Short-circuit protection circuit, particularly for power transistors
US6175478A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 7, 1999 |
| Grant date | Jan 16, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 7, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03F1/523
- WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A short-circuit protection circuit, particularly for power transistors, contains a first circuit for mirroring the output current of a power transistor which is parallel-connected to the power transistor, and a second mirroring circuit which is series-connected to the first mirroring means and is adapted to emit a current which is correlated to the current mirrored by the first mirroring circuit, for comparison with a reference current. The result of the comparison determines the need to intervene or not on the power transistor. The short-circuit protection circuit may also contain a circuit for sensing the voltage drop across the power transistor which is parallel-connected to the power transistor and to the first mirroring circuit, in order to adjust minimum and maximum values of the current in output from the power transistor, as a function of the voltage that is present across the transistor.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.