Patent ID: 8143878
Filing Date: 2012-03-27
Classification: G05F,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A starter circuit for a bandgap circuit, comprising: the bandgap circuit comprising the starter circuit further comprising an evaluation circuit adapted to receive the status signal from the output of the driver circuit, wherein the evaluation circuit is adapted to provide an enabling signal indicative of a situation to start a further circuit or a processor; and a monitoring circuit comprising a device having a diode-like current/voltage characteristic with respect to a threshold voltage; wherein the device is a diode, or wherein the device is a bipolar transistor with a basis terminal coupled to a collector terminal or an emitter terminal of the bipolar transistor, or wherein the device is a field effect transistor with a gate terminal being coupled to a source terminal or a drain terminal of the field effect transistor, the device having a first terminal and a second terminal, the monitoring circuit further comprising a current source being directly coupled to the terminal for the supply voltage and the first terminal of the device, wherein the second terminal of the device is directly coupled to a terminal for a reference potential, and the monitoring circuit further comprising a logic circuit coupled, with an input, to the first terminal and comprising an output, at which a further status signal is obtainable, the further status signal comprising an information indicating the presence of a sufficient voltage level at the terminal for the supply voltage to operate the bandgap reference circuit and the feedback circuit in a closed feedback mode of operation, the logic circuit being adapted to generate the further status signal based on the potential present at the first terminal of the device, and wherein the evaluation circuit is adapted to provide the enabling signal also on the basis of the further status signal.