Insulated gate bipolar transistor failure mode detection and protection system and method
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorTao Wu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An assembly including an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) is provided. The IGBT is coupled with a gate driver for receiving a gating signal to drive the IGBT and providing a feedback signal of the IGBT which indicates a change of a collector-emitter voltage of the IGBT. The assembly further includes a failure mode detection unit for determining whether the IGBT is faulted based on a timing sequence of the gating signal and feedback signal. The failure mode detection unit is capable of differentiating fault types including a gate driver fault, a failed turn-on fault, a short-circuit fault, a turn-on over-voltage fault and a turn-off over-voltage fault. Accordingly, an IGBT failure mode detection method is also provided.
Claims12
An assembly comprising:
- an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), coupled with a gate driver for receiving a gating signal to drive the IGBT and providing a feedback signal of the IGBT which indicates a change of a collector-emitter voltage of the IGBT;
- and
- a failure mode detection unit for determining whether the IGBT is faulted and differentiating fault types including a gate driver fault, failed turn-on fault, a short-circuit fault, a turn-on over-voltage fault and a turn-off over-voltage fault, based on a timing sequence of the gating signal and the feedback signal.
An insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) failure mode detection method, comprising:
- obtaining a gating signal to drive one or more series connected IGBTs;
- obtaining a feedback signal of each IGBT, which indicates a change of a collector-emitter voltage of the IGBT;
- and
- comparing a timing sequence of the gating signal and feedback signal of each IGBT with a reference timing sequence to determine whether the IGBT is faulted and, if the IGBT is faulted, to differentiate fault types including a gate driver fault, a failed turn-on fault, a short-circuit fault, a turn-on over-voltage fault and a turn-off over-voltage fault.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.