Overvoltage protection circuit for use in charger circuit system and charge circuit with overvoltage protection function

• US 8,159,195 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2009
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Richtek Technology Corporation (MediaTek, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Richtek Technology Corporation (MediaTek, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lu, Chien-Ping, Kung, Nien-Hui, Chu, Kwan-Jen, Chen, Chun-Tsung, Lee, Li-Wei, Hsing, Ying-Hsin
• Primary Examiner(s): Assouad, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chung, Steve T.
• Application Number:
  US12/381,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20100066312A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,134 Days
• Field of Search: 320/163, 320/130, 320/131, 320/134, 320/152, 320/157, 320/158, 320/159, 320/162, 320/164, 363/50, 363/56.03, 363/56.06, 361/101, 361/88, 361/90, 361/91.1, 361/91.2, 361/91.3, 361/91.4, 361/91.5, 361/91.6, 361/91.7, 361/91.8
• US Class Current: 320/163
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00308 Overvoltage protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention discloses an overvoltage protection (OVP) circuit for use in a charger circuit system, comprising: a power transistor electrically connected between a voltage supply and a battery; an OVP circuit which turns off the transistor when a voltage supply exceeds a threshold value; and a multiplexing circuit electrically connected between an output of the OVP circuit and the gate of the transistor. The present invention also discloses a charger circuit with an OVP function, comprising: a single power transistor electrically connected between a voltage supply and a battery; an OVP control circuit which turns off the power transistor when a voltage supply exceeds a threshold value; and a charger control circuit which controls the gate of the power transistor to determine a charge current to the battery when the voltage supply does not reach the threshold value.

Claims

1. An overvoltage protection (OVP) circuit for use in a charger circuit system, comprising:

a power transistor electrically connected between a voltage supply and a battery;

an OVP control circuit, which turns off the power transistor when the voltage supply exceeds a threshold value; and

a multiplexing circuit electrically connected between an output of the OVP control circuit and a gate of the power transistor.

2. The OVP circuit of claim 1, wherein the multiplexing circuit is further electrically connected to a charger control circuit so that an output of the charger control circuit controls the gate of the power transistor in a period.

3. The OVP circuit of claim 2, wherein the multiplexing circuit is a node.

4. The OVP circuit of claim 2, wherein the multiplexing circuit determines whether an output of the OVP control circuit or an output of the charger control circuit is provided to the gate of the power transistor according to an overvoltage signal.

5. The OVP circuit of claim 2, wherein the charger control circuit controls the gate of the power transistor to determine a charge current to the battery.

6. A charger circuit with overvoltage protection (OVP) function, comprising:

a single power transistor electrically connected between a voltage supply and a battery, and no more power transistor is electrically connected therebetween;

an OVP control circuit which turns off the power transistor when a voltage supply exceeds a threshold value; and

a charger control circuit which controls a gate of the power transistor to determine a charge current to the battery when a voltage supply does not exceed the threshold value; and

a multiplexing circuit electrically connected between an output of the OVP control circuit and a gate of the power transistor.

7. The charger circuit of claim 6, wherein an output of the OVP control circuit and an output of the charger control circuit are electrically connected to a multiplexing circuit, whose output controls the gate of the power transistor.

8. The charger circuit of claim 7, wherein the multiplexing circuit is a node.

9. The charger circuit of claim 7, wherein the multiplexing circuit determines whether an output of the OVP control circuit or an output of the charger control circuit is provided to the gate of the power transistor according to an overvoltage signal.

10. The charger circuit of claim 9, wherein the overvoltage signal is generated by comparing a dividend voltage of the voltage supply with a reference voltage.