# US 9,519,013 B2 · Mode-controlled voltage excursion detector apparatus and a method of operating thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,519,013 B2 - Document ID: US9519013B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/445,679 - Filed: 2014-07-29 - Published: 2016-02-04 - Granted: 2016-12-13 - Earliest claimed: 2014-07-29 - Assignees: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. - Applicants: Manfred Thanner; Carl Culshaw; Sunny Gupta - Inventors: Manfred Thanner; Carl Culshaw; Sunny Gupta - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9519013B2 ## CPC - G01R 19/16552: {in I.C. power supplies} - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) ## Abstract A mode-controlled voltage excursion detector apparatus for monitoring a supply voltage of a power supply applied to a load and a method of operating thereof is described. A voltage monitor is configured to detect an excursion event if the supply voltage exceeds or falls below at least one defined threshold, to generate an excursion event signal upon detection of the excursion event and to provide the generated excursion event signal to the excursion event output for being outputted via an excursion event output. A sensitivity control module is configured to receive a signal indicative of potential voltage excursions. A sensitivity control module is further operatively coupled to the sensitivity control input and configured to disable the outputting of an excursion event signal generated during a defined period of time in response to the reception of the signal, which triggers the disabling of the outputting. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A mode-controlled voltage excursion detector apparatus for monitoring a supply voltage of a power supply applied to a load, the detector apparatus comprising: at least one voltage input operatively coupled to the power supply; an excursion event output for outputting voltage excursion event signals from the detector apparatus; a sensitivity control input for receiving from a mode entry module a signal indicative of potential voltage excursions, the signal comprising information about a current operation mode of the load; a voltage monitor operatively coupled to the at least one voltage input and the excursion event output, wherein the voltage monitor is configured to monitor the supply voltage, to detect an excursion event if the supply voltage exceeds or falls below at least one defined threshold, to generate from the voltage monitor an excursion event signal of the voltage excursion event signals upon detection of the excursion event and to provide the generated excursion event signal to the excursion event output of the detector apparatus for being outputted; and a sensitivity control module operatively coupled to the sensitivity control input and configured to receive the signal indicative of the potential voltage excursions from the sensitivity control input, wherein the sensitivity control module is further coupled to the voltage monitor and configured to disable the outputting of an excursion event signal generated during a defined period of time in response to the reception of the signal, which triggers the disabling of the outputting. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the voltage monitor further comprises at least one of an overvoltage monitor configured to detect an excursion event if the supply voltage exceeds an overvoltage threshold; and an undervoltage monitor configured to detect an excursion event if the supply voltage falls below an undervoltage threshold. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the detector apparatus further comprises: a switching element operatively coupled to the sensitivity control module and interconnected between the voltage monitor and the excursion event output, wherein the sensitivity control module is configured to operatively control the switching element to disconnect the voltage monitor and the excursion event output during the defined period of time in response to the reception of the signal. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the sensitivity control module is further configured to adjust the at least one threshold during the defined period of time such that the potential voltage excursion, expected to occur at the defined period of time, is masked from being detected the defined period of time in response to the reception of the signal. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The device of claim 4, wherein the detector apparatus further comprises: a reference source operatively coupled to the voltage monitor, wherein the reference source is provided to generate at least one reference signal, which is supplied to the voltage monitor, wherein the at least one reference signal is representative of the at least one defined threshold. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The device of claim 5, wherein the reference source is operatively coupled to and operably controlled by sensitivity control module, which is configured to adjust the at least one reference signal generated by the reference source. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the signal is received from the load, wherein the signal comprises information relating to an operation mode of the load. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The device of claim 7, wherein the signal comprises information about a current operation mode of the load, wherein the sensitivity control module is configured to detect a mode transition by comparing the information about the current operation mode with information about a previous operation mode stored at the sensitivity control module. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The device of claim 7, wherein the signal comprises information indicative of mode transition currently performed at the load. ### Claim 10 A method of operating a mode-controlled voltage excursion detector apparatus comprises method steps of monitoring a supply voltage of a power supply applied to a load, receiving, from a mode entry module, a signal indicative of potential voltage excursions, the signal comprising information about a current operation mode of the load; and disabling the outputting, from the detector apparatus, of an excursion event signal generated during a defined period of time in response to the reception of the signal indicative of potential voltage excursions, which triggers the disabling of the outputting, wherein the mode-controlled voltage excursion detector apparatus is capable of monitoring the supply voltage; detecting an excursion event if the supply voltage exceeds or falls below at least one defined threshold; generating the excursion event signal upon detection of the excursion event; and providing the generated excursion event signal to the excursion event output for being outputted via an excursion event output. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the detecting of an excursion event comprises at least one of detecting an excursion event if the supply voltage exceeds an overvoltage threshold; and detecting an excursion event if the supply voltage falls below an undervoltage threshold. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the disabling of the outputting of the excursion event signal comprises: disconnecting the excursion event output in order to disable the outputting of excursion event signals. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the disabling of the outputting of the excursion event signal comprises: adjusting, at an internal reference of the mode-controlled voltage excursion detector apparatus, by a sensitivity control of the mode-controlled voltage excursion detector apparatus, the at least one defined threshold of the mode-controlled voltage excursion detector apparatus during the defined period of time such that a voltage excursion, which is expected to occur at the defined period of time, is masked from being detected, to effect the disabling the outputting of the excursion event signal generated during the defined period of time in response to the reception of the signal indicative of potential voltage excursions. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: delaying, by the mode-controlled voltage excursion detector apparatus, the disabling of the outputting of the excursion event signal by a defined period of time.