摘要 |
A protection device for a power output circuit, designed such that the device protects the power output circuit from damage due to output overloads and simultaneously eliminates the power dissipation of the protected device, thereby conserving power and eliminating unnecessary heating of both the protected device and adjacent components. The protection device includes a comparator for comparing the voltage at the input to the power output circuit with the voltage at the output of the power output circuit. If the power output circuit has a unity voltage gain, its voltage output equals its voltage input under normal operating conditions but its voltage output becomes lower than its voltage input under overload conditions. The comparator is arranged to inhibit the power operation of the power output circuit and reduce its power dissipation to zero when the input voltage of the power output circuit exceeds the output voltage thereof by a specified value, that is, under overload conditions. |