Back to results
US 2020/0050166 A1Published application
Interface circuit
AssigneeInfineon Technologies AG
InventorThorsten Hinderer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The description that follows relates to a circuit having galvanic isolation. According to an exemplary embodiment, the circuit has a transmission circuit, coupled to a galvanically isolating device, that is designed to transmit a first signal via the galvanically isolating device. The circuit further has a first receiver circuit, coupled to the galvanically isolating device, that is designed to receive the transmitted first signal from the galvanically isolating device. A second receiver circuit coupled to the galvanically isolating device is designed to receive the transmitted first signal from the galvanically isolating device and to take the received first signal as a basis for generating a wake-up signal.
Claims15
1:
- A circuit comprising:
- a galvanically isolating device;
- a transmission circuit, coupled to the galvanically isolating device that is designed to transmit a first signal via the galvanically isolating device;
- a first receiver circuit coupled to the galvanically isolating device that is designed to receive the transmitted first signal from the galvanically isolating device;
- a second receiver circuit, coupled to the galvanically isolating device, that is designed to receive the transmitted first signal from the galvanically isolating device and to take the received first signal as a basis for generating a wake-up signal.
2 more elements
2:
- The circuit according to claim 1, further comprising:
- a first logic circuit designed to receive the received first signal from the first receiver circuit and the wake-up signal from the second receiver circuit;
- wherein the first logic circuit is designed so as in a second mode to deactivate the first receiver circuit and, in response to reception of the wake-up signal, to change from the second mode to a first mode.
3:
- The circuit according to claim 2,
- wherein the second mode is a mode of operation with low power draw.
4:
- The circuit according to claim 2, further comprising:
- a bus driver circuit designed to take the received first signal as a basis for generating a bus signal.
5:
- The circuit according to claim 4,
- wherein the first logic circuit is designed so as in the second mode to deactivate at least parts of the bus driver circuit and to activate them again when changing to the first mode.
6:
- The circuit according to claim 1, further comprising:
- a second logic circuit designed so as in response to the detection of a wake-up event to generate a wake-up request signal that is transmitted as a first signal via the galvanically isolating device.
7:
- The circuit according to claim 6,
- wherein the second logic circuit is further designed to transmit a first data stream as a first signal via the galvanically isolating device, wherein the first signal is received in the first mode by the first receiver circuit, which is designed to take the received first signal as a basis for reconstructing the data stream.
8:
- The circuit according to claim 1,
- wherein the second receiver circuit includes a peak value rectifier having a defined time constant.
9:
- The circuit according to claim 1,
- wherein the second receiver circuit includes a rectifying element and an integrator unit coupled to the rectifying element, wherein the rectifying element is designed to rectify the received first signal and wherein the integrator unit is designed to integrate the rectified signal over a period of time that is dependent on a time constant of the integrator unit.
10:
- The circuit according to claim 1,
- wherein the galvanically isolating device is a coreless transformer.
11:
- A method comprising:
- detecting a wake-up event in a first domain of an interface circuit that has a galvanic isolation, wherein the wake-up event isolates the first domain from the second domain;
- transmitting a wake-up request signal via the galvanic isolation;
- and
- receiving the wake-up request signal by a second reception circuit, arranged in the second domain, while a first reception circuit arranged in the second domain is inactive;
- generating a wake-up signal by the second reception circuit arranged in the second domain, wherein the wake-up signal indicates reception of the wake-up request signal.
3 more elements
12:
- The method according to claim 11, further comprising:
- activating the first reception circuit arranged in the second domain when the wake-up signal indicates reception of the wake-up request signal.
13:
- The method according to claim 11, further comprising:
- triggering a change of mode from a first mode having low power draw to a normal mode of operation;
- and
- transmitting a confirmation signal via the galvanic isolation from the second domain of an interface circuit to the first domain.
1 more element
14:
- The method according to claim 13,
- wherein the transmission of the wake-up request signal via the galvanic isolation is terminated as soon as the confirmation signal is detected in the first domain.
15:
- The method according to claim 11, further comprising:
- checking whether a transmission channel via the galvanic isolation is already being initialized, wherein the transmission of the wake-up request signal via the galvanic isolation is started if the transmission channel is not initialized.