Gate driver circuit for half bridge MOSFET switches providing protection of the switch devices

A method for driving a half-bridge circuit comprising:

• receiving a gate signal;
• converting the gate signal to a low-side drive signal and passing the low-side drive signal to a low-side output;
• converting the same gate signal to a high-side drive signal and passing the high-side drive signal to a high-side output;
• monitoring, by a comparator of a monitoring circuit, a voltage at an output of the half-bridge;
• and
• pulling, by the comparator, the low-side output to a level for turning off a low-side switching device of the half-bridge on a condition that the voltage exceeds a voltage threshold,
• wherein the monitoring circuit is configured to create a delay time that separates the transition of the high-side drive signal and the transition of the low-side drive signal and the delay time enables the comparator of the monitoring circuit to compare the voltage at the output of the half-bridge to a reference voltage to confirm whether a high-side switching device of the half-bridge is turned off.

A half-bridge circuit comprising:

• an input;
• an output;
• a low-side switching device configured to selectively connect or disconnect the output to ground based on a low-side drive signal;
• a high-side switching device configured to selectively connect or disconnect the output to a power supply based on a high-side drive signal;
• a signal circuit configured to convert a gate signal to a high-side drive signal and pass the high-side drive signal to a high-side output and convert the same gate signal to a low-side drive signal and pass the low-side drive signal to a low-side output, the signal circuit comprising a monitoring circuit configured to create a delay time that separates the transition of the high-side drive signal and the transition of the low-side drive signal at the low-side output, wherein the monitoring circuit comprises a comparator and the delay time enables the comparator to compare a voltage at the output to a reference voltage to confirm whether the high-side switching device is turned off;
• and
• the comparator further configured to inhibit the low-side switching device from connecting the output to ground on a condition that a voltage at the output exceeds a voltage threshold.