H-bridge drive utilizing a pair of high and low side MOSFET's in a common insulation housing

• US 7,115,922 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2004
• Issued: 10/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies Americas Corp. (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: International Rectifier Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Thiery, Vincent, Nadd, Bruno C, Yam Lee, Chik, de Frutos, Xavier
• Primary Examiner(s): Chambliss, Alonzo
• Application Number:
  US10/819,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20040189229A1
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• Field of Search: 327/108, 327/390, 327/427, 327/436, 327/538, 327/543, 327/423, 327/424, 327/389, 327/408, 327/587, 327/588
• US Class Current: 257/288
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48137 the bodies being arranged next to each other, e.g. on a common substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73265 Layer and wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13055 Insulated gate bipolar transistor [IGBT]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13091 Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor [MOSFET]
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/0838 with H-bridge circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 2203/07 Motor variable determination based on the ON-resistance of a power switch, i.e. the voltage across the switch is measured during the ON state of the switch and used to determine the current in the motor and to calculate the speed
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 7/04 by means of a H-bridge circuit

Abstract

A fully protected H-bridge for a d-c motor consists of two high side MOSFETs and a control and logic IC on a first conductive heat sink all within a first package and two discrete low side MOSFETs. The entire bridge is controlled by the IC. Shoot thru protection is provided for each leg, and a PMW soft start sequence is provided through the control of the low side MOSFETs, programed by an external, chargeable RC circuit. Input signals to the high side MOSFETs select the operation modes. Protective circuits are provided for short circuit current and over current conditions. Sleep mode and braking/non braking control is also provided.

Claims

1. A motor controller comprising:

a low side switch;

a high side switch coupled to said low side switch at an output node, said output node providing an output voltage;

a voltage reference generator generating a reference voltage; and

a comparator coupled to said output node and said reference voltage generator;

wherein said low side switch is prevented from being turned on until the difference between said reference voltage and said output voltage as determined by said comparator indicates that said high side switch has been turned off.

2. A motor controller according to claim 1, wherein said output voltage corresponds to a voltage between said output node and ground.

3. A motor controller according to claim 1, wherein said low side switch and said high side switch are MOSFETs.

4. A motor controller according to claim 1, further comprising another high side switch and another low side switch in an H-bridge configuration.

5. A motor controller according to claim 1, wherein said reference voltage is set at two volts.

6. A motor controller according to claim 1, wherein said low side switch is in a quiescent on state before being turned on.

7. A motor controller according to claim 1, wherein said comparator causes a constant quiescent on signal to be applied to said low side switch.

8. A motor controller according to claim 1, further comprising a flip flop coupled to the output of said comparator, said flip flop being reset when said comparator indicates that said high side switch has been turned off.

9. A motor controller according to claim 1, wherein said comparator indicates that said high side switch has been turned off when said output voltage is below said reference voltage.