Intelligent diagnosis system for power module and method thereof

• US 10,288,696 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2016
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Chiu, Chih-Chung, Tzeng, Chih-Ming, Liao, Li-Ling, Chao, Yu-Lin, Shen, Chih-Ming, Liang, Ming-Kaan, Liu, Chun-Kai, Dai, Ming-Ji
• Primary Examiner(s): Astacio-Oquendo, Giovanni
• Application Number:
  US15/352,989
• Publication Number:
  US 20180136287A1
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• Field of Search: 32476401, 324537, 324500
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/06 by measuring current and voltage G01R21/08 - G01R21/133 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/003 Environmental or reliability tests of individual semiconductors G01R31/2642; of PCB's G01R31/2817; of IC's G01R31/2855; of other circuits G01R31/2849
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/40 Testing power supplies testing photovoltaic devices H02S50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 27/08 with pulse width modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 29/68 based on the temperature of a drive component or a semiconductor component

Abstract

An intelligent diagnosis system for a power module. The system includes a power module, a hardware checking module and a diagnostic module. The power module has a temperature sensing element for obtaining a temperature difference between a starting minimum temperature and a current temperature. The hardware checking module has a current sensing element, a voltage sensing element and a magnetic coupling closed loop detection element for obtaining the current, the output voltage and the input voltage of the power module, and the hardware loop status, respectively. The diagnostic module calculates the number of cycles that have been operated, a measured impedance and an instantaneous power based on those measurement results, and calculating a risk index based on the number of cycles that have been operated, the temperature difference, the measured impedance, the instantaneous power and the hardware loop status, thereby determining the accumulation of the abnormality index record.

Claims

1. An intelligent diagnosis system for a power module, comprising:

a power module provided with a temperature sensing element configured for measuring a starting minimum temperature and a current temperature of the power module and determining a temperature difference between the starting minimum temperature and the current temperature;

a hardware checking module provided on one side of the power module, and including;

a current sensing element configured for sensing a current in the power module;

a voltage sensing element configured for measuring an output voltage and an input voltage of the power module; and

a magnetic coupling closed loop detection element configured for performing a self-test on a current status of the hardware to obtain a hardware loop status; and

a diagnostic module connected with the power module and the hardware checking module, and configured for calculating a number of cycles that have been operated based on the current temperature and the current sensed by the current sensing element and calculating a measured impedance based on the output voltage, the input voltage and the current, so as to calculate an instantaneous power based on the measured impedance, the output voltage and the current,

wherein the diagnostic module calculates a risk index based on the number of cycles operated, the temperature difference, the measured impedance, the instantaneous power and the hardware loop status.

2. The intelligent diagnosis system of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic module increments an abnormality index record when the risk index is greater than a predetermined value.

3. The intelligent diagnosis system of claim 2, wherein a warning is issued when the abnormality index record is greater than a warning value.

4. The intelligent diagnosis system of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic module generates an abort command to terminate operations of the power module when the hardware loop status is abnormal.

5. The intelligent diagnosis system of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic module generates an abort command to terminate operations of the power module when the temperature difference, the measured impedance or the instantaneous power exceeds their respective thresholds, respectively.

6. The intelligent diagnosis system of claim 1, wherein the temperature sensing element is provided on a three-phase circuit of a three-phase bridge driver in the power module.

7. The intelligent diagnosis system of claim 1, wherein the current sensing element is provided on U-phase, V-phase and W-phase coils of a three-phase bridge driver in the power module.

8. The intelligent diagnosis system of claim 1, wherein the voltage sensing element is provided at a voltage output and a voltage input of a three-phase bridge driver in the power module.

9. The intelligent diagnosis system of claim 1, wherein the magnetic coupling closed loop detection element is provided at each of a plurality of insulated gate bipolar transistors in a three-phase bridge driver in the power module.

10. An intelligent diagnosis method for a power module, comprising:

measuring a temperature, a current, an input voltage and an output voltage of a power module;

performing a self-test on a current status of hardware;

calculating a number of cycles that have been operated by the power module based on the temperature and the current;

calculating a measured impedance based on the output voltage, the input voltage and the current;

calculating an instantaneous power based on the measured impedance, the output voltage and the current; and

calculating a risk index based on the number of cycles operated, the temperature, the measured impedance, the instantaneous power and the hardware loop status.

11. The intelligent diagnosis method of claim 10, further comprising incrementing an abnormality index record when the risk index is greater than a predetermined value.

12. The intelligent diagnosis method of claim 11, further comprising issuing a warning when the abnormality index record is greater than a warning value.

13. The intelligent diagnosis method of claim 10, further comprising generating an abort command to terminate operations of the power module when the hardware loop status is abnormal.

14. The intelligent diagnosis method of claim 10, further comprising generating an abort command to terminate operations of the power module when the temperature, the measured impedance or the instantaneous power exceeds their respective thresholds, respectively.

15. An intelligent diagnosis system for a power module, comprising:

a temperature sensing element configured for measuring a starting minimum temperature and a current temperature of a power module and determining a temperature difference between the starting minimum temperature and the current temperature;

a hardware checking module provided on one side of the power module, and including;

a current sensing element configured for sensing a current in the power module;

a voltage sensing element configured for measuring an output voltage and an input voltage of the power module; and

a magnetic coupling closed loop detection element configured for performing a self-test on a current status of the hardware to obtain a hardware loop status; and

a diagnostic module connected with the power module and the hardware checking module, and configured for calculating a number of cycles that have been operated based on the current temperature and the current sensed by the current sensing element and calculating a measured impedance based on the output voltage, the input voltage and the current, so as to calculate an instantaneous power based on the measured impedance, the output voltage and the current,

wherein the diagnostic module calculates a risk index based on the number of cycles operated, the temperature difference, the measured impedance, the instantaneous power and the hardware loop status.

16. The intelligent diagnosis system of claim 15, wherein the current sensing element is provided on a lead of the power module in a surface mounted manner, and when the current is flowing through the lead and creating a magnetic field around the lead, the current sensing element senses the magnetic field and calculates a value of the current flowing through the lead.

17. The intelligent diagnosis system of claim 15, wherein the magnetic coupling closed loop detection element is provided at each of a plurality of insulated gate bipolar transistors in a three-phase bridge driver in a power module for detecting a current hardware loop status of the respective insulated gate bipolar transistors.

18. An intelligent diagnosis system for a power module, comprising:

a hardware checking module provided on one side of a power module, and including;

a current sensing element configured for sensing a current in the power module;

a voltage sensing element configured for measuring an output voltage and an input voltage of the power module; and

a magnetic coupling closed loop detection element configured for performing a self-test on a current status of the hardware to obtain a hardware loop status.