An integrated circuit (IC) heater circuit comprises a drive circuit configured to increase the temperature of the IC when consuming power; a temperature sensor coupled to a control node of the drive circuit to activate and deactivate the drive circuit to provide an ambient temperature for the IC, wherein current of the temperature sensor varies with temperature; and a control circuit coupled to the temperature sensor and configured to adjust variation in the temperature sensitivity of the current of the temperature sensor.

An object of the present invention is to stop the driving of a semiconductor element swiftly at a time of abnormality while sharing an output terminal between temperature information and an error signal in an IPM. In the intelligent power module of the present invention, each drive circuit includes an output control circuit configured to select the error signal while the error signal generation circuit outputs the error signal, to select the temperature signal while the error signal generation circuit does not output the error signal, and to output a selected signal as an alarm signal. The temperature signal generation circuit is configured to change the voltage value of the temperature signal in accordance with the element temperature of the specific semiconductor element within a voltage range different from the voltage value of the error signal.

A semiconductor device 100 has a power transistor N1 of vertical structure and a temperature detection element 10a configured to detect abnormal heat generation by the power transistor N1. The power transistor N1 includes a first electrode 208 formed on a first main surface side (front surface side) of a semiconductor substrate 200, a second electrode 209 formed on a second main surface side (rear surface side) of the semiconductor substrate 200, and pads 210a-210f positioned unevenly on the first electrode 208. The temperature detection element 10a is formed at a location of the highest heat generation by the power transistor N1, the location (near the pad 210b where it is easiest for current to be concentrated) being specified using the uneven positioning of the pads 210a-210f.

An over-temperature protection circuit is described. The circuit comprises an input for sensing a voltage across a transistor, a voltage-to-current converter configured to generate a current in dependence upon the voltage, an accumulator storing a value indicative of power dissipated by the transistor and which depends on the current; and a comparator configured to determine whether the value exceeds a threshold value and, in dependence on the value exceeding the threshold value, to generate a signal to cause the transistor to be switched off.

A semiconductor device 100 has a power transistor N1 of vertical structure and a temperature detection element 10a configured to detect abnormal heat generation by the power transistor N1. The power transistor N1 includes a first electrode 208 formed on a first main surface side (front surface side) of a semiconductor substrate 200, a second electrode 209 formed on a second main surface side (rear surface side) of the semiconductor substrate 200, and pads 210a-210f positioned unevenly on the first electrode 208. The temperature detection element 10a is formed at a location of the highest heat generation by the power transistor N1, the location (near the pad 210b where it is easiest for current to be concentrated) being specified using the uneven positioning of the pads 210a-210f.

An integrated circuit (IC) heater circuit comprises a drive circuit configured to increase the temperature of the IC when consuming power; a temperature sensor coupled to a control node of the drive circuit to activate and deactivate the drive circuit to provide an ambient temperature for the IC, wherein current of the temperature sensor varies with temperature; and a control circuit coupled to the temperature sensor and configured to adjust variation in the temperature sensitivity of the current of the temperature sensor.

Mobile swappable battery for a powered workstation. In an embodiment of a mobile swappable battery sized for detachable coupling with a base of a powered workstation of the present disclosure, the battery comprises a wheeled housing enclosing a portion of the battery, wherein the wheeled housing comprises at least two wheels attached to a bottom side of the housing, and a collapsible handle for pushing and guiding the wheeled housing into detachable alignment with a battery guide in the base of the powered workstation.

A method (50, 70, 600) provides thermal protection for an IC device that has multiple components. For each component, temperatures are sensed (51), each of which associated with a different area of the respective component and a respective temperature sense signal is output indicative of the highest sensed temperature of the respective component. For each of the components, the respective temperature sense output signal is sampled (52) to produce a sequence of discrete sampled temperature values. A sequence of differences between a reference temperature value and each of the discrete sample temperatures is integrated (53) over time to compute, for each of the components, a respective integration output. The respective integration output computed for each of the switches is compared (54) to a threshold value. An action related to the thermal protection function is initiated (55) upon the integration output of an affected component exceeding the threshold value.

A battery protection system includes a sensor, a primary protection circuit, coupled to the sensor, and a secondary protection circuit, coupled to the primary protection circuit and the sensor. The sensor is configured to generate a sense signal indicative of temperature in a battery pack when the sensor is activated. The primary protection circuit is configured to generate a synchronizing signal in a first state or a second state, sample the sense signal when the synchronizing signal is in the first state, and provide primary protection to the battery pack based on the sense signal. A secondary protection circuit is configured to be controlled by the synchronizing signal, sample the sense signal when the synchronizing signal is in the second state, and provide secondary protection to the battery pack based on the sense signal.

An over temperature compensation control circuit is coupled to a conversion unit. The over temperature compensation control circuit includes a detection circuit, a temperature control resistor, and a comparison unit. The detection circuit provides a current signal responsive to an input voltage according to a voltage signal responsive to the input voltage of the conversion unit. The temperature control resistor generates a temperature control voltage according to the current signal. The comparison unit compares the temperature control voltage with a reference voltage to generate a control signal. The control signal represents whether a temperature of the conversion unit reaches an over temperature protection point.