COMPENSATION CIRCUIT, COMMUTATION CELL AND POWER CONVERTER CONTROLLING TURN-ON AND TURN-OFF OF A POWER ELECTRONIC SWITCH

• US 20160301308A1
• Filed: 11/06/2014
• Published: 10/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dana TM4, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tm4 Inc. (Dana, Inc.)
• Inventors: Amar, Mohammed, Cyr, Jean-Marc, El Yacoubi, Maalainine, Fleury, Pascal
• Granted Patent: US 9,768,693 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0009 Devices or circuits for detecting current in a converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0058 by employing soft switching techniques, i.e. commutation of transistors when applied voltage is zero or when current flow is zero using an auxiliary actively switched resonant commutation circuit connected to an intermediate DC voltage or between two push-pull branches of an inverter bridge H02M7/4811; in resonant inverters H02M7/4815; in inverters operating from a resonant DC source H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/08 Circuits specially adapted for the generation of control voltages for semiconductor devices incorporated in static converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/155 using semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/158 including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/335 using semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/537 using semiconductor devices only, e.g. single switched pulse inverters
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/0828 in composite switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/165 by feedback from the output circuit to the control circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/168 in composite switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/0027 Measuring means of, e.g. currents through or voltages across the switch
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a compensation circuit for independently controlling turn-on and turn-off of a power electronic switch through a gate driver. The compensation circuit includes a circuit path sampling a first portion of a voltage induced across an inductance of the power electronic switch at turn-on. Another circuit path samples a second portion of the voltage induced across the inductance of the power electronic switch at turn-off. The compensation circuit further includes a gate driver reference connection configured to respectively supply the sampled portions of the voltage during turn-on and turn-off of the power electronic switch. A compensation circuit controlling a first power electronic switch in parallel with a second power electronic switch, a commutation cell and a power converter having a pair of parallel legs, in which each power electronic switch is provided with the compensation circuit, are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A compensation circuit for independently controlling turn-on and turn-off of a power electronic switch through a gate driver, comprising:

a first circuit path configured to sample a first portion of a voltage induced across an inductance of the power electronic switch at turn-on of the power electronic switch;

a second circuit path configured to sample a second portion of the voltage induced across the inductance of the power electronic switch at turn-off of the power electronic switch; and

a gate driver reference connection configured to respectively supply the first and second portions of the voltage during turn-on and turn-off of the power electronic switch.

2. The compensation circuit of claim 1, wherein the inductance is a parasitic inductance of the power electronic switch.

3. The compensation circuit of claim 1, wherein the first circuit path includes:

first and second resistors connected in series and across the inductance; and

a turn-on diode connected between a junction of the first and second resistors and the gate driver reference connection;

wherein the turn-on diode is not conductive during turn-off.

4. The compensation circuit of claim 3, wherein the second circuit path includes:

third and fourth resistors connected in series and across the inductance; and

a turn-off diode connected between a junction of the third and fourth resistors and the gate driver reference connection;

wherein the turn-off diode is not conductive during turn-on.

5. The compensation circuit of claim 1, wherein the first circuit path includes:

a first resistor, a turn-on diode and a second resistor connected in series; and

a third resistor connected in parallel to the first resistor and to the turn-on diode;

wherein a junction of the turn-on diode, of the second resistor and of the third resistor is connected to the gate driver reference connection; and

wherein the turn-on diode is not conductive during turn-off.

6. The compensation circuit of claim 5, wherein the second circuit path includes the second and third resistors.

7. A compensation circuit for independently controlling turn-on and turn-off of a first power electronic switch that is placed in parallel with a second power electronic switch, the control being done through a gate driver, the compensation circuit comprising:

a first circuit path configured to sample a first portion of a voltage induced across an inductance of the first power electronic switch at turn-on of the first power electronic switch;

a second circuit path configured to sample a second portion of the voltage induced across the inductance of the first power electronic switch at turn-off of the first power electronic switch; and

a gate driver reference connection configured to respectively supply the first and second portions of the voltage during turn-on and turn-off of the first power electronic switch.

8. The compensation circuit of claim 7, wherein the inductance is a parasitic inductance of the first power electronic switch.

9. The compensation circuit of claim 7, wherein the first circuit path includes:

first and second resistors connected in series and across the inductance; and

a turn-on diode connected between a junction of the first and second resistors and the gate driver reference connection;

wherein the turn-on diode is not conductive during turn-off.

10. The compensation circuit of claim 9, wherein the second circuit path includes:

third and fourth resistors connected in series and across the inductance; and

a turn-off diode connected between a junction of the third and fourth resistors and the gate driver reference connection;

wherein the turn-off diode is not conductive during turn-on.

11. The compensation circuit of claim 7, wherein the first circuit path includes:

a first resistor, a turn-on diode and a second resistor connected in series; and

a third resistor connected in parallel to the first resistor and to the turn-on diode;

wherein a junction of the turn-on diode, of the second resistor and of the third resistor is connected to the gate driver reference connection; and

wherein the turn-on diode is not conductive during turn-off.

12. The compensation circuit of claim 11, wherein the second circuit path includes the second and third resistors.

13. A commutation cell configured for limiting switching overvoltage, comprising:

a power electronic switch having a parasitic inductance through which a voltage is generated upon turning on and off of the power electronic switch; and

a compensation circuit for independently controlling turn-on and turn-off of the power electronic switch through a gate driver, comprising;

a first circuit path configured to sample a first portion of a voltage induced across an inductance of the power electronic switch at turn-on of the power electronic switch;

a second circuit path configured to sample a second portion of the voltage induced across the inductance of the power electronic switch at turn-off of the power electronic switch; and

a gate driver reference connection configured to respectively supply the first and second portions of the voltage during turn-on and turn-off of the power electronic switch

wherein the compensation circuit is connected to the parasitic inductance.

14. The commutation cell of claim 13, wherein the compensation circuit applies samples of the voltage generated through the parasitic inductance using different gains at turn-on and at turn-off of the power electronic switch.

15. The commutation cell of claim 13, wherein the power electronic switch is selected from an isolated gate bipolar transistor, a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor and a bipolar transistor.

16. The commutation cell of claim 13, comprising a freewheel diode operating in tandem with the power electronic switch.

17. The commutation cell claim 13, further comprising a gate driver connected to the compensation circuit at the gate driver reference connection, the gate driver also being connected to a gate of the power electronic switch, the gate driver controlling a gate to emitter voltage applied to the power electronic switch.

18. The commutation cell of claim 17, comprising a turn-on resistor and a turn-off resistor separately connecting the gate driver to the gate of the power electronic switch.

19. The commutation cell of claim 13, wherein the parasitic inductance is a parasitic emitter inductance.

20. The commutation cell of claim 13, wherein the power electronic switch placed in parallel with another power electronic switch.

26. The commutation cell of claim 17, wherein the parasitic inductance is a parasitic emitter inductance.

27. The commutation cell of claim 17, wherein the power electronic switch placed in parallel with another power electronic switch.

21. A power converter, comprising:

a pair of parallel legs, each leg having a pair of power electronic switches connected in series, each power electronic switch being provided with a compensation circuit comprising

a first circuit path configured to sample a first portion of a voltage induced across an inductance of the power electronic switch at turn-on of the power electronic switch;

a second circuit path configured to sample a second portion of the voltage induced across the inductance of the power electronic switch at turn-off of the power electronic switch; and

a gate driver reference connection configured to respectively supply the first and second portions of the voltage during turn-on and turn-off of the power electronic switch.

22. The A-power converter of claim 21, wherein each of the compensation circuits is configured to control turn-on and turn-off of a corresponding power electronic switch.

23. The power converter of claim 21, wherein the compensation circuit is connected to a parasitic inductance.

24. The power converter of claim 21, wherein each pair of parallelized power electronic switches are selected from a same manufacturing batch.

25. The power converter of claim 21, wherein all power electronic switches are selected from a same manufacturing batch.