US 12,316,072 B2
Pulse generator circuit, related system and method
Romeo Letor, Mascalucia (IT); Vanni Poletto, Milan (IT); Antoine Pavlin, Puyricard (FR); Alfio Russo, Acireale (IT); and Nadia Lecci, Tremestieri Etneo (IT)
Assigned to STMICROELECTRONICS (ROUSSET) SAS, Rousset (FR); and STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L., Agrate Brianza (IT)
Filed by STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS, Rousset (FR); and STMicroelectronics S.r.l., Agrate Brianza (IT)
Filed on Jun. 3, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/338,157.
Claims priority of application No. 102020000016423 (IT), filed on Jul. 7, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0014187 A1, Jan. 13, 2022
Int. Cl. H01S 5/042 (2006.01); H01S 5/062 (2006.01)
CPC H01S 5/0428 (2013.01) [H01S 5/06216 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A pulse generator circuit comprising:
an LC resonant circuit coupled between a first node and a ground;
a charging circuit coupled to the LC resonant circuit;
a first electronic switch coupled between the first node and the ground in parallel with the LC resonant circuit;
a switching network comprising:
a second electronic switch coupled between the first node and a respective drive node of the switching network, wherein the respective drive node is different from the first node and configured to be coupled to a respective electrical load; and
a third electronic switch coupled between the respective drive node and the ground; and
a drive circuit having outputs coupled to the first electronic switch and to the second electronic switch of the switching network, the drive circuit configured to, in repeating cycles:
close the first electronic switch so that a current flowing through an inductor of the LC resonant circuit increases during a resonant cycle,
when the current flowing through the inductor reaches a threshold value, open the first electronic switch,
close the second electronic switch of the switching network for a pulse duration time when the first electronic switch is open, wherein the current flowing through the inductor is commutated toward the second electronic switch and the respective drive node,
open the second electronic switch at an expiration of the pulse duration time, and
selectively close the third electronic switch to short circuit spurious current between the respective drive node and the ground.