US 12,348,222 B2
Driver circuit and method for controlling a semiconductor switch
Matthias Neumeister, Erlangen (DE); and Markus Pfeifer, Nuremberg (DE)
Assigned to SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, Munich (DE)
Appl. No. 18/546,349
Filed by Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, Munich (DE)
PCT Filed Nov. 24, 2021, PCT No. PCT/EP2021/082842
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 14, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/174948, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 25, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 21157318 (EP), filed on Feb. 16, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0120914 A1, Apr. 11, 2024
Int. Cl. H03K 17/16 (2006.01)
CPC H03K 17/168 (2013.01) [H03K 17/163 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A driver circuit for controlling a semiconductor switch, the circuit comprising:
a contact for connection to a control terminal of the semiconductor switch; and
a device to carry out a measurement of a value dependent on the level of the current flowing through the semiconductor switch, in the course of a switch-off process of the semiconductor switch;
wherein the value is either the level of the gate current at a point in time or in a time window after the start of the switch-off process or a timespan from the start of the switch-off process until a definable threshold value of the voltage drop across the semiconductor switch is reached; and
depending on the size of the value, the device activates a control measure to reduce the change over time in the current flowing through the semiconductor switch.