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START-UP
SHORT-CIRCUIT PROTECTION
OVERVOLTAGE PROTECTION (OVP)
ENABLE PWM DIMMING
DIGITAL BRIGHTNESS CONTROL (ILED)
TPS61060
TPS61061
TPS61062
SLVS538A – NOVEMBER 2004 – REVISED APRIL 2005
DETAILED DESCRIPTION (continued)
To avoid high inrush current during start-up, special care is taken to control the inrush current. When the device
is first enabled, the output capacitor is charged with a constant precharge current of typically 100 mA until the
output voltage is typically 0.3 V below Vin. The device starts with a reduced analog controlled current limit for
typically 40 s. After this time, the device enters its normal regulation with full current limit. The start-up current
waveform is shown in Figure 11. The fixed precharge current during start-up allows the device to start up without
problems when driving LEDs because the LED only starts to conduct current when the forward voltage is
reached. If, for any reason a resistive load is driven, the maximum start-up load current needs to be smaller, or
equal to, the precharge current.
The TPS6106x family has an advanced short-circuit protection in case the output of the device is shorted to
ground. Because the device is configured as a current source even when the LEDs are shorted, the maximum
current is controlled by the sense resistor Rs. As an additional safety feature, the TPS6106x series also protects
the device and inductor when the output is shorted to ground. When the output is shorted to ground, the device
enters precharge mode and limits the maximum current to typically 100 mA.
As with any current source, the output voltage rises when the output gets high impedance or disconnected. To
prevent the output voltage exceeding the maximum switch voltage rating (33 V) of the main switch, an
overvoltage protection circuit is integrated. As soon as the output voltage exceeds the OVP threshold, the
converter stops switching and the output voltage falls down. When the output voltage falls below the OVP
threshold, the converter continues operation until the output voltage exceeds the OVP threshold again. To allow
the use of inexpensive low-voltage output capacitors, the TPS6106x series has different OVP levels that need to
be selected according to the number of external LEDs and their maximum forward voltage.
The enable pin allows disabling and enabling of the device as well as brightness control of the LEDs by applying
a PWM signal up to typically 1 kHz. When a PWM signal is applied, the LED current is turned on when the EN is
high and off when EN is pulled low. Changing the PWM duty cycle therefore changes the LED brightness. To
allow higher PWM frequencies on the enable pin, the device continues operation when a PWM signal is applied.
As shown in the block diagram, the EN pin needs to be pulled low for at least 50 ms to fully turn the device off.
The enable input pin has an internal 300-k
pulldown resistor to disable the device when this pin is floating.
The ILED pin features a simple digital interface to allow digital brightness control. This can save processor power
and battery life. Using the digital interface to control the LED brightness does not required a PWM signal all the
time, and the processor can enter sleep mode if available. To save signal lines, the ILED pin can be connected
to the enable pin to allow digital programming and enable/disable function at the same time with the same signal.
Such a circuit is shown in Figure 22.
The ILED pin basically sets the feedback regulation voltage (VFB); thus, it sets the LED current. When the ILED
pin is connected to GND, the digital brightness control is disabled and the feedback is regulated to VFB = 500
mV. When the ILED pin is pulled high, the digital brightness control is enabled starting at its midpoint where the
feedback is regulated to VFB = 250 mV. The digital brightness control is implemented by adjusting the feedback
voltage in digital steps with a typical maximum voltage of VFB = 500 mV. For this purpose, a 5-bit DAC is used
giving 32 steps equal to a 15.6-mV change in feedback voltage per step. To increase or decrease the internal
reference voltage, the ILED pin needs to be pulled low over time as outlined in Table 1 and specified in the
electrical table. When the internal DAC is programmed to its highest or lowest value, it stays at this value until it
gets programmed in the opposite direction again.
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