Controlling a switch across an isolation barrier

Abstract

To provide a method and an apparatus controlling a switch by traversing an insulation barrier.SOLUTION: An apparatus 200 comprises: an energy transfer device 206 that operates one or more input switches 216 of an input side of an electrical isolation device to transfer energy through an isolation device 208 to an output side of the electrical isolation device for activating a switch; a voltage conversion device 210 that converts the energy from an input voltage of the input side 202 to an output voltage to control the switch when the energy transfer is active; a passive turn off device 214 that passively deactivates the switch when the energy transfer is inactive. The passive turn off device is disabled from deactivating the switch when the energy transfer is active.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of operating switches across an isolation barrier. [Background technology]

[0002] Various types of devices may utilize switches, such as solid-state switches. The switches may be controlled from a power domain of the device. The power domain may be isolated from the region of the device in which the switch is located. Isolation is achieved through the use of an optically isolating barrier. The optically isolating barrier is disposed within the device between a first side of the device containing the power domain and a second side of the device containing the switch. To control the switch through the optically isolating barrier, information and / or energy must be sent across the optically isolating barrier. Unfortunately, there are very high manufacturing costs associated with producing optically isolating switches.

[0003] Many existing solutions, such as optical isolation alternatives that use galvanic isolation based on capacitive or transformer coupling, both of which require integrated functionality, have various drawbacks. One such drawback is the need for additional, fixed power pins on one or more sides of the isolation barrier. Another drawback is the inability to integrate the isolation barrier and solid-state switches in the same package. Yet another drawback is the inability to provide pin compatibility with other isolation devices designed to drive solid-state switches, such as optical couplers or solid-state relays. Furthermore, existing isolation solutions cannot always generate a voltage on the output side of the isolation barrier (e.g., the second side where the switch is located) that is higher than the voltage on the input side of the isolation barrier (e.g., the first side where the power domain is located). This significantly restricts and limits the types of switches available, because such switches must have threshold voltages that fit within an input voltage range that can be significantly lower than the voltage used to operate the switch. One drawback with capacitive isolation is its immunity to common-mode transient voltages between the two sides of the isolation barrier, which can quickly move the potentials on the two sides of the barrier in opposite directions. Although some products may combine one or more of these isolation solutions and / or features, no current products simultaneously address all of the above-mentioned shortcomings. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key elements or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0005] One embodiment of the techniques described herein provides a method. The method includes operating one or more input switches on an input side of an isolation device according to a frequency and duty cycle to transfer energy through an isolation device to an output side of the isolation device during a series of switching cycles to activate the switches. A voltage conversion device converts energy from an input voltage on the input side to an output voltage for controlling the switches. When the energy transfer is in an active state, a passive turn-off device is disabled from deactivating the switches. The passive turn-off device passively deactivates the switches when the energy transfer is in an inactive state.

[0006] In one embodiment of the techniques described herein, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes means for operating one or more input switches on an input side of an isolation device according to a frequency and duty cycle for transferring energy through an isolation device to an output side of the isolation device during a series of switching cycles to activate the switches. The apparatus includes means for converting energy from an input voltage on the input side to an output voltage for controlling the switches. The apparatus includes means for passively deactivating the switches when energy transfer is in an inactive state. The apparatus includes means for disabling deactivation of the switches when energy transfer is in an active state.

[0007] In one embodiment of the techniques described herein, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes an energy transfer device configured to operate one or more input switches on an input side of the isolation device according to a frequency and duty cycle to transfer energy through the isolation device to an output side of the isolation device during a series of switching cycles to activate the switches. The apparatus includes a voltage conversion device configured to convert energy from an input voltage on the input side to an output voltage for controlling the switches when the energy transfer is in an active state. The apparatus includes a passive turn-off device configured to passively deactivate the switches when the energy transfer is in an inactive state. The apparatus includes a negative charge pump configured to disable the passive turn-off device from deactivating the switches when the energy transfer is in an active state.

[0008] In one embodiment of the techniques described herein, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes an energy transfer device configured to operate one or more input switches on an input side of the electrical isolation device to transfer energy through an isolation device to an output side of the electrical isolation device to activate the switches. The apparatus includes a voltage conversion device configured to convert energy from an input voltage on the input side to an output voltage for controlling the switches when the energy transfer is in an active state. The apparatus includes a passive turn-off device configured to passively deactivate the switches when the energy transfer is in an inactive state, and the passive turn-off device is disabled from deactivating the switches when the energy transfer is in an active state.

[0009] To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the following description and the annexed drawings set forth certain illustrative aspects and implementations, which are indicative of but a few of the various ways in which one or more aspects may be employed. Other aspects, advantages, and novel features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is an illustration of an example method for operating a switch through an isolation device in accordance with techniques presented herein. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a component block diagram illustrating an apparatus for operating a switch through an isolation device in accordance with techniques presented herein. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a component block diagram illustrating an apparatus having a flyback converter and a transformer for operating a switch through an isolation device, the switch being controlled by the apparatus, a negative charge pump, and a depletion NMOS as a passive turn-off device in accordance with techniques presented herein. [Figure 4A] FIG. 10 is a component block diagram illustrating an apparatus having a voltage multiplier and a transformer for operating a switch through an isolation device, the switch being controlled by the apparatus, a negative charge pump, and a depletion NMOS as a passive turn-off device in accordance with techniques presented herein. [Figure 4B] FIG. 10 is a component block diagram illustrating an apparatus having a voltage multiplier, a capacitive coupling to operate a switch through an isolation device, the switch being controlled by the apparatus, a negative charge pump, and a depletion NMOS as a passive turn-off device in accordance with techniques presented herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The claimed subject matter is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of claimed subject matter. It may be evident, however, that claimed subject matter can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate describing claimed subject matter.

[0012] In the field of electronics, a device includes a switch that is controlled from an area of ​​the device that should be isolated from the switch, such as a power domain area of ​​the device. The ability to operate the switch is improved by using electrical isolation, such as by utilizing capacitive coupling, a transformer such as a core or coreless transformer or any other type of transformer, or other electrical isolation barrier. The electrical isolation barrier can be used in a manner that does not introduce any topology differences or penalties into the device, and therefore the device can be easily replaced with other existing devices without introducing significant differences in the size, package, or pinout of the device. For example, pin compatibility is provided because additional pins that would otherwise be used to provide specific power supplies on either side of the electrical isolation barrier are not required.

[0013] The techniques and apparatus provided herein can transfer a sufficient amount of energy across an electrical isolation barrier from a first side of a device (e.g., the side where a power domain region is located) to a second side of the device where a switch is located. The energy is transferred in a series of switching cycles so that a switch, such as a solid-state switch, can be properly and reliably turned on quickly and without requiring additional energy from the second side. Furthermore, power to the switch can be safely turned off quickly and safely without having to transfer energy across the electrical isolation barrier and without requiring external components.

[0014] In one embodiment, an integrated energy transfer process across an isolation barrier, such as an electrical isolation barrier, is provided. Energy is transferred from the input side of the isolation barrier to the output side of the isolation barrier to ensure proper, complete, and safe turn-on of a switch, such as a solid-state switch located on the output side. Energy is transferred during a series of switching cycles in which energy transfer is either active or inactive. The switch is turned on sufficiently quickly and without requiring additional energy from the output side. This turning-on of the switch is achieved by implementing an on-off keying technique, which is used to store and release electromagnetic energy across the isolation barrier for transfer to the output side in a manner compatible with the energy losses allowed by the isolation barrier. On-off keying consists of a high-frequency pulse drive on the input side, where a drive between an input power source and an input ground is applied to the input terminals of the isolation barrier along with a switching pattern. To interrupt the energy transfer process, the switching pattern is stopped so that no current flows within the isolation barrier. Various types of energy transfer devices can be utilized to implement this integrated energy transfer process.

[0015] In one embodiment, an output voltage high enough to ensure that various types of switches can be used, such as metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs), or other types of switches, can be generated on the output side. The output voltage can be relatively higher than the input voltage used on the input side. The relatively higher output voltage can be achieved by utilizing various voltage-boost rectification topologies that can be coupled to the output side, such as a flyback converter, a voltage multiplier (e.g., a Cockcroft-Walton voltage multiplier), or other types of voltage converters. The voltage converters can be used to arrive at an output voltage capable of driving the gates of the switches, which can be higher than the voltage used on the input side. Activating the power conversion process of the voltage converters is activated and controlled according to on-off keying on the primary side. In one embodiment, some auxiliary functions, such as current sensing or temperature sensing for the switches, can be powered on the output side by the output voltage provided by the voltage converters.

[0016] In one embodiment, a reliable passive turn-off path is provided for the gate of the switch. This passive turn-off path can be achieved by utilizing various integration technology options, such as a depletion MOSFET (e.g., an n-channel depletion MOSFET or a p-channel depletion MOSFET) or other type of passive turn-off device that has a conductive channel even when not actively driven (e.g., not actively powered). The passive turn-off device can be capable of reliably passively turning off the switch during periods when no energy is being transferred from the input to the output.

[0017] In one embodiment, the passive turn-off device can be quickly and reliably deactivated as soon as the energy transfer process begins. Activation and deactivation of the passive turn-off device occur without requiring additional energy from the input or output. Deactivation of the passive turn-off device can be achieved by an on-off keying process in which a negative charge pump coupled to the isolation barrier (e.g., coupled to a secondary winding of a transformer used as the isolation barrier) generates a negative voltage at the output. In one embodiment, the negative charge pump can actively drive the gate of the passive turn-off device, such as a depletion MOSFET (e.g., a depletion n-channel MOSFET), below its source as soon as the on-off keying process begins, preventing the depletion MOSFET from conducting. In this way, the depletion MOSFET is deactivated, allowing a rising voltage driving the switch to turn the switch on. When the on-off keying process stops, the load of the negative charge pump discharges the negative voltage at the output, re-enabling the depletion MOSFET to conduct. Specifically, a passive discharge element (e.g., a resistor connecting the source and gate of the depletion MOSFET) drives the source and gate of the depletion MOSFET to the same voltage, thereby activating the depletion MOSFET. When energy transfer stops, the passive discharge element drives to zero the voltage previously generated by the negative charge pump with an appropriate time constant. In one embodiment, a charge pump can be utilized to generate a positive voltage to control a depletion p-channel MOSFET as opposed to a depletion n-channel MOSFET.

[0018] In this way, electrical isolation is provided to the device in a manner that allows reliable, safe, and fast control of switches, such as solid state switches, without any topology differences or penalties.

[0019] One embodiment for controlling a switch across an isolation barrier is illustrated by exemplary method 100 in FIG. 1 and further described with respect to FIGS. 2-4B. An apparatus, such as apparatus 200 in FIG. 2, includes an isolation device 208 that isolates an input side 202 of apparatus 200 from an output side 216 of apparatus 200. Isolation device 208 may include an electrical isolation device that provides electrical isolation between input side 202 and output side 216 of apparatus 200. In one embodiment, isolation device 208 includes a transformer, such as a coreless transformer or a core transformer (e.g., transformer 310 in FIG. 3 and transformer 404 in FIG. 4). In one embodiment, isolation device 208 includes a capacitive coupling (e.g., capacitive coupling 456 in FIG. 4B). Isolation device 208 provides galvanic isolation between input side 202 and output side 216.

[0020] The input side 202 includes an input source 204. The input source 204 may be associated with an input power domain that provides an input voltage for the input side 202. The input side 202 may include one or more input switches 218 (e.g., a single input switch SW1 304 in FIG. 3 or a first input switch SW1A 418, a second input switch SW1B 422, a third input switch SW2A 420, and a fourth input switch SW2B 424 in FIGS. 4A and 4B). The input side 202 includes an energy transfer device 206 configured to operate the one or more input switches 218 to control a switch 212 located on an output side 216 of the device 200 to perform a plurality of switching cycles to transfer energy through an isolation device 208 to the output side 216. The plurality of switching cycles corresponds to a series of switching cycles in which energy transfer is active or inactive. The energy transfer device 206 may operate one or more switches 218 according to a frequency (e.g., a switching frequency) and a duty cycle to transfer energy through the isolation device 208 during switching cycles to activate the switch 212. In one embodiment, an on-off keying technique is utilized by the energy transfer device 206 to perform multiple switching cycles to transfer energy through the isolation device 208 to operate the switch 212.

[0021] Accordingly, at 102, one or more input switches 218 are operated according to a frequency and duty cycle to transfer energy through the isolation device 208 during a series of switching cycles to activate the switch 212. In one embodiment, on-off keying is applied by operating the one or more input switches 218 according to a determined frequency and duty cycle. The frequency can be set to a sufficiently high value to limit the current flow through the primary winding of the isolation device 208 (e.g., a transformer) within a switching cycle. Depending on whether a flyback converter (e.g., FIG. 3) or a voltage multiplier (e.g., FIGS. 4A and 4B) is used as the voltage conversion device 210 on the output side 216, various duty cycles can be used. For example, the duty cycle can be set to 50% for a voltage multiplier, and energy is driven by the energy transfer device 206 according to a push-pull scheme. In this example, the switching cycle includes a first phase in which an input current flows from the upper terminal of the isolation device 208 to the lower terminal of the isolation device 208. The switching cycle includes a second phase in which the input current flows from the lower terminal to the upper terminal. In a flyback converter, the duty cycle can be set based on the switching frequency to prevent the inductance across the isolation device 208 from reaching a saturation point or causing reliability issues.

[0022] When one or more input switches 218 are kept off by the energy transfer device 206, no energy transfer occurs. When one or more switches 218 are turned on by the energy transfer device 206, energy is transferred through the isolation device 208 to the output side 216 to turn on the switch 212. In this manner, a series of switching cycles are performed in which energy transfer is either active or inactive.

[0023] The device 200 includes a voltage conversion device 210 located on an output side 216 of the device 200. The voltage conversion device 210 may include a flyback converter (e.g., FIG. 3), a voltage multiplier such as a Cockcroft-Walton voltage multiplier (e.g., FIGS. 4A and 4B), or other voltage conversion device. The voltage conversion device 210 may be configured to convert energy transferred by the energy transfer device 206 from an input voltage associated with the input source 204 to an output voltage capable of controlling the switch 212, such as by turning on the switch 212. In one embodiment, the voltage conversion device 210 may convert the input voltage to a relatively high voltage as an output voltage capable of turning on the switch 212 (e.g., turning on the gate of a solid-state switch). In this manner, various types of switches 212 that may not otherwise operate with or be otherwise incompatible with the relatively low input voltage associated with the input source 204 may be used. The voltage conversion device 210 outputs an output voltage when energy transfer by the energy transfer device 206 is active. Thus, at 104 , when energy transfer is active, it converts energy from an input voltage at input side 202 to an output voltage for controlling switch 212 .

[0024] Apparatus 200 includes a passive turn-off device 214 (e.g., passive turn-off device 318 of FIG. 3 and passive turn-off device 428 of FIGS. 4A and 4B) on an output side 216 of apparatus 200. In one embodiment, passive turn-off device 214 includes a depletion MOSFET (e.g., a depletion n-channel MOSFET or a depletion p-channel MOSFET). When no energy transfer is occurring through energy transfer device 206 to otherwise activate switch 212, passive turn-off device 214 passively deactivates switch 212 (e.g., without passive turn-off device 214 needing to be powered), turning switch 212 off. For example, when there is no energy transfer, a capacitor on output side 216 is discharged, and thus the source and gate of passive turn-off device 214 are at the same / similar potential, which creates a conductive channel between the source and drain of passive turn-off device 214. The conductive channel acts like a resistor sized according to the dimensions of passive turn-off device 214, which applies a turn-off strength between the gate and source of switch 212 to turn switch 212 off (e.g., by shorting the gate of switch 212 to the source of switch 212). In this way, passive turn-off device 214 passively deactivates switch 212 without being actively driven with power when no energy transfer is occurring.

[0025] When energy transfer is active, passive turn-off device 214 can be disabled from passively deactivating switch 212. In one embodiment, a charge pump 220 (e.g., a positive charge pump for a depletion p-channel MOSFET or a negative charge pump for a depletion n-channel MOSFET, such as negative charge pump 324 in FIG. 3 ) can be utilized to disable passive turn-off device 214 from passively deactivating switch 212 when energy transfer is active. For a depletion n-channel MOSFET, a negative charge pump is utilized to actively drive the gate of the depletion n-channel MOSFET downward using a negative voltage to disable the depletion n-channel MOSFET from passively deactivating switch 212 when energy transfer is active. In this manner, at 106, passive turn-off device 214 is disabled from passively deactivating switch 212 when energy transfer is active. When energy transfer is inactive, the load at the output of the negative charge pump discharges the negative voltage, allowing the depletion n-channel MOSFET to passively deactivate switch 212. When there is no switching activity, the negative charge pump is inactive. Thus, at 108, the passive turn-off device 214 allows the switch 212 to passively deactivate when energy transfer is inactive.

[0026] 3 illustrates one embodiment of an apparatus 300 for operating a switch 320 across an isolation barrier. The apparatus 300 includes a transformer 310 that acts as an isolation barrier to provide isolation, such as electrically isolating an input side 312 of the apparatus 300 from an output side 314 of the apparatus 300. A switch 320 is located on the output side 314 of the apparatus 300. An input source 302 and an input switch 304 are located on the input side 312 of the apparatus 300. The switch 320, a passive turn-off device 318 (e.g., a depletion p-channel MOSFET), a voltage conversion device (e.g., a flyback converter utilizing a diode D1 316 that is forward or reverse biased depending on whether energy transfer is occurring), and a negative charge pump 324 are located on the output side 314 of the apparatus 300. The negative charge pump 324 may include a resistor R1 (resistor R1), an equivalent capacitance Cg1, and / or a diode D2.

[0027] On-off keying is performed on the input side 312 to operate the input switch 304 to perform a series of switching cycles to transfer energy (e.g., energy generated by the input source 302) from the input side 312 to the output side 314 to operate the switch 320. In one embodiment, the input switch 304 is turned on at the beginning of a switching cycle to drive the lower terminal of the primary side 306 of the transformer 310. This creates a magnetizing current Im 326 that flows in the equivalent magnetizing inductance Lm of the transformer 310. The magnetizing current Im 326 of the transformer 310 continues to increase as long as the input switch 304 is on. The duty cycle for switching the input switch 304 on and off is set based on the switching frequency so that the magnetizing current Im 326 does not reach transformer saturation or cause transformer reliability issues for the transformer 310. While input switch 304 is turned on and magnetizing current Im 326 continues to flow in the primary winding of transformer 310, the secondary winding of transformer 310, which provides a voltage opposite to that applied to the primary winding, keeps diode D1 316 reverse biased so that no current flows towards the gate of switch 320. After this phase of the duty cycle, input switch 304 is turned off, leaving the bottom terminal of primary 306 of transformer 310 floating.

[0028] The magnetic energy stored in the transformer 310 (e.g., corresponding to the peak magnetizing current Im reached in the previous phase when the input switch 304 was turned on) is output by the secondary 308 of the transformer 310, causing a demagnetizing current. Thus, the stored magnetic energy is released by a decrease Idm (e.g., magnetic energy stored in the transformer 310) appearing on the secondary 308 of the transformer 310, while the voltage on the secondary 308 is reflected back to the primary voltage on the primary side. Diode D1 316 is forward biased, charging the equivalent capacitance Cg2 322 (e.g., a representation of the gate capacitance of switch 320) at the gate of switch 322 until Idm disappears or the beginning of the next switching cycle occurs. Each charge packet from the primary side 306 to the secondary side 308 of the transformer 310 increases the voltage across the equivalent capacitance Cg2 322 until it reaches a voltage threshold that does not allow further forward biasing of the diode D1 316.

[0029] In one embodiment, the turns ratio of the transformer 310 can be changed to obtain a higher output voltage. In this manner, when energy transfer begins, there is energy through diode D1 316 and sink current through diode D2, which pulls up the voltage (e.g., output voltage) on the top plate of equivalent capacitance Cg2 322 and pulls down the voltage on the bottom plate of equivalent capacitance Cg1 (e.g., gate capacitance in a depletion n-channel MOSFET), thereby disabling passive turn-off device 318 from deactivating switch 320 (e.g., passive turn-off device 318 is disabled during energy transfer) while the voltage across equivalent capacitance Cg2 322 increases due to energy transfer by diode D1 316. Equivalent capacitance Cg1 represents the gate capacitance of passive turn-off device 318. When primary-side switching is active (e.g., on-off keying is active), resistor R1 (resistor R1) is used as a certain amount of load (e.g., a load below a threshold load) that does not adversely affect the ability of negative charge pump 324 to fully pump the equivalent gate capacitance Cg1 of passive turn-off device 318, so that the gate voltage of passive turn-off device 318 is more negative than the source voltage of passive turn-off device 318. That is, resistor R1 can be set to be used as a load below the load threshold so as not to overload negative charge pump 324, so that resistor R1 does not prevent negative charge pump 324 from disabling passive turn-off device 318 while loading negative charge pump 324. As soon as primary-side switching stops (e.g., on-off keying is inactive), negative charge pump 324 cannot pump the gate voltage of passive turn-off device 318 any more negative than the source voltage. Resistor R1 can therefore begin to discharge equivalent capacitance Cg1, thereby bringing the gate and source of equivalent capacitance Cg1 to the same voltage again.

[0030] Resistor R1 should have at least a threshold resistance, corresponding to a design parameter such that while primary-side switching is active (e.g., on-off keying is active), negative charge pump 324 is not overloaded, with the undesirable result of otherwise overloading negative charge pump 324 and thereby impeding and / or preventing passive turn-off device 318 from pulling its gate low relative to its source. At the same time, when primary-side switching stops (e.g., on-off keying is inactive), resistance R1 should be low enough to discharge equivalent capacitance Cg1 in a reasonable amount of time. The discharge time of equivalent capacitance Cg1, determined by resistor R1, determines the turn-off speed of switch 320. The size of resistor R1 is therefore a trade-off between the deactivation efficiency of passive turn-off device 318 and the turn-off speed of switch 320.

[0031] To avoid saturation of the transformer 310, the flyback converter is operated in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM), which causes Idm (e.g., magnetic energy stored in the transformer 310) to discharge to zero after each switching cycle without storing energy between switching cycles. Therefore, the duty cycle of the input switch 304 is set so that Im does not become too high while the input switch 304 is turned on and Idm is fully discharged when the input switch 304 is turned off. Such a setting prevents reverse recovery losses in the diode D1 316 because all current flowing in the forward-biased diode D1 316 disappears when the diode D1 316 is reverse-biased.

[0032] A flyback converter is used as a voltage converter. The flyback converter converts energy from an input voltage to an output voltage for controlling the switch 320. In this way, the voltage (e.g., output voltage) across the equivalent capacitance Cg2 322 can be relatively larger than the input voltage of the input source 302.

[0033] To ensure passive turn-off of switch 320, a passive turn-off device 318 (e.g., a depletion n-channel MOSFET) is used in parallel with equivalent capacitance Cg2 322. During quiet steady-state conditions when no energy transfer is active and input switch 304 is off, the capacitor (e.g., equivalent capacitance) is discharged. Thus, the source and gate of the depletion n-channel MOSFET are at the same potential, and there is a conductive channel between the source and drain. This conductive channel acts like a resistor sized based on the dimensions of the depletion n-channel MOSFET and deactivates switch 320 (e.g., a turn-off strength is applied between the gate and source of switch 320). When on-off keying begins to turn on input switch 304 and initiate energy transfer, the depletion n-channel MOSFET is deactivated, allowing the voltage across equivalent capacitance Cg2 322 to rise from zero to the required voltage to reliably turn on switch 320.

[0034] While the input switch 304 is on, diode D1 316 is reverse biased and diode D2 is forward biased, resulting in a negative charge on the equivalent capacitance Cg1 (e.g., the gate capacitance in a depletion n-channel MOSFET). While the input switch 304 is off, diode D1 316 is forward biased and diode D2 is reverse biased, while the equivalent capacitance Cg1 continues to hold / retain charge and voltage at a discharge rate due to a passive discharge element such as resistor R1. Thus, with each switching cycle, the gate of the depletion n-channel MOSFET (passive turn-off device 318) can be negatively pumped below the source potential with the load of resistor R1, deactivating the depletion n-channel MOSFET (passive turn-off device 318) and raising the drive voltage of the switch 320, which is then turned on. When the on-off keying switching activity is stopped to turn off the input switch 304, resistor R1 discharges the depletion n-channel MOSFET (passive turn-off device 318), causing the depletion n-channel MOSFET (passive turn-off device 318) to become conductive to turn off switch 320.

[0035] FIG. 4A illustrates an embodiment of an apparatus 400 for operating a switch 432 via a transformer 404 used as an isolation barrier, and FIG. 4B illustrates an embodiment of an apparatus 400 for operating a switch 432 via a capacitive coupling 456 used as an isolation barrier. The transformer 404 in FIG. 4A includes a primary side 412 that is connected to an input side 402 of the apparatus 400 and a secondary side 410 that is connected to an output side 406 of the apparatus 400. The capacitive coupling 456 in FIG. 4B includes one or more capacitors, such as a first capacitor 452 and a second capacitor 454, disposed between the input side 402 and the output side 406 of the apparatus 400. These isolation barriers provide electrical isolation between the input side 402 and the output side 406 of the apparatus 400.

[0036] The apparatus 400 utilizes a voltage multiplier 414 (e.g., a Cockroft-Walton multiplier) as a voltage conversion device to convert energy (e.g., energy transmitted from an input source 416 across an isolation barrier to an output side 406) from an input voltage at the input side 402 to an output voltage for controlling the switch 432. The voltage multiplier 414 includes one or more stages. Each stage includes a diode and a capacitor / capacitance (e.g., capacitor CP1 and diode D2 as the first stage, capacitor CP2 and diode D3 as the second stage, capacitor CP3 and diode D4 as the third stage, etc.). The voltage multiplier 414 converts the input voltage to an output voltage, which may be higher than the input voltage, to turn on the switch 432.

[0037] The device 400 may include one or more input switches located on the input side 402, such as a first input switch SW1A 418, a second input switch SW1B 422, a third input switch SW2A 420, and a fourth input switch SW2B 424, that are controlled by on-off keying to perform a series of switching cycles to transfer energy from the input side 402 to the output side 406, such as to turn on the switch 432 at the output side 406.

[0038] The one or more input switches are operated to drive the input side 402 of the isolation barrier (e.g., the primary side 412 of the transformer 404 in FIG. 4A or the input sides of the first capacitor 452 and second capacitor 454 of the capacitive coupling 456 in FIG. 4B) in a push-pull manner. During a first phase of a switching cycle, an input current flows from the upper terminal of the isolation barrier (e.g., the connection on the input side 402 to the upper terminal of the primary side 412 of the transformer 404, or the connection on the input side 402 to the first capacitor 452 of the capacitive coupling 456) to the lower terminal of the isolation barrier (e.g., the connection on the input side 402 to the lower terminal of the primary side 412 of the transformer 404, or the connection on the input side 402 to the second capacitor 454 of the capacitive coupling 456). Specifically, the upper terminal is pulled up and the lower terminal is pulled down. Capacitors CP1, CP3, and CP5 are charged by diodes D2, D4, and D6, while diodes D3 and D5 are reverse-biased. During the second phase of the switching cycle, current flows from the lower terminal to the upper terminal of the isolation barrier. Specifically, the upper terminal is pulled down and the lower terminal is pulled up. Capacitors CP2 and CP4 are charged by diodes D3 and D5, while diodes D2, D4, and D6 are reverse-biased. A 50% duty cycle can be set to achieve symmetry. The switching frequency can be set during each phase to a frequency value that does not cause the isolation barrier to reach / exceed saturation and / or cause reliability issues.

[0039] 3, device 400 of Figures 4A and 4B includes a switch 432, a passive turn-off device 428 (e.g., a depletion n-channel MOSFET), an equivalent capacitance Cg2 430 (e.g., a representation of the gate capacitance of switch 432), an equivalent capacitance Cg1 such as the gate capacitance in a depletion n-channel MOSFET, a passive discharge element such as resistor R1, and a charge pump 408 located on the output side 406 of device 400 that includes diode D1 similar to diode D2 of Figure 3. These components / elements of device 400 can operate similarly to the corresponding components / elements of device 300 to turn switch 432 on and off.

[0040] The methods and apparatus described herein can control switches, such as solid-state switches or other types of switches, across an isolation barrier. The switches can be turned on and off without consuming additional energy at the output side of the isolation barrier where the switch is located. The isolation barrier provides electrical isolation between the input side of the isolation barrier and the output side of the isolation barrier. The electrical isolation is provided without introducing any topology differences or penalties. This allows for easy replacement of devices with electrical isolation with other devices because the devices have similar / same size, package, and / or pinout. It can be appreciated that the methods and apparatus can be implemented for any type of device, such as a computer, a mobile device, an electronic device, a device that utilizes a switch, etc.

[0041] One embodiment of the techniques disclosed herein includes a method that includes operating one or more input switches on an input side of an isolation device according to a frequency and duty cycle to transfer energy through an isolation device to an output side of the isolation device during a series of switching cycles to activate the switches, a voltage conversion device converts energy from an input voltage on the input side to an output voltage for controlling the switches, and a passive turn-off device is disabled from deactivating the switches when the energy transfer is in an active state, and the passive turn-off device passively deactivates the switches when the energy transfer is in an inactive state.

[0042] According to some embodiments, the method includes utilizing a negative charge pump at the output side to actively drive down the gate of the passive turn-off device using a negative voltage so as to disable the passive turn-off device from deactivating the switch when energy transfer is active.

[0043] According to some embodiments, a negative charge pump pumps the gate of the passive turn-off device below the source of the passive turn-off device to deactivate the passive turn-off device, and a passive discharge element loads the negative charge pump to bring the source and gate to the same voltage.

[0044] According to some embodiments, operating the one or more input switches includes utilizing an on-off keying technique to perform multiple switching cycles to transfer energy through the isolation device to operate the switches.

[0045] According to some embodiments, the passive turn-off device comprises a depletion MOSFET.

[0046] According to some embodiments, the voltage conversion device comprises a voltage multiplier.

[0047] According to some embodiments, the voltage converter comprises a flyback converter.

[0048] According to some embodiments, a voltage converter generates an output voltage that is higher than an input voltage.

[0049] According to some embodiments, the isolation device comprises a transformer.

[0050] According to some embodiments, the isolation device comprises a capacitive coupling.

[0051] One embodiment of the techniques disclosed herein includes an apparatus, the apparatus including means for operating one or more input switches on an input side of the isolation device according to a frequency and duty cycle to transfer energy through the isolation device to an output side of the isolation device during a series of switching cycles to activate the switches, a voltage conversion device converts energy from an input voltage on the input side to an output voltage for controlling the switches, and a passive turn-off device is disabled from deactivating the switches when the energy transfer is in an active state, and the passive turn-off device passively deactivates the switches when the energy transfer is in an inactive state.

[0052] One embodiment of the techniques disclosed herein includes an apparatus including an energy transfer device configured to operate one or more input switches on an input side of the isolation device according to a frequency and duty cycle to transfer energy through the isolation device to an output side of the isolation device during a series of switching cycles to activate the switches, a voltage conversion device configured to convert energy from an input voltage on the input side to an output voltage for controlling the switches when the energy transfer is in an active state, a passive turn-off device configured to passively deactivate the switches when the energy transfer is in an inactive state, and a negative charge pump configured to disable the passive turn-off device from deactivating the switches when the energy transfer is in an active state.

[0053] According to some embodiments, the energy transfer device is located on the input side of the isolation device, and the passive turn-off device, negative charge pump, and switch are located on the output side of the isolation device.

[0054] According to some embodiments, the voltage conversion device comprises a voltage multiplier and the isolation device comprises a transformer.

[0055] According to some embodiments, the voltage conversion device comprises a voltage multiplier and the isolation device comprises a capacitive coupling.

[0056] According to some embodiments, the voltage conversion device comprises a flyback converter and the isolation device comprises a transformer.

[0057] According to some embodiments, the voltage conversion device includes a voltage multiplier, the energy transfer device is configured to drive energy to the isolation device in a push / pull manner, and the switching cycle includes a first phase in which the input current flows from an upper terminal of the isolation device to a lower terminal of the isolation device, and a second phase in which the input current flows from the lower terminal to the upper terminal.

[0058] One embodiment of the techniques disclosed herein includes an apparatus including an energy transfer device configured to operate one or more input switches on an input side of an electrical isolation device to transfer energy through an isolation device to an output side of the electrical isolation device to activate the switches, a voltage conversion device configured to convert energy from an input voltage on the input side to an output voltage for controlling the switches when the energy transfer is in an active state, and a passive turn-off device configured to passively deactivate the switches when the energy transfer is in an inactive state, wherein the passive turn-off device is disabled from deactivating the switches when the energy transfer is in an active state.

[0059] According to some embodiments, an electrical isolation device provides galvanic isolation between the input side and the output side.

[0060] According to some embodiments, the energy transfer device is configured to operate the first switch, the second switch, the third switch, and the fourth switch to perform a plurality of switching cycles to transfer energy through the isolation device.

[0061] According to some embodiments, the voltage converter includes one or more stages, and a stage of the one or more stages includes a diode and a capacitor.

[0062] Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

[0063] As used herein, terms such as "component," "module," "system," "interface," and the like are intended to refer generally to computer-related entities: hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. One or more components may be localized on one computer and / or distributed across multiple computers.

[0064] Moreover, the claimed subject matter can be implemented as a method, apparatus, or article of manufacture using standard programming and / or engineering techniques to cause a computer to implement the disclosed subject matter in software, firmware, hardware, or any combination thereof. As used herein, the term "article of manufacture" is intended to encompass a computer program accessible from any computer-readable device, carrier, or media. Of course, those skilled in the art will recognize that many modifications can be made to this structure without departing from the scope or spirit of the claimed subject matter.

[0065] Various operations of embodiments have been described herein. In one embodiment, one or more of the described operations may comprise computer-readable instructions stored on one or more computer-readable media that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform the described operations. The order in which some or all of the operations are described should not be construed to imply that the operations are necessarily order dependent. Alternative orders will be recognized by those skilled in the art having the benefit of this specification. Additionally, it will be understood that not all operations are necessarily present in each embodiment described herein.

[0066] Any aspect or design described herein as "exemplary" should not necessarily be construed as advantageous over other aspects or designs. Rather, use of the term "exemplary" is intended to describe one possible aspect and / or implementation that may relate to the techniques described herein. Such examples are not intended to be required or limiting of such techniques. Various embodiments of such techniques may include such examples alone or in combination with other features, and / or may modify and / or omit the illustrated examples.

[0067] As used herein, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or." That is, unless otherwise specified or clear from the context, "X uses A or B" is intended to mean either of the natural and inclusive permutations. That is, if X uses A, then X uses B, or X uses both A and B; "X uses A or B" would be satisfied under any of the above examples. Additionally, when used in this application and the appended claims, the articles "a" and "an" can be broadly interpreted to mean "one or more" unless otherwise specified or clear from the context that they refer to the singular form. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, "first," "second," etc. are not intended to imply any temporal aspect, spatial aspect, order, etc. Rather, such terms are used merely as identifiers, names, etc. for features, elements, items, etc. For example, a first element and a second element broadly correspond to element A and element B, or two different elements or two identical elements, or the same element.

[0068] Moreover, while the present disclosure has been shown and described with respect to one or more implementations, equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding this specification and the accompanying drawings. The present disclosure includes all such modifications and variations, and is limited only by the scope of the appended claims. With particular reference to the various functions performed by the above-described components (e.g., elements, resources, etc.), the terms used to describe such components are intended, unless otherwise specified, to correspond to any component performing the function of the implementations of the present disclosure shown herein that performs the specified function of the described component (e.g., is functionally equivalent), even if it is not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure. In addition, while a particular feature of the present disclosure may be disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature can be combined with one or more other features of other implementations, as may be desirable or advantageous for any given application or particular application. Furthermore, to the extent the terms "includes," "having," "has," "with," or variations thereof are used in the detailed description or claims, these terms are intended to be inclusive in the same manner as the term "comprising." [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 200 equipment 202 Input side 204 Input Source 206 Energy Transmission Device 208 Isolation Device 210 Voltage conversion device 212 Switch 214 Passive Turn-Off Device 216 Output side 218 Input Switch 220 Charge Pump 300 equipment 302 Input Source 304 Input Switch 306 Primary side 308 Secondary side 310 Transformer 312 Input side 314 Output side 316 Diode 318 Passive Turn-Off Device 320 Switch 322 Switch 324 Negative Charge Pump 326 Magnetizing current Im 400 equipment 402 Input side 404 Transformer 406 Output side 408 Charge Pump 410 Secondary side 412 Primary side 414 Voltage Multiplier 416 Input Sources 418 First input switch SW1A 420 Third input switch SW2A 422 Second input switch SW1B 424 Fourth input switch SW2B 428 Passive Turn-Off Device 430 Equivalent capacitance Cg2 432 Switch 452 First Capacitor 454 Second Capacitor 456 Capacitive coupling

Claims

1. operating one or more input switches on an input side of the isolator utilizing an on-off keying technique to perform a plurality of switching cycles according to a frequency and duty cycle for transferring energy through the isolator to an output side of the isolator during a series of switching cycles to activate the switches; a voltage converter converting the energy from an input voltage on the input side to an output voltage for controlling the switch, and a passive turn-off device being disabled from deactivating the switch when the energy transfer is active; the passive turn-off device passively deactivates the switch when the energy transfer is inactive; activating one or more input switches; utilizing a negative charge pump at the output side to actively drive down a gate of the passive turn-off device using a negative voltage so as to disable the passive turn-off device from deactivating the switch when the energy transfer is active; Including, The method of control, wherein the frequency is set to limit current on the input side of the isolation device to prevent saturation of the isolation device.

2. 2. The control method of claim 1, wherein the negative charge pump pumps the gate of the passive turn-off device below the source of the passive turn-off device to deactivate the passive turn-off device, and a passive discharge element loads the negative charge pump to bring the source and the gate to the same voltage.

3. 2. The control method of claim 1, wherein the passive turn-off device comprises a depletion MOSFET.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the voltage conversion device comprises a voltage multiplier.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the voltage converter comprises a flyback converter.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the voltage converter generates the output voltage that is higher than the input voltage.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the isolation device comprises a transformer.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the isolation device comprises a capacitive coupling.

9. an energy transfer device configured to operate one or more input switches on an input side of the isolation device according to a frequency and duty cycle to transfer energy through the isolation device to an output side of the isolation device during a series of switching cycles to activate the switches; a voltage conversion device configured to convert the energy from an input voltage on the input side to an output voltage for controlling the switch when the energy transfer is active; a passive turn-off device configured to passively deactivate the switch when the energy transfer is in an inactive state; a negative charge pump configured to disable the passive turn-off device from deactivating the switch when the energy transfer is active; and Including, The frequency is set to limit current on the input side of the isolation device to prevent saturation of the isolation device.

10. 10. The control device of claim 9, wherein the energy transfer device is located on the input side of the isolation device, and the passive turn-off device, the negative charge pump, and the switch are located on the output side of the isolation device.

11. 10. The control device of claim 9, wherein the voltage conversion device comprises a voltage multiplier and the isolation device comprises a transformer.

12. 10. The control device of claim 9, wherein the voltage conversion device comprises a voltage multiplier and the isolation device comprises a capacitive coupling.

13. The control device of claim 9 , wherein the voltage conversion device comprises a flyback converter and the isolation device comprises a transformer.

14. the voltage conversion device includes a voltage multiplier, and the energy transfer device is 10. The control device of claim 9, configured to drive the energy to the isolation device in a push-pull manner, the switching cycle including a first phase in which an input current flows from an upper terminal of the isolation device to a lower terminal of the isolation device, and a second phase in which the input current flows from the lower terminal to the upper terminal.

15. an energy transfer device configured to operate one or more input switches on an input side of the isolation device according to a frequency and duty cycle to transfer energy through the isolation device to an output side of the isolation device to activate the switches; a voltage conversion device configured to convert the energy from an input voltage on the input side to an output voltage for controlling the switch when the energy transfer is active; a passive turn-off device configured to passively deactivate the switch when the energy transfer is in an inactive state, the passive turn-off device being disabled from deactivating the switch when the energy transfer is in an active state; and Including, The frequency is set to limit current on the input side of the isolation device to prevent saturation of the isolation device.

16. 16. The control device of claim 15, wherein the isolation device provides galvanic isolation between the input side and the output side.

17. 16. The control device of claim 15, wherein the energy transfer device is configured to operate a first switch, a second switch, a third switch, and a fourth switch to perform a plurality of switching cycles to transfer the energy through the isolation device.

18. 16. The control device of claim 15, wherein the voltage converter comprises one or more stages, each stage of the one or more stages comprising a diode and a capacitor.

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