Protection switch circuit, charging circuit, and electronic device

• US 9,941,716 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2015
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ROHM Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: ROHM Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yoshimatsu, Yusaku
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Mohammed
• Application Number:
  US14/842,264
• Publication Number:
  US 20160072322A1
• Time in Patent Office: 952 Days
• Field of Search: 320164
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/202 for dc systems
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/207 also responsive to under-voltage window comparators for indication G01R19/165
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/243 for DC systems
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/18 for batteries; for accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00308 Overvoltage protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007182 in response to battery voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A protection switch circuit includes: an input terminal configured to receive a DC input voltage; an output terminal; a switch provided between the input terminal and the output terminal; a determination circuit configured to compare the input voltage with N threshold voltages (N is a natural number); and a gate controller configured to control the switch based on a comparison result of the determination circuit, wherein the determination circuit includes: an OTPROM (One Time Programmable Read Only Memory) to which N pieces of setting data indicative of each of the N threshold voltages are written under software control, and a comparison circuit configured to compare the input voltage with each of the N threshold voltages according to the N pieces of the setting data written to the OTPROM.

Claims

1. A protection switch circuit comprising:

an input terminal configured to receive a DC input voltage;

an output terminal;

a switch provided between the input terminal and the output terminal;

a determination circuit configured to compare the input voltage with N threshold voltages (N is a natural number); and

a gate controller configured to control the switch to be turned on or off based on a comparison result of the determination circuit,

wherein the determination circuit includes;

an OTPROM (One Time Programmable Read Only Memory) to which N pieces of setting data that are indicative of the N threshold voltages, respectively, are written under software control, and

a comparison circuit configured to compare the input voltage with each of the N threshold voltages according to the N pieces of the setting data written to the OTPROM,

wherein the setting data indicative of a first threshold voltage and a second threshold voltage corresponding respectively to an upper limit and a lower limit of a normal voltage range where the switch is turned on are written to the OTPROM, and

wherein the comparison circuit is configured to compare the input voltage with each of the first threshold voltage and the second threshold voltage.

2. The protection switch circuit of claim 1, wherein the comparison circuit includes:

N voltage divider circuits corresponding to the N pieces of the setting data, each of the voltage divider circuits dividing the input voltage by a voltage dividing ratio according to the corresponding setting data; and

N comparators corresponding to the N pieces of the setting data, each of the comparators comparing an output voltage of the corresponding voltage divider circuit with a predetermined reference voltage.

3. The protection switch circuit of claim 2, wherein each of the voltage divider circuits includes:

a plurality of resistors connected in series between the input terminal and a ground line; and

a plurality of bypass switches provided in parallel with the plurality of resistors,

wherein the plurality of bypass switches are set to be turned on or turned off according to the corresponding setting data.

4. The protection switch circuit of claim 1, wherein the protection switch circuit is integrated on a single semiconductor substrate.

5. An electronic device comprising the protection switch circuit of claim 1.