Gate drive circuit of voltage drive switching element

• US 6,271,709 B1
• Filed: 12/03/1999
• Issued: 08/07/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Miyazaki, Hideki, Nagasu, Masahiro, Suzuki, Katsunori, Kimura, Shin, Inarida, Satoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Cunningham, Terry D.
• Application Number:
  US09/453,204
• Time in Patent Office: 613 Days
• Field of Search: 327/170, 327/205, 327/374, 327/380, 327/381, 327/387, 327/434
• US Class Current: 327/380
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/163 Soft switching
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/168 in composite switches

Abstract

A gate drive circuit of a voltage drive switching element, which is characterized by control of di/dt and dv/dt when an IGBT is switched by controlling increases in the switching time and loss of the IGBT, includes a drive means for amplifying a signal for controlling the switching operation of a voltage drive switching device including the IGBT, a means for detecting the gate voltage of the IGBT, a voltage decrease (increase) means for slowly decreasing (increasing) the output voltage when the drive means is turned on (off) in the course of time, and a voltage increase (decrease) means for slowly increasing (decreasing) the output voltage. By switching from the voltage decrease (increase) means to the voltage increase (decrease) means according to the detected value of the gate voltage of the IGBT, di/dt and dv/dt are controlled when the IGBT is turned on (off).

Claims

1. A gate drive circuit of a voltage drive switching element comprising drive means for outputting an output power for controlling a gate voltage of said voltage drive switching element, a detector for detecting said gate voltage of said voltage drive switching element and providing an output indicative of said gate voltage, power decrease means, responsive to said output of said detector, for decreasing said output power in the course of a power decrease operation time when switching said voltage drive switching element, and power increase means, responsive to said output of said detector, for increasing said output power in the course of a power increase operation time when switching said voltage drive element, wherein the power decrease operation time of said power decrease means is larger than the power increase operation time of said power increase means.

2. A gate drive circuit of a voltage drive switching element according to claim 1, wherein said gate drive circuit has means for detecting temperature of said voltage drive switching element and means for converting said detected amount to a voltage and switching from said power decrease means for decreasing said output power of said drive means to said power increase means according to said temperature detected amount.

3. A gate drive circuit of a voltage drive switching element according to claim 1 or 2, wherein any or both of said power decrease means and said power increase means for respectively decreasing and increasing said output power of said drive means comprise a capacitor and a switching device provided in parallel.

4. A gate drive circuit of a voltage drive switching element according to claim 1 or 2, wherein any or both of said power decrease means and said power increase means for respectively decreasing and increasing said output power of said drive means comprise a resistor, a capacitor and a switching device provided in parallel or in series and parallel.

5. A gate drive circuit of a voltage drive switching element according to claim 3, wherein the capacitor capacity used by said power decrease means or said power increase means is 1 to 5 times the gate capacity of said voltage drive switching element.

6. A gate drive circuit of a voltage drive switching element according to claim 4, wherein the capacitor capacity used by said power decrease means or said power increase means is 1 to 5 times the gate capacity of said voltage drive switching element.

7. An inverter structured by using a plurality of voltage drive switching elements driven by said gate drive circuit defined in claim 1.

8. A gate drive circuit of a voltage drive switching element according to claim 1, wherein said voltage drive switching element comprises an IGBT.

9. A gate drive circuit of a voltage drive switching element comprising a drive circuit which outputs an output power to control a gate voltage of said voltage drive switching element, a detector which detects said gate voltage of said voltage drive switching element and provides an output indicative of said gate voltage, a power decrease circuit, responsive to said output of said detector, which decreases said output power in the course of a power decrease operation time when switching said voltage drive switching element, and a power increase circuit, responsive to said output of said detector, which increases said output power in the course of a power increase operation time when switching said voltage drive element, wherein the power decrease operation time of said power decrease circuit is larger than the power increase operation time of said power increase circuit.

10. A gate drive circuit of a voltage drive switching element according to claim 9, wherein said voltage drive switching element comprises an IGBT.

11. A gate drive circuit of a voltage drive switching element comprising a circuit which outputs an output power to control a gate voltage of said voltage drive switching element, a detector which detects said gate voltage of said voltage drive switching element and provides an output indicative of said gate voltage, a comparator coupled to receive the output of said detector and a reference voltage, wherein said comparator provides a comparator output indicative of the voltage difference between the output of said detector and the reference voltage, a power decrease circuit, responsive to said comparator output which decreases said output power in the course of a power decrease operation time when switching said voltage drive switching element, and a power increase circuit, responsive to said comparator output, which increases said output power in the course of a power increase operation time when switching said voltage drive element.

12. A gate drive circuit of a voltage drive switching element according to claim 11, wherein said voltage drive switching element comprises an IGBT.

13. A gate drive circuit of a voltage drive switching element according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the power decrease operation time of said power decrease circuit is larger than the power increase operation time of said power increase circuit.