INPUT ORing – TYPICAL CONNECTION
Optional Connection
Plug-In Unit
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SYSTEM DESIGN AND BEHAVIOR WITH TRANSIENTS
www.ti.com .................................................................................................................................................. SLVS727C – NOVEMBER 2006 – REVISED JUNE 2009
Figure 13 shows how redundant buses may be ORed to a common point to achieve higher reliability. It is
possible to have both MOSFETs ON at once if the bus voltages are matched, or the combination of tolerance
and regulation causes both TPS2410/11 circuits to see a forward voltage. The ORing MOSFET disconnects the
lower-voltage bus, protecting the remaining bus from potential overload by a fault.
Figure 13. Example ORing of Input Power Buses
The power system, perhaps consisting of multiple supplies, interconnections, and loads, is unique for every
product. A power distribution has low impedance, and low loss, which yields high Q by its nature. While the
addition of lossy capacitors helps at low frequencies, their benefit at high frequencies is compromised by
parasitics. Transient events with rise times in the 10-ns range may be caused by inserting or removing units, load
fluctuations, switched loads, supply fluctuations, power supply ripple, and shorts. These transients cause the
distribution to ring, creating a situation where ORing controllers may trip off unnecessarily. In particular, when an
ORing device turns off due to a reverse current fault, there is an abrupt interruption of the current, causing a fast
ringing event. Since this ringing occurs at the same point in the topology as the other ORing controllers, they are
the most likely to be effected.
The ability to operate in the presence of noise and transients is in direct conflict with the goal of precise ORing
with rapid response to actual faults. A fast response reduces peak stress on devices, reduces transients, and
promotes un-interrupted system operation. However, a control with small thresholds and high speed is most
likely to be falsely tripped by transients that are not the result of a fault. The power distribution system should be
designed to control the transient voltages seen by fast-responding devices such as ORing and hotswap devices.
The TPS2410 was designed with several features to help tune its speed and sensitivity to individual systems.
The FLTR pin provides a convenient place to filter the bus voltage before it causes undesired tripping (see Fast
Comparator Input Filtering – C(FLTR)). Some applications may find it possible to use RSET to advantage by
setting the reverse turn-off threshold more negative. Last, the STAT pin may be used to desensitize the turnoff
threshold of an on-line TPS2410 when a redundant TPS2410 has turned off. This is especially attractive in dual
redundant systems (see Input ORing and STAT). Ultimately, the performance may have to be tuned to fit the
characteristics of each particular system.
Copyright 2006–2009, Texas Instruments Incorporated
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