Gate drive unit and method for controlling a gate drive unit

A method for controlling a gate drive unit, the method comprising:

• activating a charging switch in the gate drive unit to conduct a charging current from an electric energy source to a charging device of the gate drive unit, the charging current charging the charging device with electric energy;
• responsive to an amount of the electric energy stored in the charging device reaching or exceeding a designated upper limit, deactivating the charging switch and activating a discharge switch in the gate drive unit to discharge the electric energy stored in the charging device as a trigger current, the trigger current conducted to an anode terminal and extracted through a gate terminal of a power switch to activate the power switch;
• and
• responsive to the power switch being activated by the trigger current, deactivating the discharge switch to prevent further conduction of the trigger current to the anode terminal from the charging device and closing a dissipation switch to discharge a remaining amount of the electric energy stored in the charging device away from the anode terminal of the power switch.

A gate drive unit comprising:

• an inductive device configured to store electric energy when the inductive device receives a charging current from an electric energy source, the inductive device also configured to discharge the electric energy that is stored in the inductive device as a trigger current that is conducted to an anode terminal and extracted through a gate terminal of a thyristor device to activate the thyristor device;
• a first switch conductively coupled with the energy source and the inductive device between the energy source and the inductive device;
• and
• a second switch conductively coupled with the inductive device and the energy source between the inductive device and the energy source, wherein the first switch is configured to be closed while the second switch is open to conduct the charging current from the energy source to the inductive device until the inductive device is charged with at least a designated upper level of the electric energy, the first switch also configured to open when the second switch closes to discharge the electric energy that is stored in the inductive device to the anode terminal of the thyristor device as a trigger current that activates the thyristor device.