High side driver component and method therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9621162-B2
Application number	US-201414556403-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 1, 2014
Priority date	May 27, 2014
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

A high side driver component for generating a drive signal at an output thereof for driving a high side switching device within a high voltage driver circuit. The high side driver component is arranged to operate in at least one reduced slew rate mode in which at least one drive stages is arranged to be in a non-drive state, and the high side driver component further comprises at least one discharge protection component arranged to, when the high side driver component is operating in the at least one reduced slew rate mode, receive an indication of the high voltage driver circuit being in an idle state, and cause the second switching device within the at least one drive stage in a non-drive state to be turned on, in response to the indication of the high voltage driver circuit being in an idle state.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A high voltage driver circuit comprising;
a high side switching component to provide a supply voltage at a terminal to an output;
a high side driver component to generate a drive signal at an output thereof to drive the high side switching component, the high side driver component comprising a plurality of drive stages, each drive stage comprising a first switching device controllable to operably couple the output of the high side driver component to a high voltage supply node of the high side driver component, and a second switching device controllable to operably couple the output of the high side driver component to a low voltage supply node of the high side driver component;
wherein the high side driver component is arranged to operate in a reduced slew rate mode in which at least one of the drive stages is arranged to be in a non-drive state; and
a discharge protection component to cause the second switching device within the at least one drive stage that is in a non-drive state to be turned on in response to receiving an indication that the high voltage driver circuit is in an idle state and that the high side driver component is operating in the reduced slew rate mode.

2. The high voltage driver circuit of claim 1 , wherein the discharge protection component comprises a comparator component arranged to:
receive as the indication of the high voltage driver circuit being in an idle state an indication of an output voltage of the high voltage driver circuit;
compare the received indication of the output voltage of the high voltage driver circuit to a reference voltage value; and
output an indication of when the output voltage of the high voltage driver circuit is below the reference voltage value,
wherein the discharge protection component is arranged to cause the second switching device within the at least one drive stage in a non-drive state to be turned on, in response to the comparator component outputting an indication that the output voltage of the high voltage driver circuit is below the reference voltage value.

3. The high voltage driver circuit of claim 2 , wherein the discharge protection component further comprises a timer circuit, the timer circuit being arranged to:
receive the indication of when the output voltage of the high voltage driver circuit is below the reference voltage value, output by the comparator component; and
cause the second switching device within the at least one drive stage in a non-drive state to be turned on, after a time delay from the comparator component outputting an indication that the output voltage of the high voltage driver circuit has dropped below the reference voltage value.

4. The high voltage driver circuit of claim 3 , wherein the timer circuit comprises a resistance—capacitance, RC, circuit.

5. The high voltage driver circuit of claim 2 , wherein the timer circuit comprises a resistance—capacitance, RC, circuit.

6. The high voltage driver circuit of claim 1 , wherein the discharge protection component comprises a counter component arranged to:
receive the indication of the high voltage driver circuit being in an idle state; and
cause the second switching device within the at least one drive stage in a non-drive state to be turned on after counting a predetermined number of clock cycles from the indication of the high voltage driver circuit being in an idle state.

7. The high voltage driver circuit of claim 6 , wherein the indication of the high voltage driver circuit being in an idle state comprises an indication of a high side driver control signal, and the counter component is arranged to cause the second switching device within the at least one drive stage in a non-drive state to be turned on after counting a predetermined number of clock cycles from a transition within the high side driver control signal from a first, drive logical state to a second, idle logical state.

8. The high voltage driver circuit of claim 7 , wherein the predetermined number of clock cycles is defined within a configurable register.

9. The high voltage driver circuit of claim 6 , wherein the predetermined number of clock cycles is defined within a configurable register.

10. The high voltage driver circuit of claim 1 , wherein the indication of the high voltage driver circuit being in an idle state comprises at least one of:
an indication of a high side driver control signal;
an indication of an output voltage of the high voltage driver circuit.

11. The high voltage driver circuit of claim 1 , wherein the second switching device within each drive stage comprises an NMOS device.

12. The high voltage driver circuit of claim 11 , wherein the first switching device within each driver stage comprises a PMOS device.

13. The high voltage driver circuit of claim 1 , wherein the high side switching device comprises a MOSFET device.

14. The high voltage driver circuit of claim 1 implemented within an integrated circuit device comprising at least one die within a single integrated circuit package.

15. The high voltage driver circuit of claim 1 , further comprising:
a low side switching device to couple the output to the ground; and
a low side driver component to generate at an output thereof a drive signal to drive the low side switching device.

16. The high voltage driver circuit of claim 1 , wherein the at least one high side driver component comprises a floating voltage supply provided by a bootstrap capacitance.

17. The high voltage driver circuit of claim 1 , wherein the low voltage supply node is connected to the output.

18. A method comprising:
receiving an indication at a discharge protection component of a high voltage driver circuit that the high voltage driver circuit is in an idle state; and
in response to the indication, causing a switching device within a drive stage of a high side driver component that is in a non-drive state to operably couple an output of the high side driver component to a low voltage supply node to prevent a parasitic transistor at the high side driver component from discharging a floating voltage supply, the floating voltage supply provided by a bootstrap capacitance,
wherein the high side driver component is arranged to drive a high side switching component, the high side switching component to provide a supply voltage at a terminal to an output of the high voltage driver circuit.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the low voltage supply node is connected to the output of the high voltage driver circuit.

Assignees

• Abouda Kamel
• Huynh Estelle
• Laplagne Thierry Michel
• Nxp Usa Inc

Inventors

• Abouda Kamel
• Huynh Estelle
• Laplagne Thierry Michel

Classifications

• H03K19/017509 Primary

  Interface arrangements · CPC title