Intelligent power module and intelligent power module control system

Abstract

This application discloses an intelligent power module and an intelligent power module control system. The intelligent power module includes: a high-side IGBT, the collector of which is connected to a power supply, and the emitter of which is connected to a load device; a low-side IGBT, the collector of which is connected to the emitter of which is connected to the high-side IGBT, and the emitter of which is grounded; a low-side gate drive circuit, connected to the gate of which is used to turn the low-side IGBT on or off; and a voltage acquisition and control circuit, connected to the collector, emitter, and low-side gate drive circuit of which is used to detect a first voltage at the collector and a second voltage at the emitter of which is the high-side IGBT. When the first and second voltages meet preset conditions, the low-side gate drive circuit is controlled to turn on the low-side IGBT; when the first and second voltages do not meet preset conditions, the low-side gate drive circuit is controlled to turn off the low-side IGBT. According to the intelligent power module and intelligent power module control system of this application, short-circuit current can be effectively avoided when the low-side IGBT is turned on.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of integrated circuit technology, and more specifically to an intelligent power module and an intelligent power module control system. Background Technology

[0002] Intelligent power modules (IPMs) are commonly used in three-phase inverter circuits for home appliances, industrial machinery, and automotive products.

[0003] In intelligent power modules, short-circuit currents are prone to occur due to the time delay when the high-side IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) and low-side IGBT switch on / off. This is because the control / drive IC cannot identify the switching state of the target IGBT.

[0004] To prevent short-circuit current, a sufficient dead time margin (the time during which both the high-side and low-side IGBTs are simultaneously in the OFF state) is typically provided when switching IGBT states on the input signal side to prevent short-circuit current from occurring. However, using such an input signal can lead to degraded controllability when the load current approaches 0% and 100%, thereby reducing load efficiency.

[0005] Therefore, improvements are needed to at least partially address the aforementioned problems. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides an intelligent power module and an intelligent power module control system to avoid short-circuit current when switching the low-side IGBT switching state.

[0007] In a first aspect, this application provides an intelligent power module, which includes:

[0008] A high-side IGBT, wherein the collector of the high-side IGBT is connected to a power supply and the emitter of the high-side IGBT is connected to a load device;

[0009] A low-side IGBT, wherein the collector of the low-side IGBT is connected to the emitter of the high-side IGBT, and the emitter of the low-side IGBT is grounded;

[0010] A low-side gate drive circuit is connected to the gate of the low-side IGBT and is used to turn the low-side IGBT on or off.

[0011] A voltage acquisition and control circuit is connected to the collector of the high-side IGBT, the emitter of the high-side IGBT, and the low-side gate driving circuit. It is used to detect a first voltage at the collector of the high-side IGBT and a second voltage at the emitter of the high-side IGBT. When the first voltage and the second voltage meet a preset condition, it sends a first control signal to the low-side gate driving circuit to control the low-side gate driving circuit to turn on the low-side IGBT. When the first voltage and the second voltage do not meet the preset condition, it sends a second control signal to the low-side gate driving circuit to control the low-side gate driving circuit to turn off the low-side IGBT.

[0012] When the first voltage and the second voltage meet the preset conditions, the high-side IGBT is in the off state.

[0013] The above technical solution has the following advantages and beneficial effects: the voltage acquisition and control circuit can detect the first voltage of the collector of the high-side IGBT and the second voltage of the emitter of the high-side IGBT, and control the low-side gate drive circuit to turn on or off the low-side IGBT based on whether the first voltage and the second voltage meet the preset conditions (that is, based on the switching state of the high-side IGBT). Thus, the low-side IGBT can be turned on at the optimal time (when the high-side IGBT is in the off state), which can effectively avoid the short-circuit current generated when the low-side IGBT is turned on when the high-side IGBT is in the on state. There is no need to leave a sufficient dead time margin when the low-side IGBT switches on and off, which can effectively improve the efficiency of the load device.

[0014] In one implementation, the preset condition is:

[0015] Ve > Vc; or,

[0016] Ve < Vc - 2Vcesat;

[0017] Wherein, Ve is the second voltage, Vc is the first voltage, and Vcesat is the saturation voltage of the high-side IGBT.

[0018] The above technical solution has the following advantages and beneficial effects: it can ensure that the high-side IGBT is in the off state when the above preset conditions are met.

[0019] In one embodiment, the voltage acquisition and control circuit includes:

[0020] A voltage sampling device is connected to the collector and emitter of the high-side IGBT and is used to sample the first voltage and the second voltage.

[0021] A first voltage detection device is connected to the voltage sampling device and is used to detect whether the first voltage and the second voltage satisfy Ve > Vc.

[0022] A second voltage detection device is connected to the voltage sampling device and is used to detect whether the first voltage and the second voltage satisfy Ve < Vc - 2Vcesat;

[0023] A control device, connected to the first voltage detection device, the second voltage detection device and the low-side gate drive circuit, is used to send the first control signal or the second control signal to the low-side gate drive circuit according to the detection results of the first voltage detection device and the second voltage detection device.

[0024] The above technical solution has the following advantages and beneficial effects: by detecting the two preset conditions by the first voltage detection device and the second voltage detection device respectively, the on / off state of the high-side IGBT can be determined more comprehensively and accurately.

[0025] In one embodiment, the voltage sampling device includes a first resistor R1, a second resistor R2, a third resistor R3, a fourth resistor R4, a fifth resistor R5, and a sixth resistor R6.

[0026] The first end of the first resistor R1 is connected to the emitter of the high-side IGBT, the second end of the first resistor R1 is connected to the first end of the second resistor R2, and the second end of the second resistor R2 is grounded.

[0027] The first end of the third resistor R3 is connected to the collector of the high-side IGBT, the second end of the third resistor R3 is connected to the first end of the fourth resistor R4, and the second end of the fourth resistor R4 is grounded.

[0028] The first end of the fifth resistor R5 is connected to the collector of the high-side IGBT, the second end of the fifth resistor R5 is connected to the first end of the sixth resistor R6, and the second end of the sixth resistor R6 is grounded.

[0029] In one embodiment, the voltage sampling device includes a first resistor R1, a second resistor R2, a third resistor R3, a fourth resistor R4, a fifth resistor R5, and a sixth resistor R6.

[0030] The first end of the first resistor R1 is connected to the collector of the high-side IGBT, the second end of the first resistor R1 is connected to the first end of the second resistor R2, and the second end of the second resistor R2 is grounded.

[0031] The first end of the third resistor R3 is connected to the emitter of the high-side IGBT, the second end of the third resistor R3 is connected to the first end of the fourth resistor R4, and the second end of the fourth resistor R4 is grounded.

[0032] The first end of the fifth resistor R5 is connected to the emitter of the high-side IGBT, the second end of the fifth resistor R5 is connected to the first end of the sixth resistor R6, and the second end of the sixth resistor R6 is grounded.

[0033] In one embodiment, the first voltage detection device is a first comparator, the first input terminal of the first comparator is connected to the second terminal of the first resistor R1, the second input terminal of the first comparator is connected to the second terminal of the third resistor R3, and the output terminal of the first comparator is connected to the control device.

[0034] The second voltage detection device is a second comparator. The first input terminal of the second comparator is connected to the second terminal of the first resistor R1, the second input terminal of the second comparator is connected to the second terminal of the fifth resistor R5, and the output terminal of the second comparator is connected to the control device.

[0035] In one embodiment, the control device is a NAND gate device, the first input terminal of the NAND gate device is connected to the output terminal of the first comparator, the second input terminal of the NAND gate device is connected to the output terminal of the second comparator, and the output terminal of the NAND gate device is connected to the low-side gate drive circuit.

[0036] In one embodiment, the low-side gate drive circuit includes:

[0037] A drive signal receiving sub-circuit is used to receive a low-side IGBT drive signal, which is used to turn the low-side IGBT on or off.

[0038] The level conversion device is connected to the drive signal receiving sub-circuit and the voltage acquisition and control circuit;

[0039] A driving sub-circuit is connected to the level conversion device and the gate of the low-side IGBT;

[0040] The level conversion device is used to convert the level of the first control signal and provide the converted level signal to the driving sub-circuit to drive the driving sub-circuit to turn on the low-side IGBT.

[0041] In one embodiment, the voltage acquisition and control circuit is connected to the drive signal receiving sub-circuit and is used to send the second control signal to the low-side gate drive circuit when the low-side IGBT drive signal is used to turn on the low-side IGBT and the first voltage and the second voltage do not meet the preset condition, so as to control the low-side gate drive circuit to turn off the low-side IGBT.

[0042] The above technical solution has the following advantages and benefits: when the high-side IGBT is in the on state, even if the low-side IGBT drive signal used to turn on the low-side IGBT is incorrectly input, the low-side IGBT can be kept in the off state, thereby effectively preventing IGBT damage caused by abnormal current.

[0043] Secondly, this application provides an intelligent power module control system, which includes the intelligent power module as described above and a load device, wherein the load device is connected to the emitter of the high-side IGBT. Attached Figure Description

[0044] The following drawings, which are incorporated herein by reference and are used to understand this application, illustrate embodiments of the invention and their descriptions, thereby explaining the apparatus and principles of the invention. In the drawings,

[0045] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an intelligent power module according to an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 2 This is a detailed structural schematic diagram of a smart power module according to an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 3 This is a detailed structural schematic diagram of a smart power module according to an embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an intelligent power module control system according to an embodiment of this application.

[0049] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0050] 100 - Intelligent power module, 110 - High-side IGBT, 120 - Low-side IGBT, 130 - Low-side gate drive circuit, 131 - Drive signal receiving sub-circuit, 132 - Level conversion device, 133 - Drive sub-circuit, 140 - Voltage acquisition and control circuit, 141 - Voltage sampling device, 142 - First voltage detection device, 143 - Second voltage detection device, 144 - Control device;

[0051] 200-load equipment;

[0052] 300-Power Supply;

[0053] 1000-Intelligent Power Module Control System. Detailed Implementation

[0054] The following description provides numerous specific details to offer a more thorough understanding of this application. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this application can be practiced without one or more of these details. In other instances, certain technical features well-known in the art have not been described to avoid confusion with this application.

[0055] It should be understood that this application can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, providing these embodiments will make the disclosure thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of this application to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, for clarity, the dimensions and relative dimensions of layers and regions may be exaggerated. The same reference numerals denote the same elements throughout.

[0056] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used to describe various elements, components, areas, layers, and / or parts, these elements, components, areas, layers, and / or parts should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, area, layer, or part from another element, component, area, layer, or part. Therefore, without departing from the teachings of this application, the first element, component, area, layer, or part discussed below may be referred to as the second element, component, area, layer, or part.

[0057] Spatial relation terms such as "below," "under," "below," "under," "above," and "above" are used here for convenience to describe the relationship between one element or feature shown in the figure and other elements or features. It should be understood that, in addition to the orientation shown in the figure, spatial relation terms are intended to also include different orientations of devices in use and operation.

[0058] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of this application. When used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms “comprising” and / or “including,” when used in this specification, identify the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups. When used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of the associated listed items.

[0059] Embodiments of the invention are described herein with reference to cross-sectional views that serve as schematic diagrams of preferred embodiments (and intermediate structures) of this application. Thus, variations in the shown shape are contemplated due to, for example, manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances. Therefore, embodiments of this application should not be limited to the specific shapes shown herein, but include shape deviations due to, for example, manufacturing processes. Consequently, the figures are substantially schematic, and their shapes are not intended to show the actual shape of the device and are not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0060] See attached document Figure 1 An exemplary description will be given of a smart power module 100 according to an embodiment of this application. The smart power module 100 includes a high-side IGBT 110, a low-side IGBT 120, a low-side gate drive circuit 130, and a voltage acquisition and control circuit 140.

[0061] The collector of the high-side IGBT 110 is connected to the power supply 300, and the emitter of the high-side IGBT 110 is connected to the load device 200. The gate of the high-side IGBT 110 is connected to a high-side gate drive circuit, which is used to turn the high-side IGBT 110 on or off. It should be noted that turning the IGBT on or off means providing a drive signal to the gate of the IGBT to make the collector and emitter of the IGBT conduct, while turning the IGBT off means providing a drive signal to the gate of the IGBT to disconnect the collector and emitter of the IGBT.

[0062] The collector of the low-side IGBT120 is connected to the emitter of the high-side IGBT110, and the emitter of the low-side IGBT120 is grounded.

[0063] The low-side gate drive circuit 130 is connected to the gate of the low-side IGBT 120 and is used to turn the low-side IGBT 120 on or off.

[0064] The voltage acquisition and control circuit 140 is connected to the collector, emitter, and low-side gate drive circuit 130 of the high-side IGBT 110. It is used to detect the first voltage of the collector and the second voltage of the emitter of the high-side IGBT 110. When the first voltage and the second voltage meet the preset conditions, it sends a first control signal to the low-side gate drive circuit 130 to control the low-side gate drive circuit 130 to turn on the low-side IGBT 120. When the first voltage and the second voltage do not meet the preset conditions, it sends a second control signal to the low-side gate drive circuit 130 to control the low-side gate drive circuit 130 to turn off the low-side IGBT 120.

[0065] When the first and second voltages meet preset conditions, the high-side IGBT 110 is in the off state. At this time, the low-side gate drive circuit 130 can be controlled to turn on the low-side IGBT 120 without causing a short circuit. When the first and second voltages do not meet the preset conditions, the high-side IGBT 110 is likely in the on state. At this time, the low-side gate drive circuit 130 needs to be controlled to turn off the low-side IGBT 120 to avoid causing a short circuit.

[0066] In other words, the technical solution of this application detects the first voltage of the collector of the high-side IGBT 110 and the second voltage of the emitter of the high-side IGBT 110 through the voltage acquisition and control circuit 140, and determines the on / off state (switching state) of the high-side IGBT 110 based on whether the first voltage and the second voltage meet preset conditions. When the high-side IGBT 110 is in the off state, a first control signal is sent to the low-side gate drive circuit 130 to control the low-side gate drive circuit 130 to turn on the low-side IGBT 120. When the high-side IGBT 110 is in the on state, a second control signal is sent to the low-side gate drive circuit 130 to control the low-side gate drive circuit 130 to turn off the low-side IGBT 120. The technical solution of this application can turn on the low-side IGBT 120 at the optimal time (when the high-side IGBT 110 is in the off state), which can effectively avoid the short-circuit current generated when the low-side IGBT 120 is turned on when the high-side IGBT 110 is in the on state. There is no need to leave a sufficient dead time margin when the low-side IGBT 120 switches on and off, thereby effectively improving the efficiency of the load device 200.

[0067] It should be noted that, through research, those skilled in the art have discovered that when the high-side IGBT 110 is in the on state, the second voltage of the emitter of the high-side IGBT 110 is approximately equal to the first voltage of the collector of the high-side IGBT 110 minus the saturation voltage, due to the influence of the saturation voltage of the high-side IGBT 110. When the second voltage of the emitter of the high-side IGBT 110 is significantly lower than the difference between the first voltage of the collector of the high-side IGBT 110 and the saturation voltage of the high-side IGBT 110, it indicates that the high-side IGBT 110 is in the off state. Furthermore, when the high-side IGBT 110 is in the off state, but the low-side IGBT 120 switches from the on state to the off state, the switching of the on / off state of the low-side IGBT 120 is accompanied by the generation of a back electromotive force. At this time, the second voltage of the emitter of the high-side IGBT 110 may be higher than the first voltage of the collector of the high-side IGBT 110. Therefore, the on / off state of the high-side IGBT 110 is closely related to the first voltage of the collector of the high-side IGBT 110 and the second voltage of the emitter of the high-side IGBT 110. Accordingly, appropriate preset conditions can be configured so that when the first voltage and the second voltage meet the preset conditions, the high-side IGBT 110 is in the off state, and when the first voltage and the second voltage do not meet the preset conditions, the high-side IGBT 110 is in the on state.

[0068] In this embodiment, the preset condition is Ve > Vc or Ve < Vc - 2Vcesat. Here, Ve is the second voltage of the emitter of the high-side IGBT 110, Vc is the first voltage of the collector of the high-side IGBT 110, and Vcesat is the saturation voltage of the high-side IGBT 110. When the first voltage Vc of the collector of the high-side IGBT 110 and the second voltage Ve of the emitter of the high-side IGBT 110 satisfy Ve > Vc, it indicates that a back electromotive force is generated. At this time, the high-side IGBT 110 is in the off state, and the low-side IGBT 120 switches from the on state to the off state. When the first collector voltage Vc and the second emitter voltage Ve of the high-side IGBT 110 satisfy Ve < Vc - 2Vcesat, it indicates that the second emitter voltage Ve of the high-side IGBT 110 is significantly lower than the difference (Vc - Vcesat) obtained by subtracting the saturation voltage Vcesat of the high-side IGBT 110 from the first collector voltage Vc, the high-side IGBT 110 is in the off state. However, when Vc - 2Vcesat ≤ Ve ≤ Vc, the high-side IGBT 110 is highly likely to be in the on state, and in this case, it is not advisable to turn on the low-side IGBT 120.

[0069] It should be noted that those skilled in the art can set other suitable preset conditions, for example, Ve < Vc - 2Vcesat can be replaced with Ve < Vc - 3Vcesat, etc.

[0070] See appendix Figure 2 In one embodiment, the voltage acquisition and control circuit 140 includes a voltage sampling device 141, a first voltage detection device 142, a second voltage detection device 143, and a control device 144.

[0071] Voltage sampling device 141 is connected to the collector and emitter of the high-side IGBT 110 and is used to sample the first voltage and the second voltage. First voltage detection device 142 is connected to voltage sampling device 141 and is used to detect whether the first voltage and the second voltage satisfy Ve > Vc. Second voltage detection device 143 is connected to voltage sampling device 141 and is used to detect whether the first voltage and the second voltage satisfy Ve < Vc - 2Vcesat. Control device 144 is connected to the first voltage detection device 142, the second voltage detection device 143, and the low-side gate drive circuit 130, and is used to send a first control signal or a second control signal to the low-side gate drive circuit 130 based on the detection results of the first voltage detection device 142 and the second voltage detection device 143. That is, when the first voltage detection device 142 detects that the first voltage Vc of the collector of the high-side IGBT 110 and the second voltage Ve of the emitter of the high-side IGBT 110 satisfy Ve > Vc, the control device 144 sends a first control signal to the low-side gate drive circuit 130 to control the low-side gate drive circuit 130 to turn on the low-side IGBT 120. When the second voltage detection device 143 detects that the first voltage Vc of the collector of the high-side IGBT 110 and the second voltage Ve of the emitter of the high-side IGBT 110 satisfy Ve < Vc - 2Vcesat, the control device 144 sends a first control signal to the low-side gate drive circuit 130 to control the low-side gate drive circuit 130 to turn on the low-side IGBT 120. When the detection result of the first voltage detection device 142 does not satisfy Ve > Vc and the detection result of the second voltage detection device 143 does not satisfy Ve < Vc - 2Vcesat, the controller 144 sends a second control signal to the low-side gate drive circuit 130 to control the low-side gate drive circuit 130 to disconnect the low-side IGBT 120.

[0072] The technical solution of this embodiment uses a first voltage detection device 142 and a second voltage detection device 143 to detect the two cases of Ve > Vc and Ve < Vc - 2Vcesat respectively, which can more comprehensively and accurately determine the on / off state of the high-side IGBT 110.

[0073] See appendix Figure 2In one embodiment of this application, the voltage sampling device 141 includes a first resistor R1, a second resistor R2, a third resistor R3, a fourth resistor R4, a fifth resistor R5, and a sixth resistor R6.

[0074] The first terminal of the first resistor R1 is connected to the emitter of the high-side IGBT 110, and the second terminal of the first resistor R1 is connected to the first terminal of the second resistor R2. The second terminal of the second resistor R2 is grounded. The first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2 are used to divide the second voltage Ve at the emitter of the high-side IGBT 110. The voltage at the second terminal of the first resistor R1 corresponds to the second voltage Ve. It should be noted that this correspondence does not mean equality, but rather that there is a certain proportional relationship between the two.

[0075] The first terminal of the third resistor R3 is connected to the collector of the high-side IGBT 110, and the second terminal of the third resistor R3 is connected to the first terminal of the fourth resistor R4, which is grounded. The first terminal of the fifth resistor R5 is connected to the collector of the high-side IGBT 110, and the second terminal of the fifth resistor R5 is connected to the first terminal of the sixth resistor R6, which is grounded. The third resistor R3 and the fourth resistor R4 are used to divide the first voltage Vc at the collector of the high-side IGBT 110, and the fifth resistor R5 and the sixth resistor R6 are also used to divide the first voltage Vc at the collector of the high-side IGBT 110. By setting the values ​​of the third resistor R3, the fourth resistor R4, the fifth resistor R5, and the sixth resistor R6, the voltage at the second terminal of the third resistor R3 can correspond to the first voltage Vc, and the voltage at the second terminal of the fifth resistor R5 can correspond to Vc-2Vcesat. Therefore, by comparing the voltage at the second terminal of the first resistor R1 and the voltage at the second terminal of the third resistor R3, it can be determined whether the first voltage Vc and the second voltage Ve satisfy Ve > Vc; by comparing the voltage at the second terminal of the first resistor R1 and the voltage at the second terminal of the fifth resistor R5, it can be determined whether the first voltage Vc and the second voltage Ve satisfy Ve < Vc - 2Vcesat.

[0076] In one embodiment of this application, the first voltage detection device 142 is a first comparator. The first input terminal of the first comparator is connected to the second terminal of the first resistor R1, the second input terminal of the first comparator is connected to the second terminal of the third resistor R3, and the output terminal of the first comparator is connected to the control device 144. Exemplarily, the first comparator can output a low level to the control device 144 when the voltage at the second terminal of the first resistor R1 is greater than the voltage at the second terminal of the third resistor R3 (i.e., Ve > Vc), and conversely, output a high level to the control device 144 when the voltage at the second terminal of the first resistor R1 is greater than the voltage at the second terminal of the third resistor R3.

[0077] The second voltage detection device 143 is a second comparator. The first input terminal of the second comparator is connected to the second terminal of the first resistor R1, and the second input terminal is connected to the second terminal of the fifth resistor R5. The output terminal of the second comparator is connected to the control device 144. For example, the second comparator can output a low level to the control device 144 when the voltage at the second terminal of the first resistor R1 is less than the voltage at the second terminal of the fifth resistor R5 (i.e., Ve < Vc - 2Vcesat), and conversely, output a high level to the control device 144 when the voltage at the second terminal of the first resistor R1 is less than the voltage at the second terminal of the fifth resistor R5.

[0078] In one embodiment of this application, the control device 144 is a NAND gate. The first input terminal of the NAND gate is connected to the output terminal of the first comparator, the second input terminal of the NAND gate is connected to the output terminal of the second comparator, and the output terminal of the NAND gate is connected to the low-side gate drive circuit 130. Exemplarily, when either the first voltage detection device 142 or the second voltage detection device 143 outputs a low level, the NAND gate outputs a high level (i.e., a first control signal) to the low-side gate drive circuit 130 to control the low-side gate drive circuit 130 to turn on the low-side IGBT 120. When both the first voltage detection device 142 and the second voltage detection device 143 output a high level, the NAND gate outputs a low level (i.e., a second control signal) to the low-side gate drive circuit 130 to control the low-side gate drive circuit 130 to turn off the low-side IGBT 120.

[0079] According to the voltage acquisition and control circuit 140 of this embodiment, the components constituting the circuit can use low-voltage components in the low-side driver IC (i.e., existing IC technology can be used), without the need to add external components or additional functional terminals (pin compatibility can be achieved).

[0080] See appendix Figure 2 In one embodiment of this application, the low-side gate drive circuit 130 includes a drive signal receiving sub-circuit 131, a level conversion device 132, and a drive sub-circuit 133.

[0081] The drive signal receiving sub-circuit 131 is used to receive the low-side IGBT drive signal, which is used to turn the low-side IGBT 120 on or off. Exemplarily, the drive signal receiving sub-circuit 131 includes a PMOS transistor and an NMOS transistor connected in series. The source of the PMOS transistor is connected to a voltage source VDD and a level shifting device 132, the drain of the PMOS transistor is connected to the drain of the NMOS transistor, the source of the NMOS transistor is grounded, and the gates of both the PMOS and NMOS transistors are connected to the low-side IGBT drive signal input terminal IN. The low-side IGBT drive signal input terminal IN is used to receive the low-side IGBT drive signal.

[0082] Level converter 132 is connected to drive signal receiving sub-circuit 131 and voltage acquisition and control circuit 140. Drive sub-circuit 133 is connected to level converter 132 and the gate of low-side IGBT 120. Drive sub-circuit 133 may include a pre-stage drive sub-circuit 133 and an output drive sub-circuit 133. The pre-stage drive sub-circuit 133 includes a first amplifier and a second amplifier. The input terminals of both the first amplifier and the second amplifier are connected to level converter 132. The output drive sub-circuit 133 includes a PMOS transistor, an NMOS transistor, resistor Ron, and resistor Roff. The source of the PMOS transistor is connected to a voltage source VCC. The drain of the PMOS transistor is connected to the first terminal of resistor Ron. The second terminal of resistor Ron is connected to the first terminal of resistor Roff and the gate of low-side IGBT 120. The second terminal of resistor Roff is connected to the drain of the NMOS transistor. The source of the NMOS transistor is grounded. The gate of the PMOS transistor is connected to the output terminal of the first amplifier, and the gate of the NMOS transistor is connected to the output terminal of the second amplifier.

[0083] Level converter 132 is used to level-convert a first control signal (e.g., a high-level signal) and provide the converted level signal to drive sub-circuit 133 to turn on the low-side IGBT 120. Level converter 132 is also used to drive drive sub-circuit 133 to turn off the low-side IGBT 120 upon receiving a second control signal (e.g., a low-level signal). Exemplarily, level converter 132 can also be used to level-convert a low-side IGBT drive signal.

[0084] See appendix Figure 2In one embodiment of this application, the voltage acquisition and control circuit 140 is connected to the drive signal receiving sub-circuit 131. When the low-side IGBT drive signal is used to turn on the low-side IGBT 120, and the first voltage and the second voltage do not meet preset conditions, the control circuit 140 sends a second control signal to the low-side gate drive circuit 130 to control the low-side gate drive circuit 130 to turn off the low-side IGBT 120. Exemplarily, the third input terminal of the control device 144 can be connected to the drive signal receiving sub-circuit 131. This control device sends a second control signal to the level conversion device 132 based on the detection results of the first voltage detection device 142 and the second voltage detection device 143, and the low-side IGBT drive signal. Specifically, when the low-side IGBT drive signal is used to turn on the low-side IGBT 120, and the first voltage and the second voltage do not meet preset conditions (i.e., when the high-side IGBT 110 is likely in a conducting state), the control circuit sends a second control signal to the low-side gate drive circuit 130 to control the low-side gate drive circuit 130 to turn off the low-side IGBT 120. Therefore, even if a low-side IGBT drive signal for turning on the low-side IGBT 120 is incorrectly input when the high-side IGBT 110 is in the on state, the low-side IGBT 120 can be kept in the off state, thereby effectively preventing IGBT damage caused by abnormal current.

[0085] See appendix Figure 3 In another embodiment of this application, the voltage sampling device 141 includes a first resistor R1, a second resistor R2, a third resistor R3, a fourth resistor R4, a fifth resistor R5, and a sixth resistor R6.

[0086] The first terminal of the first resistor R1 is connected to the collector of the high-side IGBT 110, and the second terminal of the first resistor R1 is connected to the first terminal of the second resistor R2. The second terminal of the second resistor R2 is grounded. The first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2 are used to divide the first voltage Vc at the collector of the high-side IGBT 110. The voltage at the second terminal of the first resistor R1 corresponds to the first voltage Vc. It should be noted that this correspondence does not mean equality, but rather that there is a certain proportional relationship between the two.

[0087] The first terminal of the third resistor R3 is connected to the emitter of the high-side IGBT110, and the second terminal of the third resistor R3 is connected to the first terminal of the fourth resistor R4, with the second terminal of the fourth resistor R4 grounded. The first terminal of the fifth resistor R5 is connected to the emitter of the high-side IGBT110, and the second terminal of the fifth resistor R5 is connected to the first terminal of the sixth resistor R6, with the second terminal of the sixth resistor R6 grounded. The third resistor R3 and the fourth resistor R4 are used to divide the second voltage Ve at the collector of the high-side IGBT110, and the fifth resistor R5 and the sixth resistor R6 are also used to divide the second voltage Ve at the collector of the high-side IGBT110. The voltage at the second terminal of the third resistor R3 can be adjusted to correspond to the second voltage Ve, and the voltage at the second terminal of the fifth resistor R5 can correspond to Ve + 2Vcesat. Therefore, by comparing the voltage at the second terminal of the first resistor R1 and the voltage at the second terminal of the third resistor R3, it can be determined whether the first voltage Vc and the second voltage Ve satisfy Ve > Vc; by comparing the voltage at the second terminal of the first resistor R1 and the voltage at the second terminal of the fifth resistor R5, it can be determined whether the first voltage Vc and the second voltage Ve satisfy Ve < Vc - 2 Vcesat.

[0088] Figure 4 An intelligent power module control system 1000 is provided for embodiments of this application. The intelligent power module control system 1000 includes an intelligent power module 100 and a load device 200, wherein the load device 200 is connected to the emitter of a high-side IGBT 110.

[0089] It should be noted that the system provided in this application embodiment is similar in implementation and principle to the intelligent power module 100 embodiment and can achieve the same technical effect. Therefore, the parts and beneficial effects that are the same as those in the structural embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0090] Although exemplary embodiments have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the above exemplary embodiments are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Various changes and modifications can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of this application. All such changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this application as claimed in the appended claims.

[0091] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0092] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another device, or some features may be ignored or not executed.

[0093] Numerous specific details are set forth in the specification provided herein. However, it will be understood that embodiments of this application may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known methods, structures, and techniques have not been shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this specification.

[0094] Similarly, it should be understood that, in order to streamline this application and aid in understanding one or more of the various inventive aspects, features of this application may sometimes be grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof in the description of exemplary embodiments of this application. However, this approach should not be construed as reflecting an intention that the claimed application requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as reflected in the corresponding claims, its inventive point lies in solving the corresponding technical problem with features fewer than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Therefore, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into that detailed description, wherein each claim itself is a separate embodiment of this application.

[0095] Those skilled in the art will understand that, apart from the mutual exclusion of features, all features disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) and all processes or elements of any method or apparatus so disclosed can be combined in any combination. Unless otherwise expressly stated, each feature disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) may be replaced by an alternative feature serving the same, equivalent, or similar purpose.

[0096] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that although some embodiments described herein include certain features but not others included in other embodiments, combinations of features from different embodiments are intended to be within the scope of this application and form different embodiments. For example, in the claims, any one of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

[0097] It should be noted that the above embodiments are illustrative of this application and not restrictive of this application, and that those skilled in the art can devise alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A smart power module (100), characterized in that, include: A high-side IGBT (110) is provided, wherein the collector of the high-side IGBT (110) is connected to a power supply (300) and the emitter of the high-side IGBT (110) is connected to a load device (200). A low-side IGBT (120) is provided, wherein the collector of the low-side IGBT (120) is connected to the emitter of the high-side IGBT (110), and the emitter of the low-side IGBT (120) is grounded. The low-side gate drive circuit (130) is connected to the gate of the low-side IGBT (120) and is used to turn the low-side IGBT (120) on or off. A voltage acquisition and control circuit (140) is connected to the collector of the high-side IGBT (110), the emitter of the high-side IGBT (110), and the low-side gate drive circuit (130). It is used to detect the first voltage of the collector of the high-side IGBT (110) and the second voltage of the emitter of the high-side IGBT (110). When the first voltage and the second voltage meet a preset condition, it sends a first control signal to the low-side gate drive circuit (130) to control the low-side gate drive circuit (130) to turn on the low-side IGBT (120). When the first voltage and the second voltage do not meet the preset condition, it sends a second control signal to the low-side gate drive circuit (130) to control the low-side gate drive circuit (130) to turn off the low-side IGBT (120). When the first voltage and the second voltage satisfy the preset condition, the high-side IGBT (110) is in the off state; The preset conditions are: Ve > Vc; or, Ve < Vc - 2Vcesat; Wherein, Ve is the second voltage, Vc is the first voltage, and Vcesat is the saturation voltage of the high-side IGBT (110).

2. The intelligent power module (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The voltage acquisition and control circuit (140) includes: A voltage sampling device (141) is connected to the collector and emitter of the high-side IGBT (110) and is used to sample the first voltage and the second voltage. The first voltage detection device (142) is connected to the voltage sampling device (141) and is used to detect whether the first voltage and the second voltage satisfy Ve > Vc; The second voltage detection device (143) is connected to the voltage sampling device (141) and is used to detect whether the first voltage and the second voltage satisfy Ve < Vc - 2Vcesat; The controller (144) is connected to the first voltage detection device (142), the second voltage detection device (143) and the low-side gate drive circuit (130), and is used to send the first control signal or the second control signal to the low-side gate drive circuit (130) according to the detection results of the first voltage detection device (142) and the second voltage detection device (143).

3. The intelligent power module (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that, The voltage sampling device (141) includes a first resistor R1, a second resistor R2, a third resistor R3, a fourth resistor R4, a fifth resistor R5, and a sixth resistor R6; The first end of the first resistor R1 is connected to the emitter of the high-side IGBT (110), the second end of the first resistor R1 is connected to the first end of the second resistor R2, and the second end of the second resistor R2 is grounded. The first end of the third resistor R3 is connected to the collector of the high-side IGBT (110), the second end of the third resistor R3 is connected to the first end of the fourth resistor R4, and the second end of the fourth resistor R4 is grounded. The first end of the fifth resistor R5 is connected to the collector of the high-side IGBT (110), the second end of the fifth resistor R5 is connected to the first end of the sixth resistor R6, and the second end of the sixth resistor R6 is grounded.

4. The intelligent power module (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that, The voltage sampling device (141) includes a first resistor R1, a second resistor R2, a third resistor R3, a fourth resistor R4, a fifth resistor R5, and a sixth resistor R6; The first end of the first resistor R1 is connected to the collector of the high-side IGBT (110), the second end of the first resistor R1 is connected to the first end of the second resistor R2, and the second end of the second resistor R2 is grounded. The first end of the third resistor R3 is connected to the emitter of the high-side IGBT (110), the second end of the third resistor R3 is connected to the first end of the fourth resistor R4, and the second end of the fourth resistor R4 is grounded. The first end of the fifth resistor R5 is connected to the emitter of the high-side IGBT (110), the second end of the fifth resistor R5 is connected to the first end of the sixth resistor R6, and the second end of the sixth resistor R6 is grounded.

5. The intelligent power module (100) according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The first voltage detection device (142) is a first comparator. The first input terminal of the first comparator is connected to the second terminal of the first resistor R1, the second input terminal of the first comparator is connected to the second terminal of the third resistor R3, and the output terminal of the first comparator is connected to the control device (144). The second voltage detection device (143) is a second comparator. The first input terminal of the second comparator is connected to the second terminal of the first resistor R1, the second input terminal of the second comparator is connected to the second terminal of the fifth resistor R5, and the output terminal of the second comparator is connected to the control device (144).

6. The intelligent power module (100) according to claim 5, characterized in that, The control device (144) is a NAND gate device. The first input terminal of the NAND gate device is connected to the output terminal of the first comparator, the second input terminal of the NAND gate device is connected to the output terminal of the second comparator, and the output terminal of the NAND gate device is connected to the low-side gate driving circuit.

7. The intelligent power module (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The low-side gate drive circuit (130) includes: The drive signal receiving sub-circuit (131) is used to receive the low-side IGBT drive signal, which is used to turn the low-side IGBT (120) on or off. A level conversion device (132) is connected to the drive signal receiving sub-circuit (131) and the voltage acquisition control circuit (140); The driving sub-circuit (133) is connected to the gate of the level conversion device (132) and the low-side IGBT (120); The level conversion device (132) is used to convert the level of the first control signal and provide the converted level signal to the driving sub-circuit (133) to drive the driving sub-circuit (133) to turn on the low-side IGBT (120).

8. The intelligent power module (100) according to claim 7, characterized in that, The voltage acquisition control circuit (140) is connected to the drive signal receiving sub-circuit (131) and is used to send the second control signal to the low-side gate drive circuit (130) when the low-side IGBT (120) drive signal is used to turn on the low-side IGBT (120) and the first voltage and the second voltage do not meet the preset conditions, so as to control the low-side gate drive circuit (130) to turn off the low-side IGBT (120).

9. A smart power module control system (1000), characterized in that, The device includes a smart power module (100) as described in any one of claims 1-8 and a load device (200), the load device (200) being connected to the emitter of the high-side IGBT (110).

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