Patent ID: 7589506

Claim:
Apparatus for minimizing power losses associated with dead time between ON times of two series connected switches of a power converter connected across a supply potential, the apparatus comprising: a control arrangement for monitoring a selected parameter associated with power loss during the dead time of the converter; the control arrangement changing the dead time from a first dead time to a second dead time and comparing the selected parameter associated with power loss for the first and second dead times and determining which of the power losses associated with the two dead times is smaller; a dead time implementing stage for implementing the two dead times; and the control arrangement selecting the dead time associated with the smaller power loss and providing a signal to the dead time implementing stage to set the selected dead time, wherein the control arrangement comprises a module sampling a signal of the power converter related to the selected parameter associated with power loss at selected instants in time corresponding to the first and second dead times; and a processor for controlling timing of the sampling; and further comprising a comparator module for comparing power loss associated with the first and second dead times and for providing a signal indicating which dead time is associated with a smaller power loss and providing said signal to said processor to implement the dead time associated with the smaller power loss; further comprising: an error compensating circuit coupled to said sampling module and to said comparator to reduce offset errors introduced by either or both said sampling module and said comparator module.