Power inverter with reduced body diode conduction
OwnerTuomo Matias KOHTAMAKI, Christopher JEDDinventors
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Abstract
A power inverter has a first and a second input terminal, a first output terminal, a first MOSFET which couples the first input terminal to an inverter node, a second MOSFET which couples the second input terminal to the inverter node, an inductor that couples the inverter node to the first output terminal, a sensor configured to provide a sensor signal that is a function of an inductor current, a comparator arrangement configured to compare the sensor signal with a first limit value and a control arrangement configured to switch the first MOSFET from a conducting state to a non-conducting state and the second MOSFET from a non-conducting state to a conducting state in case the sensor signal rises above the first limit value.
Claims20
A power inverter configured to generate an alternating current (AC) voltage at an output terminal, the output terminal being an AC terminal, the power inverter comprising:
- a first input terminal and a second input terminal;
- an inverter node;
- a first metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) which couples the first input terminal to the inverter node;
- a second MOSFET which couples the second input terminal to the inverter node;
- an inductor that couples the inverter node to the output terminal;
- a current sensor coupled to the inductor and configured to provide a sensor signal that is a function of an inductor current that flows through the inductor;
- a comparator arrangement coupled to an output of the current sensor and configured to compare the sensor signal with a first limit value, wherein the first limit value is positive with respect to a reference potential;
- and
- a control arrangement which is connected on its output side to a control terminal of the first MOSFET and to a control terminal of the second MOSFET and is configured to switch the first MOSFET from a conducting state to a non-conducting state and the second MOSFET from the non-conducting state to the conducting state in case the sensor signal rises above the first limit value,
- wherein the comparator arrangement is configured to compare the sensor signal with a second limit value which is negative with respect to the reference potential,
- wherein the control arrangement is further configured to switch the first MOSFET from the non-conducting state to the conducting state and the second MOSFET from the conducting state to the non-conducting state in case the sensor signal falls below the second limit value,
- wherein the control arrangement comprises a modulator, the modulator comprising:
- a first input configured to receive a control signal;
- a second input coupled to the comparator arrangement;
- a first output coupled to the control terminal of the first MOSFET;
- a second output coupled to the control terminal of the second MOSFET, and
- wherein the modulator is configured to control the first MOSFET and the second MOSFET as a function of the control signal and at least one output of the comparator arrangement.
A method for controlling a power inverter to generating an alternating current (AC) voltage at an output terminal, the output terminal being an AC terminal, the power inverter comprising:
- the output terminal;
- a first input terminal;
- a second input terminal;
- an inverter node;
- a first metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) which couples the first input terminal to the inverter node;
- a second MOSFET which couples the second input terminal to the inverter node;
- and an inductor that couples the inverter node to the output terminal, the method comprising:
- providing a first voltage to the first input terminal and a second voltage to the second input terminal;
- generating a sensor signal that is a function of an inductor current that flows through the inductor;
- making at least one comparison determination based on comparing the sensor signal with a first limit value which is positive with respect to a reference potential, and comparing the sensor signal with a second limit value which is negative with respect to the reference potential;
- and
- controlling the first MOSFET and the second MOSFET based on a control signal and the at least one comparison determination, the controlling of the fist MOSFET and the second MOSFET comprising:
- switching the first MOSFET from a conducting state to a non-conducting state and the second MOSFET from the non-conducting state to the conducting state based on the sensor signal rising above the first limit value;
- and
- switching the first MOSFET from the non-conducting state to the conducting state and the second MOSFET from the conducting state to the non-conducting state based on the sensor signal falling below the second limit value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.