Shoot through current detection and protection circuit

1. A shoot-through protection circuit comprising:

a current sensor providing a sensor signal connected to a comparator input via at least a burden resistor;

a switch protection circuit including a protection input connected to an output of the comparator and a plurality of outputs, each of said outputs connected to a corresponding switch in a plurality of stacked switches; and

wherein the switch protection circuit is configured to drive each switch of the plurality of stacked switches open in response to a positive output signal from the comparator; and

wherein the current sensor is connected to the comparator input via the burden resistor and an inductor.

2. The shoot-through protection circuit of claim 1 , wherein the switch protection circuit comprises a transformer.

3. The shoot-through protection circuit of claim 1 , wherein the burden resistor and the inductor are in series.

4. The shoot-through protection circuit of claim 1 , wherein the connection between the comparator input and the current sensor omits an inductor.

5. The shoot-through protection circuit of claim 1 , wherein the switch protection circuit comprises an isolation transformer.

6. The shoot-through protection circuit of claim 5 , wherein the isolation transformer includes an input winding connected to the comparator output, and a plurality of output windings, each of said output windings corresponding to one of the switches in the plurality of stacked switches.

7. The shoot-through protection circuit of claim 1 , wherein each switch in the plurality of stacked switches is a semiconductor switch.

8. The shoot-through protection circuit of claim 1 , wherein the comparator further comprises a reference voltage input, and wherein the comparator is configured to output a signal in response to a voltage at the comparator input exceed a voltage at the reference input.

9. The shoot-through protection circuit of claim 1 , wherein the comparator comprises an internal reference voltage, and wherein the comparator is configured to output a signal in response to the comparator input exceeding the internal reference voltage.

10. The shoot-through protection circuit of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of stacked switches are spacecraft power converter switches.

11. A method for protecting a set of stacked switches comprising:

detecting a current using a current sensor;

converting the current sensor to a voltage using a burden resistor and an inductor; and

driving each switch in a set of stacked switches open in response to the voltage exceeding a reference voltage.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein converting the current sensor to a voltage comprises passing a current sensor output through the inductor and the burden resistor, thereby generating the voltage at a comparator input, and comparing the voltage to the reference voltage.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising resuming standard operations of the set of stacked switches subsequent to the voltage falling below the reference voltage.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising delaying resuming standard operations of the set of stacked switches subsequent to the voltage falling below the reference voltage for a predetermined delay period.

15. A method for protecting a set of stacked switches comprising:

detecting a current using a current sensor;

converting the current sensor to a voltage using a burden resistor;

driving each switch in a set of stacked switches open in response to the voltage exceeding a reference voltage;

generating a comparator output in response to the voltage exceeding the reference voltage; and

providing the comparator output to an input winding of an isolation transformer.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising connecting a plurality of output windings of the isolation transformer to corresponding switches such that each output winding drives the corresponding switch open in response to the input winding receiving a comparator output.