Inverter circuit for an electric machine
AssigneeGM Global Technology Operations LLC
InventorsMD Nayeem Arafat, Mohammad N. Anwar, Syed MD Jaffrey Al Kadry, Mehrdad Teimorzadeh
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Abstract
An inverter circuit electrically connects between a high-voltage bus and a multi-phase electric machine, including a plurality of switch pairs. Each switch pair includes a first switch electrically connected in series with a second switch at a node. Each node electrically connects to a phase of the multi-phase electric machine with the first switch electrically connected between a positive side of the high-voltage bus and the node and the second switch electrically connected between a negative side of the high-voltage bus and the node. The first switch is configured as a normally-OFF switch. The second switch is configured as a normally-ON switch.
Claims17
An inverter circuit electrically connected to a multi-phase electric machine, comprising:
- a plurality of switch pairs, each switch pair including a first switch electrically connected in series with a second switch at a node, each node electrically connected to a phase of the multi-phase electric machine, the first switch of each of the switch pairs electrically connected between a positive high-voltage DC power bus and the node and the second switch of each of the switch pairs electrically connected between a negative high-voltage DC power bus and the node;
- the first switch of each of the switch pairs being a cascode switch that is configured as a normally-OFF switch;
- and
- the second switch of each of the switch pairs being configured as a normally-ON switch.
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An inverter circuit electrically connected between a high-voltage DC power bus and a multi-phase electric machine, comprising:
- a plurality of switch pairs, each switch pair including a node electrically connected to a phase of the multi-phase electric machine;
- each switch pair including a first switch electrically connected in series at the node with a second switch, wherein the first switch of each of the switch pairs electrically connects between a positive side of the high-voltage DC power bus and the node and the second switch of each of the switch pairs electrically connects between a negative side of the high-voltage DC power bus and the node;
- a first gate drive circuit electrically operatively connected to each of the first switches and a second gate drive circuit electrically operatively connected to each of the second switches;
- each of the first switches conducting electrical current only when activated by a first gate drive;
- and
- each of the second switches conducting electrical current unless deactivated by a second gate drive.
An inverter circuit electrically connected to a high-voltage DC power bus, comprising:
- a plurality of switch pairs, each switch pair including a node;
- each switch pair including a first switch electrically connected in series at the node with a second switch, wherein the first switch of each of the switch pairs electrically connects between a positive side of the high-voltage DC power bus and the node and the second switch of each of the switch pairs electrically connects between a negative side of the high-voltage DC power bus and the node;
- a first gate drive circuit electrically operatively connected to each of the first switches and a second gate drive circuit electrically operatively connected to each of the second switches;
- wherein each of the first switches is a normally-OFF switch;
- and
- wherein each of the second switches is a normally-ON switch.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.