US Patent 7835126 Resettable short-circuit protection circuit

A resettable short-circuit protection circuit can terminate excessive fault currents automatically and quickly. The short-circuit protection circuit is switchable and has a low input impedance during normal operation so that there is not a significant voltage drop across the switching elements of the protection circuit. The short-circuit protection circuit allows a power source internal to a portable device to be safely connected to an external accessory where there exists the possibility that the connection could be shorted at the time power is first supplied to the external accessory or a short develops afterwards. After terminating a short-circuit condition, the protection circuit may be reset by cycling an enable signal. The fault termination and reset timing may be configured by selection of internal resistance and capacitance values.