Control circuit for a power field-effect transistor and method for configuring a control circuit for a power field-effect transistor
AssigneeContinental Automotive GmbH
InventorsRalf Förster, Marco Well, Gunther Wolfarth
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An integrated circuit has a control circuit (2) for a power field-effect transistor (3), wherein the integrated circuit has a first input (202) for receiving a control signal (CE) and an output to switch the field-effect transistor (3) on or off. The control circuit further has a driver circuit for providing a voltage level at the output in response of the control signal. A second input is provided for receiving a configuration signal, the configuration signal for configuring the voltage level being provided by the driver circuit in response to the control signal.
Claims20
An integrated circuit comprising a control circuit for controlling a power field-effect transistor, the integrated circuit comprising:
- a first input for receiving a control signal,
- an output to switch the field-effect transistor on and off,
- a driver circuit for providing a voltage level at the output in response to the control signal,
- a second input for receiving a configuration signal, the configuration signal for configuring the voltage level, which is provided by the driver circuit in response to the control signal, wherein the configuration signal received by the second input indicates whether the field-effect transistor is an n-channel transistor type or a p-channel transistor type, and
- a third input for receiving a feedback signal from a terminal of the field-effect transistor.
An electronic circuit, comprising:
- a power MOSFET transistor having a gate, a source and a drain, the gate being coupled to an output of an integrated circuit;
- and
- an integrated circuit including:
- a first input for receiving a control signal,
- an output to switch the power MOSFET transistor on and off,
- a driver circuit for providing a voltage level operable to supply current and voltage sufficient to switch the power MOSFET transistor on and off at the output in response to the control signal, and
- a second input for receiving a configuration signal, the configuration signal for configuring the voltage level provided by the driver circuit in response to the control signal, wherein the configuration signal received by the second input indicates whether the field-effect transistor is an n-channel transistor type or a p-channel transistor type.
A method for configuring a control circuit for a power MOSFET-transistor, comprising the steps of:
- providing an electronic circuit comprising:
- an integrated control circuit comprising:
- a first input for receiving a control signal,
- an output to switch the field-effect transistor on and off,
- a driver circuit for providing a voltage level at the output in response to the control signal, and
- a second input for receiving a configuration signal, the configuration signal for configuring the voltage level being provided by the driver circuit in response to control signal, wherein the configuration signal received by the second input indicates whether the field-effect transistor is an n-channel transistor type or a p-channel transistor type, and
- a power MOSFET transistor having a gate, a source and a drain, the gate being coupled to the output of the integrated circuit;
- programming the voltage levels at the output of the control circuit by applying a configuration signal at the second input of the control circuit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.