Low-power 5-volt input/output tolerant circuit with power-down control for a low voltage CMOS crossbar switch
US6268759A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 23, 1999 |
| Grant date | Jul 31, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 23, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03K17/6872
- WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A low voltage CMOS bus switch (20) adapted to connect to a 5V bus (A,B) in a controlled and power-efficient manner. A voltage reference circuit (30) monitors the state of the power supply (Vcc) and provides three control signals (Dref, Dref2, Dref3) when the supply (V.sub.cc) is powered up or down. These control signals help to keep the switch open when the supply is powered down, and are used in the 5V tolerant circuitry to bias the gates of the pass transistors (MN1,MP1) when the supply is powered up. When the bus voltages are below Vcc, the device operates as a normal low voltage bus switch. As the input voltage increases above Vcc, a P-channel pass transistor (MR1) turns off and a gate voltage of a N-channel pass transistor (MN1) is controlled by the tolerant circuitry. This provides a reliable output signal to either a 3.3V or 5V bus.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.