Amplifier system for a power converter
AssigneeHarman International Industries, Incorporated
InventorGerald R. Stanley
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An amplifier system for a power converter includes at least a first switching device and a second switching device formed in an integrated circuit in a substrate of a semiconductor. The first and second switching devices may be formed in a half bridge configuration and may be cooperatively switchable to generate an amplified output signal on an output node of the semiconductor. A resistor and a capacitor may be coupled in parallel between a power supply input node and a substrate node included in the semiconductor. The capacitor may be selectively charged to a de-biasing voltage during a switching cycle of the first and second switching devices to reverse bias a parasitic switching device appearing in the integrated circuit.
Claims27
An amplifier system for a power converter comprising:
- a semiconductor having an integrated circuit formed in a substrate;
- a plurality of switching devices that include a first switching device and a second switching device included in the integrated circuit;
- the first switching device and the second switching device cooperatively switchable with a pulse-width modulated signal to generate an amplified signal using a first power supply input and a second power supply input;
- and
- a capacitor and a resistor coupled in parallel, and coupled between one of the first power supply input or the second power supply input and the substrate.
An amplifier system for a power converter comprising:
- an integrated circuit formed in a substrate, the substrate having a substrate input;
- a plurality of switching devices included in the integrated circuit;
- the switching devices comprising a first switching device and a second switching device that are cooperatively switchable with a pulse-width modulated signal to generate an amplified signal;
- a first power supply input coupled with the first switching device, and a second power supply input coupled with the second switching device;
- a resistor coupled between the second power supply input and the substrate input;
- and
- a capacitor coupled between the second power supply input and the substrate input, the capacitor also coupled in parallel with the resistor.
An amplifier system for a power converter comprising:
- a resistor;
- a capacitor coupled in parallel with the resistor to form a charge/discharge circuit;
- the resistor and the capacitor coupled between a substrate of a semiconductor and a first switching device formed in the substrate of the semiconductor;
- and
- the first switching device also coupled with a second switching device formed in the substrate of the semiconductor so that the charge/discharge circuit, the first switching device, the second switching device and the substrate are coupled in series;
- where the first switching device and the second switching device are operable to generate an amplified output signal in response to a pulse width modulated control signal.
A method of operating an amplifier system of a power converter, the method comprising:
- cooperatively operating a first switching device and a second switching device formed in a substrate of a semiconductor to generate an amplified output signal on an output node;
- turning off one of the first switching device and the second switching device;
- entering a free-wheeling portion of a switching cycle in which at least one of the first switching device or the second switching device are non-conducting;
- charging a capacitor coupled between the substrate node and a power supply node of the semiconductor with a free-wheeling current produced during the switching cycle;
- and
- adjusting a voltage potential of the substrate in accordance with a de-biasing voltage stored in the capacitor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.