1 Introduction

HVAC systems are used to maintain a comfortable environment inside industrial, commercial, and residential buildings. HVAC systems are typically used to control the air in the environment and consist of ventilation systems, heating systems, and air-cooling systems.

For more HVAC applications, Texas Instruments covers a variety of applications found in the HVAC system applications page.

Modern HVAC systems use gate drivers in different subsystems, such as power factor correction (PFC) circuits, DC/DC converters, and motor drives. This application note discusses the usage of gate drivers in industrial, commercial, and residential HVAC systems, including guidelines in selecting a gate driver and key features to consider for each subsystem. Figure 1-1 shows a block diagram of an outdoor air conditioner and highlights typical subsystems where gate drivers are used.

Figure 1-1 Outdoor Air Conditioner Block Diagram