Patent ID: 7187226

Claim:
An anti-cross conduction driver control circuit, comprising: first and second normally complementary input signals, each of which has on and off states; first and second lockout signals which have lockout and non-lockout states; a first driver turn-on signal having on and off states, said first driver turn-on signal being in its on state when said first input signal is in its on state and said first lockout signal is in its non-lockout state; a second driver turn-on signal having on and off states, said second driver turn-on signal being in its on state when said second input signal is in its on state and said second lockout signal is in its non-lockout state; first and second driver circuits which receive said first and second driver turn-on signals at respective inputs and which produce first and second driver circuit outputs which have on and off states at respective outputs which track said first and second driver turn-on signals, said first and second driver circuit outputs, when in their on state, suitable for actuating first and second power devices which conduct respective currents when actuated; a first state machine which receives said first driver turn-on signal and said first driver circuit output at respective inputs and which provides said second lockout signal at an output, said first state machine arranged to toggle said second lockout signal from its non-lockout state to its lockout state when said first driver turn-on signal toggles from its off state to its on state, and to toggle said second lockout signal from its lockout state to its non-lockout state when said first driver circuit output toggles from its on state to its off state; and a second state machine which receives said second driver turn-on signal and said second driver circuit output at respective inputs and which provides said first lockout signal at an output, said second state machine arranged to toggle said first lockout signal from its non-lockout state to its lockout state when said second driver turn-on signal toggles from its off state to its on state, and to toggle said first lockout signal from its lockout state to its non-lockout state when said second driver circuit output toggles from its on state to its off state; such that said first and second driver circuit outputs are prevented from being in their on states simultaneously.