Invention Grant
- Patent Title: Current drivers that utilize short circuit protection
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Application No.: US14497062Application Date: 2014-09-25
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Publication No.: US09793709B2Publication Date: 2017-10-17
- Inventor: Gregory H. Smith , Son T. Vo , Kenneth A. Seidner , Troy Cobb , Shamoon Sikora
- Applicant: The Boeing Company
- Applicant Address: US IL Chicago
- Assignee: The Boeing Company
- Current Assignee: The Boeing Company
- Current Assignee Address: US IL Chicago
- Agency: Duft Bornsen & Fettig LLP
- Main IPC: H02H11/00
- IPC: H02H11/00 ; H02H3/10 ; H02M1/32 ; H02M3/156 ; H02M1/00

Abstract:
Embodiments described herein provide short circuit detection capabilities for current drivers. One embodiment includes a controller and a current driver. The current driver includes a power switch circuit that couples a supply rail to a high side of a load in response to receiving a drive signal. The current driver further includes a continuity circuit that couples the supply rail to the high side and indicates to the controller whether a first current flow to the high side exceeds a first threshold. The current driver further includes a current sense circuit that couples a low side of the load to ground and indicates to the controller whether a second current flow from the low side exceeds a second threshold. The controller identifies, based on the first current flow, the second current flow, and the drive signal, a plurality of short circuit conditions that may exist at the current driver.
Public/Granted literature
- US20160094025A1 CURRENT DRIVERS THAT UTILIZE SHORT CIRCUIT PROTECTION Public/Granted day:2016-03-31
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