Voltage tolerant circuit and system
US-10879889-B2 · Dec 29, 2020 · US
Voltage tolerant interface circuit
US11201616B2 · US · B2
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Publication number | US-11201616-B2 |
| Application number | US-202017081888-A |
| Country | US |
| Kind code | B2 |
| Filing date | Oct 27, 2020 |
| Priority date | Oct 1, 2018 |
| Publication date | Dec 14, 2021 |
| Grant date | Dec 14, 2021 |
How to read this patent
A practical reading order for non-experts. Skip the full description unless you need deep technical detail.
- Title
What the patent document calls the invention.
- Abstract
A short plain-language summary of the technical disclosure.
- Assignees and inventors
Who owns or filed the patent and who is credited as inventor.
- Key dates
Filing, priority, publication, and grant dates set the timeline.
- First independent claim
The legal scope of protection — read this for what is actually claimed.
- CPC / IPC classifications
Technology tags used to group this patent with similar filings.
- Citations and related patents
Prior art links and similar publications in this corpus.
Abstract
Official abstract text for this publication.
A voltage tolerant interface circuit includes an input terminal and one or more low-voltage transistors for generating an output from the voltage tolerant interface circuit based on a voltage received at the input terminal. The voltage tolerant interface circuit also includes a blocking transistor coupled between a control terminal of at least one low-voltage transistor and the input terminal. In some implementations, the blocking transistor is configured to protect the control terminal of the low-voltage transistor by blocking the voltage received at the input terminal when the voltage exceeds a voltage tolerance of the low-voltage transistor. In other implementations, the low-voltage transistor receives a supply voltage higher than the voltage tolerance of the low-voltage transistor. In that implementation, the blocking transistor is configured to protect the control terminal of the low-voltage transistor by blocking the voltage received at the input terminal when the voltage is below a predetermined threshold.
First claim
Opening claim text (preview).
The invention claimed is: 1. A voltage tolerant interface circuit comprising: an input terminal; at least one low-voltage transistor for generating an output from the voltage tolerant interface circuit based on a voltage received at the input terminal; a blocking transistor coupled between a control terminal of the at least one low-voltage transistor and the input terminal; wherein the blocking transistor is configured to protect the control terminal of the at least one low-voltage transistor by blocking the voltage received at the input terminal when the voltage exceeds a voltage tolerance of the at least one low-voltage transistor. 2. The voltage tolerant interface circuit of claim 1 , wherein the voltage tolerant interface circuit is configured to compare a voltage applied to a terminal of the blocking transistor to a reference voltage applied to a reference voltage input. 3. The voltage tolerant interface circuit of claim 1 , wherein the blocking transistor is an always-on blocking transistor. 4. The voltage tolerant interface circuit of claim 1 , wherein the voltage tolerance of the at least one low-voltage transistor is up to one volt. 5. The voltage tolerant interface circuit of claim 1 , wherein a voltage tolerance of the blocking transistor is substantially equal to the voltage tolerance of the at least one low-voltage transistor. 6. The voltage tolerant interface circuit of claim 1 , wherein the voltage tolerant interface circuit is included with an integrated voltage regulator as part of a system-on-chip (SoC). 7. A voltage tolerant interface circuit comprising: an input terminal; at least one low-voltage transistor for generating an output from the voltage tolerant interface circuit based on a voltage received at the input terminal, the at least one low-voltage transistor receiving a supply voltage higher than a voltage tolerance of the at least one low-voltage transistor; a blocking transistor coupled between a control terminal of the at least one low-voltage transistor and the input terminal; wherein the blocking transistor is configured to protect the control terminal of the at least one low-voltage transistor by blocking the voltage received at the input terminal when the voltage is below a predetermined threshold voltage. 8. The voltage tolerant interface circuit of claim 7 , wherein the voltage tolerant interface circuit is configured to compare a voltage applied to a terminal of the blocking transistor to a reference voltage applied to a reference voltage input. 9. The voltage tolerant interface circuit of claim 7 , wherein the blocking transistor is an always-on blocking transistor. 10. The voltage tolerant interface circuit of claim 7 , wherein the voltage tolerance of the at least one low-voltage transistor is up to one volt. 11. The voltage tolerant interface circuit of claim 7 , wherein a voltage tolerance of the blocking transistor is substantially equal to the voltage tolerance of the at least one low-voltage transistor. 12. The voltage tolerant interface circuit of claim 7 , wherein the voltage tolerant interface circuit is included with an integrated voltage regulator as part of a system-on-chip (SoC). 13. A voltage tolerant interface circuit comprising: an input terminal; at least one low-voltage transistor for generating an output from the voltage tolerant interface circuit based on a voltage received at the input terminal, the at least one low-voltage transistor receiving a supply voltage higher than a voltage tolerance of the at least one low-voltage transistor; a blocking transistor coupled between a control terminal of the at least one low-voltage transistor and the input terminal; wherein the blocking transistor is configured to protect the control terminal of the at least one low-voltage transistor by blocking the voltage received at the input terminal. 14. The voltage tolerant interface circuit of claim 13 , wherein the voltage tolerant interface circuit is configured to compare a voltage applied to a terminal of the blocking transistor to a reference voltage applied to a reference voltage input. 15. The voltage tolerant interface circuit of claim 13 , wherein the blocking transistor is an always-on blocking transistor. 16. The voltage tolerant interface circuit of claim 13 , wherein the voltage tolerance of the at least one low-voltage transistor is up to one volt. 17. The voltage tolerant interface circuit of claim 13 , wherein a voltage tolerance of the blocking transistor is substantially equal to the voltage tolerance of the at least one low-voltage transistor. 18. The voltage tolerant interface circuit of claim 13 , wherein the voltage tolerant interface circuit is included with an integrated voltage regulator as part of a system-on-chip (SoC).
Assignees
Inventors
Classifications
with at least one differential stage · CPC title
the characteristic being amplitude · CPC title
- H03K17/0822Primary
in field-effect transistor switches · CPC title
Patent family
Related publications grouped by family.
External sources
Frequently asked questions
Answers are generated from the same data shown on this page.
- What does patent US11201616B2 cover?
- A voltage tolerant interface circuit includes an input terminal and one or more low-voltage transistors for generating an output from the voltage tolerant interface circuit based on a voltage received at the input terminal. The voltage tolerant interface circuit also includes a blocking transistor coupled between a control terminal of at least one low-voltage transistor and the input terminal. …
- Who is the assignee on this patent?
- Empower Semiconductor, Empower Semiconductor Inc
- What technology area does this patent fall under?
- Primary CPC classification H03K17/0822. Mapped technology areas include Electricity.
- When was this patent published?
- Publication date Tue Dec 14 2021 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) (B2). Legal status and post-grant events are not shown on this page.
- What related patents are in patentsdb?
- We list 3 related publications on this page (citations in our corpus or others sharing the same primary CPC).