CIRCUIT HAVING A FAULT PROTECTING FUNCTION

• US 20150009729A1
• Filed: 07/03/2014
• Published: 01/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Energy Power Conversion Technology Limited (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: WU, Tao, ZHANG, Ying, QIN, Laigui, ZHANG, Yingqi, ZHANG, Fan, HAO, Xin
• Granted Patent: US 9,692,293 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 363/50
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/1203 Circuits independent of the type of conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/32 Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/325 with means for allowing continuous operation despite a fault, i.e. fault tolerant converters
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/107 in composite switches

Abstract

A circuit includes a switching module, a control module, and a driving module. The driving module is electrically coupled between the control module and the switching module for generating a driving signal. The driving module includes a normal driving unit and a fault protection unit. The normal driving unit is for turning on and off the switching module according to a first command signal from the control module. The fault protection unit is for lowering the driving signal from a driving value to a protection value according to a second command signal from the control module during a fault protection period after the control module receives a fault signal.

Claims

1. A circuit comprising:

a switching module;

a control module; and

a driving module electrically coupled between the control module and the switching module for generating a driving signal, the driving module comprising;

a normal driving unit for turning on and off the switching module according to a first command signal from the control module; and

a fault protection unit for lowering the driving signal from a driving value to a protection value according to a second command signal from the control module during a fault protection period after the control module receives a fault signal.

2. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the normal driving unit is further for providing the driving signal having a breaking value to the switching module to turn off the switching module after the fault protection period, and the protection value is greater than the breaking value.

3. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the fault protection unit comprises a voltage stabilizing element for clamping the driving signal from the driving value to the protection value.

4. The circuit of claim 3, wherein the fault protection unit further comprises a first switch for triggering the voltage stabilizing element to operate in a voltage stabilizing state according to the second command signal from the control module.

5. The circuit of claim 4, wherein the voltage stabilizing element comprises a first zener diode electrically coupled between the switching module and the first switch.

6. The circuit of claim 5, wherein the driving signal is lowered step by step from the driving value to the protection value.

7. The circuit of claim 6, wherein the voltage stabilizing element comprises:

a plurality of second zener diodes electrically coupled to the first zener diode in series; and

a plurality of second switches, wherein each second switch is electrically coupled between two terminals of each second zener diode; and

wherein after the first switch is triggered to be operated in a turn-on state according to the second command signal, the plurality of second switches are successively turned on according to third command signals provided by the control module.

8. The circuit of claim 2, wherein the first command signal comprises a low-frequency component signal, the second command signal comprises a high-frequency component signal, the first command signal and the second command signal are combined as one command signal provided by the control module.

9. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the fault protection unit comprises a variable impedance element electrically coupled between the switching module and the normal driving unit for lowering the driving signal from the driving value to the protection value.

10. The circuit of claim 9, wherein the variable impedance element comprises a resistance and a controllable switch electrically coupled with two terminals of the resistance, and the controllable switch is turned off when receiving the second command signal.

11. The circuit of claim 1, further comprising a voltage balance module electrically coupled to the switching module for injecting a current to a drive terminal of the switching module via a unidirectional element to balance voltage among a plurality of switching modules coupled in series in a switching branch.

12. The circuit of claim 11, wherein the voltage balance module comprises a first resistance, a first capacitor, a second resistance, a second capacitor, and a diode, and wherein:

first terminals of the first capacitor, the first residence, the second capacitor, and the second residence are electrically coupled with an anode of the diode are at a point;

second terminals of the first capacitor and first residence are electrically coupled with a collector of the switching module;

second terminals of the second capacitor and second residence are electrically coupled with an emitter of the switching module; and

an cathode of the diode is electrically coupled with a gate of the switching module.

13. A power conversion circuit, comprising:

a control module; and

a converter for converting a first power to a second power, and wherein the converter comprises;

a switching module;

a driving module electrically coupled between the control module and the switching module for generating a driving signal, the driving module comprising;

a normal driving unit for turning on and off the switching module according to a first command signal from the control module; and

a fault protection unit for lowering the driving signal from a driving value to a protection value according to a second command signal from the control module during a fault protection period after the control module receives a fault signal.

14. The power conversion circuit of claim 13, wherein the normal driving unit is further for providing the driving signal having a breaking value to the switching module to turn off the switching module after the fault protection period, and the protection value is greater than the breaking value.

15. The power conversion circuit of claim 13, wherein the fault protection unit comprises a voltage stabilizing element for clamping the driving signal from the driving value to the protection value.

16. The power conversion circuit of claim 13, wherein the fault protection unit comprises a variable impedance element electrically coupled between the switching module and the normal driving unit for lowering the driving signal from the driving value to the protection value.

17. A circuit comprising:

a switching module;

a control module; and

a driving module electrically coupled between the control module and the switching module for generating a driving signal, the driving module comprising;

turning on and off the switching module according to a first command signal from the control module;

wherein during a fault protection period, the driving module is for lowering the driving signal from a driving value to a protection value according to a second command signal from the control module after the control module receives a fault signal; and

after the fault protection period, the driving module is for providing the driving signal having a breaking value to the switching module to turn off the switching module.

18. The circuit of claim 17, wherein the driving module comprises a voltage stabilizing element for clamping the driving signal from the driving value to the protection value.

19. The circuit of claim 18, wherein the driving module further comprises a first switch for triggering the voltage stabilizing element to operate in a voltage stabilizing state according to the second command signal from the control module.

20. The circuit of claim 19, further comprising a voltage balance module electrically coupled to the switching module for injecting a current to a drive terminal of the switching module via a unidirectional element to balance voltage among a plurality of switching modules coupled in series in a switching branch.