672
Q5
Q6
Q8
R7
1k
Q7
R11
10k
V+
LT2940
Q2
VCC
I–
LATCH
D3
5.1V
RESISTIVE
LOAD
R1
30k
RS
200mΩ
3
Q4
R10
1k
D2
1N4001
R2
120k
12.6VAC
SECONDARY
V–
IMON
CMPOUT
CMP+
GND PMON
R12
10k
Q3
CMPOUT
R3
15k
1A/V
3APK
1.25A
TRIP
R4
15k
10W/ V
30WPK
kV = 30 = 1
150
5
kI = 200mΩ
3
= 2N3906
July 2010 : LT Journal of Analog Innovation | 17
The LT2940 brings together the features that make power
monitoring and control not only possible, but easy.
from the same winding so that bidirectional measurement of instantaneous
real power and instantaneous current is
possible. Note that averaging the power
output results in average real power. The
load can be any combination of resistance, reactance, or nonlinear devices
including chopped or rectified circuits.
In Figure 14 the LT2940’s comparator is
used in conjunction with two MOSFETs
to form a circuit breaker with cycleby-cycle limiting, again operating on
a 12.6V secondary. Devices Q4 and Q5
form a window comparator that resets
the circuit breaker after each half cycle,
and Q6, Q7 and Q8 form a full-wave
current rectifier to drive the CMP+ input.
Thus only an absolute value current
measurement is available at CMP+.
the potential transformer is equally
critical, but accuracy is easily achieved
using an off-the-shelf line transformer.
Note that the constants kV and kI are
inclusive of transformer ratios.
With isolation, the LT2940 is capable of
monitoring the AC power of line operated loads, as shown in Figure 15. Care
must be exercised when working with
AC line connected circuits. To preserve
output accuracy, a phase-accurate current transformer is essential—the component shown is capable of less than
1° phase error. The phase accuracy of
CONCLUSION
Figure 15. A fully isolated AC power
and current monitor
7A
1
•
•
117V
“L”
The LT2940 brings together the features that make power monitoring
and control not only possible, but
easy. It is available in both a leadless 12-pin DFN (3mm × 3mm) and a
12-lead MSOP package, and is featured
in the DC1495A evaluation kit. n
T1
500
RS1
RS2
4.99Ω 4.99Ω
VCC
VCC
15V
C1
47µF
25V
C12
100nF
R12
1k
D1
5.1V
R4
4.22k
1kW/ V
±853 WPK
R5
4.99k
10A/ V
±10APK
VCC I +
I–
D2
V+
R1A
68.1Ω
PMON
LT2940
C2
100nF
IMON
V–
GND
D3
D5
R2B
R1B
68.1Ω 200Ω
1%
R7
10k
68 . 1 + 68 . 1
108
1
kV =
•
=
200 + 200 + 68 . 1 + 68 . 1 1168 42 . 5 8
kI =
4 . 99 + 4 . 99
10
=
500
501
LOAD
R2A
200Ω
1%
R6
10k
D4
• •
10.8V
117V
T2
117V
“N”
ISOLATION
BARRIER
= 1N4148
T1 = MINNTRONIX 4810966R
T2 = 1168:108 POTENTIAL TRANSFORMER
IN CONSTRUCTING THIS CIRCUIT, THE CUSTOMER AGREES THAT, IN ADDITION TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS ON LINEAR TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION’S
(LTC) PURCHASE ORDER DOCUMENTS, LTC AND ANY OF ITS EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, REPRESENTATIVES AND CONTRACTORS SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY,
UNDER CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER LEGAL OR EQUITABLE THEORY OF RECOVERY, TO CUSTOMER OR ANY OF ITS EMPLOYEES, AGENTS,
REPRESENTATIVES OR CONTRACTORS, FOR ANY PERSONAL INJURY, PROPERTY DAMAGE, OR ANY OTHER CLAIM (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, FOR
CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES) RESULTING FROM ANY USE OF THIS CIRCUIT, UNDER ANY CONDITIONS, FORESEEABLE OR OTHERWISE.
CUSTOMER ALSO SHALL INDEMNIFY LTC AND ANY OF ITS EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, REPRESENTATIVES AND CONTRACTORS AGAINST ANY AND ALL LIABILITY,
DAMAGES, COSTS AND EXPENSES, INCLUDING ATTORNEY’S FEES, ARISING FROM ANY THIRD PARTY CLAIMS FOR PERSONAL INJURY, PROPERTY DAMAGE,
OR ANY OTHER CLAIM (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES) RESULTING FROM ANY USE OF THIS CIRCUIT,
UNDER ANY CONDITIONS, FORESEEABLE OR OTHERWISE.
18 | July 2010 : LT Journal of Analog Innovation