Protection from hard commutation events at power switches

A controller unit for a power circuit, the controller unit being configured to:

• during a current switching cycle of first and second power switches of a half-bridge of a resonant converter, determine whether a hard commutation event is likely to occur at the half-bridge during a future switching cycle of the first and second power switches by at least:
• responsive to determining that the first power switch is operating in reverse operation mode while the second switch is conducting through the forward conduction channel, determining that the hard commutation event is likely to occur during the future switching cycle
• determining a respective direction of current flowing through each of the first and second power switches;
• determining, based on the respective directions of the current flowing through each of the first and second power switches, whether the first power switch is operating in reverse operation mode while the second switch is conducting through a forward conduction channel of the second switch;
• and
• responsive to determining that the first power switch is operating in reverse operation mode while the second switch is conducting through the forward conduction channel, determining that the hard commutation event is likely to occur during the future switching cycle;
• responsive to determining that the hard commutation event is likely to occur during the future switching cycle, activate at least one hard commutation countermeasure;
• and
• responsive to determining that the hard commutation event will not occur during the future switching cycle, refrain from activating the at least one hard commutation countermeasure.