Transistor protection circuit

• US 9,007,738 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2012
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National University Corporation Toyohashi University Of Technology, Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: National University Corporation Toyohashi University Of Technology, Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujikawa, Kazuhiro, Shiga, Nobuo, Ohira, Takashi, Wada, Kazuyuki, Wuren, Tuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thienvu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Comber, Kevin J
• Application Number:
  US13/665,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20130120890A1
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• Field of Search: 361/91.3
• US Class Current: 361/91.3
• 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 1/32 Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/0822 in field-effect transistor switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/163 Soft switching
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/168 in composite switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/0081 Power supply means, e.g. to the switch driver

Abstract

Provided is a transistor protection circuit capable of appropriately protecting a transistor even when a switching frequency is high. A transistor protection circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention is a transistor protection circuit for protecting a voltage-driven transistor that is switch-controlled by the application of a high-potential-side voltage or low-potential-side voltage of a power supply to a gate terminal of the transistor by a drive circuit. The transistor protection circuit has a power supply controller that gradually lowers the high-potential-side voltage of the power supply upon receiving a protection command for executing protection of the transistor.

Claims

1. A transistor protection circuit for protecting a voltage-driven transistor that is switch-controlled by the application of a high-potential-side voltage or low-potential-side voltage of a power supply to a gate terminal of the transistor by a drive circuit, the transistor protection circuit comprising:

a power supply controller that gradually lowers the high-potential-side voltage of the power supply upon receiving a protection command for executing protection of the transistor;

a gate short-circuit part for causing short circuit in the gate terminal and a source or emitter terminal of the transistor; and

a short-circuit controller for controlling the gate short-circuit part so as to cause short circuit in the gate terminal and the source or emitter terminal of the transistor in response to the protection command,

wherein the short-circuit controller controls the gate short-circuit part so as to cause short circuit in the gate terminal and the source or emitter terminal of the transistor after a predetermined delay time period elapses since the reception of the protection command, and

wherein the predetermined delay time period is equal to or longer than a time period required for the voltage, which is applied to the gate terminal of the transistor, to decline to a threshold voltage of the transistor.

2. The transistor protection circuit according to claim 1, further comprising:

a drive controller that controls the drive circuit so as to stop the application of the high-potential-side voltage of the power supply to the gate terminal of the transistor in response to the protection command,

wherein the drive controller controls the drive circuit so as to stop the application of the high-potential-side voltage of the power supply to the gate terminal of the transistor after the predetermined delay time period elapses since the reception of the protection command.

3. The transistor protection circuit according to claim 2, wherein the drive controller controls the drive circuit so as to continue the application of the high-potential-side voltage of the power supply to the gate terminal of the transistor before the predetermined delay time period elapses since the reception of the protection command.

4. A transistor protection circuit for protecting a voltage-driven transistor that is switch-controlled by the application of a high-potential-side voltage or low-potential-side voltage of a power supply to a gate terminal of the transistor by a drive circuit, the transistor protection circuit comprising:

a power supply controller that gradually lowers the high-potential-side voltage of the power supply upon receiving a protection command for executing protection of the transistor; and

a drive controller that controls the drive circuit so as to stop the application of the high-potential-side voltage of the power supply to the gate terminal of the transistor in response to the protection command,

wherein the drive controller controls the drive circuit so as to stop the application of the high-potential-side voltage of the power supply to the gate terminal of the transistor after a predetermined delay time period elapses since the reception of the protection command.

5. The transistor protection circuit according to claim 4, wherein the drive controller controls the drive circuit so as to continue the application of the high-potential-side voltage of the power supply to the gate terminal of the transistor before the predetermined delay time period elapses since the reception of the protection command.

6. A transistor protection circuit for protecting a voltage-driven transistor that is switch-controlled by the application of a high-potential-side voltage or low-potential-side voltage of a power supply to a gate terminal of the transistor by a drive circuit, the transistor protection circuit comprising:

a power supply controller that gradually lowers the high-potential-side voltage of the power supply upon receiving a protection command for executing protection of the transistor;

a gate short-circuit part for causing short circuit in the gate terminal and a source or emitter terminal of the transistor;

a short-circuit controller for controlling the gate short-circuit part so as to cause short circuit in the gate terminal and the source or emitter terminal of the transistor in response to the protection command; and

a drive controller that controls the drive circuit so as to stop the application of the high-potential-side voltage of the power supply to the gate terminal of the transistor in response to the protection command,

wherein the short-circuit controller controls the gate short-circuit part so as to cause short circuit in the gate terminal and the source or emitter terminal of the transistor after a predetermined delay time period elapses since the reception of the protection command, and

wherein the drive controller controls the drive circuit so as to stop the application of the high-potential-side voltage of the power supply to the gate terminal of the transistor after the predetermined delay time period elapses since the reception of the protection command.

7. The transistor protection circuit according to claim 6, wherein the drive controller controls the drive circuit so as to continue the application of the high-potential-side voltage of the power supply to the gate terminal of the transistor before the predetermined delay time period elapses since the reception of the protection command.