Patent ID: 7248084

Claim:
A method for determining a switching state of a transistor-based switching device, the switching device including a set of transistors that are connected in parallel in such a manner that one of the transistors has a fastest response to a bias voltage in relation to the other transistors in the set, and that another of the transistors has a slowest response to the bias voltage in relation to the other transistors in the set, each of the transistors in the set having a gate, the gate of the transistor having the fastest response to the bias voltage being provided with a drive end, the gate of the transistor having the slowest response to the bias voltage being provided with a detected end, said method comprising the steps of: A) applying the bias voltage at the drive end of the transistor having the fastest response so as to dispose the transistors in the set in a desired transistor state; B) detecting a voltage level at the detected end of the transistor having the slowest response; and C) comparing the voltage level detected in step B) with a predetermined threshold voltage level in order to determine the switching state of the switching device.