US 11,791,815 B2
Driver circuit, corresponding device and method of operation
Marco Giovanni Fontana, Milan (IT); Marco Riva, Lallio (IT); Francesco Pulvirenti, Acireale (IT); and Giuseppe Cantone, Bareggio (IT)
Assigned to STMicroelectronics S.r.l., Agrate Brianza (IT)
Filed by STMicroelectronics S.r.l., Agrate Brianza (IT)
Filed on Oct. 4, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/959,785.
Application 17/959,785 is a continuation of application No. 17/355,055, filed on Jun. 22, 2021, granted, now 11,476,845.
Claims priority of application No. 102020000016072 (IT), filed on Jul. 2, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0040189 A1, Feb. 9, 2023
Int. Cl. H03K 5/151 (2006.01); H03K 17/16 (2006.01); H03K 17/687 (2006.01); H03K 17/06 (2006.01); H03K 17/0812 (2006.01)
CPC H03K 17/063 (2013.01) [H03K 17/08122 (2013.01); H03K 2217/0063 (2013.01); H03K 2217/0072 (2013.01); H03K 2217/0081 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A circuit, comprising:
an input supply node;
an intermediate supply node;
a transistor including a bootstrap diode, the transistor having:
a first conduction terminal coupled to the input supply node;
a second conduction terminal coupled to the intermediate supply node; and
a control terminal;
a boosting capacitance having a first side coupled to the control terminal of the transistor and configured to drive the control terminal;
a first switch having a first conduction terminal coupled to the control terminal of the transistor and a second conduction terminal coupled to the first conduction terminal of the transistor; and
a control stage configured to:
in response to determining that a supply voltage of the input supply node is greater than a bootstrap voltage, operate the first switch in a conductive state to short the control terminal to the input supply node; and
in response to determining that the supply voltage is less than a supply voltage threshold, operate the first switch to be in a non-conductive state and the transistor to be in the non-conductive state.