Apparatus for controlling insulating gate-type semiconductor element, and power conversion apparatus using apparatus for controlling insulating gate-type semiconductor element

• US 10,038,380 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2017
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Takayuki, Mori, Mutsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Benitez, Gustavo Rosario
• Application Number:
  US15/699,274
• Publication Number:
  US 20170373599A1
• Time in Patent Office: 326 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/786 Thin film transistors, i.e. transistors with a channel being at least partly a thin film transistors having only the source or the drain region on an insulator layer H01L29/0653; thin film FinFETs H01L29/785
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0009 Devices or circuits for detecting current in a converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/32 Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/158 including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/0828 in composite switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/168 in composite switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/0036 Means reducing energy consumption

Abstract

An apparatus is adapted to drive an insulating gate-type semiconductor element by a first control voltage and a second control voltage, that are supplied to a first insulating gate and a second insulating gate, respectively, and includes a first noise filter inputting a signal about current that passes through the insulating gate-type semiconductor element, a first comparator making a comparison between an output signal of the first noise filter and a first reference signal and outputting a first comparison result, a first control voltage output circuit, and a second control voltage output circuit, the second control voltage output circuit being adapted to reduce the second control voltage when it is determined from the first comparison result that overcurrent passes through the insulating gate-type semiconductor element, the first control voltage output circuit being adapted to reduce the first control voltage after the second control voltage is reduced.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling an insulating gate-type semiconductor element provided with a first insulating gate and a second insulating gate, the apparatus being adapted to drive the insulating gate-type semiconductor element by a first control voltage and a second control voltage that are supplied to the first insulating gate and the second insulating gate, respectively, and comprising:

a current detector comprising a sensing portion of the insulating gate-type semiconductor element, the sensing portion including a voltage detector to detect at least either one of a collector voltage and a first insulating gate voltage of the insulating gate-type semiconductor element, and the current detector outputting a signal about current that passes through the insulating gate-type semiconductor element;

a first noise filter inputting the signal which the current detector outputs;

a first comparator making a comparison between an output signal of the first noise filter and an output signal of a first reference voltage source and outputting a first comparison result;

a second noise filter inputting the signal which the current detector outputs;

a second comparator making a comparison between an output signal of the second noise filter and an output signal of a second reference voltage source and outputting a second comparison result;

a first control voltage output circuit; and

a second control voltage output circuit,

wherein the first control voltage output circuit is adapted to reduce the first control voltage after the second control voltage is reduced,

wherein the second control voltage output circuit is adapted to reduce the second control voltage when it is determined from the first comparison result that overcurrent passes through the insulating gate-type semiconductor element, and

wherein the second control voltage output circuit is adapted to reduce the second control voltage when it is determined from the second comparison result that the overcurrent passes through the insulating gate-type semiconductor element.

2. The apparatus for controlling the insulating gate-type semiconductor element, according to claim 1,

wherein a time constant of the second noise filter is larger than a time constant of the first noise filter.

3. The apparatus for controlling the insulating gate-type semiconductor element, according to claim 1,

wherein if it is determined from the first comparison result that the overcurrent passes through the insulating gate-type semiconductor element and unless it is determined from the second comparison result that the overcurrent passes through the insulating gate-type semiconductor element, the second control voltage output circuit is adapted to increase the second control voltage.

4. The apparatus for controlling the insulating gate-type semiconductor element, according to claim 1,

wherein the first control voltage output circuit is adapted to step-wise reduce the first control voltage.

5. The apparatus for controlling the insulating gate-type semiconductor element, according to claim 1,

wherein the first insulating gate comprises a first section and a second section, and

wherein the first control voltage that is supplied to the first section is reduced earlier than the first control voltage that is supplied to the second section.

6. The apparatus for controlling the insulating gate-type semiconductor element, according to claim 1,

wherein the signal which the current detector outputs is inputted to the second noise filter via the first noise filter.

7. The apparatus for controlling the insulating gate-type semiconductor element, according to claim 1,

wherein the first control voltage output circuit is adapted to reduce the first control voltage if it is determined from the first comparison result that the overcurrent passes through the insulating gate-type semiconductor element during a predetermined time.

8. The apparatus for controlling the insulating gate-type semiconductor element, according to claim 7,

wherein the second control voltage output circuit is adapted to increase the second control voltage if it is determined that the overcurrent passes through the insulating gate-type semiconductor element during time shorter than the predetermined time.

9. The apparatus for controlling the insulating gate-type semiconductor element, according to claim 1,

wherein the current detector is adapted to output the signal about the current passing through the insulating gate-type semiconductor element, on the basis of the collector voltage of the insulating gate-type semiconductor element.

10. The apparatus for controlling the insulating gate-type semiconductor element, according to claim 1,

wherein the current detector is adapted to output the signal about the current passing through the insulating gate-type semiconductor element, on the basis of the first insulating gate voltage of the insulating gate-type semiconductor element.

11. The apparatus for controlling the insulating gate-type semiconductor element, according to claim 1,

wherein a magnitude of the output signal of the first reference voltage source and a magnitude of the output signal of the second reference voltage source are the same.

12. A power conversion apparatus comprising:

a pair of direct current terminals;

alternating current terminals, the number of which is equal to the phase number of an alternating current;

a plurality of semiconductor switching elements disposed between the direct current terminals and the alternating current terminals;

a plurality of diodes connected to the plurality of semiconductor switching elements in reverse parallel; and

a plurality of gate drive apparatuses driving the plurality of semiconductor switching elements,

wherein each of the plurality of semiconductor switching elements is an insulating gate-type semiconductor element provided with a first insulating gate and a second insulating gate, and

wherein each of the plurality of gate drive apparatuses is provided with the apparatus for controlling the insulating gate-type semiconductor element, according to claim 1.

13. The power conversion apparatus, according to claim 12,

wherein a time constant of the second noise filter is larger than a time constant of the first noise filter.

14. The power conversion apparatus, according to claim 12,

wherein if it is determined from the first comparison result that the overcurrent passes through the insulating gate-type semiconductor element and unless it is determined from the second comparison result that the overcurrent passes through the insulating gate-type semiconductor element, the second control voltage output circuit is adapted to increase the second control voltage.

15. The power conversion apparatus, according to claim 12,

wherein the first control voltage output circuit is adapted to step-wise reduce the first control voltage.

16. The power conversion apparatus, according to claim 12,

wherein the first insulating gate comprises a first section and a second section, and

wherein the first control voltage that is supplied to the first section is reduced earlier than the first control voltage that is supplied to the second section.

17. The power conversion apparatus, according to claim 12,

wherein the signal which the current detector outputs is inputted to the second noise filter via the first noise filter.

18. The power conversion apparatus, according to claim 12,

wherein the first control voltage output circuit is adapted to reduce the first control voltage if it is determined from the first comparison result that the overcurrent passes through the insulating gate-type semiconductor element during a predetermined time.

19. The power conversion apparatus, according to claim 12,

wherein the current detector is adapted to output the signal about the current passing through the insulating gate-type semiconductor element, on the basis of the collector voltage of the insulating gate-type semiconductor element.

20. The power conversion apparatus, according to claim 12,

wherein the current detector is adapted to output the signal about the current passing through the insulating gate-type semiconductor element, on the basis of the first insulating gate voltage of the insulating gate-type semiconductor element.