Stmicroelectronics S.r.l.

Stmicroelectronics (Rousset) Sas

Roberto Crisafulli

Mirko Dondini

Vincenzo Randazzo

Calogero Andrea Trecarichi

Vanni Poletto

Antoine Pavlin

Romeo Letor

Alberto Marzo

Giovanni Susinna

Enrico Castro

Embodiments are directed to electronic fuse devices and systems. One such electronic fuse includes current sensing circuitry that senses a current in a conductor coupled between a power supply and a load, and generates a current sensing signal indicative of the sensed current. I2t circuitry receives the current sensing signal and determines whether the sensed current exceeds an I2t curve of the conductor. The electronic fuse further includes at least one of external MOSFET temperature sensing circuitry that senses a temperature of an external MOSFET coupled to the conductor, low current bypass circuitry that supplies a reduced current to the load in a low power consumption mode during which the external MOSFET is in a non-conductive state, or desaturation sensing circuitry that senses a drain-source voltage of the external MOSFET.

Electronic fuse systems and devices

An electronic device such as an e-fuse includes analog circuitry configured to be set to one or more self-test configurations. To that effect the device has self-test controller circuitry in turn including: an analog configuration and sensing circuit configured to set the analog circuitry to one or more self-test configurations and to sense test signals occurring in the analog circuitry set to such self-test configurations, a data acquisition circuit configured to acquire and convert to digital the test signals sensed at the analog sensing circuit, and a fault event detection circuit configured to check the test signals converted to digital against reference parameters. The device includes integrated therein a self-test controller configured to control parts or stages of the device to configure circuits, acquire data and control test execution under the coordination of a test sequencer.

Electronic device and corresponding self-test method

Growing community of inventors

San Gregorio di Catania, Italy

Roberto Crisafulli