US 11,949,406 B2
Gate driver with thermal monitoring and current sensing
Paul J. Harriman, Belfair, WA (US); Thomas Patrick Duffy, Chandler, AZ (US); James George Hill, Cave Creek, AZ (US); Michael Scott Lay, Tempe, AZ (US); and Margaret Spillane, Limerick (IE)
Assigned to SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC, Scottsdale, AZ (US)
Filed by SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC, Phoenix, AZ (US)
Filed on Feb. 16, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/651,292.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/180,488, filed on Apr. 27, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0345126 A1, Oct. 27, 2022
Int. Cl. H02M 1/08 (2006.01); G01K 7/22 (2006.01); H02M 1/00 (2006.01); H02M 3/158 (2006.01); H03K 17/082 (2006.01); H03K 17/08 (2006.01)
CPC H03K 17/0822 (2013.01) [G01K 7/22 (2013.01); H02M 1/0009 (2021.05); H02M 1/08 (2013.01); H02M 3/158 (2013.01); G01K 2219/00 (2013.01); H03K 2017/0806 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A driver for a multi-phase switched mode power supply, comprising:
a temperature sensing circuit configured to detect a temperature sensor at an input to the driver and based on the detection operate in a master mode or a slave mode, wherein:
in the master mode, the temperature sensing circuit is configured to receive a temperature measurement from the temperature sensor and to convert the temperature measurement to a digital temperature signal that is provided to an internal bus that is internal to the driver, and
in the slave mode, the temperature sensing circuit is configured to receive a temperature signal from an external bus that is external to the driver and to convert the temperature signal from the external bus to the digital temperature signal that is provided to the internal bus; and
a phase-current sensor circuit for a phase of the driver, the phase-current sensor circuit configured by the digital temperature signal to generate a temperature-compensated sensed current corresponding to a phase current output by the phase.