Gate drive integrated circuit with input line overvoltage protection for a half-bridge power converter

A light fixture operable to provide light in response to receiving power from a power source, said light fixture comprising:

• a light source operable to provide light in response to receiving power;
• a driver circuit operable to provide power from the power source to the light source, said driver circuit comprising:
• an input stage operable to receive power from the power source and provide a direct current (DC) power rail, wherein a voltage of the DC power rail is substantially proportional to a voltage of the power source;
• an output stage operable to receive power from the DC power rail and provide output power to the light source when operating, wherein the output stage comprises a half-bridge inverter comprising a pair of switches, at least one of the pair of switches having a rated voltage;
• a controller configured to:
• operate the output stage such that the output stage provides power to the load;
• determine a voltage of the DC power rail;
• and
• cease operating the output stage when the determined voltage of the DC power rail exceeds a predetermined threshold of approximately the rated voltage, such that the output stage ceases providing power to the load;
• and
• a housing configured to support the light source and the driver circuit;
• and
• wherein the controller comprises
• a pulse width modulation module configured to provide gate drive signals to the output stage, and
• an overvoltage sensing module configured to
• determine the voltage of the DC power rail, and
• disable the pulse width modulation module by blocking a bias voltage of the controller from the pulse width modulation module when the determined voltage of the DC power rail exceeds the predetermined threshold.