System and method for high voltage protection of powered devices

• US 7,511,930 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2006
• Issued: 03/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Skyworks Solutions Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Silicon Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Apfel, Russell J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Leja; Ronald W
• Application Number:
  US11/473,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20070263333A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: 361/54, 361/55, 361/56, 361/91.5
• US Class Current: 361/55
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 9/041 using a short-circuiting device

Abstract

A powered device includes a rectifier circuit, a logic circuit, and a power protection element. The rectifier circuit includes two inputs to receive an input voltage from a powered network and includes two output terminals to provide a rectified power supply voltage in response to the input voltage. The logic circuit is coupled between the two inputs and adapted to receive data from the powered network. The power protection element is coupled between the two output terminals to protect to the logic circuitry from high power transients. In a first mode of operation, the power protection element presents a high impedance to the two output terminals. In a second mode of operation, the power protection element has a first power protection characteristic. In a third mode of operation, the power protection element has a second power protection characteristic.

Claims

1. A powered device comprising:

a rectifier circuit having two inputs to receive an input voltage from a powered network and having two output terminals to provide a rectified power supply voltage in response to the input voltage;

a logic circuit coupled between the two output terminals and adapted to receive data from the powered network, the logic circuit comprising a regulator to provide a regulated power supply to a load circuit; and

a power protection element coupled between the two output terminals in parallel with the logic circuit, the power protection element to protect to the logic circuit from high power transients, the power protection element comprising a circuit including a zener diode having a breakdown voltage defining a threshold voltage level and including at least one switch coupled to the zener diode, wherein, in a first mode of operation, the power protection element presents a high impedance to the two output terminals, in a second mode of operation, the power protection element has a first power protection characteristic, and in a third mode of operation, the voltage protection element has a second power protection characteristic, wherein the power protection element is adapted to reduce the rectified power supply voltage at the logic circuit when an over-voltage condition is detected and to return to the first mode of operation when the over-voltage condition is finished.

2. The powered device of claim 1, wherein the powered network comprises a Power over Ethernet (PoE) network, and wherein the powered device is adapted to derive power from the PoE network.

3. The powered device of claim 1, wherein the powered network comprises an electrical power network, and wherein the powered device is adapted to receive power and data from the electrical power network.

4. The powered device of claim 1, wherein the power protection element further comprises active logic to generate a fault protection signal to the logic circuit to shut off the regulated power supply to the load circuit when in the third mode of operation.

5. The powered device of claim 1, wherein the power protection element comprises two switches adapted to activate asynchronously in response to a signal to clamp the rectified power supply voltage to a reduced level.

6. The powered device of claim 1, wherein the power protection element comprises a silicon controlled rectifier.

7. The powered device of claim 1, wherein the power protection element is at a higher voltage in the second mode of operation than in the third mode of operation.

8. The powered device of claim 7, wherein in the second mode of operation, the higher voltage is greater than 55 volts and wherein the power protection element has a current level less than one Ampere.

9. The powered device of claim 7, wherein in the third mode of operation, the power protection element has a voltage level less than ten volts and a current level greater than half an Ampere.

10. The powered device of claim 7, wherein the power protection element changes from the second mode of operation to the first mode of operation after a voltage level at the power protection element falls below the threshold voltage level.

11. The powered device of claim 1, wherein, in the third mode of operation, the at least one switch is activated as the zener diode conducts current, resulting in a lower impedance.

12. A method comprising:

receiving an input voltage from a cable coupled to a powered network at a first input terminal and a second input terminal of an integrated circuit, the integrated circuit including a voltage protection element and a voltage regulator circuit, the voltage protection element and the voltage regulator circuit coupled in parallel to the first and second input terminals;

rectifying the input voltage using a diode bridge;

detecting, via the voltage protection element, an over-voltage condition when the rectified voltage exceeds a threshold voltage;

reducing power to the voltage regulator circuit in response to detecting the over-voltage condition; and

sending a fault protection signal to the voltage regulator circuit to shut off power to a load circuit coupled to the voltage regulator circuit.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

shunting a current between the first input terminal and the second input terminal after detecting the over-voltage condition.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising clamping a voltage applied to the voltage regulator circuit to a voltage level that is below a voltage rating of a load circuit.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein shunting the current comprises drawing excess current through the voltage protection element.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the powered network comprises one of a power over Ethernet (PoE) network or an electrical power network, and wherein the powered device is adapted to derive power and received data from the powered network.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving the input voltage comprises:

receiving a first input voltage at the first input terminal of the integrated circuit; and

receiving a second input voltage at the second input terminal of the integrated circuit;

wherein the input voltage comprises a potential difference between the first input voltage and the second input voltage.

18. An integrated circuit of a powered device, the integrated circuit comprising:

a rectifier circuit having two input terminals to receive an input supply voltage from a powered network and having two output terminals to provide a rectified power supply voltage;

at least one circuit coupled between the two output terminals, the at least one circuit including a voltage regulator circuit to provide a regulated power supply to device circuitry; and

a voltage protection element coupled between the two output terminals in parallel with the voltage regulator circuit, the voltage protection element comprising a first switch and a zener diode adapted to break down in response to an over-voltage condition to activate the switch, wherein, in a first mode of operation, the voltage protection element presents a high impedance to the two output terminals, in a second mode of operation, the voltage protection element has a first over-voltage characteristic, and in a third mode of operation, the voltage protection element has a second over-voltage protection characteristic, wherein in the third mode of operation, the voltage protection element is adapted to reduce the rectified power supply voltage at the at least one circuit and to send a fault protection signal to the at least one circuit to turn off the regulated power supply to the device circuitry.

19. The integrated circuit of claim 18, wherein the switch is activated to clamp the input voltage to a voltage level that is below a voltage level of the rectified power supply voltage in response to detecting the over-voltage condition.

20. The integrated circuit of claim 18, wherein the voltage protection element comprises a second switch coupled to the zener diode, wherein the first and second switches are adapted to activate asynchronously in response detection of the over-voltage condition to clamp the supply voltage to a reduced voltage level.

21. The integrated circuit of claim 18, wherein the voltage protection element comprises a silicon controlled rectifier.

22. The integrated circuit of claim 18, wherein the voltage protection element further comprises active logic to generate the fault protection signal after detecting the over-voltage condition.

23. The integrated circuit of claim 18, wherein the fault protection signal comprises a shut down signal to deactivate the voltage regulator circuit.

24. The integrated circuit of claim 18, wherein the voltage protection element is at a higher voltage in the second mode of operation than in the third mode of operation.

25. The integrated circuit of claim 24, wherein in the second mode of operation, the higher voltage is greater than 55 volts and wherein the voltage protection element has a current level less than one Ampere.

26. The integrated circuit of claim 24, wherein in the third mode of operation, the voltage protection element has a voltage level less than ten volts and a current level greater than half an Ampere.

27. The integrated circuit of claim 24, wherein the over-voltage protection element changes from the second mode of operation to the first mode of operation after a voltage level at the voltage protection element falls below a threshold voltage level.