Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen Gmbh

Robin Lyle

Robert John Leedham

Mark Snook

A power switch driver for driving a control terminal of a power switch to drive a load, the power switch driver having a negative feedback circuit to control current delivered to the control terminal. The negative feedback circuit has a current output circuit having a current source and a current sink and serving for providing the current of the control terminal and configured to receive an output current control signal to control a magnitude of the current provided by the current output circuit, a terminal voltage input circuit for receiving a voltage from the control terminal and to output an indication of the voltage, an amplifier coupled to the terminal voltage input circuit for amplifying the terminal voltage indication to generate an amplifier output, and a reference voltage input circuit for receiving a reference voltage, having at least one resistor, and coupled to a charge supply input of the amplifier.

Resistor emulation and gate boost

The invention generally relates to methods and circuits for controlling switching of parallel coupled power semiconductor switching devices (), for example for use in a power converter. In an example, there is provided a circuit for controlling switching of parallel coupled power semiconductor switching devices (), the circuit comprising: a plurality of drive modules (), each said module for controlling a said power semiconductor switching device (); control circuitry to transmit switch command signals to the modules, each said switch command signal to trigger a said drive module to control a said power semiconductor switching device to switch state; and voltage isolation between the drive modules and the control circuitry, wherein each said drive module for controlling a said device comprises: timing circuitry () to compare a switching delay of the device and a reference delay, wherein said switching delay is a time interval between detecting a said switching command signal at the drive module and switching of the device in accordance with the detected switching command signal; and delay circuitry () to provide a controllable delay to delay a said triggering by a said switching command signal received at the module subsequent to the detected switching command signal, the delay circuitry configured to control the controllable delay according to a result of said comparison of said switching delay of the device, to thereby reduce a time difference between the reference delay and a said switching delay of the device switching in accordance with the subsequent switching command signal.

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Grantham, United Kingdom

Robin Lyle