E-fuse System For Supplying Current To A Load Along More Than One Path
First Claim
1. An electronic fuse system, comprising:
- plural current paths, each operable to be coupled between a power source and a load, and each including a switching element and a current sensing resistor in series with the path such that the path passes current when the switching element is turned on and does not pass current when the switching element is turned off;
a controller having two sense inputs and a control output, wherein the control output is coupled to the switching elements in each of the plural current paths and is operable to turn them all on or off simultaneously responsive at least in part to the sense inputs;
a summing resistor connected across the two sense inputs; and
coupling circuitry operable to couple voltages appearing across the current sensing resistors to the summing resistor.
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Abstract
An electronic fuse system includes plural current paths, each operable to be coupled between a power source and a load, and each including a switching element and a current sensing resistor in series with the path such that the path passes current when the switching element is turned on and does not pass current when the switching element is turned off. A controller has two sense inputs and a control output. The control output is coupled to the switching elements in each of the plural current paths and is operable to turn them all on or off simultaneously responsive at least in part to the sense inputs. A summing resistor is connected across the two sense inputs, and coupling circuitry is operable to couple voltages appearing across the current sensing resistors to the summing resistor.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An electronic fuse system, comprising:
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plural current paths, each operable to be coupled between a power source and a load, and each including a switching element and a current sensing resistor in series with the path such that the path passes current when the switching element is turned on and does not pass current when the switching element is turned off; a controller having two sense inputs and a control output, wherein the control output is coupled to the switching elements in each of the plural current paths and is operable to turn them all on or off simultaneously responsive at least in part to the sense inputs; a summing resistor connected across the two sense inputs; and coupling circuitry operable to couple voltages appearing across the current sensing resistors to the summing resistor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An electronic fuse system, comprising:
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first and second current paths, each operable to couple a power source to a load; first and second switching elements in series with the first and second current paths, respectively, and configured to pass current when turned on and not to pass current when turned off; control circuitry having sense inputs and a control output, the control output coupled to the first and second switching elements and operable to turn them on and off responsive at least in part to the sense inputs; first and second current sense resistors in series with the first and second current paths, respectively; and coupling circuitry configured to present a sense voltage to the sense inputs of the control circuitry such that the sense voltage is a function of voltages that appear across the first and second current sense resistors during operation of the fuse system. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A system, comprising:
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a power source; a load; multiple current paths from the power source to the load, each path comprising a switching element and a sense resistor in series therewith; a controller configured to turn the switching elements all on or all off simultaneously responsive, at least in part, to a pair of sense inputs; a summing resistor connected across the sense inputs; and coupling circuitry connecting each sense resistor in parallel with the summing resistor via coupling paths having non-zero impedance. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification