Back to results
US 11,962,252 B2Granted
Advance supply to insure safe behavior of an inverter application
AssigneeNXP USA, Inc.
InventorsJean-Christophe Patrick Rince, Maxime Clairet, Erik Santiago, Jean-Philippe Meunier, Antoine Fabien Dubois
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus to insure safe behavior in an inverter system. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a first high side gate driver, a first low side gate driver, a microcontroller configured to control the first high side and low side gate drivers. A voltage regulator provides a supply voltage to the microcontroller. A first pair of high side voltage regulators provide a first pair of high side supply voltages to the first high side gate driver. A first pair of low side voltage regulators provide a first pair of low side supply voltages to the first low side gate driver.
Claims17
An apparatus comprising:
- a first high side gate driver;
- a first low side gate driver;
- a microcontroller configured to control the first high side and low side gate drivers;
- a voltage regulator for providing a supply voltage to the microcontroller;
- a first pair of high side voltage regulators for providing a first pair of high side supply voltages to the first high side gate driver;
- a first pair of low side voltage regulators for providing a first pair of low side supply voltages to the first low side gate driver;
- and
- a failsafe circuit configured to monitor operation of the microcontroller, the first high side gate driver and the first low side gate driver,
- wherein the failsafe circuit is configured to control the first high side and low side gate drivers in response to detecting a failure of the microcontroller or in response to detecting an error in the first high side gate driver or the first low side gate driver;
- wherein the first pair of high side voltage regulators are coupled to receive the supply voltage and are coupled to receive an on or off enable signal provided by a device other than the microcontroller;
- wherein the first pair of low side voltage regulators are coupled to receive the supply voltage and are coupled to receive the on or off enable signal provided by the device other than the microcontroller;
- and
- wherein a first of the first pair of high side voltage regulators also provides a voltage to a second of the first pair of high side voltage regulators.
10 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- a first high side gate driver;
- a first low side gate driver;
- a microcontroller configured to control the first high side and low side gate drivers via high side and low side pulse-width modulation signals, respectively;
- a voltage regulator for providing a supply voltage to the microcontroller;
- a first pair of high side voltage regulators for providing a first pair of high side supply voltages to the first high side gate driver;
- wherein the first pair of high side voltage regulators are enabled by a signal provided by a device other than the microcontroller;
- a first pair of low side voltage regulators for providing a first pair of low side supply voltages to the first low side gate driver;
- wherein the first high side gate driver comprises low and high voltage stages that are galvanically isolated from each other;
- wherein the first pair of high side voltage regulators comprises first and second voltage regulators;
- wherein the first pair of high side supply voltages comprises first and second supply voltages;
- wherein the first voltage regulator is configured to provide the first supply voltage to the low voltage stage;
- wherein the second voltage regulator is configured to provide the second supply voltage to the high voltage stage;
- further comprising,
- a first terminal for receiving a first positive battery voltage;
- a second terminal for receiving a second positive battery voltage that is substantially equal to the first positive battery voltage;
- and
- first and second diodes comprising first and second anodes, respectively, and first and second cathodes, respectively;
- wherein the first and second anodes are connected to the first and second terminals, respectively;
- wherein the first and second cathodes are connected together to provide a common voltage that depends on the first or second positive battery voltages;
- wherein the second voltage regulator is configured to convert the common voltage into the second supply voltage for the high voltage stage;
- and
- wherein the voltage regulator is configured to convert the common voltage, or another voltage that is dependent on the common voltage, into the supply voltage for the microcontroller.
19 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- a first high side gate driver;
- a first low side gate driver;
- a microcontroller configured to control the first high side and low side gate drivers;
- a voltage regulator for providing a supply voltage to the microcontroller;
- a first pair of high side voltage regulators for providing a first pair of high side supply voltages to the first high side gate driver;
- a first pair of low side voltage regulators for providing a first pair of low side supply voltages to the first low side gate driver;
- wherein the first high side gate driver comprises low and high voltage stages that are galvanically isolated from each other;
- wherein the first pair of high side voltage regulators comprises first and second voltage regulators;
- wherein the first pair of high side supply voltages comprises the first and second supply voltages;
- wherein the first voltage regulator is configured to provide the first supply voltage to the low voltage stage;
- wherein the second voltage regulator is configured to provide the second supply voltage to the high voltage stage;
- further comprising,
- a first terminal for receiving a first positive battery voltage;
- a second terminal for receiving a second positive battery voltage that is substantially equal to the first positive battery voltage;
- first and second diodes comprising first and second anodes, respectively, and first and second cathodes, respectively;
- wherein the first and second anodes are connected to the first and second terminals, respectively;
- wherein the first and second cathodes are connected together to provide a common voltage that depends on the first or second positive battery voltages;
- wherein the second voltage regulator is configured to convert the common voltage into the second supply voltage for the high voltage stage;
- wherein the voltage regulator is configured to convert the common voltage, or another voltage that is dependent on the common voltage, into the supply voltage for the microcontroller.
16 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.