# US 9,438,230 B2 · Gate drive circuit > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,438,230 B2 - Document ID: US9438230B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/690,426 - Filed: 2015-04-19 - Published: 2015-08-06 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2013-07-30 - Assignees: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Shuichi Nagai; Yasufumi Kawai; Daisuke Ueda - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9438230B2 ## CPC - H03K 17/689: with galvanic isolation between the control circuit and the output circuit (H03K17/78 takes precedence) - H03K 17/163: {Soft switching} - H03K 17/165: {by feedback from the output circuit to the control circuit} - H03K 17/6877: {the control circuit comprising active elements different from those used in the output circuit} - H03K 17/691: using transformer coupling - H02M 1/08: Circuits specially adapted for the generation of control voltages for semiconductor devices incorporated in static converters - H03K 2217/009: Resonant driver circuits - H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M) - H02M: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF (transformers H01F; dynamo-electric converters H02K47/00; controlling transformers, reactors or choke coils, control or regulation of electric motors, generators or dynamo-electric converters H02P) ## Abstract A gate drive circuit in an aspect of the present disclosure includes a modulated signal generation circuit that generates a first modulated signal, a first isolator that isolatedly transmits the first modulated signal, and a first rectifier circuit that generates a first output signal by rectifying the first modulated signal. The first modulated signal includes a first amplitude, a second amplitude larger than the first amplitude, and a third amplitude larger than the second amplitude. The first output signal includes a first output voltage value according to the first amplitude, a second output voltage value according to the second amplitude, and a third output voltage value according to the third amplitude. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A gate drive circuit comprising: a modulated signal generation circuit that modulates a radio-frequency wave, to generate a first modulated signal including a first amplitude, a second amplitude larger than the first amplitude, and a third amplitude larger than the second amplitude; a first isolator that isolatedly transmits the first modulated signal; a first rectifier circuit that rectifies the first modulated signal which has been transmitted by the first isolator, to generate a first output signal including a first output voltage value according to the first amplitude, a second output voltage value according to the second amplitude, and a third output voltage value according to the third amplitude; and an output terminal through which a driving signal is output to a semiconductor switch, the driving signal including at least part of the first output signal. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The gate drive circuit according to claim 1, wherein the driving signal takes three or more voltage values including the second output voltage value and the third output voltage value. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The gate drive circuit according to claim 1, wherein the driving signal takes the third output voltage value in a first on period, which begins when the semiconductor switch is turned on, and takes the second output voltage value in a second on period, which follows the first on period. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The gate drive circuit according to claim 1, wherein the modulated signal generation circuit modulates the radio-frequency wave, further to generate a second modulated signal including a fourth amplitude, a fifth amplitude larger than the fourth amplitude, and a sixth amplitude larger than the fifth amplitude, the gate drive circuit further comprises: a second isolator that isolatedly transmits the second modulated signal; and a second rectifier circuit that rectifies the second modulated signal which has been transmitted by the second isolator, to generate a second output signal including a fourth output voltage value according to the fourth amplitude, a fifth output voltage value according to the fifth amplitude, and a sixth output voltage value according to the sixth amplitude, and the driving signal further includes at least part of the second output signal. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The gate drive circuit according to claim 4, wherein the driving signal further includes the second output voltage value, the third output voltage value, the fifth output voltage value, and the sixth output voltage value. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The gate drive circuit according to claim 4, wherein the driving signal takes the sixth output voltage value in a first off period, which begins when the semiconductor switch is turned off, and takes the fifth output voltage value in a second off period, which follows the first off period. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The gate drive circuit according to claim 1, wherein the modulated signal generation circuit modulates the radio-frequency wave to generate a first partially modulated signal and then modulates the first partially modulated signal to generate the first modulated signal. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The gate drive circuit according to claim 1, wherein the modulated signal generation circuit includes: a first amplifier circuit that amplifies part of an amplitude of the radio-frequency wave in a first amplifying period, to generate a first partially modulated signal; and a modulator circuit that modulates the first partially modulated signal on the basis of an input signal, to generate the first modulated signal. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The gate drive circuit according to claim 8, wherein the modulator circuit further modulates the first partially modulated signal on the basis of an inversion signal of the input signal, to generate a second modulated signal, the gate drive circuit further comprises a second isolator that isolatedly transmits the second modulated signal, and a second rectifier circuit that rectifies the second modulated signal which has been transmitted by the second isolator, to generate a second output signal, and the driving signal further includes at least part of the second output signal. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The gate drive circuit according to claim 1, wherein the modulated signal generation circuit includes: a modulator circuit that modulates the radio-frequency wave on the basis of an input signal to generate a first partially modulated signal, and a first amplifier circuit that amplifies part of an amplitude of the first partially modulated signal in a first amplifying period, to generate the first modulated signal. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The gate drive circuit according to claim 10, wherein the modulator circuit that modulates the radio-frequency wave on the basis of an inversion signal of the input signal, to generate a second partially modulated signal, the modulator circuit further includes a second amplifier circuit that amplifies part of an amplitude of the second partially modulated signal in a second amplifying period, to generate a second modulated signal, the gate drive circuit further comprises a second isolator that isolatedly transmits the second modulated signal, and a second rectifier circuit that rectifies the second modulated signal which has been transmitted by the second isolator, to generate a second output signal, and the driving signal further includes at least part of the second output signal. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The gate drive circuit according to claim 1, wherein the modulated signal generation circuit modulates the radio-frequency wave on the basis of a first input signal, to generate the first modulated signal, the first input signal includes a first input voltage value, a second input voltage value larger than the first input voltage value, and a third input voltage value larger than the second input voltage value, and the first modulated signal includes the first amplitude according to the first input voltage value, the second amplitude according to the second input voltage value, and the third amplitude according to the third input voltage value. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The gate drive circuit according to claim 12, wherein the modulated signal generation circuit includes a first amplifier circuit that modulates the radio-frequency wave by amplifying part of an amplitude of the radio-frequency wave on the basis of the first input signal, to generate the first modulated signal. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The gate drive circuit according to claim 12, wherein the modulated signal generation circuit further modulates the radio-frequency wave on the basis of a second input signal, to generate a second modulated signal, the gate drive circuit further comprises a second isolator that isolatedly transmits the second modulated signal, and a second rectifier circuit that rectifies the second modulated signal which has been transmitted by the second isolator, to generate a second output signal, the second input signal includes a fourth input voltage value, a fifth input voltage value larger than the fourth input voltage value, and a sixth input voltage value larger than the fifth input voltage value, the second modulated signal includes a fourth amplitude according to the fourth input voltage value, a fifth amplitude according to the fifth input voltage value, and a sixth amplitude according to the sixth input voltage value, the second output signal includes a fourth output voltage value according to the fourth amplitude, a fifth output voltage value according to the fifth amplitude, and a sixth output voltage value according to the sixth amplitude, and the driving signal further includes at least part of the second output signal. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The gate drive circuit according to claim 14, wherein the modulated signal generation circuit further includes: a first amplifier circuit that modulates the radio-frequency wave by amplifying part of an amplitude of the radio-frequency wave on the basis of the first input signal, to generate the first modulated signal; and a second amplifier circuit that modulates the radio-frequency wave by amplifying part of an amplitude of the radio-frequency wave on the basis of the second input signal, to generate the second modulated signal. ### Claim 16 (depends on 8) The gate drive circuit according to claim 8, further comprising a first circuit that generates a first signal from the input signal, wherein the first amplifying period is specified by the first signal. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The gate drive circuit according to claim 10, further comprising a first circuit that generates a first signal from the input signal, wherein the first amplifying period is specified by the first signal. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The gate drive circuit according to claim 16, wherein the first circuit includes a differential circuit that differentiates the input signal. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The gate drive circuit according to claim 1, wherein the modulated signal generation circuit further includes a radio-frequency oscillator that generates the radio-frequency wave. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The gate drive circuit according to claim 1, wherein the first isolator is an electromagnetic resonant coupler.