Patent · US Expired

MOS half-bridge drive circuit, particularly for power MOS half-bridges

US5376832A · kind A · utility

12Cited by
6References
30Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 11, 1993
Grant dateDec 27, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 11, 2013

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH03K17/6877
  • WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A drive circuit includes a voltage source supplying a reference voltage at its output; a voltage elevating circuit connected to a supply voltage and to the output of the voltage source, and supplying at its output, under normal operating conditions, a drive voltage greater than the supply voltage and increasing with the reference voltage. The input of the voltage source is connected to the output of the voltage elevating circuit, and defines a positive feedback path resulting in an increase in the reference voltage corresponding to an increase in the drive voltage, and therefore results in a corresponding increase in the drive voltage up to a maximum permissible value, thus providing for a sufficient drive voltage for driving the gate-source junction of power MOS transistors, even in the presence of a low supply voltage.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.