US 10,320,346 B2Granted

Bidirectional current sense amplifier

AssigneeSemiconductor Components Industries, LLC

InventorRazvan Puscasu

Life of this patent

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Abstract

In a general aspect, a current sense amplifier circuit (CSA) can include a null amplifier path and a main amplifier path that are both configured to receive a differential input voltage. The null amplifier path can output a first differential output voltage based on the differential input voltage. The main amplifier path can also be configured to receive the first differential output voltage and output a second differential output voltage based on the differential input voltage and the first differential output voltage. The null and main amplifier paths can each include a differential amplifier having first and second input stages that are each configured to receive the differential input voltage. The first input stage and the second input stage of the main amplifier path can and be powered by a respective (first and second) floating voltage supply rails that are referenced to a floating ground rail.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A current sense amplifier circuit comprising:

a null amplifier path configured to receive a differential input voltage and to output a first differential output voltage based on the differential input voltage;
and
a main amplifier path configured to:
receive the differential input voltage;
receive the first differential output voltage;
and
output a second differential output voltage based on the differential input voltage and the first differential output voltage,
each of the null amplifier path and the main amplifier path including a differential amplifier having a first input stage and a second input stage that are each configured to receive the differential input voltage,
the first input stage of the main amplifier path being powered by a first floating voltage supply rail that is referenced to a floating ground rail,
the second input stage of the main amplifier path being powered by a second floating voltage supply rail that is referenced to the floating ground rail,
the first input stage of the null amplifier path being powered by a third floating voltage supply rail that is referenced to the floating ground rail, and
the second input stage of the null amplifier path being powered by a fourth floating voltage supply rail that is referenced to the floating ground rail.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/877,804Filed 23 Jan 2018 · us provisional application
Priority: 23 Aug 2017
Published: US 2019/0068144 A128 Feb 2019
Granted: 11 Jun 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

H03F 3/393
With semiconductor devices only: with field-effect devices
H03F 1/0233
Continuous control: by using a signal derived from the output signal, e.g. bootstrapping the voltage supply
H03F 3/4521
Using MOSFET transistors as the active amplifying circuit: complementary long tailed pairs having parallel inputs and being supplied in parallel
H03F 3/45219
Complementary long tailed pairs having parallel inputs and being supplied in parallel: folded cascode stages

Family

Application62/549,411Us provisional application · filed 23 Aug 2017
US 2019/0068144 A1Pre-grant publication · published 28 Feb 2019
US 10,320,346 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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