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US 10,627,838 B1Granted
Comparator with adaptive sense voltage clamp
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorMitsuyori Saito
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system includes a monitored component and a comparator configured to compare a sense voltage from the monitored component with a reference voltage. The system also includes an adaptive input clamping circuit configured to limit the sense voltage input to the comparator to below an upper threshold voltage.
Claims19
A system, comprising:
- a monitored component;
- and
- a comparator configured to compare a sense voltage from the monitored component with a reference voltage;
- and
- an adaptive input clamping circuit configured to limit the sense voltage input to the comparator to below an upper threshold voltage, the adaptive input clamping circuit including:
- a high-level clamp circuit configured to limit the sense voltage input to the comparator to below the upper threshold voltage, the high-level clamp circuit having:
- a first transistor;
- and
- a second transistor, each of the first and second transistors having a control terminal, a first current terminal, and a second current terminal, and
- wherein the control terminals of the first and second transistors are coupled to a high-level control node.
7 more elements
A device, comprising:
- a comparator circuit configured to compare a sense voltage with a reference voltage and to provide a comparison output, wherein the comparator circuit comprises:
- an input transistor pair that includes a reference voltage input node and sense voltage input node;
- a current mirror transistor pair;
- and
- an adaptive clamping circuit configured to limit the sense voltage input to the sense voltage input node below an upper threshold voltage, wherein the adaptive clamping circuit including:
- a high-level clamp circuit configured to limit the sense voltage provided to the sense voltage input node below an upper threshold voltage, the high-level clamp circuit having:
- a first transistor;
- and
- a second transistor, each of the first and second transistors having a control terminal, a first current terminal, and a second current terminal, and
- wherein the control terminals of the first and second transistors are coupled to a high-level control node.
7 more elements
An integrated circuit, comprising:
- a comparator circuit having:
- an input transistor pair that includes a sense voltage input node;
- a current mirror transistor pair;
- and
- cascoded transistors with current terminals in series between respective current terminals of the input transistor pairs and respective current terminals of the current mirror transistors;
- and
- an adaptive clamp circuit for the comparator circuit, wherein the adaptive clamp circuit comprises:
- a first transistor and a second transistor, each of the first and second transistors having a control terminal, a first current terminal, and a second current terminal, wherein the control terminals of the first and second transistors are coupled to a common-mode voltage node for the comparator circuit.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.