Infineon Technologies Canada Inc.

Texas Instruments Corporation

Nan Xing

Edward MacRobbie

Lucas Andrew Milner

Robert Wayne Mounger

Orlando Lazaro

Yinglai Xia

Sridhar Ramaswamy

Krishnaswamy Nagaraj

Yogesh Kumar Ramadass

Zhemin Zhang

Yalong Li

Timothy Bryan Merkin

Ashutosh Ravindra Joharapurkar

Ramesh G Karpur

John Russell Broze

Thomas William Macelwee

Ahmad Mizannojehdehi

Abhisek Jain

A bidirectional current sense circuit allowing for sensing of power current passing through a power field-effect transistor, regardless of the direction of the power current. The bidirectional current sense circuit outputs a current sense signal representing the power current onto a current sense output node. The bidirectional current sense circuit includes the power field-effect transistor, and two current sense circuits. One of the current sense circuits senses the power current when the power current flows in the positive direction. The other current sense circuit senses the power current when the power current flows in the negative direction.

Bidirectional current sense for power field-effect transistor

A power transistor current sense circuit. The control nodes of each of a power transistor and sense transistors are connected. The input nodes of the power transistor and each of the sense transistors are also connected. A voltage divider is connected between a reference voltage source and the output node of a second sense transistor. A negative feedback circuit is connected between the output of the voltage divider and the output node of the first sense transistor. The negative feedback circuit forces a voltage at the output node of the first sense transistor to be approximately equal to the divided voltage. A power transistor current determination component measures a sense current that passes through the first sense transistor, and from that detects the current passing through the power transistor.

Power current signal generation using sense transistors

A circuit that includes a power transistor and at least one sense transistor and that uses the control drive terminal to not only control the power transistor and the sense transistor, but also to provide power to a current sense circuit. The control nodes of the power transistor and sense transistor are connected, and the input nodes of the power transistor and the sense transistor are also connected. The current sense circuit is connected to the sense transistor control node and is configured to detect current passing through the sense transistor. The current sense circuit is also connected to the control drive terminal and is configured to draw power from the control drive terminal when a high control signal is present on the control drive terminal. Accordingly, the current sense circuit does not require an independent fixed high voltage supply in order to operate.

Circuit with power transistor and current sense that uses control drive as power source

A voltage supply circuit that generates a voltage on a voltage supply node. The voltage supply circuit includes an adjustable capacitor, an alternating voltage source, a charge source, and an adjusting circuit. When the alternating voltage on the second capacitor terminal transitions low, the voltage on the first capacitor terminal also becomes low, and the charge source provides charge to the first capacitor terminal of the adjustable capacitor. When the alternating voltage on the second capacitor terminal transitions high, the voltage on the first capacitor terminal also becomes high, and charge is thereby pumped from the first capacitor terminal to the voltage supply node. The adjusting circuit periodically samples the voltage on the voltage supply node, and adjusts the capacitance of the adjustable capacitor to increase or decrease that voltage.

Charge pumping using adjustable capacitor

A current sense circuit that allows for accurate sensing of a power current that flows through a power transistor as the power transistor ages. The circuit includes the power transistor, a sense transistor and a pull-up component. The control nodes of the power transistor and the sense transistor are connected, causing the power transistor and sense transistor to be on or off simultaneously. The pull-up component is connected between the input node of the power transistor and the input node of the sense transistor. When power is provided to the pull-up component, and when each of the power transistor and sense transistor are off, the pull-up component forces a voltage present at the sense transistor input node to be approximately equal to a voltage present at the power transistor input node, causing the sense and power transistors to age together.

Current sensing by using aging sense transistor

A power transistor circuit suppling an internal voltage to an internal voltage supply node. The power transistor circuit includes external terminals, to each of which signals and/or voltages are applied, for each of the input node, output node and control node of the power transistor. The power transistor circuit includes the power transistor, a current draw transistor, a first diode connected between an external control terminal and the internal voltage supply node, and a second diode connected between the current draw transistor output node and the internal voltage supply node. The power transistor circuit includes a charge pump that receives power from the internal voltage supply node and outputs a voltage to the control node of the current draw transistor. In operation, the internal voltage supply node receives power from the external control terminal via the first diode, or an external input terminal via the current draw transistor and the second diode.

Power transistor circuit that generates internal voltage supply

A method includes charging a capacitor of a power inverter to a direct current (DC) input voltage from an input terminal of the power inverter. The capacitor has first and second terminals. The method also includes providing a first voltage at an output terminal of the power inverter at a first time by controlling one of either: an output switch that selectively couples the output terminal to either the first terminal or the second terminal; or a set of input switches that selectively couple the first and second terminals to either the input terminal or a ground terminal. The method further includes providing a second voltage at the output terminal at a second time by controlling the other of the output switch or the set of input switches.

Hybrid multi-level inverter and charge pump

An electronic device has a first circuit, a second circuit, and an isolation circuit, the isolation circuit having an input and an output, the first circuit including a signal generator having an output, the output of the signal generator coupled to the input of the isolation circuit. The second circuit includes a rectifier circuit and a signal detector circuit, the rectifier circuit having a rectifier input coupled to the output of the isolation circuit, and the signal detector circuit having an input coupled to the output of the isolation circuit.

Rectifier with signal reconstruction

A method includes charging a capacitor of a power inverter to a direct current (DC) input voltage provided at an input terminal of the power inverter. The capacitor has a first terminal and a second terminal. The method also includes providing a first voltage at an output terminal of the power inverter at a first time by controlling one of either a set of input switches configured to selectively couple the first and second terminals to either the input terminal or to a ground terminal, or an output switch configured to selectively couple the output terminal to either the first terminal or the second terminal. The method further includes providing a second voltage at the output terminal at a second time by controlling the other of the set of input switches and the output switch.

Growing community of inventors

Allen, TX, United States of America

Nan Xing