Apparatus and methods for monitoring parallel-connected power switching devices responsive to drive circuit parameters
AssigneeEaton Corporation
InventorsGeorge W. Oughton, Jr., George Arthur Navarro
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus, such as an inverter or rectifier in a double-conversion UPS, includes a plurality of power switching devices, such as IGBTs, coupled in parallel. A drive circuit is coupled to the power switching devices at a plurality of drive nodes and configured to drive the drive nodes responsive to a drive control signal. A monitoring circuit is coupled to the drive circuit and configured to determine respective statuses of respective ones of the power switching devices. The monitoring circuit may be configured to generate respective measures of drive delivered to respective ones of the drive nodes.
Claims21
An apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of power switching devices coupled in parallel and operative to conduct current responsive to drive signals applied to a plurality of drive nodes;
- a drive circuit coupled to the power switching devices at the plurality of drive nodes and configured to generate the drive signals responsive to a drive control signal, wherein the drive circuit comprises:
- an input circuit configured to receive the drive control signal;
- and
- a plurality of output circuits, respective ones of which are configured to drive respective ones of the drive nodes responsive to the input circuit and which are each galvanically isolated from the input circuit;
- and
- a monitoring circuit coupled to the drive circuit and configured to determine respective measures of drive delivered to respective ones of the drive nodes and to determine respective statuses of respective ones of the power switching devices responsive to the respective measures of drive, wherein the monitoring circuit is galvanically coupled to the input circuit.
An apparatus comprising:
- a half-bridge circuit comprising first and second banks of parallel-connected power switching devices coupled at a common node, each of the first and second banks including one or more groups of power switching devices;
- a drive circuit configured to apply respective drive signals to respective drive nodes of respective ones of the groups of power switching devices responsive to respective drive control signals;
- and
- a monitoring circuit configured to monitor respective statuses of respective ones of the power switching devices responsive to the drive circuit.
A method of monitoring paralleled power switching devices driven by a drive circuit at a plurality of drive nodes, the method comprising:
- generating respective measures of drive delivered to respective ones of the drive nodes;
- and
- determining respective status of respective ones of the power switching devices responsive to the respective measures of drive;
- and
- wherein the drive circuit comprises respective transformers having respective secondary windings coupled to the respective drive nodes and a primary driver circuit configured to drive primary windings of the transformers, and wherein generating respective measures of drive delivered to respective ones of the drive nodes comprises sensing respective currents in the respective primary windings.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.