Flyback current control
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorsLuthuli E. Dake, Bernard Wicht, Michael Herbert Wendt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
One embodiment of the invention includes a power driver system. The power driver system comprises a power transistor that is activated to provide power to a load and a switching circuit configured to control the power transistor based on a control signal. The power driver system further comprises a control circuit configured to detect a flyback current from the load upon deactivation of the power transistor and to cause the switching circuit to steer the flyback current from a first flyback current path to a second flyback current path in response to detecting the flyback current path. The second flyback current path can have an impedance that is greater than the first flyback current path.
Claims20
A power driver system comprising:
- a power transistor that is activated to provide power to a load;
- a switching circuit configured to control the power transistor based on a control signal;
- and
- a control circuit configured to detect a flyback current from the load upon deactivation of the power transistor and to cause the switching circuit to steer the flyback current from a first flyback current path to a second flyback current path in response to detecting the flyback current, the second flyback current path having an impedance that is greater than the first flyback current path.
A method for limiting a flyback current in a power driver, the method comprising:
- deactivating a power transistor based on a control signal, the power transistor being configured to provide power to a load;
- detecting a flyback current flow from the load to a first flyback current path resulting from deactivating the power transistor;
- and
- steering the flyback current flow from the first flyback current path to a second flyback current path in response to detecting the flyback current flow, the second flyback current path having an impedance that is greater than the first flyback current path.
A power driver system comprising:
- means for controlling a power transistor based on a control signal, the power transistor being configured to provide power to an inductive load;
- means for detecting a flyback current upon the power transistor removing the power from the inductive load;
- and
- means for steering the flyback current from a first flyback current path to a second flyback current path, the second flyback current path having an impedance that is greater than the first flyback current path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.