Overcurrent-detection circuit

Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Safety and protection of systems and devices – Voltage regulator protective circuits

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323315, H02H 710

Patent

active

051595168

ABSTRACT:
An improved overcurrent-detection circuit for detecting overcurrent condition of a main current flowing through a semiconductor power device uses a constant-current device to provide a proportionally enhanced potential difference representative of increases in such current. The proportionally enhanced potential difference increases the accuracy of measuring the current flowing between first and second main-current terminals of the semiconductor power device, thereby providing more accurate overcurrent detection, without requiring an increase in the accuracy of a voltage comparator. The power semiconductor device is coupled to a current-mirror element having a shunt-current terminal. The overcurrent-detection circuit incorporates a constant-current device connected between the second main-current terminal and the shunt-current terminal. The constant-current device maintains the shunt current at a substantially constant level, after the shunt current rises to a predetermined level. The overcurrent-detection circuit also incorporates determining means, which is coupled across the constant-current device and includes a voltage comparator. The voltage comparator provides an overcurrent-detection signal when the potential difference across the constant-current device exceeds a predetermined voltage. The overcurrent-detection signal is used to control the main current of the semiconductor power device. The present invention provides an overcurrent-detection circuit with superior overcurrent-detection accuracy using conventional power-IC manufacturing technology.

REFERENCES:
patent: 4703390 (1987-10-01), Fay et al.
patent: 5027251 (1991-06-01), Hirota et al.

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