Patent · US Active

Method and apparatus for balancing currents

US9941873B2 · kind B2 · utility

0Cited by

1References

18Claims

0Family size

Assignee

ABB Oy · FI

Inventors

Ignacio Lizama · Dresden, DE
Rodrigo Alonso Alvarez Valenzuela · Koblenzer Straße, DE
Steffen Bernet · Dresden, DE
Matti Laitinen · Kirkkonummi, FI

Key dates

Filing date	Dec 11, 2014
Grant date	Apr 10, 2018
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Jul 29, 2035

Classification

Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
CPC primaryH03K2217/0027
WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for balancing currents of two or more parallel-connected power semiconductor switches during an on-state of the switches. A control terminal of each switch is driven by a driver unit. The method includes determining ratios between the currents through the switches. For each switch, the method includes controlling the voltage at the control terminal on the basis of the ratios by controlling a level of a supply voltage of the driver unit of the switch, and after a turn-on commutation transient, modulating the output of the driver unit. The duty cycle of the modulation is controlled to minimize the time required for the transition of the voltage at the control terminal from the one voltage level to another.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.