Patent ID: 8854087

Claim:
An electronic circuit, comprising: a first transistor device comprising a control terminal and a load path; a drive circuit comprising an input terminal and an output terminal, the output terminal coupled to the control terminal of the first transistor device and the drive circuit operable to drive the first transistor device dependent on an input signal received at the input terminal; and a polarity detector coupled in parallel with the load path of the first transistor device, the polarity detector comprising a second transistor device and a current detector, wherein the second transistor device comprises a load path coupled to the load path of the first transistor device, and the current detector comprises a sense path in series with the load path of the second transistor device and an output coupled to the input terminal of the drive circuit, the current detector operable to detect a current direction of a current through the second transistor device, to generate an on-level of the input signal when the current through the second transistor device has a predefined current direction, and not to affect a signal level of the input signal when the current through the second transistor has a current direction opposite the predefined current direction.