System and method for multi-level electronic protection using combination of current sensing and temperature sensing

Abstract

An apparatus includes a current sense resistor configured to receive a supply current for one or more devices. The apparatus also includes a current sense amplifier configured to amplify a voltage across the current sense resistor. The apparatus further includes a comparator configured to compare the amplified voltage from the current sense amplifier to a reference voltage. In addition, the apparatus includes an octal driver configured to receive the supply current from the current sense resistor and to control one or more device outputs associated with the one or more devices. The apparatus may also include an optocoupler configured to receive an output from the comparator and, based on the output, control an output enable pin of the octal driver. There could be multiple resistors, amplifiers, comparators, drivers, and optocouplers arranged in multiple circuit branches, which could be configured to control multiple device outputs associated with different groups of devices.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.