# US 2019/0174615 A1 · Creeping discharge element drive device and creeping discharge element drive method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0174615 A1 - Document ID: US20190174615A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/271,126 - Filed: 2019-02-08 - Published: 2019-06-06 - Earliest claimed: 2016-08-10 - Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba - Applicants: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba - Inventors: Motofumi TANAKA; Toshiki OSAKO; Hiroki MURAYAMA; Naoto SHINOHARA; Hiroyuki YASUI - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190174615A1 ## CPC - H02M 1/32: Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection - H02M 3/158: including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load - H02M 7/06: using discharge tubes without control electrode or semiconductor devices without control electrode - H02M 7/48: using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode - H02M 7/53871: {with automatic control of output voltage or current} - H02M 1/0058: {by employing soft switching techniques, i.e. commutation of transistors when applied voltage is zero or when current flow is zero (using an auxiliary actively switched resonant commutation circuit connected to an intermediate DC voltage or between two push-pull branches of an inverter bridge H02M7/4811; in resonant inverters H02M7/4815; in inverters operating from a resonant DC source H02M7/4826)} - H02M 1/007: {Plural converter units in cascade (push-pull DC/DC converters with pre-regulator H02M3/3374; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC stage including a high frequency transformer H02M7/4807; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC conversion stage generating periodically varying voltages H02M7/4826)} - Y02B 70/10: Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes - 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) - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS ## Abstract A creeping discharge element drive device of an embodiment includes a switching element, a current detector, a zero-cross detection circuit, a storage, and a controller. The current detector detects alternating currents flowing through the switching element. The zero-cross point detection circuit detects a zero-cross point of the alternating currents. The storage stores a first threshold value of a resonant period. The controller drives the switching element to apply a test voltage to the creeping discharge element, determines a resonant period of the alternating currents from the detected zero-cross points of the alternating currents, and restricts or stops the driving of the switching element in response to the resonant period exceeding the first threshold value. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A creeping discharge element drive device comprising: a switching element configured to connect to a creeping discharge element; a current detector configured to detect an alternating current flowing through the switching element; a zero-cross detection circuit configured to detect a zero-cross point of the alternating current detected by the current detector; a storage configured to store a first threshold value of a resonant period for determining an abnormality of the creeping discharge element during test operation; and a controller programmed to: drive the switching element to apply a test voltage to the creeping discharge element during the test operation, the test voltage being lower than a voltage applied to the creeping discharge element at a start of regular operation; determine a resonant period of the alternating current from a zero-cross point of the alternating current detected by the zero-cross detection circuit during the test operation; and restrict or stop the driving of the switching element in response to the resonant period exceeding the first threshold value. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The creeping discharge element drive device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is programmed to: determine a second resonant period of the alternating current from a second zero-cross point of the alternating current while restricting or stopping the driving of the switching element; and drive the switching element to apply a voltage for the regular operation to the creeping discharge element in response to the second resonant period being equal to or less than the first threshold value. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The creeping discharge element drive device according to claim 1, wherein the storage stores a second threshold value of the resonant period for determining an abnormality of the creeping discharge element during discharge, and wherein the controller is programmed to: determine a third resonant period of the alternating current from a second zero-cross point of the alternating current during the discharge; and restrict or stop the driving of the switching element in response to the third resonant period exceeding the second threshold value. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The creeping discharge element drive device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is programmed to: count the number of times the resonant period exceeds the first threshold value; stop the driving of the switching element in response to the number being less than a predetermined number; and resume the test operation after a predetermined standby period from the stopping. ### Claim 5 A creeping discharge element drive method for driving a creeping discharge element drive device including a switching element connected to a creeping discharge element, the method comprising: storing a first threshold value of a resonant period for determining an abnormality of the creeping discharge element during test operation; detecting an alternating current flowing through the switching element; detecting a zero-cross point of the detected alternating current; driving the switching element to apply a voltage to the creeping discharge element during the test operation, the voltage being lower than a voltage applied to the element at a start of regular operation; determining a resonant period of the alternating current from the detected zero-cross point of the alternating current during the test operation; and restricting or stopping the driving of the switching element in response to the resonant period exceeding the first threshold value.