US 12,394,971 B2
Electronic fuse systems and devices
Vincenzo Randazzo, Biancavilla (IT); Alberto Marzo, Giarre (IT); Giovanni Susinna, Catania (IT); Vanni Poletto, Milan (IT); Antoine Pavlin, Puyricard (FR); Calogero Andrea Trecarichi, Gela (IT); Mirko Dondini, Catania (IT); Roberto Crisafulli, San Gregorio di Catania (IT); Enrico Castro, Catania (IT); and Romeo Letor, Mascalucia (IT)
Assigned to STMICROELECTRONICS S.r.l., Agrate Brianza (IT); and STMICROELECTRONICS (ROUSSET) SAS, Rousset (FR)
Filed by STMICROELECTRONICS S.r.l., Agrate Brianza (IT); and STMICROELECTRONICS (ROUSSET) SAS, Rousset (FR)
Filed on Dec. 12, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/064,861.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/289,061, filed on Dec. 13, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0187922 A1, Jun. 15, 2023
Int. Cl. H02H 3/00 (2006.01); H02H 1/00 (2006.01); H02H 3/08 (2006.01); H03K 17/687 (2006.01); H03K 19/20 (2006.01)
CPC H02H 3/08 (2013.01) [H02H 1/0007 (2013.01); H03K 17/687 (2013.01); H03K 19/20 (2013.01)] 26 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An electronic fuse, comprising:
current sensing circuitry configured to sense a current in a conductor coupled between a power supply and a load and to generate a current sensing signal indicative of the sensed current;
current squared times time (I2t) circuitry that emulates an I2t curve of the conductor, the I2t circuitry configured to receive the current sensing signal and determine whether the sensed current exceeds the I2t curve of the conductor; and
at least one of:
external MOSFET temperature sensing circuitry configured to sense a temperature of an external MOSFET coupled to the conductor;
low current bypass circuitry configured to supply a reduced current to the load in a low power consumption mode during which the external MOSFET is in a non-conductive state; or
desaturation sensing circuitry configured to sense a drain-source voltage of the external MOSFET.