Lossless gate driver circuit for a high frequency converter
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorRobert L. Steigerwald
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A high efficiency gate driver circuit for driving a power switching device of a high frequency converter includes a series resonant circuit for making resonant transfers of energy between the input capacitance of the power switching device and a storage capacitor to achieve substantially lossless gate switching. An ac switch couples the resonant circuit to the junction between upper and lower switching devices connected in a half-bridge configuration. The upper and lower switches of the half-bridge function to maintain the power switching device in either an ON-state or an OFF-state, respectively, depending on the transfer of energy being made. Timing circuitry ensures proper gating of the switching devices relative to operation of the ac switch.
Claims15
An efficient gate driver circuit for driving a semiconductor power switching device of a high-frequency power converter, said power switching device having an input capacitance, comprising:
- first and second switch means for coupling to a gate drive power supply and connected in series in a half-bridge configuration with a junction therebetween, the gate of said power switching device being coupled to said junction;
- ac switch means having two terminals, one of said terminals being coupled to said first and second switch means at said junction therebetween;
- resonant circuit means coupled to the other one of said terminals of said ac switch means for resonantly charging and discharging said input capacitance so as to result in substantially lossless gate driver switching, said ac switch means being operable to couple said series resonant circuit to said power switching device during the resonant charging and discharging of said input capacitance;
- said first switch means ensuring that said input capacitance is fully charged and said power switching device remains on before said ac switch means is activated in order to discharge said input capacitance;
- and
- said second switch means ensuring that said input capacitance is fully discharged and said power switching device remains off before said ac switch means is activated in order to charge said input capacitance.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.