Patent ID: 11894673
Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
Field: Semiconductors (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 0:
1. A circuit, comprising:
input terminals adapted to be coupled to a battery;
a ground terminal; and
an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit coupled to the input terminals, the ESD protection circuit including:
a first switch including a first current terminal, a second current terminal, and a control terminal, wherein the first current terminal of the first switch is coupled to the input terminals, and the second current terminal of the first switch is coupled to the ground terminal;
a second switch including a first current terminal, a second current terminal, and a control terminal, wherein the first current terminal of the second switch is coupled to the control terminal of the first switch, and the second current terminal of the second switch is coupled to the ground terminal; and
a control circuit coupled to the control terminal of the first switch, the first current terminal of the second switch, and the control terminal of the second switch, the control circuit configured to:
detect an ESD event at one of the input terminals;
detect a transient voltage at one of the input terminals, in which the transient voltage is caused by an initial coupling of that input terminal to the battery;
detect a condition in which the first switch has been closed for longer than a threshold amount of time;
close the first switch responsive to the detected ESD event to couple the ESD event to the ground terminal through the first switch;
open the first switch responsive to the detected transient voltage or the detected condition; and
close the second switch responsive to the detected transient voltage.