Drive device for switch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11424670-B2
Application number	US-202117188284-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 1, 2021
Priority date	Aug 28, 2018
Publication date	Aug 23, 2022
Grant date	Aug 23, 2022

Abstract

A drive device performs switching of at least one switch configuring an electrical power converter. The drive device includes a control section that generates a drive signal for the switch and transmits the drive signal, and at least one drive circuit that receives the transmitted drive signal. The control section generates speed adjustment information for adjusting a switching speed of the switch and transmits the speed adjustment information to the drive circuit. The drive circuit includes a speed calculation section that receives the transmitted speed adjustment information and calculates command switching speed information of the switch based on the received speed adjustment information, and a drive section that performs switching of the switch based on the received drive signal and the calculated command switching speed information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A drive device for switching a switch configuring an electrical power converter, the drive device comprising:
a surge detection section that detects a surge voltage generated due to change of a switching state of the switch;
a control section configured to:
generate a drive signal for the switch;
transmit the drive signal;
generate a surge reference value as a speed adjustment signal for adjusting a switching speed of the switch; and
transmit the speed adjustment signal; and

a drive circuit configured to receive the transmitted drive signal, the drive circuit including:
a speed calculation section configured to receive the transmitted speed adjustment signal and calculate a command switching speed signal of the switch based on the received speed adjustment signal such that the surge voltage is equal to or less than the surge reference value; and
a drive section configured to switch the switch based on the received drive signal and the calculated command switching speed signal.

2. The drive device according the claim 1 , wherein
the speed calculation section calculates the command switching speed signal in relation to a deviation between the received surge reference value and the surge voltage detected by the surge detection section such that the calculated command switching speed signal causes the switching speed to be higher as the deviation increases.

3. The drive device according the claim 2 , wherein
the speed calculation section calculates the command switching speed signal as an operation amount for feedback control of the deviation to 0, and sets a feedback gain used for the feedback control so as to be larger when the deviation is large than when the deviation is small.

4. The drive device according the claim 1 , wherein the drive circuit includes:
an initial value calculation section that calculates an initial value of the command switching speed signal such that the switching speed is less than the command switching speed signal calculated by the speed calculation section; and
a switching section that, if it is determined that a predetermined switching condition is met, changes the command switching speed signal used in the drive section from the command switching speed signal calculated by the speed calculation section to the initial value calculated by the initial value calculation section.

5. The drive device according the claim 4 , wherein the initial value calculation section obtains a parameter including at least one of a power-supply voltage of the electrical power converter, a temperature of the switch, and a current flowing to the switch, and calculates the initial value based on the obtained parameter and definition signal in which the initial value is defined in association with the parameter.

6. The drive device according the claim 5 , wherein when the command switching speed signal used by the drive section has been set as the command switching speed signal calculated by the speed calculation section, the initial value calculation section stores the command switching speed signal calculated by the speed calculation section as the initial value in association with the parameter.

7. The drive device according the claim 4 , wherein the switching section determines whether the predetermined switching condition has been met based on at least one of a power-supply voltage of the electrical power converter and a current flowing to the switch.

8. The drive device according the claim 4 ,
wherein the switching section determines whether the predetermined switching condition has been met based on at least one of: the detected surge voltage, a power-supply voltage of the electrical power converter, a current flowing to the switch, the surge reference value, and a deviation between the surge reference value and the detected surge voltage.

9. The drive device according the claim 1 , wherein
the electrical power converter includes a DCDC converter having a reactor, and an upper arm transformation switch and a lower arm transformation switch that serve as the switch,
the control section generates the drive signal that turns on the upper arm transformation switch and the lower arm transformation switch alternately with a dead time therebetween, and transmits the generated drive signal to the drive circuit corresponding to the upper arm transformation switch and the lower arm transformation switch, and
the drive device further comprises a processing section that, if a condition that a direction of a current flowing to the DCDC converter is changed is met, lowers the switch speed in the DCDC converter.

10. The drive device according the claim 1 , wherein
the drive circuit includes an adjustment signal limitation section that receives the transmitted speed adjustment signal and limits the received speed adjustment signal so that a peak value of the surge voltage does not exceed a withstand voltage of the switch, and
the speed calculation section calculates the command switching speed signal based on the speed adjustment signal limited by the adjustment signal limitation section.

11. The drive device according the claim 10 , wherein the adjustment signal limitation section limits the speed adjustment signal based on at least one of a power-supply voltage of the electrical power converter, a temperature of the switch, and a current flowing to the switch.

12. The drive device according the claim 1 , wherein the drive circuit includes a command signal limitation section that limits the command switching speed signal calculated by the speed calculation section.

13. The drive device according the claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of the drive circuits; and
a plurality of the switches,
wherein the drive circuits are individually provided for the switches,
the drive circuits are configured to communicate a signal to each other, and
the speed calculation section included in at least one of the drive circuits calculates the command switching speed signal based on signal transmitted from another of the drive circuits.

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Nishibata Koichi

Classifications

• H03K17/165

  by feedback from the output circuit to the control circuit · CPC title

• H02M1/08 Primary

  Circuits specially adapted for the generation of control voltages for semiconductor devices incorporated in static converters · CPC title

• H02P2201/11

  Buck converter, i.e. DC-DC step down converter decreasing the voltage between the supply and the inverter driving the motor · CPC title

• H02P2201/09

  Boost converter, i.e. DC-DC step up converter increasing the voltage between the supply and the inverter driving the motor · CPC title

• H02M7/53871

  with automatic control of output voltage or current · CPC title