Voltage detection circuit, ECU, automobile with ECU

• US 9,075,087 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2012
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ueno, Masaji
• Primary Examiner(s): NATALINI, JEFF WILLIAM
• Application Number:
  US13/419,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20120306516A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,211 Days
• Field of Search: 324/713
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/0084 measuring voltage only all subgroups of G01R19/00 take precedence

Abstract

According to an embodiment, the threshold value generation unit generates a setting voltage and converts the setting voltage to a first current. One end of the first resistor is connected to a detection terminal. When a voltage applied to the detection terminal is greater than or equal to a predetermined factor times the voltage of the higher voltage source, the detection unit causes a constant detection terminal input current to flow from the detection terminal to the first resistor. When the voltage at the detection terminal is less than the predetermined factor times the voltage of the higher voltage source, a higher voltage source voltage is outputted to a detection output terminal, while the voltage at the detection terminal is greater than or equal to the predetermined factor times the voltage of the higher voltage source, a lower voltage source voltage is outputted to the detection output terminal.

Claims

1. A voltage detection circuit, comprising:

a threshold value generation unit provided between a higher voltage source and a lower voltage source, and configured to generate a setting voltage equal to one Nth part of a voltage of the higher voltage source and to convert the setting voltage to a first current, wherein N is greater than one;

a first resistor having one end connected to a detection terminal;

a detection unit provided between the higher voltage source and the lower voltage source, the detection unit having an input port connected to an output port of the threshold value generation unit, the detection unit having a first output port connected to the other end of the first resistor and further having a second output port, the detection unit being configured to detect the first current and configured such that the detection unit causes a constant detection terminal input current to flow from the detection terminal to the first resistor when an applied voltage applied to the detection terminal is greater than or equal to the voltage of the higher voltage source times the sum of one plus one Nth part; and

a detection output unit provided between the higher voltage source and the lower voltage source, the detection output unit having an input port connected to the second output port of the detection unit, the detection output unit being configured to receive an output signal from the detection unit and configured such that the detection output unit outputs a first signal to a detection output terminal when the applied voltage is less than the voltage of the higher voltage source times the sum of one plus one Nth part, the detection output unit being configured to output a second signal to the detection output terminal when the application voltage is greater than or equal to the voltage of the higher voltage source times the sum of one plus one Nth part.

2. The voltage detection circuit according to claim 1,

wherein the threshold value generation unit includes second to fifth resistors and first to fourth transistors,

one end of the second resistor is connected to the higher voltage source,

one end of the third resistor is connected to the other end of the second resistor, the other end of the third resistor is connected to the lower voltage source, and the second resistor and the third resistor constitute a resistance dividing circuit configured to generate the setting voltage equal to one Nth part of the voltage of the higher voltage source between both ends of the second resistor,

a first terminal of the first transistor is connected to the higher voltage source, and a control terminal of the first transistor is connected to the other end of the second resistor,

one end of the fourth resistor is connected to a second terminal of the first transistor, and the other end of the fourth resistor is connected to the lower voltage source,

one end of the fifth resistor is connected to the higher voltage source,

a first terminal of the second transistor is connected to the other end of the fifth resistor, and a control terminal of the second transistor is connected to the second terminal of the first transistor,

a first terminal of the third transistor is connected to a second terminal of the second transistor, and a second terminal of the third transistor is connected to the lower voltage source,

a first terminal of the fourth transistor is connected to the higher voltage source, a control terminal of the fourth transistor is connected to the first terminal of the third transistor, and a second terminal of the fourth transistor is connected to a control terminal of the third transistor, and

wherein the detection circuit includes fifth to tenth transistors,

a first terminal of the fifth transistor is connected to the higher voltage source via a first diode, and a control terminal of the fifth transistor is connected to the higher voltage source,

a first terminal of the sixth transistor is connected to the other end of the first resistor via a second diode,

a first terminal of the seventh transistor is connected to a second terminal of the fifth transistor, and a control terminal of the seventh transistor is connected to a second terminal of the seventh transistor,

a first terminal of the eighth transistor is connected to a second terminal of the sixth transistor, a control terminal of the eighth transistor is connected to a control terminal of the seventh transistor, and the eighth and seventh transistors constitute a current mirror circuit,

a first terminal of the ninth transistor is connected to the second terminal of the seventh transistor, a control terminal of the ninth transistor is connected to the control terminal of the third transistor, a second terminal of the ninth transistor is connected to the lower voltage source, and the ninth and third transistors constitute a current mirror circuit, and

a first terminal of the tenth transistor is connected to a second terminal of the eighth transistor, a control terminal of the tenth transistor is connected to the control terminal of the third transistor, a second terminal of the tenth transistor is connected to the lower voltage source, and the tenth and third transistors constitute a current mirror circuit.

3. The voltage detection circuit according to claim 2,

wherein the fifth and sixth transistors are high-voltage MOS transistors.

4. The voltage detection circuit according to claim 2,

wherein the first transistor is an NPN transistor and the second transistor is a PNP transistor.

5. The voltage detection circuit according to claim 2,

wherein the third, fourth, ninth, and tenth transistors are NPN transistors.

6. The voltage detection circuit according to claim 2,

wherein the seventh and eighth transistor are each a P-channel MOS transistor or a P-channel MIS transistor.

7. The voltage detection circuit according to claim 1,

wherein the voltage detection circuit is provided in any one of an in-vehicle driver, an industrial device driver, and a consumer device driver.

8. A voltage detection circuit, comprising:

a threshold value generation unit including a first resistor having one end connected to a higher voltage source, and a first diode having a cathode connected to the other end of the first resistor, and having an anode connected to a lower voltage source, the threshold value generation unit being configured to generate a setting voltage equal to one Nth part of a voltage of the higher voltage source between both ends of the first resistor, wherein N is greater than one;

a second resistor having one end connected to a detection terminal;

a detection unit provided between the higher voltage source and the lower voltage source, the detection unit having an input port connected to an output port of the threshold value generation unit, the detection unit having a first output port connected to the other end of the first resistor and further having a second output port, and configured such that a voltage which has been reduced from the voltage of the higher voltage source by the setting voltage is inputted to the detection unit from the threshold value generation unit and the detection unit is connected to the other end of the second resistor, the detection unit being configured to cause a constant detection terminal input current to flow from the detection terminal to the second resistor when an applied voltage applied to the detection terminal is greater than or equal to the voltage of the higher voltage source times the sum of one plus one Nth part; and

a detection output unit provided between the higher voltage source and the lower voltage source, the detection output unit having an input port connected to the second output port of the detection unit, the detection output unit being configured to receive an output signal from the detection unit and configured such that the detection output unit outputs a first signal to a detection output terminal when the application voltage is less than the voltage of the higher voltage source times the sum of one plus one Nth part, the detection output unit being configured to output a second signal to the detection output terminal when the application voltage is greater than or equal to the voltage of the higher voltage source times the sum of one plus one Nth part, wherein,

when a short-to-power occurs, the detection unit sets the voltage between both ends of the second resistor to the same value as the setting voltage between both ends of the first resistor.

9. The voltage detection circuit according to claim 8

wherein the detection unit includes first and second transistors, first and second current sources, and a comparator,

a first terminal of the first transistor is connected to the higher voltage source via a second diode, and a control terminal of the first transistor is connected to the other end of the first resistor,

a first terminal of the second transistor is connected to the other end of the second resistor via a third diode, and a control terminal of the second transistor is connected to the other end of the first resistor,

one end of the first current source is connected to a second terminal of the first transistor via a fourth diode, and the other end of the first current source is connected to the lower voltage source,

one end of the second current source is connected to a second terminal of the second transistor via a fifth diode, and the other end of the second current source is connected to the lower voltage source, and

the comparator receives a signal outputted from the one end of the first current source, and a signal outputted from the one end of the second current source and outputs a signal obtained by comparing and amplifying the received signals.

10. The voltage detection circuit according to claim 9,

wherein the first and second transistors are high-voltage MOS transistors.

11. An electronic control unit (ECU) comprising:

an output drive unit;

a voltage detection circuit; and

a control unit configured to control the output drive unit,

the ECU being configured to output an output drive signal from the output drive unit,

wherein the output drive unit outputs the output drive signal for operating a target controlled unit via a detection terminal,

and wherein the voltage detection circuit includes

a threshold value generation unit provided between a higher voltage source and a lower voltage source, and configured to generate a setting voltage equal to one Nth part of a voltage of the higher voltage source and to convert the setting voltage to a first current, wherein N is greater than one,

a first resistor having one end connected to the detection terminal,

a detection unit provided between the higher voltage source and the lower voltage source, the detection unit having an input port connected to an output port of the threshold value generation unit, the detection unit having a first output connected to the other end of the first resistor and further having a second output port, the detection unit configured to detect the first current and configured such that the detection unit causes a constant detection terminal input current to flow from the detection terminal to the first resistor when an application voltage applied to the detection terminal is greater than or equal to the voltage of the higher voltage source times the sum of one and one Nth part, and

a detection output unit provided between the higher voltage source and the lower voltage source, the detection output unit having an input port connected to the second output port of the detection unit, the detection output unit configured to receive an output signal from the detection unit and configured such that the detection output unit outputs a first signal to a detection output terminal when the application voltage is less than the voltage of the higher voltage source times the sum of one and one Nth part, the detection output unit being configured to output a second signal to the detection output terminal when the application voltage is greater than or equal to the voltage of the higher voltage source times the sum of one and one Nth part,

and wherein the control unit receives a signal outputted from the detection output unit via the detection output terminal, the control unit being configured to output a control signal to stop an operation of the output drive unit when a voltage applied to the detection terminal is greater than or equal to the sum of the voltage of the higher voltage source and the setting voltage.

12. The ECU according to claim 11,

wherein the control unit is a micro controller unit (MCU).

13. The ECU according to claim 11,

wherein the ECU is installed in an automobile and the higher voltage source, the lower voltage source, and the output drive signal are supplied to a device provided in the automobile via a wire harness.