Switching device with power FET and short-circuit detection
US5914545A · kind A · utility
20Cited by
5References
10Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 9, 1997 |
| Grant date | Jun 22, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 9, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03K17/0822
- WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A circuit arrangement protects an FET power switch against damage from short circuits that may occur in the load connected between the drain terminal and an operating voltage source of the FET. The protection is achieved by the cooperation between a shunt resistor (3) connected between ground and the source terminal (S) of the FET and a gate voltage limiter (7) connected to the gate terminal of the FET. This cooperation limits the short circuit current through the FET until a short circuit detector (DT) provides a control signal that switches the FET off.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.