Fault detector for voltage converter
Various embodiments of a fault detector for a voltage converter are described. In one example embodiment, briefly, the fault detector is capable to detect one or more fault events during operation of a voltage converter. Likewise, the fault detector is capable to generate one or more fault signals with respect to the one or more to be detected fault events.
1. An integrated circuit (IC) for use with a voltage converter, the voltage converter to comprise at least a set of switches and a set of capacitors arranged to form a switching configuration such that at least some of the switches operate in a manner to form an electrical connection of at least some of the capacitors to respective alternate voltages in successive stages of operation of the voltage converter and the voltage converter to comprise another switch to have a drain-to-source (DS) voltage rating greater than an input voltage of the voltage converter and greater than a DS voltage rating of at least one switch in the set of switches, the IC comprising: a fault detector;
the fault detector capable to detect one or more fault events during operation of the voltage converter and the fault detector capable to generate one or more fault signals with respect to the one or more to be detected fault events;
the one or more fault signals to signal the another switch to electrically disconnect or otherwise via a high impedance state to limit current flow through at least one switch in the set of switches.
2. The IC of claim 1 , wherein the respective alternate voltages comprise ground and an output voltage level.
3. The IC of claim 1 , wherein the successive stages of operation of the voltage converter to comprise two alternating clocked phases of operation of the voltage converter to be driven in a non-overlapping manner.
4. The IC of claim 1 , wherein the one or more fault events comprising at least one of the following to be detected by the fault detector at a terminal or at a node of the voltage converter: a voltage above an overvoltage threshold, a voltage below an undervoltage threshold and/or a current above an overcurrent threshold.
5. The IC of claim 4 , wherein the overvoltage threshold, the undervoltage threshold and/or the overcurrent threshold comprise programmable settings.
6. The IC of claim 4 , wherein the fault detector comprises a voltage comparator and/or a current comparator to detect at least one of the following: the voltage above the overvoltage threshold, the voltage below the undervoltage threshold and/or the current above the overcurrent threshold.
7. The IC of claim 6 , wherein the fault detector includes a logical fault indicator to generate the one or more fault signals based at least in part on one or more signals from the voltage comparator and/or the current comparator.
8. The IC of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the one or more fault signals to be generated to comprise a latched fault signal.
9. The IC of claim 1 , wherein the DS voltage ratings comprise DS voltage breakdown ratings.
10. The IC of claim 1 , wherein the another switch is included in the set of switches and the another switch to have a drain-to-source (DS) voltage rating greater than a DS voltage rating of at least one other switch in the set of switches.