Gate driver with level shift between static wells with no power supply
AssigneeInternational Rectifier Corporation
InventorsJun Honda, Xiao-chang Cheng
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A control terminal driver IC for a switching circuit having series connected high and low side output transistors, an associated split power supply and a floating input, the gate drive IC, an exemplary, but non-limiting, example of which is a Class D audio amplifier. The IC includes an input circuit, a voltage to current converter connected to the input circuit, a level shifter formed in a mid well of the IC, which is operative to transfer the input signal to the low side without the need for a power supply input to the mid well, a current to voltage converter on the low side coupled to the level shifter; and an output circuit which is operative to generate control terminal drive signals for the high and low side transistors.
Claims10
A control terminal drive IC for a switching circuit having series connected high and low side output transistors, an associated split power supply and a floating input, the drive IC having a low side reference level, the IC comprising:
- an input circuit which receives an input signal;
- a voltage to current converter for converting a voltage of the input signal into a current and having an input connected to an output of the input circuit;
- a level shifter formed in a mid well of the IC, which has an input connected to an output of the voltage to current converter, the level shifter being operative to transfer the input signal so that it is referred to the low side reference level, a power supply input not being provided to the mid well;
- a current to voltage converter for converting an output of the lead shifts into a voltage and being coupled between the low side reference level and the output of the level shifter;
- and
- an output circuit coupled to an output of the level shifter and which is operative to receive the voltage and to generate control terminal drive signals for the high and low side transistors.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.