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:
Jun. 04, 2002
Filed:
Feb. 22, 2000
Akira Baba, Shizuoka, JP;
Yazaki Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A fuseless DC-DC converter is provided to protect a circuit from overcurrent without involvement of a protective fuse. This is accomplished by providing a load circuit in the converter that includes a first overheat self-interruption-type semiconductor switch in series between a DC power supply and a load, and a reference circuit including a second overheat self-interruption-type semiconductor switch in parrallel with the first switch, and a reference resistor with one end connected to the source of the second switch, and the other end grounded. Also included is a comparator circuit that compares the source voltage of the first switch with a reference voltage applied to the source of the second switch, and thereby determines if the circuit has overcurrent. If overcurrent is detected, the results from the comparator circuit are used by a power supply controller to deactivate the semiconductor switch.