Integrated protection devices with monitoring of electrical characteristics
First Claim
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1. A system comprising:
- a power supply;
a device;
a switching mechanism coupled between the power supply and the device, the switching mechanism configured to have an on state in which the power supply is coupled to the device or an off state in which the power supply is de-coupled from the device, the on state allowing current to pass from the power supply to the device along a current path; and
a monitoring mechanism having one or more sensing inputs and a reporting output, the one or more sensing inputs coupled to sense an electrical characteristic at the current path, the monitoring mechanism configured to provide a reporting signal at the reporting output responsive to the sensed electrical characteristic, the reporting signal indicative of the sensed electrical characteristic, the monitoring mechanism integrated with the switching mechanism on a chip, the monitoring mechanism including a reference transistor matched with a transistor of the switching mechanism, the reference transistor configured to cause the monitoring mechanism to output the reporting signal with reference to the sensed electrical characteristic.
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Abstract
Disclosed are systems, devices, circuits, components, mechanisms, and processes in which a switching mechanism can be coupled between components. The switching mechanism is configured to have an on state or an off state, where the on state allows current to pass along a current path. A monitoring mechanism has one or more sensing inputs coupled to sense an electrical characteristic at the current path. The electrical characteristic can be a current, voltage, and/or power by way of example. The monitoring mechanism is configured to output a reporting signal indicating the sensed electrical characteristic. The monitoring mechanism can be integrated with the switching mechanism on a chip.
33 Citations
53 Claims
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1. A system comprising:
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a power supply; a device; a switching mechanism coupled between the power supply and the device, the switching mechanism configured to have an on state in which the power supply is coupled to the device or an off state in which the power supply is de-coupled from the device, the on state allowing current to pass from the power supply to the device along a current path; and a monitoring mechanism having one or more sensing inputs and a reporting output, the one or more sensing inputs coupled to sense an electrical characteristic at the current path, the monitoring mechanism configured to provide a reporting signal at the reporting output responsive to the sensed electrical characteristic, the reporting signal indicative of the sensed electrical characteristic, the monitoring mechanism integrated with the switching mechanism on a chip, the monitoring mechanism including a reference transistor matched with a transistor of the switching mechanism, the reference transistor configured to cause the monitoring mechanism to output the reporting signal with reference to the sensed electrical characteristic. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A device comprising:
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a switching mechanism configured to have an on state or an off state, the on state allowing current to pass along a current path; and a monitoring mechanism having one or more sensing inputs and a reporting output, the one or more sensing inputs coupled to sense an electrical characteristic at the current path, the monitoring mechanism configured to provide a reporting signal at the reporting output responsive to the sensed electrical characteristic, the reporting signal indicative of the sensed electrical characteristic, the monitoring mechanism integrated with the switching mechanism on a chip, the current monitoring mechanism including a reference transistor matched with a transistor of the switching mechanism, the reference transistor configured to cause the monitoring mechanism to output the reporting signal with reference to the sensed electrical characteristic. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. A process comprising:
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sensing, at a monitoring mechanism, an electrical characteristic at a current path between a power supply and a device, a switching mechanism being coupled between the power supply and the device, the switching mechanism configured to have an on state in which the power supply is coupled to the device or an off state in which the power supply is de-coupled from the device, the on state allowing current to pass from the power supply to the device along the current path, the monitoring mechanism being integrated with the switching mechanism, the monitoring mechanism including a reference transistor matched with a transistor of the switching mechanism; determining whether to cause the switching mechanism to have the off state responsive to the sensed electrical characteristic; and providing, at the monitoring mechanism, a reporting signal responsive to the sensed electrical characteristic, the reporting signal indicative of the sensed electrical characteristic, the reference transistor configured to cause the monitoring mechanism to provide the reporting signal with reference to the sensed electrical characteristic. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52, 53)
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Specification