Control circuit and method for driving a half-bridge circuit

• US 7,301,376 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2006
• Issued: 11/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Capodivacca, Giovanni, Galvano, Maurizio, Florio, Nicola
• Primary Examiner(s): ZWEIZIG, JEFFERY SHAWN
• Application Number:
  US11/411,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20070069236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• Field of Search: 327/72, 327/73, 327/77, 327/84, 327/87, 327/111, 327/112
• US Class Current: 327/112
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/38 Means for preventing simultaneous conduction of switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/063 in field-effect transistor switches

Abstract

A method is disclosed for controlling a first transistor in a half-bridge circuit which also includes a second transistor. The transistors can be controlled by applying drive voltages to their gates. During a switch-off operation of the second transistor, the amplitude of the drive voltage of the second transistor is compared with a first threshold value and a second threshold value. A switch-on operation for the first transistor is started following a specified first period which begins at a first time when the drive voltage of the second transistor undershoots the first threshold value. The first threshold value is set in accordance with a second period which begins at a second time when the amplitude of the drive voltage of the second transistor undershoots the second threshold value. The second period ends at another time when the first transistor adopts a specified initial operating state during the switch-on operation.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a circuit comprising:

providing a first transistor connected to a second transistor, wherein the first transistor and second transistor each include a control input;

switching off the second transistor and comparing a drive characteristic at the control input of the second transistor with a first threshold value and a second threshold value;

switching on the first transistor following a first time period, wherein the first time period begins when the drive characteristic at the control input of the second transistor is equal to the first threshold value; and

determining the first threshold value based on a second time period.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the second time period is a predetermined time period.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the second time period begins when the drive characteristic at the control input of the second transistor is equal to the second threshold value, and wherein the second time period ends when the first transistor is in a specified initial operating state.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the first transistor is in the specified initial operating state when a drive characteristic at the control input of the first transistor is equal to a specified third threshold value.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein a load path of the first transistor connected in series with a load path of the second transistor.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the drive characteristic at the control input of the second transistor is a drive voltage.

7. A method for controlling a first transistor and a second transistor, wherein the first transistor and the second transistor each comprise a load path and a control gate, wherein the load path of the first transistor is connected in series with the load path of the second transistor, and wherein the first transistor can be controlled by applying a first drive voltage to the control gate of the first transistor and the second transistor can be controlled by applying a second drive voltage to the control gate of the second transistor, the method comprising:

during a switch-off operation of the second transistor, comparing the amplitude of the second drive voltage with a first threshold value and a second threshold value;

starting a switch-on operation for the first transistor following a specified first period, wherein the specified first period begins at a first time, wherein the first time is when the second drive voltage undershoots the first threshold value; and

setting the first threshold value in accordance with a second period, wherein the second period begins at a second time and ends at an end time, wherein the second time is when the amplitude of the second drive voltage undershoots the second threshold value, and wherein the end time is when the first transistor adopts a specified initial operating state during the switch-on operation.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein an output is provided at a node common to the load path of the first transistor and the load path of the second transistor, and wherein an operating state of the first transistor is determined by analyzing an output voltage available at the output.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the specified initial operating state of the first transistor exists if an amplitude of the output voltage exceeds a specified third threshold value.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein, during the step of setting the first threshold value, the first threshold value is increased if the second period is longer than a first time threshold, and the first threshold value is decreased if the second period is shorter than a second time threshold.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the second time threshold is shorter than the first time threshold.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the second time threshold is identical to the first time threshold.

13. The method of claim 7 wherein a signal pulse is generated with a duration matching the second period, wherein the signal pulse is filtered by a low pass filter in order to generate a low pass-filtered signal pulse, and wherein the low pass-filtered signal pulse is used to set the first threshold value.

14. The method of claim 7 wherein the first transistor and the second transistor are MOSFET transistors and wherein the second threshold value at least approximately matches the activation voltage of the second transistor.

15. A control circuit configured to generate a control signal for a first transistor in a half-bridge circuit comprising the first transistor and a second transistor, the control circuit comprising:

a first input configured to receive a first operating state signal for the first transistor;

a second input configured to receive a second operating state signal for the second transistor;

a first comparator configured to compare the second operating state signal with a first threshold value and provide an enabling signal intended to enable the generation of a switch-on level of the control signal following a time delay; and

a threshold value generating circuit configured receive the first operating state signal and the second operating state signal and generate the first threshold value.

16. The control circuit of claim 15 further comprising a delay element connected to the first comparator, wherein the delay element is configured to output the enabling signal following a specified delay time.

17. The control circuit of claim 15 wherein the control circuit further comprises

a pulse width modulator configured to generate a pulse width-modulated signal, wherein a pulse length of the pulse width modulated signal depends on a comparison of the second operating state signal with a second specified threshold value and on a comparison of the first operating state signal with a specified third threshold value;

a counter including an increment input, a decrement input and an output;

a digital/analog converter connected to the output of the counter and configured to provide the first threshold value; and

an evaluation circuit, wherein the pulse width-modulated signal is input into the evaluation circuit, the evaluation circuit configured to analyze the duration of a pulse of the pulse width-modulated signal and to generate control signals for the decrement input and increment input of the counter in accordance with the duration of the pulse.

18. The control circuit of claim 17 wherein the pulse width modulator is configured to generate the pulse width-modulated signal in such a way that the pulse begins at a time at which the second operating state signal falls below the second threshold value, and in such a way that the pulse ends at a time at which the first operating state signal rises above the third threshold value.

19. The control circuit of claim 17 wherein the evaluation circuit is designed to increment a count value of the counter whenever the duration of the pulse is longer than a first threshold time, and to decrement the count value whenever the duration of the pulse is shorter than a second threshold time.

20. The control circuit of claim 17 wherein the evaluation circuit comprises

a low pass filter wherein the pulse width-modulated signal is input into the low pass filter,

a second comparator connected to the low pass filter, the second comparator configured to compare an output signal of the low pass filter with an additional threshold value;

and

a logic circuit, wherein an output signal of the second comparator and the pulse width-modulated signal are input into the logic circuit, and wherein the logic circuit is configured to generates the control signals for the decrement input and increment input of the counter.

21. The control circuit of claim 15 wherein the first operating state signal is a signal dependent on an output voltage of the half-bridge circuit, and wherein the second operating state signal is a drive voltage of the second transistor.