Methods and apparatus for discharging a node of an electrical circuit
US10186942B2 · kind B2 · utility
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21References
12Claims
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Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 14, 2015 |
| Grant date | Jan 22, 2019 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 18, 2036 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH02M3/156
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A node that stores a charge is discharged in two phases, starting with a current controlled phase where a current mirror sink controls the current sunk from the node, and then moving to a second phase where a resistive discharge is provided. A pull down device such as a transistor switches from its saturation mode in the first phase to its linear mode in the second phase. a discharge circuit implementing this method provides optimized area and control for the discharge process as compared with approaches that rely solely on current mirroring or resistive discharging.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.