SMART SWITCH WITH OVERCURRENT PROTECTION IN STANDBY MODE
An emergency overcurrent protection circuit in smart semiconductor switches addresses the power consumption and protection gap in idle mode by detecting and responding to fast transients, ensuring safe transitions and reducing power consumption.
DE102024100120B4Active Publication Date: 2026-07-02INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AG
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Patent Information
- Application Number
- DE102024100120
- Authority / Receiving Office
- DE · DE
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-01-03
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-02
- Estimated Expiration
- 2044-01-03
AI Technical Summary
Technical Problem
Smart semiconductor switches face the challenge of power consumption during idle mode, where conventional overcurrent protection is unavailable, leading to potential device damage from rapid current transients during mode transitions.
Method used
An emergency overcurrent protection circuit with fast response times is integrated to detect and respond to fast current transients in idle mode, ensuring the power transistor is protected until conventional protection becomes active.
Benefits of technology
The additional overcurrent protection effectively safeguards the power transistor during mode transitions by distinguishing between normal and short-circuit conditions, reducing power consumption and preventing damage.
✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.
Abstract
Circuit (10) which features: a power transistor (T L ), which is connected between a supply port (VS) and an output port (OUT); a control circuit (11) which is connected to a control electrode of the power transistor (T L ) coupled and designed to carry a control current (I G ) to apply to the control electrode in order to activate the power transistor (T L ) to turn on or off; and an overcurrent protection circuit (15) connected to the power transistor (T L ) is connected, wherein the circuit (10) can be in a first mode in which some functions of the circuit (10) are inactive in order to reduce power consumption, and in a second mode in which all functions of the circuit (10) are active; and the overcurrent protection circuit (15) is designed to: when the circuit (10) is in the first mode and a sense signal (ΔV) BE ), which is based on the power transistor (T L ) flowing load current (I L ) suggests that a first threshold has been reached, causing the circuit to switch from the first mode to the second mode, which requires a certain transition time that begins when the sense signal (ΔV) BE ) reached the first threshold, and when the sense signal (ΔV BE ) has reached a second threshold, during the transition period output a discharge signal (DIS) that leads to a reduction in the control current (I G ), which is applied to the control electrode.
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