# US 10,321,539 B1 · Input protection circuit

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- Number: US 10,321,539 B1
- Document ID: US10321539B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 15/980,569
- Filed: 2018-05-15
- Granted: 2019-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2018-05-15
- Assignees: Infineon Technologies AG
- Applicants: Infineon Technologies AG
- Inventors: Fausto Borghetti; Fabio Fragiacomo; Davide Ghedin
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10321539B1

## CPC

- H02M 3/1582: {Buck-boost converters (H02M3/1584 takes precedence)}
- H05B 45/37: Converter circuits
- H05B 45/3725: Switched mode power supply [SMPS]
- H05B 45/375: using buck topology
- H05B 45/38: using boost topology
- H05B 45/50: responsive to malfunctions or undesirable behaviour of LEDs; responsive to LED life; Protective circuits
- H02J 2207/20: Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter
- H02M 1/0006: {Arrangements for supplying an adequate voltage to the control circuit of converters}
- H02M 3/07: using capacitors charged and discharged alternately by semiconductor devices with control electrode {, e.g. charge pumps}
- H05B 45/39: Circuits containing inverter bridges
- Y02B 20/30: Semiconductor lamps, e.g. solid state lamps [SSL] light emitting diodes [LED] or organic LED [OLED]
- 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)
- H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
- H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
- Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS

## Abstract

In an example, a circuit includes one or more switches, wherein the circuit is configured to receive a battery voltage from a battery, deliver an input voltage to a controller, deliver an output voltage, and receive signals from the controller. The signals may activate the one or more switches and deactivate the one or more switches and activating the one or more switches and deactivating the one or more switches may control the input voltage to the controller.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A circuit comprising one or more switches, wherein the circuit is configured to:
receive a battery voltage from a battery;
deliver an input voltage to a controller, wherein the input voltage is configured to provide power to circuitry of the controller;
deliver an output voltage; and
receive signals from the controller,
wherein the signals activate the one or more switches and deactivate the one or more switches, and
wherein activating the one or more switches and deactivating the one or more switches increases a magnitude of the input voltage to the controller if the battery voltage is below a voltage threshold.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The circuit of claim 1, wherein the one or more switches comprise a transistor, and wherein the controller is configured to control a gate terminal of the transistor, the circuit comprising:
a capacitor configured to be charged by a current after the transistor turns on, the current being driven by an output voltage; and
an inductor configured to increase the output voltage after the transistor turns off,
wherein the capacitor is configured to increase the magnitude of the input voltage to the controller after the transistor turns off.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The circuit of claim 1, wherein the one or more switches comprise a transistor, and wherein the controller is configured to control a gate terminal of the transistor, the circuit comprising:
a capacitor; and
an inductor configured to charge the capacitor after the transistor turns off,
wherein the capacitor is configured to increase the magnitude of the input voltage to the controller after the transistor turns on.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The circuit of claim 1, wherein the one or more switches comprise a transistor, and wherein the controller is configured to control a gate terminal of the transistor, the circuit comprising:
a capacitor configured to charge after the transistor turns on, the capacitor being charged by a current emitted by the battery; and
an inductor configured to emit an excess current to an output of the circuit after the transistor turns off,
wherein the capacitor is configured to increase the magnitude of the input voltage to the controller after the transistor turns off.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The circuit of claim 1, wherein the one or more switches comprise a transistor, and wherein the controller is configured to control a gate terminal of the transistor, the circuit comprising:
a capacitor configured to charge after the transistor turns off, the capacitor being charged by a current emitted by the battery; and
an inductor configured to emit an excess current to an output of the circuit after the transistor turns off,
wherein the capacitor is configured to increase the magnitude of the input voltage to the controller after the transistor turns on.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The circuit of claim 1, wherein the one or more switches comprises a plurality of transistors, the circuit comprising:
a first transistor;
a second transistor;
a third transistor;
a fourth transistor;
a first capacitor configured to be charged by a current after the first transistor turns on, the current being driven by an output voltage, wherein the third transistor is on and the fourth transistor is off;
a second capacitor; and
an inductor configured to:
increase the output voltage after the first transistor turns off, wherein the third transistor is on and the fourth transistor is off, and
charge the second capacitor after the third transistor turns off, wherein the second transistor is on and the first transistor is off,
wherein the first capacitor is configured to increase the magnitude of the input voltage to the controller after the first transistor turns off while the third transistor is on and the fourth transistor is off, and
wherein the second capacitor is configured to increase the magnitude of the input voltage to the controller after the third transistor turns on while the second transistor is on and the first transistor is off.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The circuit of claim 1, wherein each switch of the one or more switches comprises a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), a bipolar junction transistor (BJT), an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), or a junction field effect transistor (JFET).

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The circuit of claim 1, wherein the voltage threshold is approximately 4.5 Volts.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The circuit of claim 1, wherein the circuit is configured to increase the magnitude of the input voltage to the controller if the battery voltage is above approximately 2 Volts.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The circuit of claim 1, wherein a magnitude of the battery voltage received by the circuit decreases below the voltage threshold in response to delivering the output voltage.

### Claim 11

A system comprising:
a circuit comprising one or more switches;
a battery configured to deliver a battery voltage to power the circuit;
a load configured to be powered by an output voltage delivered by the circuit; and
a controller configured to produce signals activating the one or more switches and deactivating the one or more switches, wherein the circuit is configured to provide an input voltage to the controller, and wherein the input voltage is configured to provide power to circuitry of the controller, and
wherein activating the one or more switches and deactivating the one or more switches increases a magnitude of the input voltage to the controller if the battery voltage is below a voltage threshold.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more switches comprise a transistor, and wherein the controller is configured to control a gate terminal of the transistor, the circuit further comprising:
a capacitor configured to be charged by a current after the transistor turns on, the current being driven by an output voltage; and
an inductor configured to:
increase the output voltage to the load after the transistor turns off, and
deliver an excess current to the load after the transistor turns off,
wherein the capacitor is configured to increase the magnitude of the input voltage to the controller after the transistor turns off.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more switches comprise a transistor, and wherein the controller is configured to control a gate terminal of the transistor, the circuit further comprising:
a capacitor; and
an inductor configured to:
charge the capacitor after the transistor turns off, and
deliver an excess current to the load after the transistor turns off,
wherein the capacitor is configured to increase the magnitude of the input voltage to the controller after the transistor turns on.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more switches comprise a transistor, and wherein the controller is configured to control a gate terminal of the transistor, the circuit further comprising:
a capacitor configured to charge after the transistor turns on, the capacitor being charged by a current emitted by the battery; and
an inductor configured to deliver an excess current to the load after the transistor turns off,
wherein the capacitor is configured to increase the magnitude of the input voltage to the controller after the transistor turns off.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more switches comprise a transistor, and wherein the controller is configured to control a gate terminal of the transistor, the circuit further comprising:
a capacitor configured to charge after the transistor turns off, the capacitor being charged by a current emitted by the battery; and
an inductor configured to deliver an excess current to the load after the transistor turns off,
wherein the capacitor is configured to increase the magnitude of the input voltage to the controller after the transistor turns on.

### Claim 16 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the battery is further configured to power a starter motor, the starter motor configured to rotate an internal combustion engine.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16, wherein in response to the battery powering the starter motor, the battery voltage delivered to the circuit is decreased.

### Claim 18 (depends on 11)

The circuit of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to control at least one light-emitting diode (LED), wherein controlling the at least one LED comprises regulating current and voltage delivered to the at least one LED.

### Claim 19 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein a magnitude of the battery voltage delivered to the circuit decreases below the voltage threshold in response to the circuit delivering the output voltage to the load.

### Claim 20

A method comprising:
receiving, by a circuit comprising one or more switches, a battery voltage from a battery;
delivering, by the circuit, an output voltage to a load;
delivering, by the circuit, an input voltage to a controller configured to activate the one or more switches and deactivate the one or more switches, wherein the input voltage is configured to provide power to circuitry of the controller;
determining, by the controller, a voltage value of the battery voltage; and
increasing, with the circuit, a magnitude of the input voltage to the controller in response to determining that the voltage value of the battery voltage is below a voltage threshold.