Patent ID: 8085025

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising: a high side pass device; a low side pass device electrically coupled in series to the high side pass device; a control module electrically coupled to the high side pass device and the low side pass device to control the high side pass device and the low side pass device; over-current sensing circuitry comprising: a first comparator having a threshold voltage input differential corresponding to a first current limit to detect a current that exceeds the first current limit, wherein an output of the first comparator is electrically coupled to the control module; a second comparator having a threshold voltage input differential corresponding to a second current limit to detect a current that exceeds the second current limit, wherein an output of the second comparator is electrically coupled to the control module, and the second current limit is higher than the first current limit; and wherein the control module is operable to: temporarily lock out the high side pass device and turning on the low side pass device responsive to at least one of the output of the first comparator or the output of the second comparator; wherein the apparatus further comprises a third comparator electrically coupled to the low side pass device to detect a current that falls below a third current limit, wherein an output of the third comparator is electrically coupled to the control module to cause the control module to operate the high side pass device and the low side pass device.