Power-supply apparatus for powering a control circuit for controlling a power switch component

• US 5,675,244 A
• Filed: 11/21/1994
• Issued: 10/07/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alstom Transport SA (Alstom SA)
• Original Assignee: GEC Alsthom Transport SA (Alstom SA)
• Inventors: Piton, Michel
• Primary Examiner(s): Hecker, Stuart N.
• Application Number:
  US08/345,460
• Time in Patent Office: 1,051 Days
• Field of Search: 323/232, 323/302, 323/371, 323/901, 363/21, 363/49, 363/89
• US Class Current: 323/232
• 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: Y10S 323/901 Starting circuits

Abstract

Power-supply apparatus for powering a control circuit for controlling a power switch component, the apparatus powering said circuit from the voltage across the terminals of the component in the off state, and including an energy-storage capacitor, said apparatus further including means for charging said energy-storage capacitor during the periods in which said component is on.

Claims

1. A power-supply apparatus for powering a control circuit for controlling a power switch component, the apparatus powering said circuit from the voltage across the terminals of the component in the off state, and including an energy-storage capacitor, said apparatus further including means for charging said energy-storage capacitor during the periods in which said component is on;

wherein said means for charging the energy-storage capacitor during the periods in which said component is on include;

an oscillating circuit connected across the terminals of said component and having an inductance and a capacitor; and

a connection element enabling the energy-storage capacitor to be connected across the terminals of the inductance of said oscillating circuit once the energy stored in the capacitor of said oscillating circuit, during the periods in which the component is off, has been transferred to the inductance, on switching said component on.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further including voltage-regulation means supplying the power-supply voltage of said control circuit from the voltage across the terminals of said energy-storage capacitor.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said energy-storage capacitor powers said circuit when said component is in said off state without the use of a power source external to said apparatus.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, further including additional means for powering said control circuit on start-up.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said additional means for powering said control circuit on start-up include means for charging said energy-storage capacitor during the periods in which said component is off.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, with said control circuit having two possible consumption states, namely a high-consumption state at the instants at which said component is switched on, and low-consumption state at all other times, the apparatus further includes a first power-supply circuit connected across the terminals of said component and supplying a "low-consumption" current during the periods in which said component is off, and a second power-supply circuit connected across the terminals of said energy-storage capacitor and supplying a "high-consumption" current at the instants at which said component is switched on, or a "low-consumption" current during the periods in which said component is on.

7. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said first power-supply circuit includes said means for charging the energy-storage capacitor during the periods in which said component is off.

8. An apparatus for powering a control circuit for controlling a power switch component, the apparatus powering said circuit from the voltage across the terminals of the component in the off state, and including an energy-storage capacitor, said apparatus further including:

means for charging said energy-storage capacitor during the periods in which said component is on; and

an oscillating circuit connected across the terminals of the component and comprising an inductance and a capacitor; and

wherein, with it being possible for the value of the voltage across the terminals of the component in the off state to vary within a certain range, the inductance of said oscillating circuit is dimensioned such that the energy is transferred from the capacitor of the oscillating circuit to the inductance prior to saturation thereof, for the minimum value of the voltage, and after saturation of the inductance for any value of the voltage greater than the minimum value, and wherein said oscillating circuit further includes a resistor having resistance that is equal to or in the vicinity of the critical resistance of the oscillating circuit for the value of said inductance in the saturated state.