# US 10,119,999 B2 · Circuit connectivity and conveyance of power status information > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,119,999 B2 - Document ID: US10119999B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/556,536 - Filed: 2014-12-01 - Published: 2016-06-02 - Granted: 2018-11-06 - Earliest claimed: 2014-12-01 - Assignees: Infineon Technologies Americas Corp. - Applicants: International Rectifier Corporation - Inventors: Prasan Kasturi; Rakesh Renganathan; Danny Clavette; Rong Guo - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10119999B2 ## CPC - G01R 19/16538: {in AC or DC supplies (G01R19/16519 and G01R19/16528 take precedence)} - G01R 19/0084: {Measuring voltage only} - H02M 3/158: including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) - H02M: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF (transformers H01F; dynamo-electric converters H02K47/00; controlling transformers, reactors or choke coils, control or regulation of electric motors, generators or dynamo-electric converters H02P) ## Abstract An example system comprises first circuitry (such as a first integrated circuit device having a limited number of input/output pins) and second circuitry (such as a second integrated circuit device having a limited number of input output pins). The second circuitry is communicatively coupled to receive communications over a communication link from the first circuitry. In one embodiment, the first circuitry includes a monitor circuit. The monitor circuit monitors a voltage rail inputted to power the first circuitry. The monitor circuit initiates switching between transmitting a control signal (such as status information indicating whether the first circuitry is powered correctly) and a data signal over a communication link from the first circuitry to second circuitry depending upon the magnitude of the voltage rail. For example, when the first circuit is properly powered, the monitor circuit initiates transmission of the data signal over the communication link to the second circuitry. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising: first circuitry; second circuitry, the second circuitry communicatively coupled to receive communications over a communication link from the first circuitry; and the first circuitry including a monitor circuit, the monitor circuit monitoring a voltage rail inputted to power the first circuitry, the monitor circuit controlling transmission of a feedback signal over the communication link to the second circuitry depending upon a magnitude of the voltage rail. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system as in claim 1, wherein the monitor circuit initiates transmission of the feedback signal over the communication link to the second circuitry during conditions in which the magnitude of the voltage rail is detected as being above a threshold value. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system as in claim 2, wherein the feedback signal represents an amount of current delivered by a respective phase in a power supply to power a load, a magnitude of the feedback signal varying within a predefined voltage range. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The system as in claim 3, wherein the monitor circuit prevents transmission of the feedback signal over the communication link to the second circuitry during conditions in which the magnitude of the voltage rail is detected as being below a threshold value. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The system as in claim 3, wherein the feedback signal is a received signal offset by a DC value; and wherein the monitor circuit transmits a reference voltage over the communication link in lieu of transmitting the feedback signal to indicate a condition in which the voltage rail inputted to power the first circuitry is below the threshold value, the reference voltage being outside of the predefined voltage range. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system as in claim 1 further comprising: a first switch; and a second switch, the monitor circuit controlling a state of the first switch to convey the feedback signal over the communication link during conditions in which the first circuitry is properly powered by the voltage rail, the monitor circuit controlling a state of the second switch to convey a reference voltage in lieu of the feedback signal over the communication link during conditions in which the first circuitry is not properly powered by the voltage rail. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system as in claim 1, wherein the voltage rail is a first voltage rail; wherein the monitor circuit, upon initial power up of the second circuitry, initially defaults to producing the feedback signal to a default level to indicate that the first voltage rail is below a threshold value until after a condition in which the monitor circuit detects that the magnitude of the first voltage rail increases above the threshold value; and wherein a voltage analyzer circuit in the second circuitry monitors the feedback signal received over the communication link, the voltage analyzer circuit disabling the second circuitry until detecting a condition in which the feedback signal received over the communication link indicates that the magnitude of the first voltage rail is above the threshold value. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system as in claim 1, wherein the communication link is a first communication link, the system further comprising: a second communication link between the first circuitry and the second circuitry, the second circuitry communicatively coupled to receive communications over the second communication link from the first circuitry; and the first circuitry including a signal generator circuit, the signal generator circuit configured to generate a status signal having a magnitude that falls within a predetermined voltage range; the first circuitry further including a fault detection circuit, the fault detection circuit configured to generate a fault signal for transmission over the second communication link, the fault detection circuit initiating transmission of the fault signal over the second communication link to the second circuitry in response to detecting a fault condition. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system as in claim 8, wherein the fault detection circuit generates the fault signal to be a magnitude that falls outside the predetermined voltage range to indicate occurrence of the fault condition; and wherein the second circuitry includes a monitor resource to detect when communications received over the second communication link fall outside of the predetermined voltage range. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The system as in claim 8, wherein the communication link is a first communication link, the system further comprising: a second communication link between the first circuitry and the second circuitry, the second circuitry communicatively coupled to receive communications over the second communication link from the first circuitry; the first circuitry including a signal generator circuit, the signal generator circuit configured to generate a status signal having a magnitude that falls within a predetermined voltage range; and wherein the monitor circuit initiates transmission of a voltage status signal over the second communication link in lieu of the status signal in response to detecting that the magnitude of the voltage rail is below a threshold value, a magnitude of the voltage status signal falling outside of the predetermined voltage range. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system as in claim 10, wherein the second circuitry is configured to identify which one of multiple phases of a power supply that fails based on communications received over both the first communication link and the second communication link. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The system as in claim 1, wherein the feedback signal is a voltage representative of an amount of current delivered to power a load. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system as in claim 12, wherein the magnitude of the feedback signal transmitted over communication link varies within a predefined voltage range. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The system as in claim 1, wherein the first circuitry includes a switch to electrically couple a circuit producing the feedback signal to the communication link depending on the magnitude of the voltage rail. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system as in claim 14, wherein the first circuitry includes driver circuitry operable to control the switch to an ON state in response to detecting that the magnitude of the voltage rail is above a threshold value. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The system as in claim 14, wherein the first circuitry includes driver circuitry operable to control the switch to an OFF state in response to detecting that the magnitude of the voltage rail is below the threshold value. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The system as in claim 1, wherein the second circuitry is operable to control operation of power supply circuitry depending on a magnitude of the feedback signal. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system as in claim 17, wherein the power supply circuitry controlled by the second circuitry includes high side switch circuitry and low side switch circuitry of a switching power supply; and wherein the second circuitry is operable to control states of the high side switch circuitry and the low side switch circuitry depending on the magnitude of the feedback signal. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The system as in claim 1, wherein the first circuitry is operable to convey a default voltage signal over the communication link in lieu of transmitting the feedback signal over the communication link in response to a condition in which the magnitude of the voltage rail is below a threshold value. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The system as in claim 19, wherein the default voltage signal is set to a magnitude outside of an operational range of the feedback signal to indicate that the voltage rail is below the threshold value. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The system as in claim 1, wherein first circuitry is operable to communicate multiple signals over the communication link at different times, the multiple signals including the feedback signal and a status signal associated with the voltage rail. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) The system as in claim 1, wherein the first circuitry includes switch driver circuitry to drive multiple switches of a switching power supply. ### Claim 23 A system comprising: first circuitry; second circuitry, the second circuitry communicatively coupled to receive communications over a communication link from the first circuitry; and the first circuitry including a monitor circuit, the monitor circuit monitoring a voltage rail inputted to power the first circuitry, the monitor circuit controlling transmission of communications over the communication link to the second circuitry depending upon a magnitude of the voltage rail; and wherein the second circuitry includes a voltage analyzer circuit to analyze a voltage level of the communications received over the communication link from the first circuitry, the voltage analyzer circuit utilizing the voltage level of the communications received over the communication link to produce status information indicating whether the magnitude of the voltage rail is above a threshold value. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The system as in claim 23, wherein the second circuitry includes a notification manager, the notification manager initiating notification of a message on a display screen to indicate a status of powering the first circuitry with the voltage rail. ### Claim 25 (depends on 23) The system as in claim 23, wherein the voltage analyzer circuit prevents activation of power supply control functions in the second circuitry in response to detecting conditions in which the voltage rail used to power the first circuitry is below the threshold value. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The system as in claim 25, wherein the voltage analyzer circuit enables activation of the power supply control functions in the second circuitry in response to detecting conditions in which the voltage rail used to power the first circuitry is above the threshold value. ### Claim 27 A system comprising: first circuitry; second circuitry, the second circuitry communicatively coupled to receive communications over a communication link from the first circuitry; and the first circuitry including a monitor circuit, the monitor circuit monitoring a voltage rail inputted to power the first circuitry, the monitor circuit controlling transmission of communications over the communication link to the second circuitry depending upon a magnitude of the voltage rail; and wherein the second circuitry includes a control signal generator, the control signal generator configured to generate a control signal for transmission over the communication link to a receiver circuit in the first circuitry. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) The system as in claim 27, wherein the first circuitry generates the communications over the communication link to the second circuitry to be within a predetermined voltage range; and wherein the control signal generator communicating from the second circuitry to the first circuitry generates a magnitude of the control signal transmitted over the communication link to be outside of the predetermined voltage range. ### Claim 29 (depends on 28) The system as in claim 28, wherein the first circuitry is switch driver circuitry disposed in a switching power supply; and wherein the control signal generator generates the control signal to deactivate the switch driver circuitry, the receiver circuit in the first circuitry deactivating the switch driver circuitry in response to detecting that the magnitude of the control signal falls outside of the predetermined voltage range.