Protects electronic devices from overcurrent, overvoltage, undervoltage, and reverse voltage
Provides forward and reverse current thresholds to protect the battery from excessive charging and discharging

Linear Technology Korea announces the development of a circuit protection controller (product name: LTC4368) that ensures safe voltage and current levels for 2.5V to 60V electronic devices used in battery-powered automotive, industrial and portable systems.

The LTC4368 replaces fuses, transient voltage suppressors (TVS) and discrete circuitry, providing a compact, complete solution for protecting electronics from potentially damaging overcurrent and over/under/reverse voltage conditions.



The LTC4368 controls back-to-back N-channel MOSFETs to provide a low loss current path during normal operation, turning them off when an overcurrent fault occurs in either the forward or reverse direction. The LTC4368-1 circuit breaker provides symmetric forward and reverse current thresholds to protect batteries from excessive charge and discharge currents. The LTC4368-1 circuit breaker trips off when reverse current is detected to prevent backfeeding and hold up the output.

The LTC4368 quickly disconnects the load from input voltages exceeding an adjustable precision overvoltage threshold. An adjustable undervoltage lockout disables operation for low input voltages, preventing deep battery discharge. Reverse supply protection isolates the load from batteries with incorrect polarity, eliminating the diode in the power path. The eliminated diode drop and 2.5V operation provide sufficient margin to pass automotive cold crank conditions. It also controls inrush current while hot-plugging the power supply on the circuit board.

The LTC4368 is available in two options: the LTC4368-1, which provides a 50mV reverse circuit breaker sense threshold, and the LTC4368-2, which has a 3mV reverse threshold. When an overcurrent fault occurs, a pin configuration determines whether the MOSFET is latched off or turned on after a delay.