Driver IC with HV-isolation, especially hybrid electric vehicle motor drive concept

• US 20090184760A1
• Filed: 01/22/2008
• Published: 07/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies Americas Corp. (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: International Rectifier Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Hauenstein, Henning M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,956,566 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 327/594
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/485 Motor-assist type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/425 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/30 including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/087 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/4813 Connecting within a semiconductor or solid-state body, i.e. fly wire, bridge wire
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2283 mounted in or on the surface of a semiconductor substrate as a chip-type antenna or integrated with other components into an IC package
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/689 with galvanic isolation between the control circuit and the output circuit H03K17/78 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

An automotive drive system for a high voltage electric motor comprises a microcontroller and ECU powered by a low voltage (12 volt) bus net which controls the drives of a high voltage inverter powered by a 100 volt or higher source, which, in turn, drives the motor. To provide good electrical insulation between the low voltage and high voltage systems, the low voltage control signals are produced by a low voltage signal transmitter chip which has a small integral antenna which wirelessly communicates with the antenna of a high voltage driver IC which drives the power devices of the high voltage inverter. The two IC chips are separated by a suitable isolation distance and may be bare chips, individually packaged chips or co-packed chips. Plural control IC chips and driver IC chips can communicate with one another for adverse control functions, including “smart” functions.

Claims

1. In a motor drive system comprising a low voltage net having a low voltage source and a electronic controller connected to said low voltage source for producing control signals for controlling the operation of a motor in said motor drive system and a high voltage power stage including a high voltage source for controllably applying power to said motor drive system;

said high voltage power stage including gated semiconductor switch devices for controllably connecting high voltage from said high voltage source to said motor;

a low voltage first signal transmitter IC chip having an input coupled to said electronic controller and having an on-chip antenna for producing radiated signals containing information related to the output of said electronic controller;

a high voltage second gate driver IC having an output connected to said gated semiconductor switch devices and having an on-chip antenna as an input;

said on-chip antenna of said high voltage gate driver IC being tuned to receive radiated signals from said antenna of said low voltage signal transmitter IC chip;

said first and second chips being physically spaced from one another by a distance sufficient to define an isolation barrier between said low voltage net and said high voltage power stage.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said low voltage source is a 12 volt battery and said high voltage source is a battery having a voltage greater than about 100 volts.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said isolation barrier is sufficient to insulate against a voltage of about twice that of said high voltage source plus 1 kV.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein said isolation barrier is sufficient to insulate against a voltage of about twice that of said high voltage source plus 1 kV.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein said motor comprises a multiphase a-c motor and said power stage includes a multiphase inverter for converting the voltage of said high voltage source battery to a multiphase voltage connected to said motor.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said first and second chips are separately housed in respective insulation housing.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said first and second chips are copacked and insulated from one another within a common insulation housing.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said antennas is formed from a metal layer in its respective IC chip.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said antennas is formed by a wire bond on the surface of its respective IC chip.

10. An insulation barrier system in an electrical system for safely transferring control signal information from a low voltage system to a high voltage system;

said insulation barrier comprising a signal transmitter first IC chip having an output antenna for wirelessly transmitting signal information and a second IC chip spaced from and insulated from said first chip and having an antenna for receiving wireless signals from said antenna on said first IC chip and having outputs to said high voltage system.

11. The barrier of claim 10, wherein said low voltage system is a 12 volt system and said high voltage system is a greater than 100 volt system.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein said first and second chips are separately housed in respective insulation housing.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein said first and second chips are copacked and insulated from one another in a common insulation housing.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one of said antennas is formed from a metal layer in its respective IC chip.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one of said antennas is formed by a wire bond on the surface of its respective IC chip.