NSC LM1949

LM1949 Injector Drive Controller
General Description
Features
The LM1949 linear integrated circuit serves as an excellent
control of fuel injector drive circuitry in modern automotive
systems. The IC is designed to control an external power
NPN Darlington transistor that drives the high current injector solenoid. The current required to open a solenoid is several times greater than the current necessary to merely hold
it open; therefore, the LM1949, by directly sensing the actual solenoid current, initially saturates the driver until the
‘‘peak’’ injector current is four times that of the idle or ‘‘holding’’ current (Figure 3–Figure 7). This guarantees opening
of the injector. The current is then automatically reduced to
the sufficient holding level for the duration of the input
pulse. In this way, the total power consumed by the system
is dramatically reduced. Also, a higher degree of correlation
of fuel to the input voltage pulse (or duty cycle) is achieved,
since opening and closing delays of the solenoid will be
reduced.
Normally powered from a 5V g 10% supply, the IC is typically operable over the entire temperature range (b55§ C to
a 125§ C ambient) with supplies as low as 3 volts. This is
particularly useful under ‘‘cold crank’’ conditions when the
battery voltage may drop low enough to deregulate the
5-volt power supply.
The LM1949 is available in the plastic miniDIP, (contact factory for other package options).
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Low voltage supply (3V – 5.5V)
22 mA output drive current
No RFI radiation
Adaptable to all injector current levels
Highly accurate operation
TTL/CMOS compatible input logic levels
Short circuit protection
High impedance input
Externally set holding current, IH
Internally set peak current (4 c IH)
Externally set time-out
Can be modified for full switching operation
Available in plastic 8-pin miniDIP
Applications
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Fuel injection
Throttle body injection
Solenoid controls
Air and fluid valves
DC motor drives
Typical Application Circuit
TL/H/5062 – 1
FIGURE 1. Typical Application and Test Circuit
Order Number LM1949M or LM1949N
See NS Package Number M08A or N08E
COPSTM is a trademark of National Semiconductor Corporation.
C1995 National Semiconductor Corporation
TL/H/5062
RRD-B30M115/Printed in U. S. A.
LM1949 Injector Drive Controller
February 1995
Absolute Maximum Ratings
Input Voltage Range
If Military/Aerospace specified devices are required,
please contact the National Semiconductor Sales
Office/Distributors for availability and specifications.
Supply Voltage
Power Dissipation (Note 1)
8V
1235 mW
b 0.3V to VCC
Operating Temperature Range
b 40§ C to a 125§ C
Storage Temperature Range
Junction Temperature
Lead Temp. (Soldering 10 sec.)
b 65§ C to a 150§ C
150§ C
260§ C
Electrical Characteristics (VCC e 5.5V, VIN e 2.4V, Tj e 25§ C, Figure 1 , unless otherwise specified.)
Symbol
ICC
Parameter
Supply Current
Off
Peak
Hold
Conditions
Typ
Max
Units
VIN e 0V
Pin 8 e 0V
Pin 8 Open
11
28
16
23
54
26
mA
mA
mA
1.4
1.2
2.4
1.6
V
V
VOH
Input On Level
VCC e 5.5V
VCC e 3.0V
VOL
Input Off Level
VCC e 5.5V
VCC e 3.0V
IB
Input Current
IOP
Output Current
Peak
Hold
Pin 8 e 0V
Pin 8 Open
VS
Output Saturation Voltage
10 mA, VIN e 0V
Vp
VH
Sense Input
Peak Threshold
Hold Reference
VCC e 4.75V
t
Time-out, t
t d RTCT
Min
1.0
0.7
1.35
1.15
b 25
3
b 10
b 1.5
b 22
b5
V
V
a 25
mA
mA
mA
0.2
0.4
V
350
88
386
94
415
102
mV
mV
90
100
110
%
NOTE 1: For operation in ambient temperatures above 25§ C, the device must be derated based on a 150§ C maximum junction temperature and a thermal
resistance of 100§ C/W junction to ambient.
Typical Circuit Waveforms
TL/H/5062 – 2
2
FIGURE 2. LM1949 Circuit
TL/H/5062 – 3
Schematic Diagram
3
Typical Performance Characteristics
Quiescent Current vs
Supply Voltage
Supply Current vs
Supply Voltage
Output Current vs
Supply Voltage
Input Voltage Thresholds
vs Supply Voltage
Sense Input Peak Voltage
vs Supply Voltage
Sense Input Hold Voltage
vs Supply Voltage
Normalized Timer Function
vs Supply Voltage
Quiescent Supply Current
vs Junction Temperature
Quiescent Supply Current
vs Junction Temperature
Output Current vs
Junction Temperature
Input Voltage Thresholds
vs Junction Temperature
Sense Input Peak Voltage
vs Junction Temperature
TL/H/5062 – 4
4
Typical Performance Characteristics
Sense Input Hold Voltage
vs Junction Temperature
(Continued)
Normalized Timer Function
vs Junction Temperature
LM1949N Junction
Temperature Rise Above
Ambient vs Supply Voltage
TL/H/5062 – 5
Application Hints
age and the saturation voltage of Q1. The drop across the
sense resistor is created by the solenoid current, and when
this drop reaches the peak threshold level, typically 385 mV,
the IC is tripped from the peak state into the hold state. The
IC now behaves more as an op amp and drives Q1 within a
closed loop system to maintain the hold reference voltage,
typically 94 mV, across RS. Once the injector current drops
from the peak level to the hold level, it remains there for the
duration of the input signal at Pin 1. This mode of operation
is preferable when working with solenoids, since the current
required to overcome kinetic and constriction forces is often
a factor of four or more times the current necessary to hold
the injector open. By holding the injector current at one
fourth of the peak current, power dissipation in the solenoids and Q1 is reduced by at least the same factor.
In the circuit of Figure 1 , it was known that the type of injector shown opens when the current exceeds 1.3 amps and
closes when the current then falls below 0.3 amps. In order
to guarantee injector operation over the life and temperature range of the system, a peak current of approximately 4
amps was chosen. This led to a value of RS of 0.1X. Dividing the peak and hold thresholds by this factor gives peak
and hold currents through the solenoid of 3.85 amps and
0.94 amps respectively.
Different types of solenoids may require different values of
current. The sense resistor RS may be changed accordingly.
An 8-amp peak injector would use RS equal to .05X, etc.
Note that for large currents above one amp, IR drops within
the component leads or printed circuit board may create
substantial errors unless appropriate care is taken. The
sense input and sense ground leads (Pins 4 and 5 respectively), should be Kelvin connected to RS. High current
should not be allowed to flow through any part of these
traces or connections. An easy solution to this problem on
double-sided PC boards (without plated-through holes) is to
have the high current trace and sense trace attach to the
RS lead from opposite sides of the board.
The injector driver integrated circuits were designed to be
used in conjunction with an external controller. The LM1949
derives its input signal from either a control oriented processor (COPSTM ), microprocessor, or some other system. This
input signal, in the form of a square wave with a variable
duty cycle and/or variable frequency, is applied to Pin 1. In
a typical system, input frequency is proportional to engine
RPM. Duty cycle is proportional to the engine load. The circuits discussed are suitable for use in either open or closed
loop systems. In closed loop systems, the engine exhaust is
monitored and the air-to-fuel mixture is varied (via the duty
cycle) to maintain a perfect, or stochiometric, ratio.
INJECTORS
Injectors and solenoids are available in a vast array of sizes
and characteristics. Therefore, it is necessary to be able to
design a drive system to suit each type of solenoid. The
purpose of this section is to enable any system designer to
use and modify the LM1949 and associated circuitry to
meet the system specifications.
Fuel injectors can usually be modeled by a simple RL circuit.
Figure 3 shows such a model for a typical fuel injector. In
actual operation, the value of L1 will depend upon the status
of the solenoid. In other words, L1 will change depending
TL/H/5062 – 6
FIGURE 3. Model of a Typical Fuel Injector
upon whether the solenoid is open or closed. This effect, if
pronounced enough, can be a valuable aid in determining
the current necessary to open a particular type of injector.
The change in inductance manifests itself as a breakpoint in
the initial rise of solenoid current. The waveforms on Page 2
at the sense input show this occurring at approximately 130
mV. Thus, the current necessary to overcome the constrictive forces of that particular injector is 1.3 amperes.
TIMER FUNCTION
The purpose of the timer function is to limit the power dissipated by the injector or solenoid under certain conditions.
Specifically, when the battery voltage is low due to engine
cranking, or just undercharged, there may not be sufficient
voltage available for the injector to achieve the peak current. In the Figure 2 waveforms under the low battery condition, the injector current can be seen to be leveling out at 3
PEAK AND HOLD CURRENTS
The peak and hold currents are determined by the value of
the sense resistor RS. The driver IC, when initiated by a
logic 1 signal at Pin 1, initially drives Darlington transistor Q1
into saturation. The injector current will rise exponentially
from zero at a rate dependent upon L1, R1, the battery volt-
5
Timer Function (Continued)
amps, or 1 amp below the normal threshold. Since continuous operation at 3 amps may overheat the injectors, the
timer function on the IC will force the transition into the hold
state after one time constant (the time constant is equal to
RTCT). The timer is reset at the end of each input pulse. For
systems where the timer function is not needed, it can be
disabled by grounding Pin 8. For systems where the initial
peak state is not required, (i.e., where the solenoid current
rises immediately to the hold level), the timer can be used to
disable the peak function. This is done by setting the time
constant equal to zero, (i.e., CT e 0). Leaving RT in place is
recommended. The timer will then complete its time-out and
disable the peak condition before the solenoid current has
had a chance to rise above the hold level.
The actual range of the timer in injection systems will probably never vary much from the 3.9 milliseconds shown in
Figure 1 . However, the actual useful range of the timer extends from microseconds to seconds, depending on the
component values chosen. The useful range of RT is approximately 1k to 240k. The capacitor CT is limited only by
stray capacitances for low values and by leakages for large
values.
The capacitor reset time at the end of each controller pulse
is determined by the supply voltage and the capacitor value.
The IC resets the capacitor to an initial voltage (VBE) by
discharging it with a current of approximately 15 mA. Thus,
a 0.1 mF cap is reset in approximately 25 ms.
TL/H/5062 – 7
COMPENSATION
Compensation of the error amplifier provides stability for the
circuit during the hold state. External compensation (from
Pin 2 to Pin 3) allows each design to be tailored for the
characteristics of the system and/or type of Darlington power device used. In the vast majority of designs, the value or
type of the compensation capacitor is not critical. Values of
100 pF to 0.1 mF work well with the circuit of Figure 1 . The
value shown of .01 mF (disc) provides a close optimum in
choice between economy, speed, and noise immunity. In
some systems, increased phase and gain margin may be
acquired by bypassing the collector of Q1 to ground with an
appropriately rated 0.1 mF capacitor. This is, however, rarely
necessary.
FIGURE 4. Circuit Waveforms
amplifier keeps Q1 off until the injector current has decayed
to the proper value. The disadvantage of this particular configuration is that the ungrounded zener is more difficult to
heat sink if that becomes necessary.
The second purpose of Z1 is to provide system transient
protection. Automotive systems are susceptible to a vast
array of voltage transients on the battery line. Though their
duration is usually only milliseconds long, Q1 could suffer
permanent damage unless buffered by the injector and Z1.
This is one reason why a zener is preferred over a clamp
diode back to the battery line, the other reason being long
decay times.
FLYBACK ZENER
The purpose of zener Z1 is twofold. Since the load is inductive, a voltage spike is produced at the collector of Q1 anytime the injector current is reduced. This occurs at the peakto-hold transition, (when the current is reduced to one fourth
of its peak value), and also at the end of each input pulse,
(when the current is reduced to zero). The zener provides a
current path for the inductive kickback, limiting the voltage
spike to the zener value and preventing Q1 from damaging
voltage levels. Thus, the rated zener voltage at the system
peak current must be less than the guaranteed minimum
breakdown of Q1. Also, even while Z1 is conducting the
majority of the injector current during the peak-to-hold transition (see Figure 4 ), Q1 is operating at the hold current
level. This fact is easily overlooked and, as described in the
following text, can be corrected if necessary. Since the error
amplifier in the IC demands 94 mV across RS, Q1 will be
biased to provide exactly that. Thus, the safe operating area
(SOA) of Q1 must include the hold current with a VCE of Z1
volts. For systems where this is not desired, the zener anode may be reconnected to the top of RS as shown in Figure 5 . Since the voltage across the sense resistor now accurately portrays the injector current at all times, the error
TL/H/5062 – 8
FIGURE 5. Alternate Configuration for Zener Z1
6
POWER DISSIPATION
The power dissipation of the system shown in Figure 1 is
dependent upon several external factors, including the frequency and duty cycle of the input waveform to Pin 1. Calculations are made more difficult since there are many discontinuities and breakpoints in the power waveforms of the
various components, most notably at the peak-to-hold transition. Some generalizations can be made for normal operation. For example, in a typical cycle of operation, the majority of dissipation occurs during the hold state. The hold state
is usually much longer than the peak state, and in the peak
state nearly all power is stored as energy in the magnetic
field of the injector, later to be dumped mostly through the
zener. While this assumption is less accurate in the case of
low battery voltage, it nevertheless gives an unexpectedly
accurate set of approximations for general operation.
The following nomenclature refers to Figure 1 . Typical values are given in parentheses:
e Sense Resistor (0.1X)
RS
VH
Vp
VZ
VBATT
L1
R1
n
The LM1949 can be easily modified to function as a switcher. Accomplished with the circuit of Figure 7 , the only additional components required are two external resistors, RA
and RB. Additionally, the zener needs to be reconnected, as
shown, to RS. The amount of ripple on the hold current is
easily controlled by the resistor ratio of RA to RB. RB is kept
small so that sense input bias current (typically 0.3 mA) has
negligible effect on VH. Duty cycle and frequency of oscillation during the hold state are dependent on the injector
characteristics, RA, RB, and the zener voltage as shown in
the following equations.
VH
Hold Current &
RS
RB
VH b
# VZ
RA
Minimum Hold Current &
RS
#
e Sense Input Hold Voltage (.094V)
e Sense Input Peak Voltage (.385V)
e Z1 Zener Breakdown Voltage (33V)
Ripple or DI Hold &
fo &
e Battery Voltage (14V)
e Injector Inductance (.002H)
e Injector Resistance (1X)
e Duty Cycle of Input Voltage of Pin 1 (0 to 1)
e Frequency of Input (10Hz to 200Hz)
#
J
V
RS RA VBATT
#
#
# 1 b BATT
L1 RB
VZ
VZ
fo e Hold State Oscillation Frequency
VBATT
VZ
Component Power Dissipation
#1
(VP2 a VH2)
Watts
((VZ-VBATT) # RS2)
V
b BATT
J
V
# SAT # VH
VZ
RS
VSAT e Q1 Saturation Volt @ E 1 Amp (1.5V)
VBATT # VH
PZ & n #
RS
PQ & n #
Zener Dissipation:
VB # VZ
PRA &
R1
As shown, the power dissipation by Q1 in this manner is
substantially reduced. Measurements made with a thermocouple on the bench indicated better than a fourfold reduction in power in Q1. However, the power dissipation of the
zener (which is independent of the zener voltage chosen) is
increased over the circuit of Figure 1 .
Injector Dissipation:
VH2
Watts
PI & n # R1 #
RS2
Sense Resistor:
VH2
Watts
PR & n
RS2
PR (worst case) & n
RB
1
# VZ #
RA
RS
Duty Cycle of fo &
f
Q1 Power Dissipation:
VH
Watts
PQ & n # VBATT #
RS
PZ & VZ # L1 # f #
J
VP2
Watts
RS2
SWITCHING INJECTOR DRIVER CIRCUIT
The power dissipation of the system, and especially of Q1,
can be reduced by employing a switching injector driver circuit. Since the injector load is mainly inductive, transistor Q1
can be rapidly switched on and off in a manner similar to
switching regulators. The solenoid inductance will naturally
integrate the voltage to produce the required injector current, while the power consumed by Q1 will be reduced. A
note of caution: The large amplitude switching voltages that
are present on the injector can and do generate a tremendous amount of radio frequency interference (RFI). Because
of this, switching circuits are not recommended. The extra
cost of shielding can easily exceed the savings of reduced
power. In systems where switching circuits are mandatory,
extensive field testing is required to guarantee that RFI cannot create problems with engine control or entertainment
equipment within the vicinity.
TL/H/5062 – 9
FIGURE 6. Switching Waveforms
7
TL/H/5062 – 10
FIGURE 7. Switching Application Circuit
8
Physical Dimensions inches (millimeters)
14-Lead (0.150× Wide) Molded Small Outline Package, JEDEC
Order Number LM1949M
NS Package Number M08A
9
LM1949 Injector Drive Controller
Physical Dimensions inches (millimeters) (Continued)
Molded Dual-In-Line Package (N)
Order Number LM1949N
NS Package Number N08E
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