Analyzing an operation of a power semiconductor device
AssigneeMaschinenfabrik Reinhausen GmbH
InventorAngus Bryant
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method analyzes an operation of a power semiconductor device. The method includes: providing a set of reference voltages of the device and a set of corresponding reference currents; measuring, within a predetermined time-interval, Nframe on-state voltages and Nframe corresponding on-state currents of the device to obtain Nframe measurement points, Nframe being an integer number equal to or greater than 2; adapting the set of reference voltages by carrying out a least squares fit to the Nframe measurement points; and using the adapted set of reference voltages to analyze the operation of the power semiconductor device.
Claims14
A method for analyzing an operation of a power semiconductor device, the method comprising:
- providing a set of reference voltages of the device and a set of corresponding reference currents;
- measuring, within a predetermined time-interval, Nframe on-state voltages and Nframe corresponding on-state currents of the device to obtain Nframe measurement points, wherein Nframe is an integer number equal to or greater than 2;
- adapting the set of reference voltages by carrying out a least squares fit to the Nframe measurement points;
- and
- using the adapted set of reference voltages to analyze the operation of the power semiconductor device,
- wherein for the least squares fit, a piecewise-linear approximation between each two adjacent measurement points is assumed.
A method for analyzing an operation of a power semiconductor device, the method comprising:
- providing a set of reference voltages of the device and a set of corresponding reference currents;
- measuring, within a predetermined time-interval, Nframe on-state voltages and Nframe corresponding on-state currents of the device to obtain Nframe measurement points, wherein Nframe is an integer number equal to or greater than 2;
- adapting the set of reference voltages by carrying out a least squares fit to the Nframe measurement points;
- and
- using the adapted set of reference voltages to analyze the operation of the power semiconductor device,
- wherein the least squares fit comprises:
- defining a validity factor for each of the reference currents, wherein the validity factors represent how near a measured on-state current is to each of the reference currents;
- determining a set of validity factors for each of the measurement points resulting in Nframe sets of validity factors.
A circuit for analyzing an operation of a power semiconductor device, the circuit comprising:
- a measuring unit configured to measure within a predetermined time-interval Nframe on-state voltages and Nframe corresponding on-state currents of the device to obtain Nframe measurement points, wherein Nframe is an integer number equal to or greater than 2;
- a storage unit configured to store a set of reference voltages of the device and a set of corresponding reference currents of the device;
- and
- an evaluation unit configured to:
- adapt the set of reference voltages by carrying out a least squares fit to the Nframe measurement points;
- and
- analyze the operation of the power semiconductor device based on the adapted set of reference voltages,
- wherein for the least squares fit, a piecewise-linear approximation between each two adjacent measurement points is assumed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.