Transistor failure detection in a power module from the phase voltage

A voltage conversion module comprising:

• a high-voltage terminal intended to have a high voltage with respect to an electrical ground;
• a low-voltage terminal intended to have a low voltage with respect to the electrical ground;
• a ground terminal intended to be connected to the electrical ground;
• an inductor;
• a switching arm comprising a high-side switch and a low-side switch which are connected to each other at a mid-point, the switching arm being connected between the high-voltage terminal and the ground terminal, while the mid-point is electrically connected to the low-voltage terminal via said inductor in a first mode of operation of the voltage conversion module;
• and
• a device for controlling the switches which is designed to alternately place the switching arm in a high configuration and in a low configuration in the first mode of operation of the voltage conversion module the high-side switch being closed and the low-side switch being open in the high configuration, the high-side switch being open and the low-side switch being closed in the low configuration;
• said voltage conversion module being wherein it further comprises:
• a device for detecting a malfunction of short-circuit type of the high-side switch, comprising:
• either a voltage generator comprising two input terminals and one output terminal, said voltage generator being configured to receive on one of its input terminals the voltage of the mid-point and on the other of its input terminals a first reference voltage, said first reference voltage being less than or equal to said high voltage, said voltage generator being further configured to generate on its output terminal a voltage increasing from a predetermined voltage less than a threshold value as long as the voltage of the mid-point is greater than or equal to the first reference voltage and to generate a voltage less than the threshold value in the opposite case, and a first voltage comparison module configured to compare the voltage at said output terminal of the voltage generator with said threshold value and to generate an error signal when said voltage at the output terminal is greater than said threshold value,
• or a voltage generator comprising two input terminals and one output terminal, said voltage generator being configured to receive on one of its input terminals the voltage of the mid-point and on the other of its input terminals a first reference voltage, said first reference voltage being less than or equal to said high voltage, said voltage generator being further configured to generate on its output terminal a voltage decreasing from a predetermined voltage greater than a threshold value as long as the voltage of the mid-point is greater than or equal to the first reference voltage and to generate a voltage greater than the threshold value in the opposite case, and a first voltage comparison module configured to compare the voltage at said output terminal of the voltage generator with said threshold value and to generate an error signal when said voltage at the output terminal is less than said threshold value.