Patent · US Expired

Switching system developed as module having at least one semiconductor switch for switching a load

US5262676A · kind A · utility

2Cited by

3References

14Claims

0Family size

Assignee

VDO Adolf Schindling AG · DE

Inventors

Thomas Blumel · Möhrendorf, DE
Joachim Meicher · Hofheim, DE
Bernhard Lukas · Raunheim, DE
Walter Kares · Frankfurt, DE

Key dates

Filing date	Sep 27, 1991
Grant date	Nov 16, 1993
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Sep 27, 2011

Classification

Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
CPC primaryH02H3/12
WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A switching system includes a module having at least one semiconductor switch for switching current to a load, in particular, a setting member in an automotive control or automatic control device. A short-circuit current monitoring circuit and an idle current monitoring circuit are provided for each semiconductor switch. Each switch may constructed as a multiple-emitter transistor with separate emitter terminals being connected to the respective monitoring circuits whereby load current in the multiple-emitter transistor can be monitored. The short-circuit monitoring circuit outputs a signal indicating excessively large load current in the transistor. The idle monitoring circuit outputs a signal indicating excessively small load current in the transistor.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.