Power distribution circuitry including control unit IC
First Claim
1. A power distribution circuit comprising:
- a control unit IC (integrated circuit); and
a plurality of transistors, wherein each of the plurality of transistors includes a first terminal, a second terminal, and a control terminal, wherein the control terminal of each of the plurality of transistors is coupled to the control unit IC, wherein the first terminal of each of the plurality of transistors is coupled to a power source, and wherein the second terminal of each of the plurality of transistors is coupled to a power node for supplying power to an electronic system;
wherein the control unit IC is configured to activate at least one of the plurality of transistors by driving a bias voltage onto the control terminal of the at least one transistor, and wherein the control unit IC is configured to monitor a voltage difference between the first terminal and the second terminal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A power distribution circuit is disclosed. In one embodiment, the power distribution circuit includes a plurality of transistors and a control unit IC. First terminals of each of the transistors may be coupled to separate voltage sources. Second terminals of each of the transistors may be coupled to a common power node. An electronic system may receive power from one of the voltage sources when one of the transistors is on. The control unit IC may activate one or more of the transistors by driving a voltage to the control terminal of the transistor to be activated. The control unit IC may also monitor a voltage difference between the first terminal and the second terminal of each of the transistors. If the voltage of the second terminal becomes greater than the voltage of the first terminal for a given transistor, the control terminal may deactivate the transistor.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A power distribution circuit comprising:
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a control unit IC (integrated circuit); and
a plurality of transistors, wherein each of the plurality of transistors includes a first terminal, a second terminal, and a control terminal, wherein the control terminal of each of the plurality of transistors is coupled to the control unit IC, wherein the first terminal of each of the plurality of transistors is coupled to a power source, and wherein the second terminal of each of the plurality of transistors is coupled to a power node for supplying power to an electronic system;
wherein the control unit IC is configured to activate at least one of the plurality of transistors by driving a bias voltage onto the control terminal of the at least one transistor, and wherein the control unit IC is configured to monitor a voltage difference between the first terminal and the second terminal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for distributing power to an electronic circuit, the method comprising:
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providing a plurality of power sources;
providing a control unit IC (integrated circuit); and
providing a plurality of transistors, wherein each of the transistors includes a first terminal, a second terminal, and a control terminal, wherein the first terminal of each of the plurality of transistors is coupled to one of the plurality of power sources, wherein the second terminal of each of the plurality of transistors is coupled to a power node of an electronic circuit, and wherein the control terminal of each of the plurality of transistors is coupled to the control unit IC, wherein the control unit IC is configured to activate one of the plurality of transistors by driving a bias voltage onto the control terminal of the one of the plurality of transistors, and wherein the control unit IC is configured to monitor a voltage difference between the first terminal and the second terminal of the one of the plurality of transistors. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A power control unit IC (integrated circuit) comprising:
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a plurality of voltage detection circuits, wherein each of the voltage detection circuits is configured to detect a voltage difference between a first transistor terminal and a second transistor terminal;
a plurality of biasing circuits, wherein each of the plurality of biasing circuits is coupled to one of the plurality of voltage detection circuits; and
a plurality of switches, wherein each of the plurality of switches, when closed, is configured to allow a bias voltage from one of the plurality of biasing circuits to be driven onto a transistor control terminal, and wherein each of the plurality of voltage detection circuits is configured to cause an associated one of the plurality of switches to open responsive to detecting that the voltage magnitude on an associated first transistor terminal is less than the voltage magnitude on an associated second transistor terminal. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification