# US 11,909,234 B2 · Recharging circuit for modular multilevel converters

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- Number: US 11,909,234 B2
- Document ID: US11909234B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/634,298
- Filed: 2018-03-01
- Published: 2023-06-22
- Granted: 2024-02-20
- Earliest claimed: 2017-07-27
- Assignees: Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche AG
- Applicants: Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft
- Inventors: Stefan Goetz
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11909234B2

## CPC

- H02J 7/575: {Parallel/serial switching of connection of batteries to charge or load circuit}
- H02J 7/345: {using capacitors as storage or buffering devices}
- H03K 17/063: {in field-effect transistor switches}
- H02M 1/08: Circuits specially adapted for the generation of control voltages for semiconductor devices incorporated in static converters
- H02M 7/483: Converters with outputs that each can have more than two voltages levels
- H03K 2217/0081: Power supply means, e.g. to the switch driver
- H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
- 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)
- 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)

## Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for recharging an energy store (102) used to drive a power semiconductor switch (100), wherein the energy store (102) and the power semiconductor switch (100) are at the same potential, wherein a switching state of the power semiconductor switch (100) is effected by a controller (204, 712), wherein the controller (204) assigns a respective potential value to the energy store (102) at a respective switching state (202) and wherein, by driving at least one charging switch (112, 114, 122, 132, 142, 152), charging of the energy store (102) is activated as soon as the potential value of the energy store (102) corresponds to a ground potential of a supply voltage (106, 216).

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for recharging an energy store (102) used to drive a power semiconductor switch (100), wherein a negative terminal of the energy store (102) and a source/emitter terminal of the power semiconductor switch (100, 406, 408, 503, 616, 618, 626, 706) are connected to one another and a potential of the negative terminal of the energy store (102) is at times temporarily lower than a ground potential (106, 216) of a supply voltage, wherein a switching state of the power semiconductor switch (100, 406, 408, 503, 616, 618, 626, 706) is effected by a controller (204, 712) that jointly controls the power semiconductor switch (100) and at least one charging switch (112, 114, 122, 132, 142, 152) to recharge of the energy store (102), wherein the controller (204, 712) determines the respective potential value at the negative terminal of the energy store (102) based on a respective switching state (202) of the power semiconductor switch (100, 406, 408, 503, 616, 618, 626, 706) and wherein, by driving the at least one charging switch (112, 114, 122, 132, 142, 152) that turns on the supply voltage to the energy store (102), charging of the energy store (102) is activated as soon as the potential value of the negative terminal of the energy store (102) corresponds to the ground potential (106, 216) of the supply voltage.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein, by driving the at least one charging switch (112, 114, 122, 132, 142, 152), draining of charge from the energy store (102) is prevented as soon as the potential of the source/emitter terminal of the power semiconductor switch (100, 406, 408, 503, 616, 618, 626, 706) is not at the ground potential (106, 216) of the supply voltage.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the energy store (102) is selected as a bootstrap capacitor.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the controller (204, 712) controls the respective switching states (202) of a plurality of power semiconductor switches (100, 406, 408, 503, 616, 618, 626, 706) and a potential value of the energy store (102) is assigned to a respective realization of the switching states of the plurality of power semiconductor switches (100, 406, 408, 503, 616, 618, 626, 706).

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the power semiconductor switches (100, 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 408, 501, 502, 503, 611, 613, 615, 616, 617, 618, 623, 625, 626, 705, 706) are installed in a modular multi-level converter and respectively assigned to respective modules within the modular multi-level converter, wherein the switching states (202) of the power semiconductor switches (100, 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 408, 501 , 502, 503, 611, 613, 615, 616, 617, 618, 623, 625, 626, 705, 706) of each module are selected according to a respective predetermined module state, and wherein at least one power semiconductor switch (100, 406, 408, 503 , 616, 618, 626, 706) is driven by means of an energy store (102) assigned to the at least one power semiconductor switch (100, 406, 408, 503, 616, 618, 626, 706).

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one charging switch (112, 114, 122, 132, 142, 152) is designed to be able to block a maximum voltage occurring in the circuit comprising the at least one power semiconductor switch (100, 406, 408, 503, 616, 618, 626, 706).

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the energy store (102) is selected as a bootstrap capacitor.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the controller (204, 712) controls the respective switching states (202) of a plurality of power semiconductor switches (100, 406, 408, 503, 616, 618, 626, 706) and a potential value of the energy store (102) is assigned to a respective realization of the switching states of the plurality of power semiconductor switches (100, 406, 408, 503, 616, 618, 626, 706).

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the power semiconductor switches (100, 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 408, 501, 502, 503, 611, 613, 615, 616, 617, 618, 623, 625, 626, 705, 706) are installed in a modular multi-level converter and respectively assigned to respective modules within the modular multi-level converter, wherein the switching states (202) of the power semiconductor switches (100, 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 408, 501 , 502, 503, 611, 613, 615, 616, 617, 618, 623, 625, 626, 705, 706) of each module are selected according to a respective predetermined module state, and wherein at least one power semiconductor switch (100, 406, 408, 503 , 616, 618, 626, 706) is driven by means of an energy store (102) assigned to the at least one power semiconductor switch (100, 406, 408, 503, 616, 618, 626, 706).

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one charging switch (112, 114, 122, 132, 142, 152) is designed to be able to block a maximum voltage occurring in the circuit comprising the at least one power semiconductor switch (100, 406, 408, 503, 616, 618, 626, 706).

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

A circuit (110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 200, 300, 700) for recharging an energy store (102) used to drive a power semiconductor switch (100, 406, 408, 503, 616, 618, 626, 706), which has at least one power semiconductor switch (100, 406, 408, 503, 616, 618, 626, 706), at least one energy store (102), at least one charging switch (112, 114,122, 132, 142, 152) and a controller (204, 712) and is configured to perform the method of claim 1.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The circuit (110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 200, 300, 700) of claim 11, wherein the at least one energy store (102) is formed by a bootstrap capacitor.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The circuit (110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 200, 300, 700) of claim 11, further comprising a level shifter (206, 302) that shifts the potential of a respective signal from the controller to the potential reference of the respective charging switch or power semiconductor switch to be driven.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

A multi-level converter that comprises the circuit of claim 11.