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:
Jan. 21, 2003
Filed:
Feb. 02, 2001
Congzhong Huang, Plano, TX (US);
Fredrick W. Trafton, Lewisville, TX (US);
Kirk D. Peterson, Plano, TX (US);
Texas Instruments Incorporated, Dallas, TX (US);
Abstract
A system and method is provided for monitoring a voltage level of a charge pump device. The system and method employ a first charging device that is coupled to an output of a charge pump through a switching system. The first charging device is then decoupled from the output of the charge pump device and coupled to a second charging device. The charge on the first charging device is then redistributed between the first charging device and the second charging device. The output of the second charging device is a reduced voltage (e.g., below 5 volts) based on the ratio of the charge distribution between the first and second charging devices. The output of the second charging device can then be compared to a reference voltage to determine if the voltage of the charge pump device is at an adequate voltage level.