# US 11,452,194 B2 · Device and circuit for protecting controlled loads, and apparatus for switching between loads > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,452,194 B2 - Document ID: US11452194B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/013,532 - Filed: 2020-09-04 - Published: 2021-06-10 - Granted: 2022-09-20 - Earliest claimed: 2019-12-04 - Assignees: Savant Technologies LLC - Applicants: Consumer Lighting (U.S.), LLC - Inventors: Pengfei Wang; Xin Zhou; Fanbin Wang; Chengbin Liu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11452194B2 ## CPC - H05B 45/52: in a parallel array of LEDs - H05B 47/24: Circuit arrangements for protecting against overvoltage - H02H 3/087: for DC applications - H02H 3/202: {for DC systems} - H02H 7/20: for electronic equipment (for converters H02H7/10; for electric measuring instruments G01R1/36; for DC voltage or current semiconductor regulators G05F1/569; for amplifiers H03F1/52; for electronic switching circuits H03K17/08) - H05B 45/44: with an active control inside an LED matrix - H05B 45/50: responsive to malfunctions or undesirable behaviour of LEDs; responsive to LED life; Protective circuits - Y02B 20/30: Semiconductor lamps, e.g. solid state lamps [SSL] light emitting diodes [LED] or organic LED [OLED] - H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL - H02H: EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS (indicating or signalling undesired working conditions G01R, e.g. G01R31/00, G08B; locating faults along lines G01R31/08; emergency protective devices H01H) - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS ## Abstract The disclosure relates to a device and a circuit for protecting controlled loads, and an apparatus for switching between the loads. The device includes: a plurality of load switches, comprising at least first and second load switches, wherein the first and second load switches are respectively in series connection with first and second controlled loads to form first and second controlled load branches in parallel connection, and each load switch is turned on when a switch control terminal is in a first voltage/current interval and turned off when the switch control terminal is in a second voltage/current interval; and a signal control module, including a signal control element, wherein the signal control element is switched between the switch control terminals of the first and second load switches for connection, and the signal control element enables, when being connected to the switch control terminal, the corresponding switch control terminal to be in the second voltage/current interval, and enables, when being disconnected from the switch control terminal, the corresponding control terminal to be in the first voltage/current interval. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A device for protecting controlled loads, comprising: a plurality of load switches, comprising at least a first load switch and a second load switch, wherein the first load switch is in series connection with a first controlled load to form a first controlled load branch, the second load switch is in series connection with a second controlled load to form a second controlled load branch, the first controlled load branch is in parallel connection with the second controlled load branch, and each of the first load switch and the second load switch comprises a switch control terminal, and is turned on when a potential/current of a corresponding switch control terminal is in a first voltage/current interval and turned off when the potential/current of the corresponding switch control terminal is in a second voltage/current interval; and a signal control module, comprising a signal control element, wherein one end of the signal control element is switched between the switch control terminal of the first load switch and the switch control terminal of the second load switch for connection, and the end of the signal control element enables, when being connected to the switch control terminal of any of the first load switch and the second load switch, the potential/current of the corresponding switch control terminal to be in the second voltage/current interval and enables, when being disconnected from the switch control terminal of any of the first load switch and the second load switch, the potential/current of the corresponding switch control terminal to be in the first voltage/current interval. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein the signal control module further comprises a voltage control loop, the voltage control loop comprises at least a first voltage branch and a second voltage branch in parallel connection, each of the first voltage branch and the second voltage branch is provided with a power supply side load, one end of which is connected to a power supply of the voltage control loop, the other end of the power supply side load in the first voltage branch is connected to a first connection point, the other end of the power supply side load in the second voltage branch is connected to a second connection point, the first connection point is connected to the switch control terminal of the first load switch, and the second connection point is connected to the switch control terminal of the second load switch; and wherein the end of the signal control element is switched between the switch control terminal of the first load switch and the switch control terminal of the second load switch for connection through switching between the first connection point and the second connection point for connection. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The device according to claim 2, wherein each of the first voltage branch and the second voltage branch is further provided with a ground load, and the first connection point and the second connection point are grounded respectively via the ground loads. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The device according to claim 3, wherein the signal control element comprises: a first voltage control switch in parallel connection with the ground load in the first voltage branch; a second voltage control switch in parallel connection with the ground load in the second voltage branch; and a signal control unit, wherein one end of the signal control unit is connected to the power supply of the voltage control loop, the other end of the signal control unit enables, when being connected to the switch control terminal of the first voltage control switch, the signal control element to be connected to the first connection point, and the other end of the signal control unit enables, when being connected to the switch control terminal of the second voltage control switch, the signal control element to be connected to the second connection point. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The device according to claim 2, wherein the first voltage branch is formed by the power supply side load and the signal control element in series connection, and the second voltage branch is formed by the power supply side load and the signal control element in series connection. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein each of the first load switch and the second load switch comprises a MOS tube, and the switch control terminal of each of the first load switch and the second load switch is a gate of the MOS tube; or each of the first load switch and the second load switch comprises a triode, and the switch control terminal of each of the first load switch and the second load switch is a base of the triode. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein each of the first load switch and the second load switch further comprises any of an optical coupler, a relay and a silicon controlled rectifier. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The device according to claim 6, wherein each of the first load switch and the second load switch comprises an N-type MOS tube, the first voltage/current interval is a voltage interval in which voltage is greater than or equal to a turn-on voltage of the N-type MOS tube, and the second voltage/current interval is a voltage interval in which voltage is smaller than the turn-on voltage of the N-type MOS tube. ### Claim 9 (depends on 4) The device according to claim 4, wherein each of the first voltage control switch and the second voltage control switch comprises a MOS tube, and the switch control terminal of each of the first voltage control switch and the second voltage control switch is a gate of the MOS tube; or each of the first voltage control switch and the second voltage control switch comprises a triode, and the switch control terminal of each of the first voltage control switch and the second voltage control switch is a base of the triode. ### Claim 10 A circuit for protecting controlled loads, comprising: a plurality of controlled load branches in parallel connection, comprising at least a first controlled load branch and a second controlled load branch, wherein each controlled load branch is formed by a corresponding controlled load and a load switch in series connection, and each load switch comprises a switch control terminal and is turned on when a potential/current of the switch control terminal is in a first voltage/current interval and turned off when the potential/current of the switch control terminal is in a second voltage/current interval; and a signal control module, comprising a signal control element, wherein one end of the signal control element is switched between the switch control terminal of a first load switch in the first controlled load branch and the switch control terminal of a second load switch in the second controlled load branch for connection, and the end of the signal control element enables, when being connected to the switch control terminal of any of the first load switch and the second load switch, the potential/current of a corresponding switch control terminal to be in the second voltage/current interval and enables, when being disconnected from the switch control terminal of any of the first load switch and the second load switch, the potential/current of the corresponding switch control terminal to be in the first voltage/current interval. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The circuit according to claim 10, wherein the signal control module further comprises a voltage control loop, the voltage control loop comprises at least a first voltage branch and a second voltage branch in parallel connection, each of the first voltage branch and the second voltage branch is provided with a power supply side load, one end of which is connected to a power supply of the voltage control loop, the other end of the power supply side load in the first voltage branch is connected to a first connection point, the other end of the power supply side load in the second voltage branch is connected to a second connection point, the first connection point is connected to the switch control terminal of the first load switch, and the second connection point is connected to the switch control terminal of the second load switch; and wherein the end of the signal control element is switched between the switch control terminal of the first load switch and the switch control terminal of the second load switch for connection through switching between the first connection point and the second connection point for connection. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The circuit according to claim 11, wherein each of the first voltage branch and the second voltage branch is further provided with a ground load, and the first connection point and the second connection point are grounded respectively via the ground loads. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The circuit according to claim 12, wherein the signal control element comprises: a first voltage control switch in parallel connection with the ground load in the first voltage branch; a second voltage control switch in parallel connection with the ground load in the second voltage branch; and a signal control unit, wherein one end of the signal control unit is connected to the power supply of the voltage control loop, the other end of the signal control unit enables, when being connected to the switch control terminal of the first voltage control switch, the signal control element to be connected to the first connection point, and the other end of the signal control unit enables, when being connected to the switch control terminal of the second voltage control switch, the signal control element to be connected to the second connection point. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The circuit according to claim 11, wherein the first voltage branch is formed by the power supply side load and the signal control element in series connection, and the second voltage branch is formed by the power supply side load and the signal control element in series connection. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The circuit according to claim 10, wherein each of the first load switch and the second load switch comprises a MOS tube, and the switch control terminal of each of the first load switch and the second load switch is a gate of the MOS tube; or each of the first load switch and the second load switch comprises a triode, and the switch control terminal of each of the first load switch and the second load switch is a base of the triode. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The circuit according to claim 10, wherein each of the first load switch and the second load switch further comprises any of an optical coupler, a relay and a silicon controlled rectifier. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The circuit according to claim 15, wherein each of the first load switch and the second load switch comprises an N-type MOS tube, the first voltage/current interval is a voltage interval in which voltage is greater than or equal to a turn-on voltage of the N-type MOS tube, and the second voltage/current interval is a voltage interval in which voltage is smaller than the turn-on voltage of the N-type MOS tube. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The circuit according to claim 13, wherein each of the first voltage control switch and the second voltage control switch comprises a MOS tube, and the switch control terminal of each of the first voltage control switch and the second voltage control switch is a gate of the MOS tube; or each of the first voltage control switch and the second voltage control switch comprises a triode, and the switch control terminal of each of the first voltage control switch and the second voltage control switch is a base of the triode. ### Claim 19 (depends on 10) An apparatus for switching between loads, comprising: the circuit for protecting the controlled loads according to claim 10; a logic control module, configured to receive a control signal, and perform logic switch control on the circuit for protecting the controlled loads in response to the control signal; and a switch control module, configured to provide the logic control module with the control signal indicating switching between controlled load branches in the circuit.