Isolator, semiconductor device, and method for controlling isolator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9395402-B2
Application number	US-201514745837-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 22, 2015
Priority date	Jul 2, 2014
Publication date	Jul 19, 2016
Grant date	Jul 19, 2016

Abstract

An isolator includes: a transmission circuit that generates an alternating current transmission signal in which a first potential is set to be a reference potential; a first insulating element to which the alternating current transmission signal is supplied; a second insulating element that generates an alternating current reception signal in which a second potential is set to be a reference potential by being alternating current-coupled to the first insulating element through an insulating film; a reception circuit that reproduces reception data based on the alternating current reception signal; an impedance control unit that controls an impedance of the first or the second insulating element to be higher than an impedance before the control; and a leakage current detection unit that detects a leakage current flowing between the first and the second insulating elements through the first or the second insulating element in which the impedance has been controlled.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An isolator comprising:
a transmission circuit that generates an alternating current transmission signal in which a first potential is set to be a reference potential based on input transmission data;
a first insulating element to which the alternating current transmission signal is supplied;
a second insulating element that generates an alternating current reception signal in which a second potential different from the first potential is set to be a reference potential according to the alternating current transmission signal by being alternating current-coupled to the first insulating element through an insulating film;
a reception circuit that reproduces reception data based on the alternating current reception signal;
an impedance control unit that controls an impedance of the first or the second insulating element to be higher than an impedance before the control; and
a leakage current detection unit that detects a leakage current flowing between the first and the second insulating elements through the first or the second insulating element in which the impedance has been controlled.

2. The isolator according to claim 1 , wherein the first and the second insulating elements are inductive elements or capacitive elements.

3. The isolator according to claim 2 , wherein the impedance control unit is a switching circuit connected between ends of the inductive element or the capacitive element and the transmission circuit or the reception circuit.

4. The isolator according to claim 1 , wherein the impedance control unit is a switching circuit connected between the first insulating element and the transmission circuit, or a switching circuit connected between the second insulating element and the reception circuit.

5. The isolator according to claim 1 , wherein the leakage current detection unit detects abnormality of the leakage current according to a current that flows for a predetermined period through the first or the second insulating element in which the impedance has been controlled.

6. The isolator according to claim 5 , wherein the leakage current detection unit includes: a current-voltage conversion circuit that converts into a leakage voltage the current that flows for the predetermined period through the first or the second insulating element in which the impedance has been controlled; and a comparison circuit that detects abnormality of the leakage current according to a comparison result of the leakage voltage and a predetermined threshold value.

7. The isolator according to claim 6 , wherein the current-voltage conversion circuit is a capacitive element that charges the current that flows for the predetermined period through the first or the second insulating element in which the impedance has been controlled.

8. The isolator according to claim 6 , further comprising a memory circuit that stores the leakage voltage,
wherein the comparison circuit sets to be the threshold value a leakage voltage stored in the memory circuit when the leakage current detection unit detected the leakage current at a time previous to this time, and compares it with a leakage voltage into which the current-voltage conversion circuit converted a current this time.

9. The isolator according to claim 8 , wherein the threshold value includes the leakage voltage and a voltage margin.

10. The isolator according to claim 1 , further comprising a bias circuit that supplies an initial potential to the first or the second insulating element before the control of the impedance.

11. The isolator according to claim 10 , wherein the leakage current detection unit includes: a first comparison circuit to which the initial potential is supplied, and that detects abnormality of the leakage current according to a result of a comparison of a leakage voltage according to the current that flows through the first or the second insulating element in which the impedance has been controlled and a first threshold value; and a second comparison circuit that detects the abnormality of the leakage current according to a result of a comparison of the leakage voltage and a second threshold value smaller than the first threshold value.

12. The isolator according to claim 11 , wherein
when the leakage voltage is larger than the first threshold value, the first comparison circuit detects the abnormality of the leakage current, and
when the leakage voltage is smaller than the second threshold value, the second comparison circuit detects the abnormality of the leakage current.

13. The isolator according to claim 1 , further comprising a reference potential supply circuit that according to a detection result of the leakage current, sets to be a first reference potential a potential of the first insulating element in which the impedance has been controlled, or sets to be a second reference potential a potential of the second insulating element in which the impedance has been controlled.

14. The isolator according to claim 13 , wherein the reference potential supply circuit is a switching circuit that according to the detection result of the leakage current, connects one end of the first insulating element and the first reference potential, or connects one end of the second insulating element and the second reference potential.

15. The isolator according to claim 1 , wherein the leakage current detection unit includes: a current-voltage conversion amplifier circuit that converts into a leakage voltage the current that flows through the first or the second insulating element in which the impedance has been controlled, and amplifies it; and a comparison circuit that detects abnormality of the leakage current according to a result of a comparison of the amplified leakage voltage and a predetermined threshold value.

16. A semiconductor device comprising:
a plurality of isolators that drive a plurality of drive circuits, respectively; and
a controller that outputs to the plurality of isolators control transmission data to control drive of the plurality of drive circuits,
wherein the plurality of isolators each include:
a transmission circuit that generates an alternating current transmission signal in which a first potential is set to be a reference potential based on the control transmission data input from the controller;
a first insulating element to which the alternating current transmission signal is supplied;
a second insulating element that generates an alternating current reception signal in which a second potential different from the first potential is set to be a reference potential according to the alternating current transmission signal by being alternating current-coupled to the first insulating element through an insulating film;
a reception circuit that reproduces reception data based on the alternating current reception signal;
an impedance control unit that controls an impedance of the first or the second insulating element to be higher than an impedance before the control; and
a leakage current detection unit that detects a leakage current flowing between the first and the second insulating elements through the first or the second insulating element in which the impedance has been controlled.

17. The semiconductor device according to claim 16 , further comprising an output unit that outputs to the controller detection signals according to detection results of the leakage current detection units of the plurality of isolators,
wherein the controller stops an operation to detect the leakage current among the plurality of isolators according to the detection signals.

Assignees

• Renesas Electronics Corp

Inventors

• Nagase Hirokazu

Classifications

• G01R31/1263 Primary

  of solid or fluid materials, e.g. insulation films, bulk material; of semiconductors or LV electronic components or parts; of cable, line or wire insulation · CPC title

• H03K17/687

  the devices being field-effect transistors · CPC title

• G01R31/025

  Physics · mapped topic

• G01R31/52

  Testing for short-circuits, leakage current or ground faults · CPC title