Low power intelligent current source for monitoring a high voltage
US5512849A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 19, 1994 |
| Grant date | Apr 30, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 19, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG05F3/24
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A low power integrated current source (ICS) for monitoring the voltage at an input terminal includes a current source and a network of current mirror circuits coupled to the current source, to the input terminal and to an output terminal. The circuit monitors the input voltage by comparing the input current with a reference current determined by the current source. The current mirror network responds to a predetermined voltage (current) at the input terminal to switch the output voltage at the output terminal from a first voltage level to a second voltage level. The ICS voltage monitor circuit limits the maximum value of the input current as the input voltage increases beyond a given voltage level thereby limiting the power dissipation. The trip voltage can be reset by merely changing the reference current supplied by the current source or by changing the value of an input resistor whose purpose is to convert the input voltage into an input current.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.