Voltage clamp circuit
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorTien-Ling Hsieh
Life of this patent
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Abstract
One example includes a voltage clamp circuit. The voltage clamp circuit includes a comparator loop circuit. The comparator loop circuit includes a comparator configured to compare an input voltage provided at an input node with a clamping voltage. The comparator loop circuit also includes a transistor network interconnecting a voltage rail and the input node. The comparator can be configured to activate the transistor network to set the input voltage to be approximately equal to the clamping voltage in response to the input voltage exceeding the corresponding clamping voltage.
Claims20
A voltage clamp circuit comprising:
- a comparator loop circuit comprising:
- a comparator configured to compare an input voltage provided at an input node with a clamping voltage;
- and
- a transistor network interconnecting a voltage rail and the input node, the comparator being configured to activate the transistor network to set the input voltage to be approximately equal to the clamping voltage in response to the input voltage exceeding the clamping voltage.
A voltage clamp circuit comprising:
- a first comparator loop circuit comprising a first comparator configured to compare an input voltage with a low clamping voltage and to assert an output in response to the input voltage decreasing less than the low clamping voltage to activate a first transistor network to set the input voltage approximately equal to the low clamping voltage;
- and
- a second comparator loop circuit comprising a second comparator configured to compare the input voltage with a high clamping voltage and to assert an output in response to the input voltage increasing greater than the high clamping voltage to activate a second transistor network set the input voltage approximately equal to the high clamping voltage.
An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) circuit system comprising:
- an input resistor connected between an analog voltage input and an ADC input node;
- a voltage clamp circuit coupled to the ADC input node, the voltage clamp circuit comprising a comparator loop circuit, the comparator loop circuit comprising:
- a comparator configured to compare an input voltage provided at an input node with a clamping voltage;
- and
- a transistor network interconnecting a voltage rail and the input node, the comparator being configured to activate the transistor network to set the input voltage to be approximately equal to the clamping voltage in response to the input voltage exceeding the corresponding clamping voltage;
- and
- an ADC coupled to the ADC input node and being configured to generate a digital signal based on the input voltage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.