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Establishing Tracking and Designing a Tracking Control Loop
+
COMP
FB
1
2
20
4
690 mV
+
3
TRKOUT
To PWM
A
VO
TRKIN
RBIAS
UDG04145
R2
R1
C2
C1
R3
C3
C5
C4
R4
VOUT
VIN
R5
R6
D1
R
4 t
V
HTRKOUT(min) * VDIODE * VFB
V
FB
R
1
R
BIAS
R
1 ) RBIAS
W
(24)
dV
OUT
dV
TRKOUT
+ *
R
1
R4
(dimensionless)
(25)
SLUS726 – SEPTEMBER 2006
APPLICATION INFORMATION (continued)
The tracking startup feature of the TPS40101 is a separate control loop that controls the output voltage to a
reference applied to the TRKIN pin. This reference voltage is typically a ramp generated by an external R-C
circuit. Connecting the junction of R5, C5 and R6 (see
Figure 31) of multiple converters together allows the
converters output voltages to track together during start up. A controlled power down is accomplished by pulling
down the common junction in a controlled manner and then removing power to the converters or turning them
off by grounding the UVLO pin.The relevant circuit fragment is shown in
Figure 31.Figure 31. Tracking Loop Control Schematic
First, select a value for R4. In order for this circuit to work properly, the output of the tracking amplifier must be
able to cause the FB pin to reach at least 690 mV with the output voltage at zero volts. This is so that the output
voltage can be forced to zero by the tracking amplifier. This places a maximum value on R4:
where
V
HTRKOUT(min) is the minimum output voltage of the tracking amplifier (see Electrical Characteristics table)
V
DIODE is the forward voltage of the device selected for D1
V
FB is the value of the reference voltage (690 mV)
R4 should not be chosen much lower than this value since that unnecessarily increases tracking loop gain,
making compensation more difficult and opening the door to potential non-linear control issues. D1 could be a
schottky if the impedance of the R1-RBIAS string is low enough that the leakage current is not a consequence. Be
aware that schottky diode leakage currents rise significantly at elevated temperature. If elevated temperature
operation and increased accuracy are important, use a standard or low leakage junction diode or the
base-emitter junction of a transistor for D1.
Once R4 is selected, the gain of the closed loop power supply looking into “A” is known. That gain is the ratio of
R1 and R4:
The tracking loop itself should have a crossover frequency much less that the crossover frequency of the voltage
control loop. Typically, the tracking loop crossover frequency is 1/10th or less of the voltage loop crossover
frequency to avoid loop interactions. Note that the presence of the diode in the circuit gives a non-linear control
mechanism for the tracking loop. The presence of this non-linearity makes designing a control loop more
challenging. The simplest approach is to simply limit the bandwidth of this loop to no more than necessary.
21