The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 19, 1994
Filed:
Dec. 17, 1991
William M Rathke, Arlington Heights, IL (US);
Jean M Villevieille, Palatine, IL (US);
William J McGraw, Mundelein, IL (US);
Motorola, Inc., Schaumburg, IL (US);
Abstract
Load driver system (10) preferably uses a microprocessor controller (20) to generate write/read signals and command signals received by a circuit at write/read and command/status input terminals (16, 17). The circuit (15) responds to the input signals and controls a semiconductor switch (11) that controls the operative state of a load (14). The circuit (15) includes a load shorted high detector (28), a load shorted low detector (29) and a load open detector (30) which are used to detect various faults and provide a predetermined sequence of logic states at the command/status input terminal (17) during read cycles implemented by the controller (20). Thus one input line (terminal 17) is used to both send commands to the semiconductor switch (11) and receive a sequence of logic states indicative of various fault modes. This permits the controller to determine which of several types of faults, if any, has occurred, while minimizing the number of controller-circuit interconnections.