System and method for protecting an audio amplifier output stage power transistor
US7061740B2 · kind B2 · utility
4Cited by
10References
23Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 26, 2003 |
| Grant date | Jun 13, 2006 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 2, 2024 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03F1/52
- WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system and method for protecting an output transistor in an audio amplifier output stage includes a protection circuit that protects the output transistor from excessive currents and voltages, and does not interfere with the normal operation of the output transistor. The protection circuit generates an estimate of the power dissipated by the output transistor, applies this estimate to an electrical analog of the thermal time constants of the transistor to obtain an estimate of the temperature differential between junction and case, compares this differential to a limit, which is a function of transistor case temperature.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.