Patent ID: 8139333
Filing Date: 2012-03-20
Classification: H01H

Abstract:
1. A short circuit protection circuit comprising: a relay drive circuit which outputs a drive current to a load in accordance with a first control signal; and a short circuit detection circuit which detects the occurrence of a short circuit at an output side of the relay drive circuit, suspends an output operation of the relay drive circuit when the short circuit occurs, and intermittently transmits a recovery signal to the relay drive circuit in a certain time interval after a predetermined time elapses from when the short circuit occurs to recover the output operation of the relay drive circuit; wherein the time interval is gradually increased whenever the recovery signal is transmitted, the short circuit protection circuit further comprising: a control unit which provides the relay drive circuit with the first control signal and the short circuit detection circuit with a second control signal; wherein the short circuit detection circuit generates the recovery signal in response to the second control signal.