ADP170/ADP171
CURRENT LIMIT AND THERMAL OVERLOAD
PROTECTION
The junction temperature of the ADP170/ADP171 can be
calculated from the following equation:
The ADP170/ADP171 are protected against damage due to
excessive power dissipation by current and thermal overload
protection circuits. The ADP170/ADP171 are designed to limit
the current when the output load reaches 450 mA (typical).
When the output load exceeds 450 mA, the output voltage is
reduced to maintain a constant current limit.
TJ = TA + (PD × θJA)
(2)
(3)
where:
TA is the ambient temperature.
PD is the power dissipation in the die, given by
PD = [(VIN − VOUT) × ILOAD] + (VIN × IGND
)
where:
Thermal overload protection is included, which limits the junction
temperature to a maximum of 150°C (typical). Under extreme
conditions (that is, high ambient temperature and power dissip-
ation), when the junction temperature starts to rise above 150°C,
the output is turned off, reducing the output current to 0. When
the junction temperature drops below 135°C, the output is turned
on again and output current is restored to its nominal value.
I
I
LOAD is the load current.
GND is the ground current.
V
IN and VOUT are input and output voltages, respectively.
Power dissipation due to ground current is quite small and can
be ignored. Therefore, the junction temperature equation
simplifies to the following:
Consider the case where a hard short from VOUT to GND occurs.
At first, the ADP170/ADP171 will limit the current so that only
450 mA is conducted into the short. If self-heating of the junction
is great enough to cause its temperature to rise above 150°C,
thermal shutdown will activate, turning off the output and
reducing the output current to 0. As the junction temperature
cools and drops below 135°C, the output turns on and conducts
450 mA into the short, again causing the junction temperature
to rise above 150°C. This thermal oscillation between 135°C
and 150°C causes a current oscillation between 450 mA and 0 mA,
which continues as long as the short remains at the output.
TJ = TA + {[(VIN − VOUT) × ILOAD] × θJA}
(4)
As shown in Equation 4, for a given ambient temperature, input
to output voltage differential, and continuous load current,
there exists a minimum copper size requirement for the PCB to
ensure that the junction temperature does not rise above 125°C.
Figure 33 to Figure 38 show junction temperature calculations
for different ambient temperatures, load currents, VIN to VOUT
differentials, and areas of PCB copper.
140
T
MAX
J
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
I
= 300mA
Current and thermal limit protections are intended to protect
the device against accidental overload conditions.
LOAD
I
= 150mA
LOAD
THERMAL CONSIDERATIONS
To guarantee reliable operation, the junction temperature of the
ADP170/ADP171 must not exceed 125°C. To ensure the junction
temperature stays below this maximum value, the user needs to
be aware of the parameters that contribute to junction temperature
changes. These parameters include ambient temperature, power
dissipation in the power device, and thermal resistances between
the junction and ambient air (θJA). The θJA number is dependent
on the package assembly compounds used and the amount of
copper to which the GND pin of the package is soldered on the
PCB. Table 6 shows typical θJA values of the 5-lead TSOT package
for various PCB copper sizes.
I
= 100mA
= 25mA
LOAD
I
LOAD
I
= 10mA
I
= 1mA
1.5
LOAD
2.0
LOAD
0.5
1.0
2.5
3.0
V
– V (V)
IN
OUT
Figure 33. 500 mm2 of PCB Copper, TA = 25°C
140
120
100
80
T
MAX
J
I
= 300mA
LOAD
Table 6. Typical θJA Values
Copper Size (mm2)
01
θJA (°C/W)
170
I
= 150mA
LOAD
50
152
146
134
131
60
100
300
500
I
= 100mA
LOAD
40
I
= 25mA
LOAD
20
1 Device soldered to minimum size pin traces.
I
= 10mA
LOAD
I
= 1mA
1.5
LOAD
0
0.5
1.0
2.0
– V (V)
2.5
3.0
V
OUT
IN
Figure 34. 100 mm2 of PCB Copper, TA = 25°C
Rev. B | Page 14 of 20