CIRCUITS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING POWER AND DATA COMMUNICATION IN ISOLATED SYSTEM ARCHITECTURES

• US 20170255212A1
• Filed: 03/02/2016
• Published: 09/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Triune Systems, LLC (Semtech Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Triune Ip, LLC (Semtech Corporation)
• Inventors: Teggatz, Ross E., Blackall, Eric C., Atrash, Amer H., Baldwin, David J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,338,613 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/10 Regulating voltage or current G05F1/02 takes precedence; for electric railways B60M3/02
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/18 Modifications for indicating state of switch
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/689 with galvanic isolation between the control circuit and the output circuit H03K17/78 takes precedence

Abstract

A switch controller, an isolated system incorporating an integrated circuit (IC) and a method of operating a power switch. In one embodiment, the IC includes: (1) a monolithic substrate, (2) a drive circuit supported by the monolithic substrate and configured to drive a power switch, (3) a diagnostics block supported by the monolithic substrate and configured to provide diagnostic signals indicating at least one attribute associated with the power switch and (4) a control block supported by the monolithic substrate and configured to drive the drive circuit in response to control signals developed based on the diagnostic signals.

Claims

1. A switch controller, comprising:

a monolithic substrate;

a drive circuit supported by said monolithic substrate and configured to drive a power switch;

a diagnostics block supported by said monolithic substrate and configured to provide diagnostic signals indicating at least one attribute associated with said power switch; and

a control block supported by said monolithic substrate and configured to drive said drive circuit in response to control signals developed based on said diagnostic signals.

2. The switch controller as recited in claim 1 wherein said drive circuit is a first drive circuit, said power switch is a first power switch and said switch controller further comprises a second drive circuit supported by said monolithic substrate and configured to drive a second power switch.

3. The switch controller as recited in claim 2 wherein said first and second power switches are transistors.

4. The switch controller as recited in claim 1 wherein said at least one attribute includes a current passing through said power switch.

5. The switch controller as recited in claim 1 wherein said at least one attribute includes a temperature proximate said power switch.

6. The switch controller as recited in claim 5 wherein said temperature is a temperature proximate a load powered by said solid-state relay.

7. The switch controller as recited in claim 1 wherein a microcontroller external to said solid-state relay provides said control signals.

8. The switch controller as recited in claim 1 further comprising a serial interface supported by said monolithic substrate and configured to receive said control signals.

9. The switch controller as recited in claim 8 further comprising a sigma-delta modulator coupled to said serial interface and configured to convert said diagnostic signals to digital data for transmission by said serial interface.

10. The switch controller as recited in claim 1 further comprising a references block supported by said monolithic substrate and configured to generate at least one reference signal.

18. The isolated system as recited in claim 8 wherein said microcontroller is a secondary microcontroller and said isolated system further comprises a primary microcontroller coupled to said secondary microcontroller.

11. An isolated system, comprising:

a monolithic substrate;

first and second gate drive circuits supported by said monolithic substrate and configured to drive respective first and second power transistors;

a control block supported by said monolithic substrate and configured to drive said first and second gate drive circuits in response to control signals developed based on said diagnostic signals; and

a microcontroller coupled to said control block and configured to receive said diagnostic signals and provide said control signals.

12. The isolated system as recited in claim 11 wherein said first and second power transistors are field-effect transistors.

13. The isolated system as recited in claim 11 further comprising a data bus coupled to said microcontroller and said control block and configured to bear said control signals.

14. The isolated system as recited in claim 13 further comprising an isolation circuit interposed in said data bus.

15. The isolated system as recited in claim 11 wherein said first and second power transistors are external to said monolithic substrate.

16. The isolated system as recited in claim 11 wherein said microcontroller is powered by a power supply coupled to an AC power bus coupled to said first and second power transistors.

17. The isolated system as recited in claim 16 further comprising an isolation circuit coupled between said power supply and said microcontroller.

19. A method of operating a power switch, comprising:

driving said power switch with a drive circuit;

providing diagnostic signals indicating at least one attribute associated with said power switch; and

driving said drive circuit in response to control signals developed based on said diagnostic signals to sample power from a power bus coupled to said drive circuit.

20. The method as recited in claim 19 wherein said drive circuit is a first drive circuit, said power switch is a first power switch and said method circuit further comprises:

driving a second power switch with a second drive circuit; and

driving said second drive circuit in response to said control signals.

21. The method as recited in claim 20 wherein said first and second power switches are transistors.

22. The method as recited in claim 19 wherein said at least one attribute includes a current passing through said power switch.

23. The method as recited in claim 19 wherein said at least one attribute includes a temperature proximate said power switch.

24. The method as recited in claim 19 wherein said providing is carried out with a microcontroller external to said power switch.

25. The method as recited in claim 19 further comprising receiving said control signals with a serial interface.

26. The method as recited in claim 19 further comprising converting said diagnostic signals to digital data for transmission by said serial interface.

27. The method as recited in claim 19 further comprising generating at least one reference signal.