Electronic circuit for protecting element from over-voltage and electronic device including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10728658-B2
Application number	US-201815983460-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 18, 2018
Priority date	Sep 27, 2017
Publication date	Jul 28, 2020
Grant date	Jul 28, 2020

Abstract

An electronic circuit includes an output generator and an over-voltage detector. The output generator is configured to output an output signal to an output terminal. In response to an amplitude of a voltage of the output terminal being greater than an allowable amplitude, the over-voltage detector is configured to output an over-voltage detection signal of a first logic value, such that elements included in the output generator are turned off. In response to the over-voltage detector outputting the over-voltage detection signal of the first logic value again before a reference time elapses after the first logic value of the over-voltage detection signal changes to a second logic value of the over-voltage detection signal, the turned-off elements remain turned off. In response to the over-voltage detector outputting the over-voltage detection signal of the second logic value during the reference time, the turned-off elements are turned on.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic circuit comprising:
an output generator comprising,
switches configured to generate an output signal based on input data, and
transistors configured to drive an output of the output signal to an output terminal; and

an over-voltage detector configured to provide an over-voltage detection signal of a first logic value to the output generator such that the switches and the transistors are turned off in response to an amplitude of a voltage of the output terminal being greater than an allowable amplitude,
wherein the output generator is further configured to,
generate a converted over-voltage detection signal of a first logic value based on the over-voltage detection signal; such that the switches and the transistors turned off in response to the first logic value of the over-voltage detection signal remain turned off, and
generate the converted over-voltage detection signal of a second logic value such that the switches and the transistors, which have remained turned off in response to the first logic value of the converted over-voltage detection signal, are turned on in response to (i) elapse of a reference time and (ii) the over-voltage detection signal changing from a second logic value of the over-voltage detection signal to the first logic value of the over-voltage detection signal during the reference time, the reference time starting when the first logic value of the over-voltage detection signal changes to the second logic value of the over-voltage detection signal.

2. The electronic circuit of claim 1 , wherein when the switches and the transistors are turned off in response to the first logic value of the over-voltage detection signal, the switches and the transistors turned off are configured to remain turned off at least during the reference time after the switches and the transistors are turned off.

3. The electronic circuit of claim 1 , wherein the output generator is further configured to maintain the first logic value of the converted over-voltage detection signal in response to (i) elapse of the reference time and (ii) the over-voltage detection signal changing from a second logic value of the over-voltage detection signal to the first logic value of the over-voltage detection signal during the reference time.

4. The electronic circuit of claim 1 , wherein the output generator is further configured to control a gain for the output signal in response to the second logic value of the converted over-voltage detection signal, such that the gain increases according to a reference ratio for a time, during a control time after the switches and the transistors are turned on.

5. The electronic circuit of claim 1 , wherein the output generator is further configured to output a selection signal, such that the over-voltage detection signal or the converted over-voltage detection signal selectively turns on and turns off the switches and the transistors, wherein
in response to the switches and the transistors being turned on, the over-voltage detection signal is selected based on the selection signal such that the over-voltage detection signal turns off the switches and the transistors, and
in response to the switches and the transistors being turned off, the converted over-voltage detection signal is selected based on the selection signal such that the converted over-voltage detection signal turns on the switches and the transistors.

6. The electronic circuit of claim 1 , wherein:
the output generator further comprises a timer configured to provide a notification indicating that the reference time has elapsed, and
the timer is initialized in response to the first logic value of the over-voltage detection signal changing to the second logic value of the over-voltage detection signal, wherein
the output generator is further configured to change the first logic value of the converted over-voltage detection signal to the second logic value of the converted over-voltage detection signal in response to the notification from the timer.

7. The electronic circuit of claim 1 , wherein:
the output generator further comprises,
a digital signal processor configured to process the input data;
a digital-to-analog converter configured to convert the processed input data to an analog signal; and
an output driver configured to drive the output of the output signal with the transistors, based on the analog signal,

the output generator is further configured to receive a connection signal associated with whether an external connector is connected to an external terminal, and
the digital-to-analog converter and the output driver are activated or deactivated based on the connection signal, wherein
in response to the connection signal indicating that the external connector is not connected to the external terminal while the switches and the transistors are turned on, the digital-to-analog converter and the output driver are deactivated, and
in response to the connection signal indicating that the external connector is not connected to the external terminal while the switches and the transistors, which have been turned off in response to the first logic value of the over-voltage detection signal, remain turned off, the digital-to-analog converter and the output driver are not deactivated.

8. An electronic circuit comprising:
an output generator configured to output an output signal to an output terminal; and
an over-voltage detector configured to output an over-voltage detection signal of a first logic value such that elements included in the output generator are turned off in response to an amplitude of a voltage of the output terminal being greater than an allowable amplitude,
wherein,
the elements turned off in response to the first logic value of the over-voltage detection signal remain turned off at least until a reference time elapses, the reference time starting when the first logic value of the over-voltage detection signal changes to a second logic value of the over-voltage detection signal, and
the elements, which have been turned off in response to the first logic value of the over-voltage detection signal, continue to remain turned off in response to (i) elapse of the reference time and (ii) the over-voltage detection signal changing from the second logic value of the over-voltage detection signal to the first logic value of the over-voltage detection signal during the reference time.

9. The electronic circuit of claim 8 , wherein power consumption of the output generator decreases as the elements are turned off.

10. The electronic circuit of claim 8 , wherein the output signal is not output from the output generator in response to the elements being turned off.

11. The electronic circuit of claim 8 , wherein the elements, which have been turned off in response to the first logic value of the over-voltage detection signal, are turned on in response to (i) elapse of the reference time and (ii) the over-voltage detection signal not changing from the second logic value of the over-voltage detection signal to the first logic value of the over-voltage detection signal during the reference time.

12. The electronic circuit of claim 11 , wherein:
the output signal is output from the output generator in response to the elements being turned on, and
the output generator is further configured to control a gain for the output signal such that the gain increases according to a reference ratio for a time, during a control time after the elements are turned on.

13. The electronic circuit of claim 12 , wherein:
the gain increases from negative infinity, during the control time after the elements are turned on suc

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Myung-Jin
• Kim Young-Hun

Classifications

• H02H7/205 Primary

  for controlled semi-conductors which are not included in a specific circuit arrangement · CPC title

• H02H9/046

  responsive to excess voltage appearing at terminals of integrated circuits · CPC title

• H02H9/041

  using a short-circuiting device · CPC title

• H04R2420/05

  Detection of connection of loudspeakers or headphones to amplifiers · CPC title

• H02H7/20 Primary

  for electronic equipment (for converters H02H7/10; for electric measuring instruments G01R1/36; for DC voltage or current semiconductor regulators G05F1/569; for amplifiers H03F1/52; for electronic switching circuits H03K17/08) · CPC title