Gate driving circuit for driving a gate electrode of an electric power switching element with simple structure

• US 7,570,102 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2004
• Issued: 08/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Mitsubishi-Electric Industrial Systems Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Mitsubishi-Electric Industrial Systems Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Tai, Hiromichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wells; Kenneth B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Poos; John W
• Application Number:
  US10/571,001
• Publication Number:
  US 20070080738A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,789 Days
• Field of Search: 327/108, 327/436
• US Class Current: 327/434
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/08 Circuits specially adapted for the generation of control voltages for semiconductor devices incorporated in static converters
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/0828 in composite switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/0081 Power supply means, e.g. to the switch driver

Abstract

A one mode of a gate driving circuit that drives a gate electrode of an electric power switching element (9), comprising drive means (6) configured to supply to the gate electrode a current in accordance with a voltage applied across the principal electrodes of the electric power switching element (9), while utilizing a voltage produced by dividing a voltage applied across the principal electrodes by use of resistors (4a, 4b). Since the drive means (6) utilizes a voltage produced by a voltage dividing resistor circuit, which divides the voltage applied across the principal electrodes of the electric power switching element (9) as a power source voltage, only an addition of the dividing resistors (4a, 4b) makes it possible to constitute the power source for the current drive means (6).

Claims

1. A gate driving circuit comprising:

an electric power switching element having a gate electrode that receives a gate driving signal;

two resistors that divide a principal voltage applied between principal electrodes of the electric power switching element;

a diode and a control current source connected in series between a circuit point between the two resistors and the gate electrode of the electric power switching element;

a capacitor connected between a circuit point between the diode and the control current source and an emitter electrode of the electric power switching element; and

a voltage amplifier that receives a divided voltage signal generated on the circuit point between the two resistors and outputs a control signal for controlling the control current source,

wherein the capacitor is charged via the diode according to the divided voltage signal, and

an output terminal of the control current source is connected directly to the gate electrode of the electric power switching element.