Abstract: A high voltage integrated circuit (HVIC) chip with a resistor connected between the substrate of the chip and ground. The resistor substantially improves the handling of negative voltage spikes by limiting the current passing through the intrinsic diode of the chip when the diode conducts due to negative transients at the output node.

Abstract: A circuit for recovering a signal of interest which is offset by a common mode displacement, such is the case when the signal is the voltage across a current sense resistor located on the high side bus or between the switches of a motor controller circuit. The circuit of the present invention converts the voltage across the resistor into a pulse code modulated data, then downshifts the voltage, and then recovers the signal of interest at the lower voltage by demodulating the signal. The recovered signal is then processed, either with a synchronized sample and hold circuit to provide an analog output, or with a counter and latch to provide a digital output.

Abstract: A current sensing circuit including a shunt resistor coupled, at one end, to the low-side transistor of a half bridge circuit and, at its other end, to a load. The voltage sensed across the shunt resistor is proportional to the current delivered to the load. A level shifting circuit is provided to transpose the sensed voltage to a low voltage signal which can be fed back to control commutation of the transistors in the half bridge circuit.