US 12,592,692 B2Granted

Power device

AssigneeChip-GaN Power Semiconductor Corporation

InventorsKe-Horng Chen, Kuo-Lin Zheng, Yu-Chou Ko, Ke-Ming Su, Ying-Feng Wu, Chun-Chieh Kuo, Shang-Chiang Chin

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A power device includes a power switch circuit, a driver, a regulator, at least one power obtaining circuit, a first pin, a second pin and a third pin. The driver controls the power switch circuit to connect the first pin to the second pin or disconnect the first pin from the second pin according to signals on the third pin. The at least one power obtaining circuit obtains voltages from the first pin, the third pin, and/or the power switch circuit. The regulator converts the voltages provided by the at least one power obtaining circuit into a suitable voltage and provides the suitable voltage for the power terminal of the driver. Since the power required for the driver can be obtained from inside the power device, there is no need to add an additional pin to obtain power from outside the power device.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A power device comprising:

a first pin;
a second pin;
a third pin configured to receive a signal;
a power switch circuit coupled between the first pin and the second pin;
a driver coupled to the third pin and the power switch circuit and configured to control the power switch circuit to form an electrical connection or an open circuit between the first pin and the second pin according to the signal from the third pin;
a first power obtaining circuit coupled to the first pin and configured to obtain a first voltage from the first pin to generate a second voltage;
a regulator coupled to the first power obtaining circuit and the driver and configured to convert the second voltage into a third voltage and provide the third voltage for the driver;
a second power obtaining circuit coupled to the third pin and the regulator and configured to obtain a fourth voltage from the third pin to generate a fifth voltage, wherein the regulator is configured to convert the fifth voltage into the third voltage;
and
a third power obtaining circuit coupled to the power switch circuit and the regulator and configured to obtain a sixth voltage from the power switch circuit to generate a seventh voltage, wherein the regulator is configured to convert the seventh voltage into the third voltage.

7 more elements

A power device comprising:

a first pin;
a second pin;
a third pin configured to receive a signal;
a power switch circuit coupled between the first pin and the second pin;
a driver coupled to the third pin and the power switch circuit and configured to control the power switch circuit to form an electrical connection or an open circuit between the first pin and the second pin according to the signal from the third pin;
a first power obtaining circuit coupled to the third pin and configured to obtain a first voltage from the third pin to generate a second voltage;
a regulator coupled to the first power obtaining circuit and the driver and configured to convert the second voltage into a third voltage and provide the third voltage for the driver;
and
a second power obtaining circuit coupled to the power switch circuit and the regulator and configured to obtain a fourth voltage from the power switch circuit to generate a fifth voltage, wherein the regulator is configured to convert the fifth voltage into the third voltage;
wherein the power switch circuit comprises:
a first switching element having a first input, a first output, and a first control terminal, wherein the first input is coupled to the first pin, the first output is coupled to the second power obtaining circuit, and the first control terminal is coupled to the second pin;
and
a second switching element having a second input, a second output, and a second control terminal, wherein the second input is coupled to the first output, the second output is coupled to the second pin, and the second control terminal is coupled to the driver;
wherein the second power obtaining circuit is configured to obtain the fourth voltage from the first output.

11 more elements

A power device comprising:

a first pin;
a second pin;
a third pin configured to receive a signal;
a power switch circuit coupled between the first pin and the second pin and configured to connect the first pin to the second pin or disconnect the first pin from the second pin;
a driver coupled to the third pin and the power switch circuit and configured to control the power switch circuit to form an electrical connection or an open circuit between the first pin and the second pin according to the signal from the third pin;
a first power obtaining circuit coupled to the power switch circuit and configured to obtain a first voltage from the power switch circuit to generate a second voltage;
and
a regulator coupled to the first power obtaining circuit and the driver and configured to convert the second voltage into a third voltage and provide the third voltage for the driver;
wherein the power switch circuit comprises:
a first switching element having a first input, a first output, and a first control terminal, wherein the first input is coupled to the first pin, the first output is coupled to the first power obtaining circuit, and the first control terminal is coupled to the second pin;
and
a second switching element having a second input, a second output, and a second control terminal, wherein the second input is coupled to the first output, the second output is coupled to the second pin, and the second control terminal is coupled to the driver;
wherein the first power obtaining circuit is configured to obtain the first voltage from the first output.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/743,466Filed 14 Jun 2024
Priority: TW 11311133327 Mar 2024
Published: US 2025/0309889 A12 Oct 2025
Granted: 31 Mar 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

H03K 17/102
Modifications for increasing the maximum permissible switched voltage: in field-effect transistor switches
H02M 1/0006
Details of control, feedback or regulation circuits: arrangements for supplying an adequate voltage to the control circuit of converters
H02M 3/158
With automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators: including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices…
H03K 2217/0036
Indexing scheme related to electronic switching or gating, i.e. not by contact-making or -breaking covered by H03K17/00: means reducing energy…