H-bridge type power amplifier and its blocking means

• US 5,453,717 A
• Filed: 11/01/1994
• Issued: 09/26/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thomson-CSF (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson-CSF (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Gerfault, Bertrand
• Primary Examiner(s): Mullins, James B.
• Application Number:
  US08/332,865
• Time in Patent Office: 329 Days
• Field of Search: 330/146, 330/207 A, 330/251, 332/172, 332/177, 332/180, 332/181, 455/108
• US Class Current: 330/146
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/33 Bridge form coupled amplifiers; H-form coupled amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/534 Transformer coupled at the input of an amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/541 Transformer coupled at the output of an amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/2173 of the bridge type

Abstract

The invention concerns H-bridge type power amplifiers and their blocking means.

The memory effect of the capacitive impedance of control inputs of each of the two blocking transistors-in the H-bridge is used to block and unblock the amplifier synchronously with the amplifier input signal: a first switch and a semi-conductor element are placed in parallel with each other, in series with each of these control inputs, such that the blocking of the blocking transistor necessitates the opening of the first switch under the control of the blocking signal, and is dependent on the sign of the charge carried by said capacitive impedance; a second switch controlled by the half periods of the input signal only enables the first switch to close and therefore unblocking of the considered blocking transistor for half periods that are not amplified by this blocking transistor.

Claims

1. An H-bridge type power amplifier and its blocking means, the amplifier comprising a fixed potential point, four transistors each with a control electrode, a blocking input, and four transformers respectively associated with the four transistors, each having a secondary winding with a first terminal connected to the control electrode of the associated transistor and a second terminal, two of the second terminals of the four transformers being blocking terminals coupled through the blocking means to the fixed potential point, the blocking means comprising, on the one hand, between each of the two blocking terminals and the fixed potential point, a first switch and a semi-conductor element mounted in parallel, each first switch having a control input coupled to the blocking input, and on the other hand, a second switch associated with each first switch, coupled to the control input of the first switch associated with it, this second switch having a control input coupled to the input of the blocking terminals to which the first switch associated with it is connected.

2. An amplifier according to claim 1, in which the transistors are MOSFET transistors.

3. An amplifier according to claim 1 in which the first switch consists of the assembly in series of an additional transistor and a diode, the additional transistor having electrodes and in which the control input of the first switch consists of one of the electrodes of the additional transistor.

4. An amplifier according to claim 3 in which the second switch is a transistor with a first and second electrode in series between the control input of the first switch and the fixed potential point, and a third electrode that forms the control input of the second switch.