U.S. patent application number 11/860349 was filed with the patent office on 2008-01-10 for adaptive gate drive for switching devices of inverter.
This patent application is currently assigned to LETOURNEAU TECHNOLOGIES DRILLING SYSTEMS, INC.. Invention is credited to Gary PACE, Larry Charles JR. ROBBINS.
Application Number | 20080007318 11/860349 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35242157 |
Filed Date | 2008-01-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080007318 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
PACE; Gary ; et al. |
January 10, 2008 |
ADAPTIVE GATE DRIVE FOR SWITCHING DEVICES OF INVERTER
Abstract
An adaptive gate drive for an inverter includes control
circuitry having a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and
includes power circuitry having a plurality of FETs for operating a
switching device, such as a Trench Gate Insulated Gate Bipolar
Transistor (IGBT device). The control circuitry provides switching
signals for operating the switching device. In addition, the
control circuitry receives signals of output current of the IGBT
device, temperature of the IGBT device, and DC link voltage. The
FPGA has a plurality of operating points stored therein. Each
operating point has corresponding parameters for a control signal
that is used to control the turn-on or turn-off behavior of the
IGBT device. During operation, the control circuitry compares the
measured current, voltage and temperature operating points stored
in the FPGA and sends the corresponding parameters to the gate
drive circuit. The gate drive modifies the signal on the gate of
the IGBT accordingly and thereby optimizes the turn-on and/or
turn-off behavior of the device based on actual operating
conditions.
Inventors: |
PACE; Gary; (Cypress,
TX) ; ROBBINS; Larry Charles JR.; (Houston,
TX) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LOCKE LORD BISSELL & LIDDELL LLP;ATTN: IP DOCKETING
600 TRAVIS
SUITE 3400
HOUSTON
TX
77002-3095
US
|
Assignee: |
LETOURNEAU TECHNOLOGIES DRILLING
SYSTEMS, INC.
Houston
TX
77056
|
Family ID: |
35242157 |
Appl. No.: |
11/860349 |
Filed: |
September 24, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11115841 |
Apr 26, 2005 |
7274243 |
|
|
11860349 |
Sep 24, 2007 |
|
|
|
60565588 |
Apr 26, 2004 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
327/396 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H02M 7/5387 20130101;
H03K 17/166 20130101; H03K 17/0414 20130101; H03K 17/0828 20130101;
H03K 17/168 20130101; H03K 17/567 20130101; H02M 7/538 20130101;
H03K 17/28 20130101; H03K 17/18 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
327/396 |
International
Class: |
H03K 17/296 20060101
H03K017/296 |
Claims
1. A circuit for operating a semiconductor switching device having
a gate and having a turn-on behavior and a turn-off behavior, the
circuit comprising: control circuitry providing signals for
operating the switching device, the control circuitry receiving an
operating condition of the switching device and having a plurality
of operating points of the switching device stored in the control
circuitry, each operating point associated with a corresponding
control signal for the switching device; power circuitry coupled
between the control circuitry and the switching device, the power
circuitry receiving the control signals from the control circuitry
and providing drive signals to the gate of the switching device to
operate the switching device based on the control signal; wherein
the control circuitry compares the operating condition measured
from the switching device to the plurality of operating points
stored in the control circuitry and sends the corresponding control
signal to the power circuitry, and wherein the power circuitry
receives the corresponding control signal from the control
circuitry and provides a drive signal to the gate of the switching
device to control the turn-on or turn-off behavior of the switching
device based on the measured operating conditions.
2. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the control signal comprises a
start time and a stop time of a positive voltage applied to the
gate of the switching device, the start time beginning after the
beginning of destaturation of the switching device during initial
turn off of the switching device.
3. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the switching device comprises
an insulated gate bipolar transistor.
4. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the operating condition of the
switching devices includes a voltage, a current, and a
temperature.
5. The circuit of claim 4, wherein the temperature is measured from
a heatsink of the switching device, and wherein the control
circuitry estimates a junction temperature of the switching device
using the heatsink temperature.
6. The circuit of claim 5, wherein the control circuitry estimates
the junction temperature using an equation of
T.sub.j=T.sub.hsk+K.sub.1I.sub.ph+K.sub.2I.sub.phV.sub.dc, where:
T.sub.j is the junction temperature of the switching device,
T.sub.hsk is the heat sink temperature, I.sub.ph is an output
current of the switching device, and V.sub.dc is a DC link
voltage.
7. The circuit of claim 4, wherein the control circuitry comprises
a thermistor having one end connected to an output of the switching
device and having another end connected to a resistance measurement
device, the resistance measurement device measuring resistance of
the thermistor for the control circuitry to determine the
temperature of the switching device.
8. The circuit of claim 4, wherein the voltage includes a DC link
voltage measured from the inverter.
9. The circuit of claim 4, wherein the control circuitry comprises
a voltage divider for measuring the voltage.
10. The circuit of claim 4, wherein the current includes an output
current measured from an output of the switching device.
11. The circuit of claim 4, wherein the control circuitry comprises
an analog integrator divider for measuring the current.
12. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry comprises
a detector for detecting desaturation of the switching device
during initial turn off.
13. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a
field programmable gate array storing the plurality of operating
points and the corresponding control signals.
14. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry comprises
analog to digital converters for converting analog signals to
digital signals.
15. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry sends the
control signal to the power circuitry at a time after desaturation
of the switching device begins upon turn-off of the switching
device.
16. The circuit of claim 1, wherein power circuitry drives the
switching device with the control signal such that a gate-emitter
voltage of the switching device is maintained at a substantially
fixed, positive level for a duration after desaturation of the
switching device begins during turn-off of the switching
device.
17. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the power circuitry comprises a
switching element receiving switching signals from the control
circuitry to connect an ON voltage to the gate of the switching
device.
18. The circuit of claim 17, wherein the switching element
comprises a field-effect transistor.
19. The circuit of claim 17, wherein the power circuitry comprises
an OFF field-effect transistor receiving switching signals from the
control circuitry to connect an OFF voltage to the gate of the
switching device.
20. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the power circuitry comprises a
control switching element receiving the control signals from the
control circuitry and connecting a control voltage to the gate of
the switching device based upon the control signals.
21. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the power circuitry further
comprises: a thermistor having one end connected to an output of
the switching device; and a resistance measurement circuit
connected between another end of the thermistor and the control
circuitry and measuring resistance of the thermistor to determine a
temperature of the switching device.
22. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the power circuitry comprises a
voltage divider connected between the control circuitry and the
switching device and measuring a collector-emitter voltage of the
switching device during a steady-state OFF condition of the
switching device.
23. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the power circuitry comprises
an analog integrator coupled between the control circuitry and the
switching device and measuring a voltage across an internal emitter
inductance during turn-on of the switching device.
24. An inverter comprising: a plurality of switching devices
providing output power, each switching device having a gate, a
turn-on behavior, and a turn-off behavior; control circuitry
providing switching signals for operating the switching devices,
the control circuitry receiving operating conditions measured from
the inverter and having a plurality of operating points of the
inverter stored in the control circuitry, each operating point
associated with a corresponding control signal; and power circuitry
coupled between the control circuitry and the switching devices,
the power circuitry receiving the switching signals from the
control circuitry and providing drive signals to the gates of the
switching devices to operate the switching devices, wherein the
control circuitry compares the operating conditions measured from
the inverter to the plurality of operating points stored in the
control circuitry and sends the corresponding control signals to
the power circuitry, and wherein the power circuitry receives the
corresponding control signals from the control circuitry and
provides drive signals to the gates of the switching devices to
control the turn-on or turn-off behaviors of the switching
devices.
25. A circuit for operating a switching device of an inverter, the
switching device having a gate, a turn-on behavior, and a turn-off
behavior, the circuit comprising: means for driving the switching
device with switching signals; means for measuring an operating
condition from the inverter; means for determining a control signal
from the operating condition measured from the inverter; and means
for driving the switching device with the control signal to control
the turn-on or turn-off behavior of the switching device based on
the operating condition measured from the inverter.
26. The circuit of claim 25, wherein the means for determining the
control signal from the operating condition measured from the
inverter comprises: means for storing a plurality of operating
points associated with a corresponding control signal; and means
for comparing the operating condition measured from the inverter
with the plurality of operating points to determine the
corresponding control signal.
27. The circuit of claim 25, wherein the means for measuring the
operating condition from the inverter comprises means for measuring
an output current of the switching device, a DC link voltage of the
inverter, and a temperature of the switching device.
28. A method of controlling a turn-on behavior or a turn-off
behavior of a switching device of an inverter, comprising the steps
of: driving the switching device with switching signals; measuring
an operating condition from the inverter; determining a control
signal from the operating condition measured from the inverter; and
controlling the turn-on or turn-off behavior of the switching
device by driving the switching device with the control signal
based on the operating condition measured from the inverter.
29. The method of claim 28, wherein the step of determining the
control signal from the operating condition measured from the
inverter comprises the steps of: storing a plurality of operating
points associated with a corresponding control signal; and
comparing the operating condition measured from the inverter with
the plurality of operating points to determine the corresponding
control signal.
30. The method of claim 28, wherein the step of measuring the
operating condition from the inverter comprises the step of
measuring an output current of the switching device, a DC link
voltage of the inverter, and a temperature of the switching
device.
31. The method of claim 28, wherein the step of driving the
switching device with the control signal comprises the step of
sending the control signal at a time after desaturation of the
switching device begins during initial turn-off of the switching
device.
32. The method of claim 31, wherein the step of sending the control
signal at the time after desaturation of the switching device
begins initial upon turn-off of the switching device further
comprises the step of sending the control signal for a duration and
maintaining a gate-emitter voltage of the switching device at a
substantially fixed, positive level.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a non-provisional application of U.S.
Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/565,588, filed on Apr.
26, 2004, which is incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This disclosure generally relates to an adaptive gate drive
for semiconductor power devices and more particularly relates to an
adaptive gate drive for an Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor for
controlling the turn-on and/or turn-off behavior.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Semiconductor power switching devices, such as Insulated
Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs) or Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor
Field-Effect-Transistor (MOSFETs) are well-known in the art. For
example, IGBTs have been the main power semiconductors used in the
inverter sections of variable speed AC motor drives and other
similar applications. The latest generation of IGBTs includes
Trench Gate Field Stop IGBT devices (TG-IGBTs), which are also
sometimes referred to as third generation IGBT devices.
[0004] The trench gate IGBT devices offer substantial advantages
over prior IGBT devices. For example, the trench gate IGBT tends to
have a lower on-state voltage requirement. Further, the trench gate
IGBT is typically capable of faster on/off switching than other
semiconductor devices, including prior generations of IGBT devices.
However, the very fast turn-off behavior of the trench gate IGBT
device can make maintaining the voltage across the IGBT within the
Reverse Bias Safe Operating Area (RBSOA) very difficult.
Additionally, the fast turn-off behavior of the trench gate IGBT
device can cause parasitic oscillations within connected circuits.
Such parasitic oscillations can interfere with an/or cause failure
of the gate drive and other control circuits. Moreover, when a free
wheel diode is used, as may be common in the inverter section of an
AC motor controller, the very fast turn-on behavior of the trench
gate IGBT can cause problems with the reverse recovery. For
example, the reverse recovery during "turn on" can be very "snappy"
because the current during reverse recovery terminates with a high
rate of change. This can also cause parasitic oscillations and
potential failure of the trench gate IGBT device and gate drive
circuit. Such problems are more significant at higher operating
voltages and currents.
[0005] A number of techniques have been proposed in the art to
address some of the issues related to the fast turn-on and turn-off
behavior of the trench gate IGBT when used in an inverter. In one
technique, the gate resistance of the trench gate IGBT is increased
so that the device switches more slowly. Increasing the gate
resistance helps to control the turn-on behavior of the IGBT.
However, to effect control the turn-off behavior of the trench gate
IGBT, the gate resistance has to be substantially increased by as
much as 10 to 20 times. This substantial increase in resistance can
create delays in the "turn off" of the trench gate IGBT device that
may be generally unacceptable.
[0006] In another technique, a two-stage "turn on" and "turn off"
process can be used to control the switching of the trench gate
IGBT devices. In this technique, the value of gate resistor is
increased at fixed stages to control the "turn on" or "turn off" of
the trench gate IGBT devices. This technique addresses the issue of
the unacceptable delay during "turn off" that occurs when only a
simple, fixed resistance is used. In yet another technique, the
collector voltages of trench gate IGBT device (typically both the
absolute value and rate of change of the collector voltage) can be
monitored, and the gate voltage is changed to affect turn on/turn
off times. In yet another technique, the rate of change of the
current in the trench gate IGBT device can be monitored using
voltages between the power and the control terminals of the module
having the IGBT devices, and the gate voltages can be changed to
acceptable levels.
[0007] The techniques described above were developed to avoid
over-voltage and oscillations in the power circuit under
"worst-case" conditions. However, even though a gate drive is
designed to survive such worst-case conditions, the power circuit
rarely, if ever, experiences such worst case conditions. The vast
majority of operating conditions are less (better) than worst case.
Thus, the power circuit does not operate optimally when designed
for the worst-case condition it will rarely, if ever, experience.
Namely, the turn-on and turn-off behaviors of the trench gate IGBT
devices are considerably slower than they need to be under
operating conditions outside the worst-case conditions. The slow
switching behaviors result in increased heat dissipation along with
resulting loss of equipment rating and/or reliability.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0008] A gate drive for an inverter adapts or modifies signals to a
switching device, such as an Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors
(IGBT device) of an inverter, based on operating conditions of the
inverter and IGBT device in order to control the turn-on and/or
turn-off behavior of the IGBT device. The adaptive gate drive
includes control circuitry having a Field Programmable Gate Array
(FPGA) and includes power circuitry having a plurality of
field-effect transistors (FETs). The control circuitry provides
switching signals for operating the IGBT device. In addition, the
control circuitry receives the operating conditions measured from
the inverter. The operating conditions include an output current of
the IGBT device, a temperature of the IGBT device, and a DC link
voltage of the inverter.
[0009] The FPGA stores a plurality of operating points. Each
operating point has corresponding parameters for a control signal
that is used to control the turn-on and/or turn-off behavior of the
IGBT device. In one embodiment, the operating parameters include a
start time and stop time of a control pulse for best controlling
the switching behavior of the IGBT device based on operating
conditions of the inverter and IGBT device. These parameters are
empirically determined for the particular IGBT device of the
inverter.
[0010] During operation, the control circuitry compares the
operating conditions measured from the inverter to the operating
points stored in the FPGA and sends the corresponding control
signal to the power circuitry. When the IGBT device is initially
turned off, the control pulse is initiated at the corresponding
start time and sustained for the duration for the operating
conditions. The start time begins at a time after the IGBT device
begins desaturating during initial "turn off" of the switching
device. In response, the power circuitry provides a drive signal to
the gate of the IGBT device that controls the turn-on or turn-off
behavior of the device in a manner appropriate to the operating
conditions of the IGBT device.
[0011] The foregoing summary is not intended to summarize each
potential embodiment or every aspect of the present disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The foregoing summary, preferred embodiments, and other
aspects of subject matter of the present disclosure will be best
understood with reference to the detailed description of specific
embodiments, which follows, when read in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings, in which:
[0013] FIG. 1 illustrates a circuit diagram of an embodiment of a
three-phase inverter power circuit according to certain teachings
of the present disclosure.
[0014] FIG. 2 illustrates a graph of waveforms for an IGBT device
controlled according to certain teachings of the present
disclosure.
[0015] FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a three-phase inverter
module according to certain teachings of the present
disclosure.
[0016] FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a gate drive control
circuit and power circuit according to certain teachings of the
present disclosure.
[0017] FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of a gate drive
control circuit and power circuit according to certain teachings of
the present disclosure.
[0018] While the disclosed adaptive gate drive is susceptible to
various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments
have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein
described in detail. The figures and written description are not
intended to limit the scope of the inventive concepts in any
manner. Rather, the figures and written description are provided to
illustrate the inventive concepts to a person skilled in the art by
reference to particular embodiments, as required by 35 U.S.C.
.sctn. 112.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] State-of-the-art, three-phase, alternating current (AC)
motors use a sophisticated combination of solid state electronics,
magnetic and/or vacuum contactors and other components configured
into a control system. AC motor control systems may be distilled
into four basic functional sections: (1) a input rectifier section
that rectifies or converts incoming AC power into direct current
(DC) power; (2) a DC bus section that may also filter and condition
the DC power; (3) an inverter section that converts the DC power
into a pulse width modulated (PWM), variable-frequency, AC signal;
and (4) a control interface that allows a user to manipulate the
control system and, therefore, the AC motor.
[0020] While the inventions disclosed herein were conceived in the
context of using AC motors as prime movers in the oil industry, it
will be appreciated that the inventions herein have much broader
application than AC motors or a specific industry. Referring now to
FIG. 1, portions of an AC motor control system are schematically
illustrated. The rectifier section is shown generally at 11 and
includes a rectifier (not shown), DC output 12 from the rectifier,
and a conditioning module 14. The conditioning module 14 may
include, and preferably does include, a DC link inductor 13 for
reducing current and/or voltage ripples in the DC output from the
rectifier. The conditioning module 14 may include and preferably
does include, a main DC link capacitor 15 for bulk energy storage.
The DC bus section 16 preferably comprises a laminated busbar
connecting the rectifier section 11 and the inverter section 18. A
laminated busbar is preferred because it effectively minimizes
leakage inductance between the main DC capacitor 15 and the
inverter section 18. Also shown in FIG. 1 are load connections 19,
drive controller 30 and inverter control module 40. Inverter
control module 40 comprises an adaptive gate drive according to
certain teachings of the present disclosure.
[0021] The inverter section 18 has a plurality of semiconductor
switching devices 20, which are preferably Insulated Gate Bipolar
Transistors (IGBTs) and more preferably Trench Gate Field Stop IGBT
devices (TG-IGBTs). Although the disclosed implementations of the
present inventions are described primarily with respect to IGBT
devices and more particularly to TG-IGBT devices, the inventions of
the subject disclosure can also be used with MOSFETs and other
semiconductor power switching devices. In the present example, the
inverter section 18 is a three-phase inverter for use with a three
phase AC motor. For example, the inverter section 18 may be an
air-cooled, 600V inverter section in a control system for a 400-hp
AC motor (not shown).
[0022] As described in more detail below, the adaptive gate drive
of the inverter control module 40 modifies or adapts the waveforms
used to drive the gates of the IGBT devices 20 based on the
operating conditions of the inverter section 18. The adaptive gate
drive of the inverter control module 40 continuously monitors the
current I, voltage V, and the temperature T of the power circuit to
determine the inverter section 18 operating conditions. Depending
on the IVT operating conditions, the adaptive gate drive introduces
"control pulses" to the gates at specified times during switching
of the IGBT devices 20. The control pulses slow the turn-off and/or
the turn-on behavior of the IGBT devices 20 to prevent some of the
detrimental effects described in the background section of the
present disclosure.
[0023] Typically, the parameters of voltage V, current I, and
temperature T are already monitored in power circuits for purposes
of controlling and protecting the equipment. The adaptive gate
drive of the inverter control module 40 can use these existing IVT
measurements and known techniques for communicating these
parameters (IVT) to the inverter control module 40. In general, the
temperatures T are measured or calculated from the IGBT devices 20,
the currents I are measured for each phase, and the voltage V is
measured at the DC link voltage.
[0024] The design of the inverter power circuit preferably allows
the peak voltage imposed on the IGBT devices 20 during "turn off"
to be determined. In this regard, the inverter power circuit
preferably uses the laminated busbar 16 and the highly localized
capacitors 17 in the inverter circuit 18. The laminated busbar 16
and the highly localized capacitors 17 can reduce stray inductance
when the current is rapidly changing in the IGBT devices 20.
[0025] For a particular implementation of the inverter power
circuitry, testing may be used to establish the parameters of the
control pulses for best operation of the specific IGBT devices 20
and specific circuitry under various IVT operating conditions. The
experimentally determined control parameters for the particular
implementation may be stored in a microprocessor memory or similar
devices associated with the adaptive gate drive of the inverter
module 40. During operation, the adaptive gate drive implements a
control pulse having the parameters previously determined to best
control the switching behaviors of the IGBT devices 20 for the
particular IVT operating point measured from the inverter power
circuitry.
[0026] In one preferred embodiment, the disclosed adaptive gate
drive of the inverter module 40 controls only the turn-off behavior
of the IGBT devices 20 according to the techniques disclosed
herein. In this preferred embodiment of the inverter circuit 18,
for example, Dynex Semiconductor's DIM1200DDM17-E000 or Eupec's
FF1200R17KE3 are used for the switching devices 20. For these
preferred IGBT devices, no adaptation may be necessary to control
their turn-on behavior because a uniformly fast "turn on" may be
acceptable when these preferred IGBT devices 20 are used in the
inverter circuit 18. Moreover, the turn-on behavior of the IGBT
devices 20 may in general not present problems because other
circuits of the drive, such as diodes, can deal with issues of
turn-on behavior. With the benefit of the present disclosure,
however, it will be appreciated that the disclosed techniques can
be similarly used to modify the turn-on behavior of the IGBT
devices 20, as desired.
[0027] FIG. 2 graphically illustrates portions of exemplary
waveforms A, B, and C of an IGBT device operated according to
certain teachings of the present disclosure. The exemplary
waveforms A, B, and C respectively represent the gate-emitter
voltage V.sub.GE, the collector-emitter voltage V.sub.CE, and the
collector current I.sub.C of the IGBT device before, during and
after a "control pulse" of positive gate voltage is introduced at a
specified point during initial "turn off" of the IGBT device. The
gate-emitter voltage V.sub.GE (waveform A) is shown starting at the
steady-state ON level of +15V during switching of the device. After
a time T.sub.1, the gate-emitter voltage V.sub.GE (waveform A) is
held at a gate threshold voltage during initial "turn off" of the
IGBT device. After a storage time delay, the IGBT device begins
desaturation at a time T.sub.2, and the collector-emitter voltage
V.sub.CE (waveform B) of the IGBT device begins to rise. During
this time span, the collector current Ic (waveform C) remains
substantially constant.
[0028] A "control pulse" of positive gate voltage is then started
at a start time T.sub.S after the desaturation of the IGBT device
begins. The start time T.sub.S may be in the range from 100 to
400-ns after desaturation begins, for example. During the control
pulse, the collector current I.sub.C (waveform C) begins to fall at
a time T.sub.4 when the collector-emitter voltage V.sub.CE
(waveform B) exceeds the DC link voltage. During the control pulse,
the gate-emitter voltage V.sub.GE (waveform A) is driven to a fixed
positive level, which may be substantially at the steady-state ON
voltage (e.g., +15V).
[0029] At a time T.sub.5, the collector-emitter voltage V.sub.CE
(waveform B) is seen to overshoot due to the rate of change of
current (d.sub.i/d.sub.t) in the stray leakage inductance within
the inverter circuit. The control pulse is ended at a stop time
(T.sub.S+T.sub.W) after the beginning of the IGBT device
desaturation. The duration of the control pulse, T.sub.W, which is
the difference between start time T.sub.S and stop time
T.sub.S+T.sub.W, may be in the range from 300 to 600-ns, for
example. When "turn off" of the IGBT device is complete at about
time T.sub.6, the gate-emitter voltage V.sub.GE (waveform A) is
substantially at the steady-state OFF level of -15V, the
collector-emitter voltage V.sub.CE (waveform B) is substantially at
the DC link voltage, and the collector current I.sub.C (waveform C)
has steadily fallen.
[0030] It has been found that introducing the control pulse
according to certain teachings of the present disclosure can reduce
some of the problems associated with the very fast turn-off
behavior of IGBT devices. For example, the control pulse can help
maintain the voltage across the IGBT devices within the Reverse
Bias Safe Operating Area (RBSOA). In another example, the control
pulse can reduce parasitic oscillations within the inverter and
connected circuits that can interfere with the gate drive and other
control circuits.
[0031] Referring to FIG. 3, an embodiment of a three-phase inverter
module 40 having an adaptive gate drive according to certain
teachings of the present disclosure is schematically illustrated.
The present embodiment of inverter module 40 with adaptive gate
drive is preferred for applications where the inverter module 40
operates as a low voltage control circuit that already has
available signals 60 for determining the IVT operating point for
some or all IGBT devices in the system. Although the inverter
module 40 is shown as being for three phases, it will be understood
that the techniques disclosed herein may be used with inverters
having different phase configurations.
[0032] The three-phase inverter module 40 includes an inverter
interface board 50 and phase modules 100. Only one phase module 100
is shown in FIG. 3 for simplicity. However, the three-phase
inverter module 40 will have three such phase modules 100. The
inverter interface board 50 includes a drive controller interface
52, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) 54, analog to digital
(A/D) converters 56, and pulse transformer drivers 58. The drive
controller 30 is shown interfacing with the drive controller
interface 52 of the inverter interface board 50. As is known in
inverter control, the drive controller 30 sends various signals to
control the inverter, such as Pulse Width Modulated (PWM) signals,
motor control signals, and human machine interface (HMI) signals.
The drive controller 30 for the present embodiment can be a
conventional drive controller used in the art of inverters.
[0033] The FPGA 54 communicates signals with the drive controller
interface 52, receives signals 60 from the A/D converters 56, and
sends signals to the pulse transformer drivers 58. The FPGA 54 has
embedded memory for the identification and adaptive look-up of IVT
operating points of the inverter and IGBT devices being driven in
the inverter. Preferably, the FPGA 54 is a CYCLONE FPGA by Altera.
Although the present embodiment includes an FPGA, it will be
appreciated that other devices or microprocessors known in the art
can be used, such as a Digital Signal Processing (DSP) controller.
The A/D converters 56 receive analog signals 60 measured from the
inverter circuitry and convert the signals to digital signals that
are sent to the FPGA 54. The analog signals 60 include feedback
signals 62 of heatsink temperatures measured from the IGBT devices
of the inverter circuitry. In addition, the analog signals 60
include a DC voltage feedback signal 64 measured from the inverter
circuitry and include output current feedback signals 66 measured
from the output of the IGBT devices of the inverter circuitry.
[0034] The three-phase inverter module 40 operates six IGBT devices
of the three-phase inverter circuitry. Thus, the A/D converter 56
preferably includes a plurality of channels for the various
feedback signals 60 for operating the six IGBT devices of the
inverter. It will be appreciated that other inverter typologies may
use other channels connections between the A/D converter 56 and the
inverter circuitry. In a preferred embodiment, three dual package
IGBT devices 104, such as Dynex Semiconductor's DIM1200DDM17-E000
or Eupec's FF1200R17KE3, are preferably used in the inverter
circuitry.
[0035] The FPGA 54 sends signals to the pulse transformer drivers
58, which in turn send pulse signals to each of the phase modules
100. Each phase module 100 includes a gate drive board 102 and a
dual IGBT package 104, such as Dynex Semiconductor's
DIM1200DDM17-E000 or Eupec's FF1200R17KE3. Each phase module 100
includes dual arrangements of pulse transformer receivers 110, gate
drive control circuits 120, and gate drive power circuits 130 for
each of the IGBT devices of the dual IGBT package 104. Each phase
module 100 receives four pulse signals 70 from the inverter
interface board 50 in the present embodiment. Two of the pulse
signals 70 include an Upper ON pulse and an Upper OFF pulse
intended for an "upper" IGBT device in the dual IGBT package 104 of
the preferred embodiment. The other two pulse signals 70 include a
Lower ON Pulse and a Lower OFF pulse intended for the "lower" IGBT
device in the dual IGBT package 104 of the preferred
embodiment.
[0036] The drive controller 30, drive controller interface 52, A/D
converters 56, pulse transformer drivers 58, pulse transformer
receivers 110, and other components for the present embodiment can
be conventional designs for such devices used in the art of power
inverter circuits. The gate drive control circuits 120 and power
circuits 130, however, are preferably similar to those disclosed
below with reference to FIG. 4. As described in more detail below,
these gate drive power circuits 130 include field-effect
transistors (FETs) for producing waveforms according to the
techniques disclosed above with reference to FIG. 2 that control
the turn-off behavior of the IGBT devices being driven.
[0037] In operation, the FPGA 54 on the Inverter Interface Board 50
continually monitors the temperature signals 62, the current output
signals 64, and the DC link voltage signal 66 using the A/D
converters 56. In the present embodiment, the temperature is
measured from the heatsink of the IGBT devices of the inverter
circuitry. From the heat sink temperatures, the FPGA 54 estimates
the junction temperature for the IGBT devices, because the junction
temperature is not readily measurable in IGBT devices.
[0038] The FPGA 54 estimates the junction temperature T.sub.j using
the heatsink temperature, the current output, and the DC link
voltage with the following equation:
T.sub.j=T.sub.hsk+K.sub.1I.sub.ph+K.sub.2I.sub.phV.sub.dc
[0039] Where: [0040] T.sub.j is the estimated junction temperature
of the IGBT device, [0041] T.sub.hsk is the heatsink temperature
feedback signal from the IGBT device, [0042] I.sub.ph is the output
current for each phase of the inverter, [0043] V.sub.dc is the DC
link voltage feedback signal from the inverter. The constants
K.sub.1 and K.sub.2 are determined experimentally based on the
specific IGBT device and PWM frequency used in a particular
implementation of the power inverter circuit. The equation yields
an estimate of the junction temperature T.sub.j.
[0044] In the preferred embodiment, the FPGA 54 reduces the
resolution of the measured values of T.sub.j, I.sub.ph and V.sub.dc
to 4-bit resolution, which can be adequate for the determination of
gate control adaptation according to the disclosed techniques. The
FPGA 54 then concatenates the 4-bit values T.sub.j, I.sub.ph and
V.sub.dc to yield a 12-bit value that represents a current IVT
operating condition for the IGBT device being driven. The FPGA 54
includes look-up tables in embedded memory for controlling the
turn-off behaviors of the IGBT devices of the inverter circuitry
according to the techniques disclosed herein. The look-up table
includes a plurality of IVT operating points under with the
inverter is intended to operate. Each IVT operating point has
empirically derived parameters for the control pulse that will best
control the turn-off behavior of the IGBT device being driven. The
parameters for the control pulse stored in the FPGA 54 include
start times (T.sub.S) and stop times (T.sub.W) for the control
pulses used to control the IGBT devices. The control pulse can have
a fixed height or amplitude, which may be substantially the same as
an ON voltage (e.g., +15V). Alternatively, the parameters in the
look-up tables of the FPGA 54 can include modified and empirically
derived amplitudes for the control pulse that will best control the
turn-off behavior of the IGBT devices.
[0045] During operation of the inverter, the inverter module 40
monitors the IVT operating conditions of the inverter, and the FPGA
54 continually updates the preferred parameters for the control
pulses that will best operate the IGBT devices of the inverter. As
the IVT operating conditions change, the FPGA 54 looks up the
preferred parameters (e.g., start times (T.sub.S) and stop times
(T.sub.W)) for the control pulses that correspond to the current
IVT operating conditions measured from the inverter and the IGBT
devices being driven. During "turn off" of an IGBT device in the
inverter, the FPGA 54 sends command signals to the gate drive
control circuit 120 for the IGBT device. At this point, the gate
drive control circuit 120 knows the optimum start time (T.sub.S)
and stop time (T.sub.W) for the control pulse that corresponds to
the particular IVT operating point of the IGBT device being driven.
After the IGBT device begins desaturation during initial "turn
off," the gate drive control circuit 120 and power circuit 130
drive the IGBT device with the preferred control signal to control
the turn-off behavior of the IGBT device according to the
techniques disclosed herein. To ensure that no limit conditions
exist, an offset is preferably used in this pulse-width encoding of
the control pulse.
[0046] Referring to FIG. 4, embodiments of the gate drive control
circuit 120 and power circuit 130 of FIG. 3 are illustrated. The
gate drive control circuit 120 is connected to the pulse
transformer receivers (110 of the phase module 100 of FIG. 3) to
receive signals from the FPGA (54 of FIG. 3) according to the
techniques described with reference to FIG. 3. The gate drive power
circuit 130 of FIG. 4 is connected to the gate drive control
circuit 120 and the IGBT device 20. As is known, the collector C
and the emitter E of the IGBT device 20 are connected to the
inverter circuitry (not shown). The gate drive control circuit 120
and power circuit 130 drive the IGBT device 20 according to the
waveform modification techniques disclosed herein.
[0047] As noted previously, a preferred embodiment of the inverter
circuitry Dynex Semiconductor's DIM1200DDM17-E000 or Eupec's
FF1200R17KE3, which include dual packaged IGBT devices. Therefore,
the IGBT device 20 of FIG. 4 can represent one of the IGBT devices
in these preferred IGBT packages. Although the present embodiment
has been developed for these preferred IGBT packages, it will be
understood that other IGBT devices known in the art can be used
with the disclosed techniques.
[0048] The gate drive power circuit 130 includes a plurality of
high power field-effect transistors (FETs) that impose waveforms
similar to those disclosed above in FIG. 2 on the IGBT device 20.
The gate drive power circuit 130 includes an ON FET 140, an OFF FET
150, a control FET 160, and a desaturation detector 170. The
control circuit 120 is electrically connected to respective gate
terminals of the ON FET 140, OFF FET 150, and control FET 160. The
control circuit 120 sends switching control signals to the
respective gate terminals of the FETs 140, 150, and 160 to control
their operation.
[0049] The source of the ON FET 140 is connected to the ON voltage,
which is typically +15V, while the drain of the ON FET 140 is
connected to the gate G of the IGBT device 20 being driven. A
resistor 142 is connected between the drain of the ON FET 140 and
the gate G of the IGBT device 20. The source of the OFF FET 150 is
connected to the OFF voltage, which is typically +15V, while the
drain of the OFF FET 150 is also connected to the gate G of the
IGBT device 20 being driven. A resistor 152 is connected between
the source of the OFF FET 150 and the gate G of the IGBT device 20.
The source of the control FET 160 is connected to a control
voltage, which may be +15V, while the drain of the control FET 160
is connected to the gate G of the IGBT device 20 being driven. A
diode 162 is connected between the drain of the Control FET 160 and
the gate G of the IGBT device 20.
[0050] The desaturation detector 170 is connected between the
control circuit 120 and the IGBT device 20. The connection of the
desaturation detector 170 to the IGBT device 20 is made between the
collector C and the gate G of the IGBT device 20. The desaturation
detector can be of conventional design and can include a reverse
bias diode and comparator, for example. The desaturation detector
170 determines when desaturation of the IGBT device 20 begins after
the storage time delay during initial "turn off" of the IGBT device
20.
[0051] The control circuit 120 operates in a typical fashion by
sending control switching signals to the ON FET 140 and the OFF FET
150 to control the signals from these FETs to the gate G of the
IGBT device 20 being driven. To modify the turn-off behavior of the
IGBT device 20 to produce waveforms according to the techniques
disclosed herein, the control circuit 120 also sends control
switching signals to the gate of the control FET 160 at a specified
point during the "turn off" of the IGBT device 120. In turn, the
control FET 160 sends a control signal of positive gate voltage as
described above to improve the turn-off behavior of the IGBT device
20. In particular, the control FET 160 sends the control pulse that
has the optimum start time (T.sub.S) and stop time (T.sub.W)
determined by the look-up table in the FPGA (54 of FIG. 3) for the
current IVT operating point of the IGBT device 20 and inverter.
[0052] In an alternative embodiment, the control circuit 120 and
the power circuit 130 can modify the turn-on behavior of the IGBT
device 20 according to the techniques disclosed herein. In addition
to the ON FET 140 and resistor 142 disclosed above, a second ON FET
(not shown) can be separately connected to the control circuit 120
and to the gate G with a second resistor (not shown) in the same
manner as the ON FET 140 and resistor 142. The resistors 142 and
(one not shown) can have different resistances. In this way, the
control circuit 120 can send initial switching signals to the first
ON FET 140 of the ON FETs to have the corresponding resistance from
its resistor 142 operate the gate G. Then, the control circuit 120
can send subsequent switching signals to the other ON FET (not
shown) to have the corresponding resistance from its resistor (not
shown) operate the gate G of the IGBT device 20. The selection of
the ON FETs and the duration of the switching signals can be
determined by a look-up table in the FPGA 54 based on the current
operating conditions of the inverter and IGBT device.
[0053] Referring to FIG. 5, another embodiment of a gate drive
control 220 and power circuit 230 is illustrated. The gate drive
control 220 and the power circuit 230 of the present embodiment are
preferably used in applications where the IVT operating point of
the inverter is unknown by other components of the inverter and
control circuitry, which is by contrast the case with the
embodiments of FIG. 3 and 4. The gate drive control circuit 220 is
connected to signal isolation circuitry 210 and power isolation
circuitry 212. The signal isolation circuitry 210 can include pulse
transformers, optocouplers, or other devices known in the art for
isolating signals. Similarly, the power isolation circuitry 212 can
include transformers or other devices known in the art for
isolating a control circuit from a power source. The control
circuit 220 receives signals from other control components via the
signal isolation circuitry 210. For example, the control circuit
220 can receive Pulse Width Modulated (PWM) signals, motor control
signals, and human machine interface (HMI) signals from a drive
controller.
[0054] The gate drive power circuit 230 is connected to the gate
drive control 220 and the IGBT device 20. The gate drive power
circuit 230 is used to drive the IGBT device 20 according to the
waveform modification techniques disclosed herein. As is known, the
collector C and the emitter E of the IGBT device 20 are connected
to the inverter circuitry (not shown). As noted previously, Dynex
Semiconductor's DIM1200DDM17-E000 or the Eupec's FF1200R17KE3 are
used in a preferred embodiment of the inverter circuitry.
Therefore, the IGBT device 20 of FIG. 5 can represent one of the
IGBT devices in these preferred IGBT packages. Although the present
embodiment has been developed for these preferred IGBT packages, it
will be understood that other IGBT devices known in the art can be
used with the disclosed techniques.
[0055] Similar to the embodiment of FIG. 4, the gate drive power
circuit 230 includes an ON FET 240, an OFF FET 250, a control FET
260, and a desaturation detector 270. Further, the gate drive power
circuit 230 includes a voltage divider 280, an analog integrator
290, and a thermistor 300. The control circuit 220 is electrically
connected to respective gate terminals of the ON FET 240, OFF FET
250, and control FET 260. The control circuit 200 sends control
switching signals to the respective gate terminals of the FETs 240,
250, and 260 to control their operation. To overcome any practical
difficulties in manufacturing, the gate drive circuit 230 is
preferably implemented on a multi-layer printed circuit board (PCB)
using modern, fine-pitch devices known in the art.
[0056] The source of the ON FET 240 is connected to the ON voltage,
which is typically +15V, while the drain of the ON FET 240 is
connected to the gate G of the IGBT device 20 being driven. A
resistor 242 is connected between the drain of the ON FET 240 and
the gate G of the IGBT device 20. The source of the OFF FET 250 is
connected to the OFF voltage, which is typically +15V, while the
drain of the OFF FET 250 is also connected to the gate G of the
IGBT device 20 being driven. A resistor 252 is connected between
the source of the OFF FET 250 and the gate G of the IGBT device 20.
The source of the control FET 260 is connected to a control
voltage, which may be the steady-state ON voltage (+15V), while the
drain of the control FET 260 is connected to the gate G of the IGBT
device 20 being driven. A diode 262 is connected between the drain
of the control FET 260 and the gate G of the IGBT device 20.
[0057] The control circuit 220 receives temperature feedback of the
IGBT device 20 using the thermistor 300, resistance measurement
device 302, and serial A/D converter 304. The thermistor 300 is
preferably a Negative Temperature Coefficient (NTC) thermistor. The
NTC thermistor 300 is mounted directly on the die of the IGBT
module having the IGBT device 20. One side of the NTC thermistor
264 is connected to the emitter metallization of the IGBT device 20
using a metal loaded epoxy. The other side of the thermistor 300 is
connected to the resistance measurement device 302. The output of
the resistance measurement device 302 is connected to the serial
A/D converter 304, which sends a digital resistance signal to the
control circuit 220. The resistance of the NTC thermistor 300 is
measured during steady-state ON or OFF operation. For example, the
resistance measurement device 302 can include a differential
amplifier for measuring the voltage drop across the NTC thermistor
300. The voltage will be just a few tens of millivolts so any
op-amp circuit is preferably of sufficient precision and several
milliseconds of filtering on the input signals may be acceptable.
Once the resistance of the NTC thermistor 300 is determined and
sent to the control circuit 220 via the serial A/D converter 304, a
look-up table inside the FPGA (not shown) of the control circuit
220 is used to determine the temperature of the IGBT device.
[0058] The desaturation detector 270 is connected between the
control circuit 220 and the IGBT device 200. The connection of the
desaturation detector 270 to the IGBT device 20 is made between the
collector C and the gate G of the IGBT device 20. The desaturation
detector 270 can be of conventional design and can include a
reverse bias diode and comparator, for example. The desaturation
detector 270 determines when desaturation of the IGBT device 20
begins after the storage time delay during initial "turn off" of
the IGBT device 20.
[0059] The voltage divider 280 is connected between the control
circuit 220 and the IGBT device 20. The connection of the voltage
divider 280 to the IGBT device 20 is also made between the
collector C and the gate G of the IGBT device 20. The connection of
the voltage divider 280 to the control circuit 220 is made via a
fast, serial A/D converter 282. The voltage divider 280 can be of
conventional design. The voltage divider 280 measures the
collector-emitter voltage V.sub.CE during the steady-state OFF
condition of the IGBT device 20.
[0060] The analog integrator 290 has one connection connected to a
freeze, reset control output of the control circuit 220, another
connection connected to a current feedback input of the control
circuit 220 via a fast serial A/D converter 292, and another
connection connected to the power emitter of the IGBT module. The
analog integrator 290 can be of conventional design. The analog
integrator 290 measures the voltage across the IGBT module's
internal emitter inductance (i.e. the voltage between the auxiliary
and power emitter terminals) during "turn on" of the device 20.
[0061] The control circuit 220 operates in typical fashion by
sending control switching signals to the ON FET 240 and the OFF FET
250 to control the signals from these FETs to the gate G of the
IGBT device 20 being driven. To modify the "turn off" of the IGBT
device 20 to produce waveforms according to the techniques
disclosed above, the control circuit 220 also sends control
switching signals to the gate of the control FET 260 at a specified
point during the "turn off" of the IGBT device 20. In turn, the
control FET 260 sends the control pulse of positive gate voltage as
described above to improve the turn-off behavior of the IGBT device
20.
[0062] The control circuit 220 preferably includes an FPGA, which
is preferably a CYCLONE FPGA by Altera. The control circuit 220
measures the current IVT operating point of the IGBT device 20 and
determines the optimum parameters for controlling the turn-off
behavior of the IGBT device 20. During operation, the temperature
of the IGBT device 20 is measured using the resistance of the NTC
thermistor 302. Once the resistance of the NTC thermistor 302 is
determined, the control circuit 220 determines the junction
temperature of the IGBT device for the current IVT operating point.
The voltage divider 280 measures the collector-emitter voltage
V.sub.CE for the current IVT operating point during the
steady-state OFF condition. The analog integrator 290 measures an
output current for the IVT operating point by integrating the
voltage across the IGBT module's internal emitter inductance (i.e.
the voltage between the auxiliary and power emitter terminals)
during "turn on" of the device 20. The measurement of this output
current is valid as long as the change in current during a single
PWM cycle is not significant with respect to the modulation of the
gate drive waveform. The controller 220 continually monitors the
IVT operating point of the IGBT device 20, and the FPGA of the
controller 220 uses the IVT operating point to control the gate
voltage in the same manner as disclosed above.
[0063] Although the preferred embodiment described herein
determines the characteristics of each control pulse from
predetermined values based on IVT data points, it will be
appreciated that equations, formulas or boundaries may be derived
for a specific implementation of power semiconductors and a
processor or other logic device may implement the equation formula
or boundary to determine the control pulse characteristic in real
time or near real time.
[0064] The foregoing description of preferred and other embodiments
is not intended to limit or restrict the scope or applicability of
the inventive concepts conceived of by the Applicants. In exchange
for disclosing the inventive concepts contained herein, the
Applicants desire all patent rights afforded by the appended
claims. Therefore, it is intended that the appended claims include
all modifications and alterations to the full extent that they come
within the scope of the following claims or the equivalents
thereof.
* * * * *