Method for operating a switching element connected in parallel with a rectifier element and electronic circuit

1 . A method, comprising:

charging a capacitor coupled to load path nodes of an electronic switch, wherein the electronic switch comprises a switching element and a rectifier element connected in parallel with a load path of the switching element and between the load path nodes;

allowing the capacitor to be discharged via the load path nodes of the electronic switch;

comparing a capacitor voltage across the capacitor with a first voltage level; and

switching on and off the electronic switch in accordance with a predefined control signal.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

detecting a time instance when the capacitor voltage reaches the first voltage level; and

determining a time difference between the detected time instance and a time instance at which the electronic switch switches on.

3 . The method according to claim 2 , further comprising:

detecting that the electronic switch operates under zero voltage switching (ZVS) conditions when the determined time difference is longer than or equal to a predefined time period; and

detecting that the electronic switch does not operate under ZVS conditions when the determined time difference is shorter than the predefined time period.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

detecting that the electronic switch does not operate under zero voltage switching (ZVS) conditions when the capacitor voltage during an off-state of the electronic switch does not reach the first voltage level.

5 . The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein charging the capacitor comprises charging the capacitor when the switching element is in an off-state.

6 . The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the capacitor being coupled to the load path nodes of the electronic switch comprises the capacitor being coupled to the load path nodes via a coupling circuit, and

wherein the coupling circuit is configured to discharge the capacitor when a voltage between the load path nodes is lower than the capacitor voltage across the capacitor.

7 . The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein charging the capacitor comprises charging the capacitor until the capacitor voltage across the capacitor reaches a second voltage level higher than the first voltage level.

8 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

connecting the capacitor to a charging circuit when the switching element is in an on-state;

monitoring the capacitor voltage across the capacitor when the switching element is in the on-state; and

switching off the switching element when the capacitor voltage across the capacitor reaches a third voltage level.

9 . The method according to claim 8 ,

wherein the electronic switch is connected in series with a further electronic switch to form a half bridge, and

wherein the method further comprises switching off the switching element in the electronic switch before switching on the further electronic switch.

10 . The method according to claim 9 ,

wherein an inductive circuit is connected between the load path nodes of the electronic switch.

11 . The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the switching element and the rectifier element each are an integral part of the electronic switch.

12 . A method, comprising:

charging a capacitor coupled to load path nodes of an electronic switch, wherein the electronic switch comprises a switching element and a rectifier element connected in parallel with a load path of the switching element and between the load path nodes;

allowing the capacitor to be discharged via the load path nodes of the electronic switch;

comparing a capacitor voltage across the capacitor with a first voltage level;

detecting a time instance when the capacitor voltage reaches the first voltage level; and

switching on the electronic switch after a predefined delay time after the detected time instance.

13 . An electronic circuit, comprising:

an electronic switch comprising load path nodes, a switching element configured to be operated in an on-state or an off-state, and a rectifier element connected in parallel with a load path of the switching element and between the load path nodes;

a capacitor coupled to the load path nodes of the electronic switch;

a charging circuit coupled to the capacitor; and

a control circuit configured to control the charging circuit such that the charging circuit charges the capacitor when the switching element is in the off-state, and compare a capacitor voltage across the capacitor with a first voltage level.

14 . The electronic circuit according to claim 13 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to switch on and off the electronic switch in accordance with a predefined control signal.

15 . The electronic circuit according to claim 14 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to:

detect a time instance when the capacitor voltage reaches the first voltage level, and

determine a time difference between the detected time instance and a time instance at which the electronic switch switches on.

16 . The electronic circuit according to claim 15 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to:

detect that the electronic switch operates under zero voltage switching (ZVS) conditions when the determined time difference is longer than a predefined time period, and

detect that the electronic switch does not operate under ZVS conditions when the determined time difference is shorter than the predefined time period.

17 . The electronic circuit according to claim 16 ,

wherein the control circuit comprises a communication output, and

wherein the control circuit is configured to communicate through the communication output whether or not the electronic switch operates under ZVS conditions.

18 . The electronic circuit according to claim 13 ,

wherein the control circuit is further configured to detect that the electronic switch does not operate under zero voltage switching (ZVS) conditions when the capacitor voltage during the off-state of the electronic switch does not reach the first voltage level.