Dual gate solid state devices to reduce switching loss

• US 9,994,110 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2016
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Xu, Zhuxian, Chen, Chingchi, Degner, Michael W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ro, Bentsu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bouziane, Said
• Application Number:
  US15/251,231
• Publication Number:
  US 20180056795A1
• Time in Patent Office: 651 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/007 Physical arrangements or structures of drive train converters specially adapted for the propulsion motors of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/0603 Bonding areas having different sizes, e.g. different heights or widths
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48247 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/4903 Connectors having different sizes, e.g. different diameters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0054 Transistor switching losses periodically suspending operation of switching converter in low power mode H02M1/0035
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/088 for the simultaneous control of series or parallel connected semiconductor devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/003 Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 27/08 with pulse width modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/08148 in composite switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/162 without feedback from the output circuit to the control circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/168 in composite switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/567 Circuits characterised by the use of more than one type of semiconductor device, e.g. BIMOS, composite devices such as IGBT
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/92 Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle includes an electric machine that provides propulsive force to the vehicle, and a power inverter that supplies power from a traction battery to the electric machine using a first and second switch configured as a half-bridge. The first switch has a first gate, a first gate lead coupled with the first gate and having a first inductance, and a second gate lead coupled with the first gate and having a second inductance greater than the first inductance.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

an electric machine; and

a power inverter configured to supply power from a traction battery to the electric machine using a first and second switch configured as a half-bridge, wherein the first switch has

a first gate,

a first gate lead coupled with the first gate and having a first inductance, and

a second gate lead coupled with the first gate and having a second inductance greater than the first inductance.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first switch forms

a power loop defined by a high current flow path from the traction battery through a power inductance associated with the first switch and wire bonding of a package of the first switch, through the electric machine and back to the traction battery,

a first control loop defined by a first low current flow path from a low voltage supply through the first gate lead of the first switch and back to the low voltage supply, and

a second control loop defined by a second low current flow path from the low voltage supply through the second gate lead of the first switch and back to the low voltage supply, wherein a first mutual inductance between the power inductance and the first inductance is greater than a second mutual inductance between the power inductance and the second inductance.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first switch forms

a power loop defined by a high current flow path from the traction battery through a power inductance associated with the first switch and wire bonding of a package of the first switch, through the electric machine and back to the traction battery,

a first control loop defined by a first low current flow path from a low voltage supply through the first gate lead of the first switch and back to the low voltage supply, and

a second control loop defined by a second low current flow path from the low voltage supply through the second gate lead of the first switch and back to the low voltage supply, wherein a first coupling coefficient between the power inductance and the first inductance is greater than a second coupling coefficient between the power inductance and the second inductance.

4. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the first coupling coefficient is positive and the second coupling coefficient is negative.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the power inverter has

a second gate on the second switch,

a third gate lead coupled with the second gate having an third inductance, and

a fourth gate lead coupled with the second gate having a fourth inductance, greater than the third inductance.

6. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein the second switch forms

a power loop defined by a high current flow path from the traction battery through a power inductance associated with the second switch and wire bonding of a package of the second switch, through the electric machine and back to the traction battery,

a third control loop defined by a third low current flow path from a low voltage supply through the first gate lead of the first switch and back to the low voltage supply, and

a fourth control loop defined by a fourth low current flow path from the low voltage supply through the second gate lead of the second switch and back to the low voltage supply, wherein a third mutual inductance between the power inductance and the third inductance is greater than a fourth mutual inductance between the power inductance and the fourth inductance.