Protection circuit, corresponding system and method
AssigneeSTMicroelectronics S.r.l.
InventorRomeo Letor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Described herein is a method including measuring a current in a wire, normalizing the measured current, and comparing the normalized measured current to a control curve. The control curve is a function of a series of normalized current magnitudes and reaction times for corresponding ones of that series of normalized current magnitudes. The method further includes limiting the current in the wire based upon the comparison. The reaction times for ones of the series of normalized current magnitudes are times at which current limitation would occur if the normalized current remained at an associated normalized current magnitude.
Claims15
A method, comprising:
- measuring a current in a wire;
- normalizing the measured current to generate a normalized measured current;
- comparing the normalized measured current to a control curve, wherein the control curve is a function of a series of normalized current magnitudes and reaction times for corresponding ones of that series of normalized current magnitudes;
- and
- limiting the current in the wire based upon the comparison;
- wherein the reaction times for ones of the series of normalized current magnitudes are times at which current limitation would occur if the normalized measured current remained at an associated normalized current magnitude.
A method, comprising:
- measuring a current in a wire;
- normalizing the measured current to generate a normalized measured current;
- comparing the normalized measured current in the wire to a control curve, wherein the control curve is a function of a series of normalized current magnitudes and reaction times for corresponding ones of that series of normalized current magnitudes;
- counting in a first count direction if the normalized measured current exceeds a reference value;
- counting in a second count direction opposite to the first count direction as a result of the normalized measured current being less than the reference value;
- and
- limiting the current when the count equals a limit value;
- wherein the reaction times for ones of the series of normalized current magnitudes are times at which current limitation would occur if the normalized measured current remained at an associated normalized current magnitude.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.