Voltage switching device and method

• US 10,063,225 B1
• Filed: 06/11/2017
• Issued: 08/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nanya Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nanya Technology Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Chih-Jen, Hsu, Ting-Shuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Cole, Brandon S
• Application Number:
  US15/619,537
• Time in Patent Office: 443 Days
• Field of Search: 327108-112, 327365-508, 326 22- 27, 326 81- 87
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/063 in field-effect transistor switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/162 without feedback from the output circuit to the control circuit

Abstract

A voltage switching device includes a receiver, a voltage controlled switch, a voltage detector and a first switch circuit. The voltage controlled switch is connected between an input data terminal and the receiver. The first voltage generator circuit is configured to provide a first voltage. The voltage detector is configured to output a first logic signal while detecting the first voltage higher than a predetermined voltage. The first switch circuit is connected between the first voltage generator circuit and the voltage controlled switch, the first switch circuit is turned on according to the first logic signal, so that the voltage controlled switch is turned on by the first voltage, and data are transmitted from the input data terminal to the receiver.

Claims

1. A voltage switching device, comprising:

a receiver;

a voltage controlled switch connected between an input data terminal and the receiver;

a first voltage generator circuit configured to provide a first voltage;

a voltage detector configured to output a first logic signal while detecting the first voltage higher than a predetermined voltage;

a first switch circuit connected between the first voltage generator circuit and the voltage controlled switch, the first switch circuit being turned on according to the first logic signal, so that the voltage controlled switch is turned on by the first voltage, and data are transmitted from the input data terminal to the receiver;

a second voltage generator circuit configured to provide a second voltage after the voltage detector outputs a second logic signal while detecting the first voltage dropped lower than the predetermined voltage; and

a second switch circuit connected between the second voltage generator circuit and the voltage controlled switch, wherein the first switch circuit is turned off according to the second logic signal, and the second switch circuit is turned on according to the second logic signal, so that the voltage controlled switch is turned on by the second voltage, and the data are transmitted from the input data terminal to the receiver,

wherein the first switch circuit comprises;

a first semiconductor switch connected between the first voltage generator circuit and the voltage controlled switch; and

a first inverter connected between the voltage detector and the first switch, wherein when the voltage detector outputs the first logic signal, the first inverter inverts the first logic signal into the second logic signal to turn on the first semiconductor switch, so that the first voltage generator circuit outputs the first voltage to turn on the voltage controlled switch through the first semiconductor switch.

2. The voltage switching device of claim 1, wherein the first logic signal is a logic high level signal, the second logic signal is a logic low level signal, and the first semiconductor switch is a PMOS transistor.

3. The voltage switching device of claim 1, wherein the second switch circuit comprises:

a second semiconductor switch connected between the second voltage generator circuit and the voltage controlled switch; and

a second inverter connected between the voltage detector and the second voltage generator circuit, wherein when the voltage detector outputs the second logic signal to the first inverter, the second inverter and the second semiconductor switch, wherein the first inverter inverts the second logic signal into the first logic signal to turn off the first semiconductor switch, the second inverter inverts the second logic signal into the first logic signal to enable the second voltage generator circuit, and the second semiconductor switch is turned on by the second logic signal, so that the enabled first voltage generator circuit outputs the second voltage to turn on the voltage controlled switch through the second semiconductor switch.

4. The voltage switching device of claim 3, wherein the first logic signal is a logic high level signal, the second logic signal is a logic low level signal, and the second semiconductor switch is a PMOS transistor.

5. The voltage switching device of claim 4, wherein the voltage controlled switch is a NMOS transistor.

6. A voltage switching device, comprising:

a first voltage generator circuit configured to provide a first voltage;

a first switch circuit connected between the first voltage generator circuit and a voltage controlled switch, wherein the voltage controlled switch is connected between an input data terminal and a receiver;

a second voltage generator circuit;

a second switch circuit connected between the second voltage generator circuit and the voltage controlled switch;

a voltage detector configured to output a first logic signal to the first switch circuit and the second switch circuit while detecting the first voltage higher than a predetermined voltage, wherein the first switch circuit is turned on and the second switch circuit is turned off according to the first logic signal, so that the voltage controlled switch is turned on by the first voltage, and data are transmitted from the input data terminal to the receiver, wherein the voltage detector outputs a second logic signal to the first switch circuit and the second switch circuit while detecting the first voltage lower than the predetermined voltage, wherein the first switch circuit is turned off and the second switch circuit is turned on according to the second logic signal, so that the second voltage generator circuit is enabled to provide a second voltage, the voltage controlled switch is turned on by the second voltage, and data are transmitted from the input data terminal to the receiver,

wherein the first switch circuit comprises;

a first semiconductor switch connected between the first voltage generator circuit and the voltage controlled switch; and

a first inverter connected between the voltage detector and the first switch, wherein when the voltage detector outputs the first logic signal, the first inverter inverts the first logic signal into the second logic signal to turn on the first semiconductor switch, so that the first voltage generator circuit outputs the first voltage to turn on the voltage controlled switch through the first semiconductor switch.

7. The voltage switching device of claim 6, wherein the first logic signal is a logic high level signal, the second logic signal is a logic low level signal, and the first semiconductor switch is a PMOS transistor.

8. The voltage switching device of claim 6, wherein the second switch circuit comprises:

a second semiconductor switch connected between the second voltage generator circuit and the voltage controlled switch; and

a second inverter connected between the voltage detector and the second voltage generator circuit, wherein when the voltage detector outputs the second logic signal to the first inverter, the second inverter and the second semiconductor switch, wherein the first inverter inverts the second logic signal into the first logic signal to turn off the first semiconductor switch, the second inverter inverts the second logic signal into the first logic signal to enable the second voltage generator circuit, and the second semiconductor switch is turned on by the second logic signal, so that the enabled first voltage generator circuit outputs the second voltage to turn on the voltage controlled switch through the second semiconductor switch.

9. The voltage switching device of claim 8, wherein the first logic signal is a logic high level signal, the second logic signal is a logic low level signal, and the second semiconductor switch is a PMOS transistor.

10. The voltage switching device of claim 9, wherein the voltage controlled switch is a NMOS transistor.

11. A voltage switching method, comprising:

detecting a first voltage outputted from a first voltage generator circuit, wherein a first switch circuit connected between the first voltage generator circuit and a voltage controlled switch, and the voltage controlled switch is connected between an input data terminal and the receiver;

determining whether the first voltage is lower than a predetermined voltage; and

outputting a first logic signal to turn on the first switch circuit when the first voltage is higher than the predetermined voltage, so that the voltage controlled switch is turned on by the first voltage, and data are transmitted from the input data terminal to the receiver,

wherein a second switch circuit is connected between a second voltage generator circuit and the voltage controlled switch, and the voltage switching method further comprising;

outputting a second logic signal to turn off the first switch circuit and to turn on the second switch circuit when the first voltage is lower than the predetermined voltage, so that the second voltage generator circuit is enabled to provide a second voltage, the voltage controlled switch is turned on by the second voltage, and data are transmitted from the input data terminal to the receiver,

wherein the first switch circuit comprises a first inverter and a first semiconductor switch connected between the first voltage generator circuit and the voltage controlled switch, and the voltage switching method further comprising;

using the first inverter for inverting the first logic signal into the second logic signal to turn on the first semiconductor switch, so that the first voltage generator circuit outputs the first voltage to turn on the voltage controlled switch through the first semiconductor switch.

12. The voltage switching method of claim 11, further comprising:

using the first inverter for inverting the second logic signal into the first logic signal to turn off the first semiconductor switch, so that the first voltage generator circuit is electrically isolated from the voltage controlled switch.

13. The voltage switching method of claim 12, wherein the second switch circuit comprises a second inverter and a second semiconductor switch connected between the second voltage generator circuit and the voltage controlled switch, and the voltage switching method further comprising:

using the second inverter for inverting the second logic signal into the first logic signal to enable the second voltage generator circuit and to turn on the second semiconductor switch, so that the enabled first voltage generator circuit outputs the second voltage to turn on the voltage controlled switch through the second semiconductor switch.

14. The voltage switching device of claim 13, wherein the first logic signal is a logic high level signal, the second logic signal is a logic low level signal, the first semiconductor switch is a PMOS transistor, the second semiconductor switch is a PMOS transistor, and the voltage controlled switch is a NMOS transistor.