Soft transition techniques for H-bridge converter
AssigneeAnalog Devices International Unlimited Company
InventorsHai Chen, Gregory J. Hughes
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Techniques for starting up and shutting down a H-bridge are provided. In an example, a method can include ramping an internal reference voltage of the H-bridge between a first level and a second level during a first interval, controlling an output voltage of each of a first half-bridge of the H-bridge and a second half-bridge of the H-bridge independently during the first interval based on the reference voltage, and controlling the first half-bridge and second half-bridge as a full H-bridge during a second timed interval.
Claims21
A method for terminal control and handoff of an H-bridge converter coupled to a load, the H-bridge converter having a first half-bridge coupled to the load at a first node and a second half-bridge coupled to the load at a second node, each half-bridge having a first switch coupled in series at a first bridge node with a second switch and each half-bridge coupled between a first power rail and a second power rail, the method comprising:
- ramping a reference voltage between a first level and a second level during a first interval;
- controlling an output voltage of each of the first half-bridge and the second half-bridge independently during the first interval based on the reference voltage;
- and
- controlling the first half-bridge and second half-bridge as a full H-bridge during a second timed interval.
An H-bridge converter having a first half-bridge configured to couple to a load and a second half-bridge configured to couple to the load, each half-bridge having a first switch coupled in series at a bridge node with a second switch between a first power rail and a second power rail, the H-bridge converter further comprising:
- a first error amplifier configured to receive a representation of a first output voltage of the first half-bridge and a first reference;
- a second error amplifier configured to receive a representation of a second output voltage of the second half-bridge and the first reference;
- and
- a controller configured to control the first and second switches of the first half-bridge and the second half-bridge of the H-bridge converter based on an output of the first error amplifier and an output of the second error amplifier.
A H-bridge converter system comprising:
- a first half-bridge including a first switch coupled in series at a first bridge node with a second switch, the first half-bridge configured to couple between a first power rail and a second power rail, the first bridge node configured to provide power to a load;
- a second half-bridge including a third switch coupled in series at a second bridge node with a fourth switch, the second half-bridge configured to couple between the first power rail and the second power rail, the second bridge node configured to provide power to the load;
- means for transitioning a reference voltage between a first level and a second level during a first interval;
- first means for controlling each of the first half-bridge and the second half-bridge independently during the first interval, wherein the first means for controlling includes:
- means for servoing a voltage level of a first output node of the first half-bridge to the reference voltage during the first interval;
- means for servoing a voltage level of a second output node of the second half-bridge to the reference voltage during the first interval,
- second means for controlling the first half-bridge and second half-bridge as a full H-bridge during a second timed interval;
- and
- means for servoing a differential voltage between the first output node and the second output node to zero volts during the second interval.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.