Gate drive devices and switching systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10637461-B2
Application number	US-201816121216-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2018
Priority date	Mar 14, 2014
Publication date	Apr 28, 2020
Grant date	Apr 28, 2020

Abstract

A gate drive circuit device includes positive and negative pulse circuit portions each including a pulse diode and a pulse assembly connected in parallel with each other. The pulse assemblies each include another pulse diode and a resistor-capacitor assembly connected in series. The resistor-capacitor assembly includes a pulse resistor and a pulse capacitor connected in parallel. Each pulse circuit portion is connected with a different switch. Each pulse circuit portion is a passive device that is configured to activate a different switch responsive to receiving one or more voltage pulses from a power supply.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gate drive circuit device comprising:
a positive pulse circuit portion including a first positive pulse diode and a positive pulse assembly connected in parallel with each other, the positive pulse assembly including a second positive pulse diode and a first resistor-capacitor assembly connected in series, the first resistor-capacitor assembly including a positive pulse resistor and a positive pulse capacitor connected in parallel with each other, wherein the positive pulse circuit portion also is configured to be conductively coupled with a first switch; and
a negative pulse circuit portion including a first negative pulse diode and a negative pulse assembly connected in parallel with each other, the negative pulse assembly including a second negative pulse diode and a second resistor-capacitor assembly connected in series, the second resistor-capacitor assembly including a negative pulse resistor and a negative pulse capacitor connected in parallel with each other, wherein the negative pulse circuit portion also is configured to be conductively coupled with a second switch,
wherein the positive pulse circuit portion is configured to activate the first switch responsive to receiving one or more positive voltage pulses from a power supply, and
wherein the negative pulse circuit portion is configured to activate the second switch responsive to receiving one or more negative voltage pulses from the power supply.

2. The gate drive circuit device of claim 1 , wherein the positive pulse circuit portion is configured to be conductively coupled with a conductive secondary winding of a transformer device from which the positive voltage pulse is inductively received.

3. The gate drive circuit device of claim 2 , wherein the negative pulse circuit portion also is configured to be conductively coupled with the secondary winding of the transformer device from which the negative voltage pulse is inductively received.

4. The gate drive circuit device of claim 1 , wherein the positive pulse circuit portion is configured to charge the positive pulse capacitor using the one or more positive voltage pulses and the negative pulse circuit portion is configured to charge the negative pulse capacitor using the one or more negative voltage pulses.

5. The gate drive circuit device of claim 4 , wherein the positive pulse capacitor that is charged with the one or more positive voltage pulses is configured to apply a first voltage that is greater than a first turn-on threshold voltage to a gate of the first switch.

6. The gate drive circuit device of claim 4 , wherein the negative pulse capacitor that is charged with the one or more negative voltage pulses is configured to apply a second voltage that is greater than a second turn-on threshold voltage to a gate of the second switch.

7. The gate drive circuit device of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the positive circuit portion or the negative circuit portion is configured to receive one or more of a positive pulse train formed of a series of the positive voltage pulses or a negative pulse train formed of a series of the negative voltage pulses, wherein the positive pulse capacitor of the positive circuit portion is configured to be charged by the positive voltage pulses in the positive pulse train, the negative pulse capacitor of the negative circuit portion configured to be charged by the negative voltage pulses of the negative pulse train.

8. The gate drive circuit device of claim 1 , wherein the positive and negative circuit portions are configured to concurrently receive a pulse train formed of a series of one or more of the positive voltage pulses and one or more of the negative voltage pulses, the positive pulse capacitor of the positive circuit portion configured to be charged by the one or more positive voltage pulses of the pulse train, the negative pulse capacitor of the negative circuit portion configured to be charged by the one or more negative voltage pulses of the pulse train.

9. The gate drive circuit device of claim 8 , wherein the positive pulse capacitor that is charged and the negative pulse capacitor that is charged are configured to concurrently activate both the first and second switches.

10. The gate drive circuit device of claim 1 , wherein the positive and negative circuit portions are configured to activate the first and second switches that are conductively coupled with a first output diode, a second auxiliary diode, an output capacitor, an auxiliary capacitor, an auxiliary inductance, a voltage source, and a load.

11. The gate drive circuit device of claim 10 , wherein the positive circuit portion is configured to activate the first switch to direct voltage to the load from the voltage source through the first switch, through the second auxiliary diode to bypass the second switch, through the auxiliary inductance, and into the auxiliary capacitor for storage to decrease the voltage on the load.

12. The gate drive circuit device of claim 10 , wherein the negative circuit portion is configured to activate the second switch to direct voltage from the voltage source through the second switch, through the first output diode to bypass the first switch, through the auxiliary inductance, and into the output capacitor to increase the voltage on the load.

13. The gate drive circuit device of claim 1 , wherein the positive circuit portion is configured to conduct the positive voltage pulse to the positive capacitor to charge the positive capacitor and cause the positive capacitor to output a drive signal that is applied to a gate of the first switch to activate the first switch,
wherein the drive signal created by the positive pulse capacitor activates the first switch for a longer time period than the positive voltage pulse.

14. The gate drive circuit device of claim 1 , wherein the negative circuit portion is configured to conduct the negative voltage pulse to the negative capacitor to charge the negative capacitor and cause the negative capacitor to output a drive signal that is applied to a gate of the second switch to activate the second switch,
wherein the drive signal created by the negative capacitor activates the second switch for a longer time period than the negative voltage pulse.

15. A switching system comprising:
two or more of the gate drive circuit devices of claim 1 ;
two or more sets of the first and second switches, wherein each of the sets of the first and second switches is coupled with a different gate drive circuit device of the gate drive circuit devices;
two or more sets of opposing diodes, wherein each of the sets of the opposing diodes is connected with a different set of the sets of the first and second switches;
auxiliary inductors each conductively coupled with different set of the opposing diodes;
auxiliary capacitors each conductively coupled with different set of the opposing diodes and the auxiliary inductors;
output capacitors each conductively coupled with different set of the opposing diodes; and
voltage sources each conductively coupled with different set of the opposing diodes and with a different output capacitor of the output capacitors, the voltage sources also configured to be coupled with a load.

16. The switching system of claim 15 , wherein the gate drive circuit devices are coupled with secondary windings of a transformer device that are inductively coupled with a primary winding of the transformer device.

17. The switching system of claim 15 , wherein the gate drive circuit devices are configured to individually control which of the voltage sources conducts volt

Assignees

• Gen Electric
• General Elelctric Company

Inventors

• Caiafa Antonio
• Poincloux Dominique
• Arregui Marcos Garcia

Classifications

• H03K3/57

  the switching device being a semiconductor device · CPC title

• H03K17/691

  using transformer coupling · CPC title

• H03K17/168 Primary

  in composite switches · CPC title

• H03K17/61 Primary

  using transformer coupling · CPC title

• H05G1/58

  Switching arrangements for changing-over from one mode of operation to another, e.g. from radioscopy to radiography, from radioscopy to irradiation {or from one tube voltage to another} · CPC title