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:
Oct. 08, 1996
Filed:
Sep. 16, 1991
Royce Lowis, Stockport, GB;
Edward S Eilley, Reigate, GB;
Paul T Moody, Oldham, GB;
Aart G Korteling, E. Waalre, NL;
Brendan P Kelley, Stockport, GB;
U.S. Philips Corporation, New York, NY (US);
Abstract
A temperature sensing circuit (100) for sensing the temperature of an active semiconductor device, for example, a power MOSFET (11) of a semiconductor body (10). The circuit has a first temperature sensing device (R1R2) provided on the semiconductor body at a first position (P.sub.1) adjacent a periphery (12) of the active semiconductor device (11), a second temperature sensing device (R3,R4) provided on the semiconductor body at a second position (P.sub.2) further from the periphery of the active semiconductor device than the first position. An arrangement, for example, a comparator responsive to the first and second temperature sensing devices provides a control signal to switch off the active semiconductor device (11) when the difference in the temperature sensed by the first and second sensing devices reaches a predetermined value.