# US 11,309,881 B2 · Universal clamping circuit for automotive switch gate drives > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,309,881 B2 - Document ID: US11309881B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/752,241 - Filed: 2020-01-24 - Published: 2021-07-29 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2020-01-24 - Assignees: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Applicants: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Inventors: Yantao Song; Baoming Ge; Lihua Chen; Serdar Hakki Yonak - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11309881B2 ## CPC - H02M 1/0038: {Circuits or arrangements for suppressing, e.g. by masking incorrect turn-on or turn-off signals, e.g. due to current spikes in current mode control} - H03K 17/0822: {in field-effect transistor switches} - H02M 1/34: Snubber circuits - H03K 17/08122: {in field-effect transistor switches} - H03K 17/567: Circuits characterised by the use of more than one type of semiconductor device, e.g. BIMOS, composite devices such as IGBT - H02M 1/0048: {Circuits or arrangements for reducing losses (using snubbers H02M1/34)} - H02M 1/08: Circuits specially adapted for the generation of control voltages for semiconductor devices incorporated in static converters - H02M 1/32: Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection - H02M 1/344: {Active dissipative snubbers} - Y02B 70/10: Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - H02M: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF (transformers H01F; dynamo-electric converters H02K47/00; controlling transformers, reactors or choke coils, control or regulation of electric motors, generators or dynamo-electric converters H02P) - H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M) - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract An automotive vehicle includes an electric machine, a traction battery, and a power converter. The power converter transfers power between the electric machine and traction battery. The power convert includes a switch that defines a portion of a phase leg, a gate driver circuit that provides provide power to a gate of the switch, and a clamping circuit. The clamping circuit includes a clamping switch that, responsive to the gate driver circuit being de-energized and a voltage of the gate exceeding a predetermined threshold value, conducts current from the gate to dissipate the voltage and clamp the gate to an emitter of the switch. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An automotive vehicle comprising: an electric machine; a traction battery; and a power converter configured to transfer power between the electric machine and traction battery, and including a switch defining a portion of a phase leg, a gate driver circuit configured to provide power to a gate of the switch, and a clamping circuit including a clamping switch, wherein the clamping switch is configured to, responsive to the gate driver circuit being de-energized and a voltage of the gate exceeding a predetermined threshold value, conduct current from the gate to dissipate the voltage and clamp the gate to an emitter of the switch, and wherein the clamping circuit further includes a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor having a gate directly electrically connected with the gate driver circuit. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the clamping switch is a bipolar junction transistor (BJT), and wherein a collector of the BJT is directly electrically connected with the emitter of the switch. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising a diode electrically connected between the clamping switch and the gate driver circuit, wherein the clamping switch is a bipolar junction transistor (BJT), and wherein a base of the BJT is directly electrically connected with an anode of the diode. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor further has a drain and source electrically connected between the clamping switch and the switch. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the switch is an insulated gate bipolar transistor. ### Claim 6 A power converter comprising: an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT); a gate driver circuit configured to provide power to a gate of the IGBT; and a bipolar junction transistor (BJT) configured to, responsive to the gate driver circuit being de-energized and a voltage of a gate of the IGBT exceeding a predetermined threshold value, conduct current from the gate to dissipate the voltage and clamp the gate to an emitter of the IGBT, wherein a collector of the BJT is directly electrically connected with the emitter of the IGBT. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The power converter of claim 6 further comprising a diode electrically connected between the BJT and the gate driver circuit, and wherein a base of the BJT is directly electrically connected with an anode of the diode. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The power converter of claim 7, wherein the clamping circuit further includes a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) having a gate directly electrically connected with the gate driver circuit. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The power converter of claim 8, wherein a drain and source of the MOSFET are electrically connected between the BJT and the IGBT. ### Claim 10 An automotive vehicle comprising: an electric machine; a traction battery; and a power converter configured to transfer power between the electric machine and traction battery, and including a switch defining a portion of a phase leg, a gate driver circuit configured to provide power to a gate of the switch, and a clamping circuit including first and second clamping switches, wherein the first clamping switch is configured to, responsive to the gate driver circuit being de-energized and a voltage of the gate of the switch exceeding a predetermined threshold value, conduct current from the gate of the switch to a gate of the second clamping switch to increase a voltage of the gate of the second clamping switch, and wherein the second clamping switch is configured to, responsive to the voltage of the gate of the second clamping switch exceeding another predetermined threshold value, conduct current such that the gate and emitter of the switch are clamped together. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The automotive vehicle of claim 10, wherein the gate of the second clamping switch is directly electrically connected with the gate driver circuit. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The automotive vehicle of claim 10, wherein the first clamping switch is a bipolar junction transistor and the second clamping switch is a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor.