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US 12,003,089 B2Granted
Short to ground protection and automatic recovery
AssigneeMicrochip Technology Incorporated
InventorsChristopher Twigg, Zbigniew Lata, Fernando Gonzalez
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus includes a single sense pin connected to a line of a device connected to the apparatus, a gate pin configured to produce a gate signal to enable or disable a switch connected between the line of the device connected to the apparatus and a system ground, and control logic. The control logic is configured to at the single sense pin, determine a short between the device and the system ground, and, based upon the determination of the short, disable the switch.
Claims17
An apparatus, comprising:
- a single sense pin connected to a line of a device connected to the apparatus;
- a gate pin to produce a gate signal to enable or disable a switch connected between the line of the device connected to the apparatus and a system ground;
- and
- a control logic to:
- enable a current source applied to the single sense pin to apply a first current to be received at the sense pin, the first current to cause a voltage drop across an offset resistor external to the apparatus on the line of the device connected to the apparatus, the switch, or a combination of the offset resistor and the switch, the voltage drop to indicate a short circuit when a magnitude of the voltage drop is above a threshold;
- at the single sense pin, determine the short circuit between the device and the system ground;
- and
- based upon the determination of the short, disable the switch.
5 more elements
A method, comprising:
- at a gate pin, producing a gate signal to enable or disable a switch connected between a line of a device and a system ground;
- enabling a current source applied to a single sense pin connected to a line of the device to apply a first current to be received at the single sense pin, the first current to cause a voltage drop across an offset resistor external to the apparatus on the line of the device, the switch, or a combination of the offset resistor and the switch, the voltage drop to indicate a short circuit when a magnitude of the voltage drop is above a threshold;
- at the single sense pin, determining the short circuit between the device and the system ground;
- based on a determination of the short circuit between the device and the system ground, disabling the switch.
1 more element
A system, comprising:
- a single sense pin connected to a line, the line to connect the system and a connector to an external device;
- a switch coupled between the line and system ground;
- a gate pin to produce a gate signal to enable or disable the switch connected between the line of the external device connected to the apparatus and a system ground;
- and
- a control logic to:
- enable a current source applied to the single sense pin to apply a first current to be received at the single sense pin, the first current to cause a voltage drop across an offset resistor external to the apparatus on the line of the external device connected to the apparatus, the switch, or a combination of the offset resistor and the switch, the voltage drop to indicate a short circuit when a magnitude of the voltage drop is above a threshold;
- at the single sense pin, determine the short circuit between the external device and the system ground;
- and
- based upon the determination of the short, disable the switch.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.