Charging circuit

• US 20070263420A1
• Filed: 05/09/2007
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ROHM Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: ROHM Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Isao, Nate, Satoru, Horiuchi, Sachito
• Granted Patent: US 7,821,233 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 363/125
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00714 in response to battery charging or discharging current
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/06 using discharge tubes or semiconductor devices

Abstract

In a charging circuit charging a battery based on a power supply voltage from an external power supply, a charging transistor is provided on a path from the external power supply to the battery. A charging control circuit is integrated on a semiconductor substrate, and adjusts an ON state of the charging transistor to control a charging current supplied to the battery. The voltage adjusting circuit provided on an electric power supply path from the external power supply to a power supply terminal of the charging control circuit generates a necessary voltage drop. The current adjusting circuit adjusts the ON state of the charging transistor such that a voltage of the battery is brought close to a predetermined voltage value. The clamp circuit clamps a voltage at the power supply terminal of the charging control circuit below a predetermined clamp voltage.

Claims

1. A charging circuit which charges a battery based on a power supply voltage from an external power supply, the charging circuit comprising:

a charging transistor which is provided on a charging path from the external power supply to the battery;

a charging control circuit which adjusts an ON state of the charging transistor to control a charging current supplied to the battery; and

a voltage adjusting circuit which is provided on an electric power supply path from the external power supply to a power supply terminal of the charging control circuit and generates a voltage drop, the voltage adjusting circuit, wherein

the charging control circuit comprises;

a clamp circuit which clamps a voltage at the power supply terminal of the charging control circuit below a predetermined clamp voltage; and

a current adjusting circuit which adjusts the ON state of the charging transistor such that a voltage of the battery is brought close to a predetermined voltage value.

2. The charging circuit according to claim 1, wherein the voltage adjusting circuit is a resistor.

3. The charging circuit according to claim 1, wherein

the voltage adjusting circuit comprises:

a protection transistor which is provided on the electric power supply path from the external power supply to the power supply terminal of the charging control circuit; and

a resistor which is provided between a terminal connected to the external power supply of the protection transistor and a control terminal of the protection transistor, and

the clamp circuit clamps a voltage at the control terminal of the protection transistor below a predetermined threshold voltage, and thereby the voltage at the power supply terminal of the charging control circuit is clamped below the clamp voltage.

4. The charging circuit according to claim 3, wherein

the protection transistor is an NPN type bipolar transistor in which an emitter of the protection transistor is connected to the power supply terminal side of the charging control circuit, a collector is connected to the external power supply, and

the resistor is provided between the collector of the protection transistor and a base which is of the control terminal.

5. The charging circuit according to claim 3, further comprising a capacitor which is provided between the control terminal of the protection transistor and a fixed voltage terminal.

6. The charging circuit according to claim 1, wherein

the clamp circuit cuts off the charging current supplied to the battery from the external power supply in a state in which the voltage is clamped at the power supply terminal of the charging control circuit.

7. The charging circuit according to claim 6, further comprising a charging stop switch which is provided on a charging current path from the external power supply to the battery, wherein

the clamp circuit turns off the charging stop switch in a state in which the voltage is clamped at the power supply terminal of the charging control circuit.

8. An electronic equipment comprising:

a battery; and

a charging circuit comprising;

a charging transistor which is provided on a charging path from the external power supply to the battery;

a charging control circuit which adjusts an ON state of the charring transistor to control a charging current supplied to the battery; and

a voltage adjusting circuit which is provided on an electric power supply path from the external power supply to a power supply terminal of the charging control circuit and generates a voltage drop, the voltage adjusting circuit, wherein

the charging control circuit comprises;

a clamp circuit which clamps a voltage at the power supply terminal of the charging control circuit below a predetermined clamp voltage; and

a current adjusting circuit which adjusts the ON state of the charging transistor such that a voltage of the battery is brought close to a predetermined voltage value;

wherein the charging circuit is structured to charge the battery based on a power supply voltage from an external power supply.

9. An overvoltage protection circuit which is incorporated into a semiconductor integrated circuit, clamps a power supply voltage supplied to a power supply terminal of the semiconductor integrated circuit below a predetermined clamp voltage, the overvoltage protection circuit comprising:

a first clamp circuit and a first switch which are provided in series between the power supply terminal and a fixed voltage terminal of the semiconductor integrated circuit;

a reference voltage source which generates a predetermined reference voltage; and

a comparator which compares the reference voltage with a voltage corresponding to the power supply voltage supplied to the power supply terminal, wherein

the comparator turns on the first switch when the voltage corresponding to the power supply voltage is higher than the reference voltage.

10. The overvoltage protection circuit according to claim 9, further comprising a current-voltage conversion circuit which converts a current flowing through a path including the first clamp circuit and the first switch into a voltage, wherein

a part of a function of the semiconductor integrated circuit is stopped when the converted voltage exceeds a predetermined threshold voltage.

11. The overvoltage protection circuit according to claim 9, further comprising a second clamp circuit and a second switch which are provided in series on a path parallel to a path from the first switch to the fixed voltage terminal, wherein

the reference voltage source is configured to output a low-voltage detection signal which becomes a predetermined level in a state in which the predetermined reference voltage cannot be output because of the low power supply voltage supplied to the semiconductor integrated circuit, and

the second switch is turned on in a period during which the low-voltage detection signal is the predetermined level.

12. The overvoltage protection circuit according to claim 9, wherein

the first clamp circuit comprises a diode.

13. The overvoltage protection circuit according to claim 9, wherein

the first switch is a P-channel MOSFET (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor).

14. The overvoltage protection circuit according to claim 13, wherein

the comparator outputs a low-level comparison signal to a gate of the P-channel MOSFET which is of the first switch when a voltage corresponding to the power supply voltage is higher than the reference voltage.

15. The overvoltage protection circuit according to claim 11, wherein

the first switch is a P-channel MOSFET,

the second clamp circuit and the second switch are connected in series between the gate of the P-channel MOSFET and the ground terminal, and

a pull-up resistor is provided between the gate and a source of the P-channel MOSFET.

16. The overvoltage protection circuit according to claim 10, wherein

the current-voltage conversion circuit comprises:

a first transistor which is provided in series with the first clamp circuit and the first switch;

a second transistor which is connected to the first transistor in a current-mirror manner; and

a resistor in which a potential at one end is fixed, and

a current corresponding to a current flowing through the second transistor is flown through the resistor to convert the current into a voltage.

17. A charging circuit which charges a battery based on a power supply voltage from an external power supply, the charging circuit comprising:

a charging transistor which is provided on a path from the external power supply to the battery;

a charging control circuit which is integrated on a semiconductor substrate, and adjusts an ON state of the charging transistor to control a charging current supplied to the battery; and

a voltage adjusting circuit which is provided on an electric power supply path from the external power supply to a power supply terminal of the charging control circuit and generates a voltage drop, wherein

the charging control circuit comprises;

an overvoltage protection circuit that is structured to clamp a voltage at the power supply terminal of the charging control circuit below a predetermined clamp voltage, the overvoltage protection circuit comprising;

a first clamp circuit and a first switch which are provided in series between the power supply terminal and a fixed voltage terminal of the semiconductor integrated circuit;

a reference voltage source which generates a predetermined reference voltage; and

a comparator which compares the reference voltage with a voltage corresponding to the power supply voltage supplied to the power supply terminal, wherein

the comparator turns on the first switch when the voltage corresponding to the power supply voltage is higher than the reference voltage; and

a current adjusting circuit which adjusts the ON state of the charging transistor such that a voltage of the battery is brought close to a predetermined voltage value.

18. The charging apparatus according to claim 17, wherein

the voltage adjusting circuit is a resistor.

19. The charging apparatus according to claim 17, wherein

the voltage adjusting circuit comprises:

a protection transistor which is provided on the electric power supply path from the external power supply to the power supply terminal of the charging control circuit; and

a resistor which is provided between a terminal connected to the external power supply of the protection transistor and a control terminal of the protection transistor, and

the overvoltage protection circuit clamps a voltage at the control terminal of the protection transistor below a predetermined threshold voltage, and thereby the voltage at the power supply terminal of the charging control circuit is clamped below the clamp voltage.

20. The charging apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising a capacitor which is provided between the control terminal of the protection transistor and a fixed voltage terminal.

21. The charging apparatus according to claim 19, wherein

the overvoltage protection circuit stops a charging function of the charging control circuit to cut off the charging current supplied from the external power supply to the battery in a state in which the voltage is clamped at the power supply terminal of the charging control circuit.

22. An electronic equipment comprising:

a battery; and

a charging apparatus that is structured to charge the battery based on a power supply voltage from an external power supply, the charging apparatus comprising;

a charging transistor which is provided on a path from the external power supply to the battery;

a charging control circuit which is integrated on a semiconductor substrate, and adjusts an ON state of the charging transistor to control a charging current supplied to the battery; and

a voltage adjusting circuit which is provided on an electric power supply path from the external power supply to a power supply terminal of the charging control circuit and generates a voltage drop, wherein

the charging control circuit comprises;

an overvoltage protection circuit that is structured to clamp a voltage at the power supply terminal of the charging control circuit below a predetermined clamp voltage, the overvoltage protection circuit comprising;

a first clamp circuit and a first switch which are provided in series between the power supply terminal and a fixed voltage terminal of the semiconductor integrated circuit;

a reference voltage source which generates a predetermined reference voltage; and

a comparator which compares the reference voltage with a voltage corresponding to the power supply voltage supplied to the power supply terminal, wherein

the comparator turns on the first switch when the voltage corresponding to the power supply voltage is higher than the reference voltage; and

a current adjusting circuit which adjusts the ON state of the charging transistor such that a voltage of the battery is brought close to a predetermined voltage value.