DIFFERENTIAL GATE RESISTOR DESIGN FOR SWITCHING MODULES IN POWER CONVERTER
First Claim
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1. A power converter for converting an input power to an output AC power at a grid frequency, comprising:
- a bridge circuit having at least one switching module, the switching module comprising a first switching element and a second switching element coupled in series and an output coupled between the first switching element and the second switching element;
a driver circuit coupled to the at least one switching module, the driver circuit configured to provide one or more signals to control switching of the first switching element and the second switching element;
a first gate resistor network coupled between the driver circuit and the first switching element; and
a second gate resistor network coupled between the driver circuit and the second switching element, wherein characteristics of the first gate resistor network are different from characteristics of the second gate resistor network.
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Abstract
A power converter and a method for improving the output power of the power converter. The method includes independently selecting different gate resistor characteristics for the upper switching element and the lower switching element in the switching modules of the power converter to improve switching performance of both the upper and the lower switching element across a wide range of operating conditions, such as different voltages, currents, and/or operating temperatures.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A power converter for converting an input power to an output AC power at a grid frequency, comprising:
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a bridge circuit having at least one switching module, the switching module comprising a first switching element and a second switching element coupled in series and an output coupled between the first switching element and the second switching element; a driver circuit coupled to the at least one switching module, the driver circuit configured to provide one or more signals to control switching of the first switching element and the second switching element; a first gate resistor network coupled between the driver circuit and the first switching element; and a second gate resistor network coupled between the driver circuit and the second switching element, wherein characteristics of the first gate resistor network are different from characteristics of the second gate resistor network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for improving the output power of a power converter, the power converter comprising at least one switching module, the switching module comprising a first switching element and a second switching element coupled in series, the power converter further comprising a driver circuit configured to provide one or more signals to control switching of the first switching element and the second switching element, the power converter further comprising a first resistor network coupled between the driver circuit and first switching element, and a second resistor network coupled between the driver circuit and the second switching element, the method comprising:
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selecting characteristics of the first resistor network to reduce a switching performance parameter of the first switching element; and selecting characteristics of the second resistor network independently of the first resistor network to reduce a switching performance parameter of the second switching element. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. The method of claim 23, wherein the method comprises providing the driver circuit, the first resistor network, and the second resistor network on the same gate circuit board.
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17. A power converter for use in renewable energy application, the power converter comprising:
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a converter configured to convert an input power received from an input power source to DC power and to provide the DC power to a DC link; an inverter configured to convert the DC power on the DC link to AC power at an AC grid frequency; one or more of the converter or the inverter comprising at least one switching module, the switching module comprising a first switching element and a second switching element coupled in series; and a gate circuit associated with the switching module, the gate circuit comprising a driver circuit configured to provide one or more signals to control switching of the first switching element and the second switching element, the gate circuit further comprising a first gate resistor network coupled between the driver circuit and the first switching element, and a second gate resistor network coupled between the driver circuit and the second switching element, wherein characteristics of the first gate resistor network are different from characteristics of the second gate resistor network. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification