Current detecting device with temperature compensating device

• US 5,501,517 A
• Filed: 12/16/1993
• Issued: 03/26/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fuji Electric Company Limited (Fuji Electric Systems Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Electric Company Limited (Fuji Electric Systems Company Limited)
• Inventors: Kiuchi, Shin
• Primary Examiner(s): Young, Brian K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Medley, Sally C.
• Application Number:
  US08/166,995
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 361/103, 361/93, 361/100, 361/101, 361/18
• US Class Current: 361/101
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/32 Compensating for temperature change
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/569 for protection
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/082 by feedback from the output to the control circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/14 Modifications for compensating variations of physical values, e.g. of temperature

Abstract

A current detecting device of the invention has a temperature compensating function used for a current limiting device. A sensing resistance and a reference voltage source are connected to a comparison device. A compensating device, such as semiconductor element, is inserted in series into the reference voltage source in a voltage source circuit for supplying a reference voltage to compensate a temperature dependency of the sensing resistance. Temperature dependency of the reference voltage is a negative temperature dependency in the forward voltage drop. The manufacturing process of the current detecting device becomes simple.

Claims

1. A device for detecting a current flowing through a circuit, comprising:

current detecting means connected to the circuit and providing a detection voltage corresponding to the current flowing through the circuit;

comparison means connected to the current detecting means for receiving the detection voltage; and

voltage source means connected to the comparison means for providing to the comparison means a reference voltage changeable corresponding to temperature so that the comparison means compares the reference voltage with the detection voltage, said voltage source means including a reference voltage source for generating a constant voltage, voltage control means and voltage dividing means with a dividing point, which are connected together in series, output voltage of said voltage source means being extracted at the dividing point in the voltage dividing means, temperature dependency rate of the voltage control means being inversely proportional to temperature dependency rate of said current detecting means to thereby prevent change of a predetermined overcurrent value due to temperature change.

2. A current detecting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said voltage control means is a diode.

3. A current detecting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said voltage control means is a bipolar transistor.

4. A current detecting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said voltage control means is a MOSFET.

5. A current detecting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said voltage control means has a characteristic such that forward voltage drop has negative temperature dependency.

6. A current detecting device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said current detecting means has a characteristic such that forward voltage drop has positive temperature dependency.

7. A device for detecting a current flowing through a circuit, comprising:

a sensing resistance connected to the circuit and providing a detection voltage corresponding to the current flowing through the circuit, said detection voltage having first temperature dependency rate;

comparison means connected to the sensing resistance for receiving the detection voltage; and

voltage source means connected to the comparison means for providing to the comparison means a reference voltage changeable corresponding to the first temperature dependency rate so that the comparison means compares the reference voltage with the detection voltage and judges a predetermined overcurrent without relating to temperature of the sensing resistance, said voltage source means including a reference voltage source for generating a constant voltage and voltage control means connected in series to said reference voltage source, said voltage control means having second temperature dependency rate inversely proportional to the first temperature dependency rate so that when the detection voltage at the sensing resistance changes due to change of temperature, the reference voltage supplied from the reference voltage source is changed to correspond thereto to thereby prevent change ofa value of the predetermined overcurrent due to temperature change.

8. A current detecting device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said voltage source means further includes voltage dividing means having a dividing point and connected in series to the voltage control means, output voltage of said voltage source means being extracted at the dividing point in the voltage dividing means and supplied to the comparison means.