Level shift circuit

• US 9,264,022 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2014
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kihara, Seiichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, LONG T
• Application Number:
  US14/761,052
• Publication Number:
  US 20150358003A1
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/00361 in field effect transistor circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/018507 Interface arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/356 Bistable circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/35613 the input circuit having a differential configuration

Abstract

Provided is a high-reliability level shift circuit not prone to faulty operation due to noise. A level shift circuit 1 is provided with: first and second current control elements 12a and 12b into control terminals of which a reverse-phase input signal and an in-phase input signal are input, respectively; first and second load circuits 13a and 13b which are connected at one end to a high-side power source terminal Vb and at the other end to each of first terminals of the first and second current control elements 12a and 12b; a comparator 14 in which a pair of differential input terminals Np and Nn are connected separately to each of the first terminals of the first and second current control elements 12a and 12b; a current generating circuit 3 in which first and second current output terminals Na and Nb are connected to second terminals of the first and second current control elements 12a and 12b, and which separately generates a current which flows through the respective first and second current control elements 12a and 12b; and voltage suppressing circuits 15a and 15b which are connected separately or commonly to the first and second current output terminals Na and Nb, respectively, and suppress voltage from rising in the first and second current output terminals Na and Nb, respectively.

Claims

1. A level shift circuit, comprising:

a first current control element in which a reverse-phase input signal having a reverse phase to that of an input signal is input to a control terminal and a current amount flowing between first and second terminals is controlled based on voltage of the control terminal;

a second current control element in which the input signal or an in-phase input signal which has a same phase as that of the input signal is input to a control terminal and a current amount flowing between first and second terminals is controlled based on voltage of the control terminal of the second current control element;

a first load circuit which has one end connected to a high-side power source terminal and the other end connected to the first terminal of the first current control element, and generates a voltage drop according to the current amount flowing between the first and second terminals of the first current control element;

a second load circuit which has one end connected to the high-side power source terminal and the other end connected to the first terminal of the second current control element, and generates a voltage drop according to the current amount flowing between the first and second terminals of the second current control element;

a current generating circuit which has a first current output terminal connected to the second terminal of the first current control element and a second current output terminal connected to the second terminal of the second current control element, and separately generates a current which flows through each of the first current control element and the second current control element;

a comparator in which one of a pair of differential input terminals is connected to the first terminal of the first current control element and the other of the pair of differential input terminals is connected to the first terminal of the second current control element, a power source voltage is supplied from the high-side power source terminal, and a reference voltage is supplied from a high-side reference terminal, and which generates an output signal according to a voltage difference between the pair of differential input terminals; and

a voltage suppressing circuit which is connected to the first and second current output terminals separately or commonly and suppresses a voltage rise of each of the first and second current output terminals.

2. The level shift circuit according to claim 1, wherein

the voltage suppressing circuit

is configured with a two-terminal circuit, and has one end of the two-terminal circuit connected to the first and second current output terminals separately or commonly and the other end of the second terminal circuit connected to a predetermined fixed potential, and

has, between the one end and the other end of the two-terminal circuit, at least any one of circuit structures of a first circuit structure provided with a two-terminal switching element or a two-terminal switching circuit which becomes in a conductive state when voltage between the terminals exceeds a predetermined voltage and a second circuit structure in which a capacity element having an electric capacity larger than a capacity between respective terminals between the first terminal and the second terminal of the first and second current control elements is connected to the one end of the second terminal circuit.

3. The level shift circuit according to claim 1 wherein the voltage suppressing circuit is configured by including at least one of a circuit including a single Zener diode or a series circuit of a plurality of Zener diodes, a circuit including a single diode or a series circuit of a plurality of diodes, a circuit including a series circuit of a diode and a voltage source, a circuit including a capacitance element for suppressing voltage having an electric capacitance larger than a capacitance between respective terminals between the first terminal and the second terminal of the first and second current control elements, a circuit including a series circuit of the capacitance element for suppressing voltage and a resistance element, and a circuit including a series circuit of a capacitance element for suppressing voltage and a parallel circuit of a diode and a resistance element.

4. The level shift circuit according to claim 1, further comprising:

a circuit power source terminal which receives a power source voltage for circuit operation from outside;

a diode which is provided between the circuit power source terminal and the high-side power source terminal; and

a capacitance element which is provided between the high-side power source terminal and the high-side reference terminal;

wherein

the high-side reference terminal and an output terminal of a high-voltage circuit which is driven by the output signal are electrically connected.

5. The level shift circuit according to claim 1, wherein

each of the first and second current control elements is configured by a high voltage MOSFET, the control terminal of each of the first and second current control elements is a gate of the MOSFET, and the first terminal and the second terminal of the first and second current control elements are a drain and a source of the MOSFET.