Patent ID: 11962145
Assignee: MAXIM INTEGRATED PRODUCTS, INC.
Field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H  G | IPC G  H

Claim 19:
20. A switch network for bidirectional high-voltage protection of a voltage node, the switch network comprising:
two sets of switches that each is coupled to a to-be-protected voltage node and an output voltage node, which in normal operation assumes a voltage within a voltage range;
a set of comparators that each is coupled to a switch in a third set of switches, respectively, and generates a low-level signal to control bias currents to cause the two sets of switches to turn on, such that the voltage drop between the to-be-protected voltage node and the output voltage node is determined by on-resistances of the two sets of switches and a load current flowing through the output voltage node; and
in response to the voltage at the output voltage node falling outside the voltage range, a drain current exceeding a current value causing a corresponding comparator in the set of comparators generating a high-level signal that causes the bias currents and, thus, the two sets of switches to turn off, thereby, creating a high-impedance path between the to-be-protected voltage node and the output voltage node, the voltage at the to-be-protected voltage node being controlled by an output stage state of an operational amplifier to be within the voltage range, the voltage at the output voltage node assuming values between a negative high voltage and a positive high voltage.