Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation (“Toshiba”) has expanded its line-up of “TCTH0xxxE series” Thermoflagger™ over-temperature detection ICs that can be used in a simple circuit with positive temperature coefficient (PTC) thermistors to detect temperature rises in electronic equipment. Shipments of the six new products start today.
Toshiba: Thermoflagger(TM), a simple solution that detects temperature rises in electronic equipment. Image Credit: Business Wire
For electronic equipment to perform as specified, semiconductors and other electronic components must operate within design parameters. Internal temperature is a crucial parameter, especially if it becomes higher than that assumed during the design process; it can be a major safety and reliability problem, and an overheating monitoring solution is needed to detect any rise in temperature.
Thermoflagger™ over-temperature detection ICs detect temperature rises when configured in a simple circuit with PTC thermistors, whose resistance value changes with the temperature. The ICs also detect changes in the resistance of PTC thermistors placed near heat sources, and output a FLAG signal in case of over-temperature. When a Thermoflagger™ detects abnormal heat generation and sends a FLAG to an MCU, for example, the MCU will shut down the equipment or change the operation of the equipment or semiconductor that is generating heat. Connecting PTC thermistors in series realizes over-temperature detection for multiple locations.
The six new products are TCTH011AE, TCTH012AE, TCTH021AE, TCTH022AE, TCTH011BE and TCTH012BE. These join the already released TCTH021BE and TCTH022BE and bring the TCTH0xxxE series line-up to eight products. The new products expand the range of PTC thermistors that can be selected by supporting two types of PTCO output current. Push-pull or open-drain FLAG signal output types can be selected, as can the use or non-use of a FLAG signal latch function. Extending the range of product selections enables flexible circuit designs with low current consumption.
The new products are packaged in a small, industry-standard SOT-553 (Toshiba’s package name: ESV), ensuring that the TCTH0xxxE series supports easy configuration of over-temperature detection for complete sets of electronic equipment, and helps to reduce size and power consumption.
Alongside an already published reference design, the Thermoflagger™ Over-temperature Detection IC Application Circuit (TCTH021BE/Open Drain version), Toshiba has made a new reference design available on its website today: the Thermoflagger™ Over-temperature Detection IC Application Circuit (TCTH021AE/Push-Pull version).