Method for detecting a characteristic operating parameter of a transistor of an inverter

An inverter, comprising:

• a first transistor and a second transistor which are respectively a high-side transistor and a low-side transistor of the inverter;
• and
• control electronics configured to:
• trigger a first switching operation in which the first transistor is switched on, the second transistor is in a switched-off state, and a parasitic capacitance of the first transistor is discharged during the first switching operation,
• trigger a second switching operation in which the first transistor is switched off or switched on again, the second transistor simultaneously remaining in the switched-off state, and the parasitic capacitance of the first transistor is already discharged during the second switching operation,
• record a time difference describing a difference between a duration of the first switching operation and a duration of the second switching operation, and
• determine a characteristic operating parameter of the first transistor based on the time difference,
• wherein the control electronics are further configured to establish or detect a gate current of the first transistor and to determine the characteristic operating parameter of the first transistor based on the gate current of the first transistor and the time difference.

An inverter, comprising:

• a first transistor and a second transistor which are respectively a high-side transistor and a low-side transistor of the inverter;
• and
• control electronics configured to:
• trigger a first switching operation in which the first transistor is switched on, the second transistor is in a switched-off state, and a parasitic capacitance of the first transistor is discharged during the first switching operation,
• trigger a second switching operation in which the first transistor is switched off or switched on again, the second transistor simultaneously remaining in the switched-off state, and the parasitic capacitance of the first transistor is already discharged during the second switching operation,
• record a time difference describing a difference between a duration of the first switching operation and a duration of the second switching operation, and
• determine a characteristic operating parameter of the first transistor based on the time difference,
• wherein the first switching operation and the second switching operation occur in a load-free state of the inverter.

An inverter, comprising:

• a first transistor and a second transistor which are respectively a high-side transistor and a low-side transistor of the inverter;
• and
• control electronics configured to:
• trigger a first switching operation in which the first transistor is switched on, the second transistor is in a switched-off state, and a parasitic capacitance of the first transistor is discharged during the first switching operation,
• trigger a second switching operation in which the first transistor is switched off or switched on again, the second transistor simultaneously remaining in the switched-off state, and the parasitic capacitance of the first transistor is already discharged during the second switching operation,
• record a time difference describing a difference between a duration of the first switching operation and a duration of the second switching operation, and
• determine a characteristic operating parameter of the first transistor based on the time difference,
• wherein, in the second switching operation, the first transistor is switched on again, wherein the first transistor is switched off in an intermediate switching operation between the first and the second switching operation to enable renewed switching on in a following second switching operation, wherein the second transistor remains in the switched-off state during the intermediate switching operation.

A method to detect a characteristic operating parameter of a transistor of an inverter including a first transistor and a second transistor, which are respectively a high-side transistor and a low-side transistor of the inverter, the method comprising the following steps:

• triggering a first switching operation in which the first transistor is switched on, the second transistor is in a switched-off state, and a parasitic capacitance of the first transistor is discharged during the first switching operation;
• triggering a second switching operation in which the first transistor is switched off or switched on again, the second transistor simultaneously remaining in the switched-off state, and the parasitic capacitance of the first transistor is already discharged during the second switching operation;
• detecting a time difference describing a difference between a duration of the first switching operation and a duration of the second switching operation;
• and
• determining a characteristic operating parameter of the first transistor based on the time difference,
• wherein the duration of the first switching operation and/or the duration of the second switching operation is defined by a time over which a gate-source voltage of the first transistor increases or decreases in the first and/or second switching operation.