High side supply shut down circuit
First Claim
1. A fuse trigger circuit comprising:
- a) a central power supply;
b) a fuse coupled to one side of said central power supply;
c) a shut down transistor circuit coupled to the low side of said fuse capable of driving a current, said current selectively exceeding the maximum operational current of said fuse to open said fuse; and
d) a monitoring circuit coupled across the fuse to detect the status of said fuse and enabling said shut down transistor in the event of the occurrence of at least one predetermined parameter.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A low cost high side supply shut down circuit that operates to deactivate the power supply of a central supply, such as to pressure regulators, solenoid valves, etc., as parts of non-repairable electro-hydraulic transmission modules in the event of a malfunction, e.g. a low side driver circuit failure. The supply voltage is connected to the high side of a fuse. The load circuits receive power or no power depending on the operating condition of the fuse. Coupled across the fuse is a fuse trigger status detection circuit as part of a diagnostics and control module. The diagnostics and control module is connected to the input of a shut down low side output driver circuit. The attached low side loads have individual detection circuits that are coupled to the diagnostics and control module as well as their enable inputs. Based on information gathered from feedback lines, the fuse will be triggered (opened) by the low side driver circuit that is capable of driving a current that exceeds the maximum operational current of the fuse. When the fuse opens, the current to the load circuits is interrupted, thereby protecting the loads driven by the load circuits from permanent damage.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A fuse trigger circuit comprising:
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a) a central power supply;
b) a fuse coupled to one side of said central power supply;
c) a shut down transistor circuit coupled to the low side of said fuse capable of driving a current, said current selectively exceeding the maximum operational current of said fuse to open said fuse; and
d) a monitoring circuit coupled across the fuse to detect the status of said fuse and enabling said shut down transistor in the event of the occurrence of at least one predetermined parameter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A fuse trigger circuit comprising:
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a) a central power supply, b) a fuse coupled to one side of said central power supply, c) a shut down circuit capable of driving a current, said current selectively exceeding the maximum operational current of said fuse, d) at least one low side load circuits coupled to the low side of said fuse, and e) a monitoring circuit for monitoring the status of said load circuits and enabling said shut down circuit in the event of the occurrence of at least one predetermined parameter. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method of protecting an electro-hydraulic system, comprising a circuit including at least one load powered by a supply, in the event of output driver malfunction comprising the steps of:
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a) providing a fuse intermediate of said load and said supply; and
b) enabling at least one current, said current being in excess of said fuse capacity, to open said fuse in the event of at least one parameter exceeding a predetermined specification, thereby interrupting current to said load. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
a. enabling a second current pulse of very short duration; and
b. monitoring the low side of said fuse to detect a signal corresponding to said pulse to diagnose operating capability of the system without triggering said fuse to open.
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Specification