US-12627289-B2 - Co-packaged controlled overcurrent handling

Abstract

The application relates to co-packaged controlled overcurrent handling of a power switch assembly. The power switch assembly includes a power switch and an overcurrent handling logic. The overcurrent handling logic includes an overcurrent detection circuit configured to detect an overcurrent condition of a load current of the power switch and to provide an overcurrent detection signal indicative of an overcurrent condition of the load current of the power switch and a discharge current generation circuit coupled to the overcurrent detection circuit, and configured to generate a discharge current to at least partially discharge a control terminal of the power switch responsive to the overcurrent detection signal.

Inventors

• Daniele Miatton
• Alessandro PORTESAN
• Massimo Grasso
• Sergio Morini

Assignees

• INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRIA AG

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20231128

Priority Date

20221220

Claims (17)

1. 1 . A power switch assembly having an assembly control terminal, a first assembly load terminal, and a second assembly load terminal, comprising: a power switch having a control terminal coupled to the assembly control terminal, a first load terminal coupled to the first assembly load terminal, and a second load terminal coupled to the second assembly load terminal; and overcurrent handling logic coupled between the assembly control terminal and the control terminal and between the second load terminal and the second assembly load terminal, the overcurrent handling logic including: an overcurrent detection circuit coupled between the second load terminal and the second assembly load terminal and configured to detect an overcurrent condition of a load current of the power switch and to provide an overcurrent detection signal indicative of the overcurrent condition of the load current of the power switch; and a discharge current generation circuit coupled to the overcurrent detection circuit, the control terminal, and the second load terminal, wherein the discharge current generation circuit is configured to generate a discharge current to at least partially discharge the control terminal responsive to the overcurrent detection signal, wherein the overcurrent handling logic further comprises a control path control circuit coupled between the assembly control terminal and the control terminal, wherein the control path control circuit is configured to switchably couple the assembly control terminal to the control terminal, wherein the control path control circuit is configured to decouple the assembly control terminal from the control terminal responsive to the overcurrent detection signal, and wherein the control path control circuit is further configured to maintain the assembly control terminal decoupled from the control terminal until a voltage supplied by a gate driver coupled to the assembly control terminal and the second assembly load terminal falls below a threshold voltage of the power switch.
2. 2 . The power switch assembly of claim 1 , further comprising: a package configured to enclose the overcurrent handling logic and the power switch, wherein the package comprises the assembly control terminal, the first assembly load terminal, and the second assembly load terminal.
3. 3 . The power switch assembly of claim 1 , wherein the discharge current is based on a fall time, wherein the fall time defines a timeframe from the detection of the overcurrent condition to a reduction of the load current to a safety load current value.
4. 4 . The power switch assembly of claim 1 , wherein the discharge current generation circuit is configured to generate the discharge current such that the control terminal is discharged until the load current reaches or falls below a safety load current value.
5. 5 . The power switch assembly of claim 1 , wherein the overcurrent detection circuit is configured to compensate a temperature coefficient of the overcurrent detection circuit to provide a temperature-compensated overcurrent detection signal.
6. 6 . The power switch assembly of claim 5 , wherein the overcurrent detection circuit comprises: a current measurement resistor coupled between the second load terminal and the second assembly load terminal, wherein the current measurement resistor has a current measurement temperature coefficient; and a temperature compensation circuit coupled to the current measurement resistor, wherein the temperature compensation circuit has a compensation temperature coefficient, and wherein the compensation temperature coefficient is configured to compensate for the current measurement temperature coefficient.
7. 7 . The power switch assembly of claim 5 , wherein the overcurrent detection circuit is configured to maintain at least a part of the overcurrent detection circuit in a linear operating region during operation of the power switch assembly.
8. 8 . A power switch assembly having an assembly control terminal, a first assembly load terminal, and a second assembly load terminal, comprising: a power switch having a control terminal coupled to the assembly control terminal, a first load terminal coupled to the first assembly load terminal, and a second load terminal coupled to the second assembly load terminal; and overcurrent handling logic coupled between the assembly control terminal and the control terminal and between the second load terminal and the second assembly load terminal, the overcurrent handling logic including: an overcurrent detection circuit coupled between the second load terminal and the second assembly load terminal and configured to detect an overcurrent condition of a load current of the power switch and to provide an overcurrent detection signal indicative of the overcurrent condition of the load current of the power switch; and a discharge current generation circuit coupled to the overcurrent detection circuit, the control terminal, and the second load terminal, wherein the discharge current generation circuit is configured to generate a discharge current to at least partially discharge the control terminal responsive to the overcurrent detection signal, wherein the overcurrent detection circuit is configured to compensate a temperature coefficient of the overcurrent detection circuit to provide a temperature-compensated overcurrent detection signal, wherein the overcurrent detection circuit comprises: a current measurement resistor coupled between the second load terminal and the second assembly load terminal, wherein the current measurement resistor has a current measurement temperature coefficient; and a temperature compensation circuit coupled to the current measurement resistor, wherein the temperature compensation circuit has a compensation temperature coefficient, and wherein the compensation temperature coefficient is configured to compensate for the current measurement temperature coefficient, wherein the temperature compensation circuit comprises: a temperature coefficient compensation circuit having the compensation temperature coefficient; and a linear region maintenance and conversion circuit coupled to the temperature coefficient compensation circuit and configured to maintain at least a part of the temperature coefficient compensation circuit in a linear operating region.
9. 9 . The power switch assembly of claim 8 , wherein: the temperature compensation circuit further comprises an overcurrent signal output stage coupled to the linear region maintenance and conversion circuit and configured to provide the temperature-compensated overcurrent detection signal based on a comparison of an output of the linear region maintenance and conversion circuit with an overcurrent threshold value.
10. 10 . A power switch assembly having an assembly control terminal, a first assembly load terminal, and a second assembly load terminal, comprising: a power switch having a control terminal coupled to the assembly control terminal, a first load terminal coupled to the first assembly load terminal, and a second load terminal coupled to the second assembly load terminal; and overcurrent handling logic coupled between the assembly control terminal and the control terminal and between the second load terminal and the second assembly load terminal, the overcurrent handling logic including: an overcurrent detection circuit coupled between the second load terminal and the second assembly load terminal and configured to detect an overcurrent condition of a load current of the power switch and to provide an overcurrent detection signal indicative of the overcurrent condition of the load current of the power switch; and a discharge current generation circuit coupled to the overcurrent detection circuit, the control terminal, and the second load terminal, wherein the discharge current generation circuit is configured to generate a discharge current to at least partially discharge the control terminal responsive to the overcurrent detection signal, wherein the overcurrent detection circuit is configured to compensate a temperature coefficient of the overcurrent detection circuit to provide a temperature-compensated overcurrent detection signal, wherein the overcurrent detection circuit comprises: a current measurement resistor coupled between the second load terminal and the second assembly load terminal, wherein the current measurement resistor has a current measurement temperature coefficient; and a temperature compensation circuit coupled to the current measurement resistor, wherein the temperature compensation circuit has a compensation temperature coefficient, and wherein the compensation temperature coefficient is configured to compensate for the current measurement temperature coefficient, wherein the temperature coefficient compensation circuit includes at least one compensation transistor having the compensation temperature coefficient, and wherein the at least one compensation transistor is maintained in a linear operating region.
11. 11 . The power switch assembly of claim 8 , wherein: the linear region maintenance and conversion circuit is further configured to increase a dynamic range of the temperature-compensated overcurrent detection signal.
12. 12 . A method for operating overcurrent handling logic of a power switch assembly having an assembly control terminal, a first assembly load terminal, and a second assembly load terminal, the overcurrent handling logic comprising an overcurrent detection logic and a discharge current generation circuit, the method comprising: detecting an overcurrent condition of a load current at a second load terminal of a power switch to provide an overcurrent detection signal indicative of the overcurrent condition of the load current of the power switch; and at least partially discharging a control terminal of the power switch with the discharge current responsive to the overcurrent detection signal, switchably coupling the assembly control terminal to the control terminal, including decoupling the assembly control terminal from the control terminal responsive to the overcurrent detection signal and maintaining the assembly control terminal decoupled from the control terminal until a voltage supplied by a gate driver coupled to the assembly control terminal and the second assembly load terminal falls below a threshold voltage of the power switch.
13. 13 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising: maintaining one or more semiconductor devices of the overcurrent detection logic in a linear operating region during operation of the power switch assembly.
14. 14 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising: compensating a temperature coefficient of the overcurrent detection circuit to provide a temperature-compensated overcurrent detection signal.
15. 15 . A power switch assembly having an assembly control terminal, a first assembly load terminal, and a second assembly load terminal, the power switch assembly comprising: a power switch having a control terminal coupled to the assembly control terminal, a first load terminal coupled to the first assembly load terminal, and a second load terminal coupled to the second assembly load terminal; and overcurrent handling logic coupled between the assembly control terminal and the control terminal and between the second load terminal and the second assembly load terminal, the overcurrent handling logic including: an overcurrent detection circuit coupled between the second load terminal and the second assembly load terminal and configured to detect an overcurrent condition of a load current of the power switch, and compensate, using compensation transistors having respective temperature coefficients, a temperature coefficient of the overcurrent detection circuit to provide a temperature-compensated overcurrent detection signal, wherein the compensation of the temperature coefficient using the compensation transistors does not delay the detection of the overcurrent condition; and a discharge current generation circuit coupled to the overcurrent detection circuit and the control terminal, wherein the discharge current generation circuit is configured to generate a discharge current to discharge the control terminal responsive to the temperature-compensated overcurrent detection signal.
16. 16 . A power switch assembly having an assembly control terminal, a first assembly load terminal, and a second assembly load terminal, the power switch assembly comprising: a power switch having a control terminal coupled to the assembly control terminal, a first load terminal coupled to the first assembly load terminal, and a second load terminal coupled to the second assembly load terminal; and overcurrent handling logic coupled between the assembly control terminal and the control terminal and between the second load terminal and the second assembly load terminal, the overcurrent handling logic including: an overcurrent detection circuit coupled between the second load terminal and the second assembly load terminal and configured to maintain one or more semiconductor devices of the overcurrent detection circuit in a linear operating region during operation of the power switch assembly, detect an overcurrent condition of a load current of the power switch, and compensate a temperature coefficient of the overcurrent detection circuit to provide a temperature-compensated overcurrent detection signal; and a control terminal control circuit coupled to the overcurrent detection circuit and the control terminal, wherein the control terminal control circuit is configured to control the control terminal responsive to the temperature-compensated overcurrent detection signal.
17. 17 . A power switch assembly having an assembly control terminal, a first assembly load terminal, and a second assembly load terminal, the power switch assembly comprising: a power switch having a control terminal coupled to the assembly control terminal, a first load terminal coupled to the first assembly load terminal, and a second load terminal coupled to the second assembly load terminal; and overcurrent handling logic coupled between the assembly control terminal and the control terminal and between the second load terminal and the second assembly load terminal, the overcurrent handling logic including: an overcurrent detection circuit coupled between the second load terminal and the second assembly load terminal and configured to maintain one or more semiconductor devices of the overcurrent detection circuit in a linear operating region during operation of the power switch assembly, detect an overcurrent condition of a load current of the power switch, and compensate a temperature coefficient of the overcurrent detection circuit to provide a temperature-compensated overcurrent detection signal; and a discharge current generation circuit coupled to the overcurrent detection circuit, the control terminal, and the second load terminal, wherein the discharge current generation circuit is configured to generate a discharge current to at least partially discharge the control terminal responsive to the temperature-compensated overcurrent detection signal.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims priority to European Patent Application No. 22215124 filed on Dec. 20, 2022, the content of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The implementation generally relates to overcurrent protection of power switches and more precisely to overcurrent protection provided inside a power switch assembly. BACKGROUND During operation, a power switch may encounter abnormally high load path currents, e.g., overcurrent or short circuit conditions, which can damage the power switch. To avoid damage to the power switch, various solutions external to and co-packaged with the power switch exist, which detect an overcurrent and turn off the power switch. Given the switching speed of modern power switches, the timeframe to detect an overcurrent can be very short so that high-speed detection logic must be used. In addition, present overcurrent detection handling solutions do not consider parasitic inductances in series with the load path of the power switch. Depending on the speed and the level to which the load current is reduced following detection of an overcurrent, such parasitic inductances may cause voltage surges at the power switch, which may inadvertently damage the power switch. Therefore, it is an objective of the present implementation to improve the protection of power switches with regard to overcurrent or short-circuit conditions. SUMMARY To achieve this objective, the present implementation provides a power switch assembly having an assembly control terminal, a first assembly load terminal and a second assembly load terminal, including a power switch having a control terminal coupled to the assembly control terminal, a first load terminal coupled to the first assembly load terminal and a second load terminal coupled to the second assembly load terminal and an overcurrent handling logic coupled between the assembly control terminal and the control terminal and between the second load terminal and the second assembly load terminal, including an overcurrent detection circuit coupled between the second load terminal and the second assembly load terminal and configured to detect an overcurrent of a load current of the power switch, and a discharge current generation circuit coupled to the overcurrent detection circuit, the control terminal and the second load terminal and configured to generate a discharge current to at least partially discharge the control terminal responsive to the temperature-compensated overcurrent detection signal. The present implementation further provides a method for operating an overcurrent handling logic of a power switch assembly, the overcurrent handling logic including an overcurrent detection logic and a discharge current generation circuit, the method including detecting an overcurrent at a load a second load terminal of a power switch of the power switch assembly, generating a discharge current and at least partially discharging a control terminal of the power switch responsive to the overcurrent detection signal with the discharge current. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Implementations of the present implementation will be described with reference to the following appended drawings, in which like reference signs refer to like elements. FIG. 1 illustrates a half-bridge topology including power switch assemblies according to implementations of the present implementation. FIG. 2 provides a block diagram of the power switch assembly according to implementations of the present implementation. FIG. 3 illustrates an example power supply of the overcurrent handling logic according to implementations of the present implementation. FIG. 4 illustrates an example control path control circuit of the power switch assembly according to implementations of the present implementation. FIGS. 5A to 5D illustrate example implementations of the discharge current generation circuit of the power switch assembly according to implementations of the present implementation. FIG. 6 illustrates various signals illustrating the operation of the discharge current generation circuit of the power switch assembly according to implementations of the present implementation. FIG. 7 provides a block diagram of the temperature compensation circuit of the power switch assembly according to implementations of the present implementation. FIG. 8 illustrates an example implementation of the temperature compensation circuit of the power switch assembly according to implementations of the present implementation. FIG. 9 provides a flowchart of a method for operating an overcurrent handling logic of the power switch assembly according to implementations of the present implementation. It should be understood that the above-identified drawings are in no way meant to limit the disclosure of the present implementation. Rather, these drawings are provided to assist in understanding the implementation. The person skilled in the art wil