Switch for safely switching on and off a power supply

Abstract

A switch for safely switching on and off a power supply is proposed. A switch, particularly for switching on and off direct current, is proposed. The switch includes: circuit modules connected in series, each formed using at least one switching transistor (M1, M3, M5, M7 and M2, M4, M6); a control unit (not shown); and a current measuring device (not shown), wherein multiple of these circuit modules can be individually activated by the control unit (via V to V7). The current measuring device is connected to the control unit and is designed to transmit the measured current value to the control unit, and the control unit is designed to selectively activate the circuit modules based on the current value measured and transmitted by the current measuring device. Here, a first switch (M1, M2) is first turned on via (V1 and / or V2), thereby initiating current flow through the first switch (M1 and / or M2) and through overvoltage protection elements (U1 to U7) connected in parallel with these switches. After the current decreases, the next switch is selectively activated (via V3 and / or V4). The switch according to the invention integrates the function of protecting the switch from excessive current, which is traditionally achieved by using additional external components (especially pre-charging), and is therefore a less expensive and more compact solution.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a switch designed for safe switching on and off with respect to the load of the switch components, and a method for switching on and off a power supply using such a switch. Background Technology

[0002] DC mains or DC networks (DC: direct current) typically exhibit strong capacitive characteristics in industrial environments. However, connecting capacitive loads always results in large balancing currents. This is particularly true in DC applications where multiple capacitors are connected together, such as intermediate circuits or DC networks, where the connected current is significant, often exceeding several times the rated current. Because this current can damage components and trigger superimposed protection, it must be limited. A common method of limitation is using pre-charge resistors. However, pre-charge resistors are large, expensive, and require cooling. Therefore, adequate ventilation must be ensured to prevent overheating of the resistor and surrounding components, further increasing the cost of pre-charging. These resistors are connected and disconnected via separate switching elements, which must also be controlled.

[0003] In addition to the drawbacks mentioned above, resistive precharging has another serious disadvantage. If a voltage is established in the load region, the drive voltage across the resistor decreases, and the precharging current decreases. Due to leakage current in the load, the voltage difference across the resistor can never become zero; that is, an actual semiconductor switch must always be connected at a certain voltage difference to allow a certain (significantly smaller) inrush current to flow. To address this problem, WO 2020156689 A1 proposes a solution. Here, precharging is divided into two parts:

[0004] Section 1: Pre-charging is performed through the resistor as long as the voltage in the load region is low, and therefore the voltage difference across the resistor is large, and therefore the charging current is also large (here, the drive voltage is too high for meaningful buck converter operation or pulse operation, but also too high for operation in the linear region).

[0005] Section 2: Once a specific voltage level is reached in the load region, the solid-state switch operates in pulse mode (in this section, because the drive voltage across the load resistor has decreased, the current flowing through the load resistor will be very small).

[0006] Both sections require individually controllable pre-charge resistors with large heat capacity so that electrical losses formed in the resistor do not lead to thermal damage to the resistor. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an efficient and low-overhead solution for safe switching in terms of the load of the components of the switch used.

[0008] The aforementioned technical problem is solved by the switch according to claim 1 and the method for supplying power according to claim 11.

[0009] A switch, particularly a switch for switching on and off direct current, is proposed. The switch comprises: series-connected circuit modules, each formed using at least one switching transistor (MOSFET, IGBT, BJT, etc.); a control unit (e.g., an MCU); and a current measuring device (e.g., a current sensor formed using a shunt resistor, converter, or Hall sensor). Multiple of these circuit modules are configured to be individually activated by the control unit, i.e., when a corresponding voltage is applied, they can be placed in a state in which the switching transistor of the circuit module is turned on or can be turned on. This can also be achieved by setting up a separate driver for each circuit module and controlling that driver individually. However, it is preferable to construct the switch in a low-overhead manner without setting a separate driver for each circuit module, as described in more detail below. The current measuring device is connected to the control unit. The switch is designed to transmit the measured current value to the control unit, and the control unit is configured or programmed to selectively activate the circuit modules based on the current value measured and transmitted by the current measuring device, for example, when the transmitted current value is below a threshold (or possibly at an appropriately calculated average value, such as the root mean square or RMS value of the current). Here, the switch can be designed to turn on and off in multiple successive stages (e.g., each stage connects one or two circuit modules) until all circuit modules are activated. Here, a stage is characterized by an increasing number of activated circuit modules. Thus, in the case of threshold-based on / off switching, it is preferable, but not necessary, to use the same threshold for the stages.

[0010] According to one design of the switch according to the invention, a unique driver (preferably for all circuit modules) is provided for multiple circuit modules, which provides a voltage for the switching transistors of the multiple circuit modules to turn on. For this purpose, a conductive or current connection is provided from the driver to the circuit module, and in order to selectively activate at least one of the multiple circuit modules, an access element (e.g., a photodiode) is introduced into the connection between the driver and the circuit module, which enables or inhibits the flow of current between the driver and the circuit module. Alternatively, a hybrid switch geometry is also conceivable, in which at least one circuit module is controlled by a dedicated driver instead of a common driver, and in order to selectively activate the circuit module, the switch is configured to selectively control its associated driver via a control unit.

[0011] In a design scheme for a tiered switching system, in a switch geometry with a single driver for multiple switching modules, it can be configured such that the circuit module activated in the first stage (or possibly only one circuit module) cannot be activated individually (e.g., via an optocoupler), while other circuit modules can be activated individually. Thus, the first stage is activated to some extent directly via a common driver.

[0012] According to one design of the switch according to the invention, the switch is formed using multiple series circuits of circuit modules arranged in parallel with each other. The control unit can then be configured or programmed to selectively activate the circuit modules in alternating stages among the multiple series circuits (i.e., circuit modules in two consecutive stages belong to different series circuits).

[0013] According to the design of the present invention, the function of protecting the switch from excessive current, which is traditionally achieved using additional external components (see WO2020156689 A1), is transferred to the switch itself. That is, instead of additional external components, the switch itself is designed to make switching on and off in a manner that prevents the current from reaching a large value that could endanger the electronic device. This is achieved by utilizing the formation of a switch with multiple circuit modules and the switching behavior, namely, measuring the current value using a current measuring device, transmitting the measured current value to a control unit, and selectively activating the circuit modules based on the current value measured and transmitted by the current measuring device.

[0014] As an additional protection, it can be configured to switch to pulse mode operation when the transmitted current value exceeds a threshold.

[0015] Therefore, compared to traditional solutions, the switch according to the present invention has lower overhead and is more efficient. It can be manufactured, sold, and installed as a single unit. That is, no additional circuitry measures are required in the operating environment to protect the switch against high currents.

[0016] The circuit modules or switches used can be constructed as in the German patent application DE 10 2023 200 167.5.

[0017] A circuit module for a semiconductor switch is presented therein. This circuit module is formed using a first transistor having a source terminal, a control terminal, and a low-potential terminal. Here, the term "source terminal" refers to a source terminal or emitter terminal, the term "control terminal" refers to a gate terminal or base terminal, and the term "low-potential terminal" refers to a drain terminal or collector terminal. Furthermore, the circuit module includes a second transistor having a source terminal, a control terminal, and a low-potential terminal, wherein the source terminal is connected to the control terminal of the first transistor, and the low-potential terminal is connected to the source terminal of the first transistor. Additionally, a connection is provided from the control terminal of the second transistor to a driver (the driver itself is not part of the circuit module).

[0018] The core idea of ​​application DE 10 2023 200 167.5 is that the modular construction of semiconductor switches can be achieved by connecting or cascading circuit modules according to the invention, wherein these modules can be controlled by a single driver. This solution is low-overhead (only one driver), but can be arbitrarily scaled by changing the number of modules, i.e., it is also characterized by flexibility. Furthermore, short-circuit limiting can be achieved by appropriately selecting the number of circuit modules and the driving voltage, and the short-circuit limiting can be set according to requirements.

[0019] The first transistor can be a unipolar transistor, such as a MOSFET. However, it can also be implemented using a bipolar transistor, such as an IGBT (Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistor) with a protection diode connected in reverse parallel (either as an integrated diode or as an external freewheeling diode).

[0020] According to one design of the circuit module, the connection to the driver is formed using a conductor segment, and a diode that blocks in the direction of the driver is introduced into this connection. Furthermore, this connection can also be formed using a conductor segment, and a safety device can be incorporated into this connection.

[0021] According to one design of the circuit module, the control terminal and the source terminal of the second transistor are connected to each other, and a diode that blocks the direction of the control terminal is arranged between the control terminal and the source terminal of the second transistor.

[0022] According to one design of the circuit module, the control terminal of the second transistor is connected to the low potential terminal, and a resistor (preferably an ohmic resistor) is arranged between the control terminal and the low potential terminal of the second transistor.

[0023] According to one design scheme of the circuit module, a voltage limiting device is set in parallel with the first transistor. Alternatively, a capacitive resistor can be set in parallel with the first transistor.

[0024] According to a first design alternative for the circuit module, the control terminal and source terminal of the first transistor are connected to each other, and a diode that blocks in the direction of the control terminal is arranged between the control terminal and the source terminal of the first transistor. This diode is an optional feature, for example, implemented by a Zener diode, which limits the maximum gate voltage or control terminal voltage.

[0025] According to a second design alternative for the circuit module, the circuit module is formed using a third transistor, wherein the third transistor is of the same type as the first transistor, and the first and third transistors are respectively directly connected to each other via source terminals (i.e., arranged in practically opposite directions). In this design, the source terminal of the second transistor is connected to the control terminals of the first and third transistors, and the low-potential terminal of the second transistor is connected to the junction point of the source terminals of the first and third transistors.

[0026] German patent application DE 10 2023 200 167.5 also describes a semiconductor switch having multiple series-connected circuit modules and drivers, the drivers being connected via corresponding connections to the control terminals of corresponding second transistors of each circuit module. In particular, the semiconductor switch is formed using exactly one driver. A resistor (preferably an ohmic resistor) can be provided between the driver and the connection point between the driver and the control terminal of the corresponding second transistor of each circuit module (i.e., this resistor is then connected upstream of the branch to the different circuit modules). The semiconductor switch does not necessarily have to be formed using identical circuit modules. For example, protective diodes and voltage limiting devices can be selectively provided only for the circuit modules of the specific design requiring the semiconductor switch. For example, the circuit modules can also be formed with minimal distance from the driver without the second transistor.

[0027] According to one design, the semiconductor switch is formed using multiple series-connected circuit modules, wherein two of these circuit modules are connected sequentially in opposite conduction directions (e.g., via a source connector). Preferably, the semiconductor switch has an even number (greater than four) of circuit modules, wherein the first half of these circuit modules are connected in series sequentially in the same conduction direction, while the other half are connected in series sequentially in opposite conduction directions. In this design, the output of the driver can be connected to the connection point of two circuit modules connected in opposite conduction directions. According to a variation of this design, the two circuit modules connected in opposite conduction directions are formed without a second transistor. In addition to the modules connected in opposite directions, these circuit modules may be equipped with a diode between the control connector and the source connector of the first transistor, which blocks in the direction of the source connector.

[0028] In another design variation where the circuit module utilizes a third transistor, the semiconductor switch, upon installation, has a defined circuit module that terminates the series connection of the circuit modules on the load side. A driver is arranged or connected in series between the connection point to the source terminals of the first and third transistors terminating the circuit module on the load side, and the connection point to the control terminal of the corresponding second transistor of each circuit module. In this variation, at least one third transistor of the first circuit module of the semiconductor switch and the first transistor of the adjacent second circuit module can be integrated together to implement a bidirectional structural element.

[0029] The semiconductor switch enables the limitation of short-circuit current. For this purpose, a semiconductor switch is formed using a sufficient number of semiconductor modules to set a predetermined upper limit for the short-circuit current. To set the short-circuit current, the drive voltage of the semiconductor switch can be adjusted according to the upper limit of the short-circuit current. Attached Figure Description

[0030] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to embodiments. In the accompanying drawings:

[0031] Figure 1A and Figure 1B Two different possible geometries of the switch according to the present invention are shown.

[0032] Figure 2A and Figure 2B It shows a method for having Figure 1B The circuit module is a modular component of a switch with a geometric structure.

[0033] Figure 3 It shows the use of according to Figure 2A and Figure 2B The switch according to the invention is constructed from circuit modules.

[0034] Figure 4 It shows that by having Figure 3 The structure of the switch guides the current and voltage flow during pre-charging, wherein three MOSFETs are connected in series in a hierarchical manner.

[0035] Figure 5 This shows the current and voltage flow during pre-charging when a drive voltage is applied all at once.

[0036] Figure 6 Another example of a switch according to the invention is shown, and

[0037] Figure 7 The method according to the present invention is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0038] Figure 1A and Figure 1B Two different possible geometries of the switch according to the invention are shown. In both cases, the switch includes a control unit (MCU) and a current measuring device (S(I)) that transmits the measured current value to the control unit (MCU). The switch according to the invention is formed using cascaded circuit modules SM1 to SM6. Figure 1A and Figure 1B The configuration is such that two circuit modules are connected to each of the three levels S1 to S3. The corresponding circuit modules SM1 to SM6 connected to the level are marked by the level affiliation S1 to S3 set in parentheses.

[0039] according to Figure 1A The geometry of the circuit module is such that each circuit module is equipped with a driver T, which is activated by a control unit in accordance with the corresponding level of switching. Circuit modules in this geometry typically correspond to switching transistors or an anti-parallel arrangement of two switching transistors.

[0040] but Figure 1B The preferred geometry is one with a single driver T. This single driver connects to all circuit modules SM1 through SM6. Hierarchical switching of the circuit modules is achieved using access elements OK (e.g., optocouplers) controlled by the control unit MCU. An example of this solution will be described in detail below.

[0041] according to Figure 1B An example of a switching solution is based on a switch formed using circuit modules connected in series. Figure 2AA possible implementation of this circuit module is shown. The module includes a MOSFET M3 having a source terminal (source3), a gate terminal (Gate3), and a drain terminal, and a PNP bipolar transistor Q2 having an emitter terminal, a base terminal, and a collector terminal. The emitter terminal is connected to the gate terminal (Gate3) of the MOSFET M3, and the collector terminal is connected to the source terminal (source3) of the MOSFET M3. The gate terminal (Gate3) and the source terminal (source3) of the MOSFET M3 are connected to each other, and an (optional) diode D5 (preferably a Zener diode) is arranged between these terminals, blocking in the direction of the gate terminal (Gate3). The base terminal and the emitter terminal of the PNP bipolar transistor Q2 are connected to each other, and a diode D4 is arranged in this connection, blocking in the direction of the base terminal. The base terminal of the PNP bipolar transistor Q2 is also connected to its collector terminal, wherein a resistor R5 is connected in series in this connection.

[0042] In addition, a connection is provided from the base junction of the PNP bipolar transistor Q2 to the driver V2 (see [link]). Figure 3 ).

[0043] Figure 3 A switch according to the invention, having a circuit module and a driver V2 connected in series, is shown. The driver V2 is connected to six PNP bipolar transistors Q1 to Q6 of the switch module according to the invention, connected in series. Here, diodes D1, D6, D7, D12, D14, and D16 are also introduced between the driver V2 and the base terminals of the PNP bipolar transistors Q1 to Q6, which block in the direction of the driver V2. In this switch geometry, the switch is formed by an even number of modules, wherein the first half of the circuit modules are connected in series with the same conduction direction, while the other half of the circuit modules are connected in series with the opposite conduction direction. Figure 2A and Figure 2B The circuit module is shown twice, with different directions (Durchlassrichtung). That is to say, according to... Figure 3 Half of the semiconductor switches are composed of corresponding Figure 2A The module, the other half is composed of the corresponding Figure 2BThe circuit consists of two modules connected in series in opposite directions. A driver V2 is connected to the connection point (Source) of the two circuit modules connected in opposite conduction directions. Resistors R2 and R6 are respectively placed between this connection point and the base terminals of the PNP bipolar transistors of the two circuit modules. Furthermore, a resistor R1 is introduced between the positive terminal of driver V2 and the connection point of a switching module in one direction. These switching modules are connected in parallel with capacitors C1 to C6 and voltage limiting devices U1 to U6 (e.g., in the form of suppression diodes or rheostats). A voltage V1 and a load R3 powered by this voltage are also shown.

[0044] Regarding Figure 3 Regarding the semiconductor switch structure, the following two points are also relevant:

[0045] On one hand, it is a circuit for alternating current flow (AC or DC with two current flow directions). For unipolar current flow, only half of the circuit shown will be needed (i.e., only a module with a transistor in one direction of flow is needed).

[0046] On the other hand, the module closer to the driver can, in principle, be implemented to be turned on without transistor Q5 or Q6. Thus, components D13, D14, D17 and R17 or D15, D16, D18 and R10 can be omitted, and the module then consists only of MOSFET M1 or M4. However, to disconnect all series-connected structural components as simultaneously as possible, or to make the disconnection behavior symmetrical, it is advantageous to construct these two modules corresponding to the other modules.

[0047] By appropriately selecting the drive voltage, the circuit shown here has an inherent short-circuit current limit, because a voltage drop is correspondingly generated across the series-connected structural elements according to the load current.

[0048] Therefore, according to Figure 3 The circuit illustrates a simple and inexpensive possibility of reducing throughput using a series circuit of power semiconductors or circuit modules formed using these power semiconductors. According to the invention, this circuit expands the possibility of individually connecting or disconnecting MOSFETs M2, M3, M5, and M6 in this series circuit.

[0049] This is advantageously achieved through potential isolation, allowing for easy connection to a microcontroller or similar device. Figure 3This is achieved by using suitable optocouplers U7 to U10. These optocouplers are controlled by suitable circuitry (for this purpose, voltage sources V3 to V6 and resistors R12 to R15 are illustratively labeled for each optocoupler). Optocouplers U7 to U10 are introduced between the driver V2 and its corresponding circuit module (more precisely, between the driver V2 and the diodes D1, D6, D7, and D12 placed upstream of the base terminals of the PNP bipolar transistors Q1 to Q4).

[0050] Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a separate power supply for each individual gate signal of the circuit module. When the optocoupler is not conducting, the driver V2 does not forward the gate signal to the corresponding gate. If the optocoupler is turned on, the path to the corresponding gate becomes low-ohm, and the power semiconductor belonging to it is switched on.

[0051] The individual accessibility and disconnectability of the individual MOSFETs M2, M3, M5, and M6 in the now-provided series circuit enable a gradual increase in the drive voltage in the load region, and eliminates the drawbacks of the solution described in WO 2020156689 A1. For example, the first stage can be omitted there because a one-time drive voltage connection is not required. Therefore, a pre-charge resistor is no longer needed.

[0052] Figure 4 The diagram illustrates the current and voltage in the load region during this graded pre-charge. Here, when the pre-charge current drops below 2A, the next MOSFET or the next circuit module is connected (or according to...). Figure 1B Correspondingly, two circuit modules or MOSFETs are symmetrically connected. Figure 5 The current and voltage during a conventional switching process are shown.

[0053] If the peak value of the pre-charge current reaches a value that endangers the power semiconductor, then it can of course switch back to pulse mode operation, because the required response time of the circuit is lower than when the full voltage is applied at once due to the reduced drive voltage.

[0054] Once parallel circuits with this circuit arrangement are considered, the number of voltage levels can be further increased because such series circuits with different cutoff voltages can be constructed. In the simplest case, TVS diodes with different breakdown voltages are used directly, but MOSFETs with different cutoff voltages can also be used. Figure 6 This parallel circuit is shown in the figure. The circuit utilizes a driver V1 and according to... Figure 2A or Figure 2BThe system consists of seven circuit modules. These modules each have a MOSFET (M1 to M7), a PNP bipolar transistor (Q1 to Q7), diodes (D3, D5, D9, D11, D17, D18, and D20) introduced between the gate and source terminals of the MOSFET, diodes (D2, D4, D8, D10, D13, D15, and D19) arranged between the base and emitter terminals of the PNP bipolar transistor to block in the direction of the base terminal, and a resistor (R4 to R10) between the positive terminal of the driver V1 and the connection point of the switching module. Additionally, diodes (D1, D6, D7, D12, D14, D16, and D21) are introduced between the driver V1 and the base terminal of the PNP bipolar transistor, blocking in the direction of the driver V1. Furthermore, the switching module is connected in parallel with a TVS diode or a suppressor diode (U1 to U7).

[0055] Figure 6 The left side of the circuit corresponds to Figure 3 The upper part of the circuit, but with the following differences:

[0056] - Additional circuit modules were installed.

[0057] - Unmarked (but can be configured) capacitors connected in parallel with voltage limiting devices or TVS diodes.

[0058] In other words, besides the module closest to driver V1, optocouplers U33, U55, and U77 are introduced between driver V1 and its associated circuit modules, respectively. (On the right) Three series-connected circuit modules with optocouplers U22, U44, and U66 are arranged in parallel with it. These optocouplers are controlled by appropriate circuitry (for this purpose, voltage sources V2 to V7 and resistors R3 and R11 to R15 are illustratively labeled for each optocoupler). The optocouplers are correspondingly arranged between driver V1 and its associated circuit modules for appropriate connection to the respective circuit modules.

[0059] Therefore, according to Figure 6 The circuit is formed by a parallel circuit of two series circuits, where one series circuit includes four circuit modules and the other includes three circuit modules. Therefore, the size of the TVS diodes is determined such that the total cutoff voltage, or blocking voltage, of the two series circuits corresponds to each other. In this example, a 50V drop is correspondingly applied to TVS diodes U1 and U7, and a 100V drop is correspondingly applied to all other diodes, resulting in a total cutoff voltage of 300V.

[0060] Now, in using according to Figure 6When the circuit is switched on and off, a drive signal V1 is first applied, thus turning on MOSFET M1. Now, the blocking voltage of the series circuit on the left drops from 50V to 250V. If the drive voltage, i.e., the voltage of the DC source, is 300V, then a 50V precharge is now performed. If the current drops below a predetermined value, MOSFET M2 is connected via its control signal and its optocoupler M22. Now, the blocking voltage of the series circuit on the right drops from 100V to 200V. Therefore, the precharge voltage is now 100V, which is 50V higher than before MOSFET M2 was connected. Afterward, MOSFETs M3, M4, M5, M6, and M7 are connected in sequence (MOSFET M7 is only needed to ensure that the series circuit on the left produces the same blocking voltage as the series circuit on the right). Now, with each additional connection, the blocking voltage of this arrangement drops by another 50V. In other words, a total of 6 voltage levels are obtained: 50V, 100V, 150V, 200V, 250V and 300V (full drive voltage, all switches are turned on).

[0061] Figure 7 The flow of the method according to the invention used herein is shown. In step S1, the switch receives an on command. The driver is turned on by means of the control unit (step S2), and thus the first stage is activated (step S3). During the on process, the current is continuously monitored (step 4) and checked whether it is below the threshold SW (step S5). If it is below the threshold, the next stage is connected (step S6). When the last stage is connected (interrogation S7), the switch is fully turned on (step S8), and the monitoring of whether it is below the threshold SW can be ended.

Claims

1. A switch, particularly a switch for switching on and off direct current, comprising: - A series-connected circuit module, each circuit module being formed using at least one switching transistor. - Control unit, and - Current measuring device in, - Multiple components of the circuit module can be individually activated via a control unit. - The current measuring device is connected to the control unit and is designed to transmit the measured current value to the control unit. - The control unit is designed to selectively activate the circuit module based on the current value measured and transmitted by the current measuring device.

2. The switch according to claim 1, Its features are, - A unique driver is assigned to multiple circuit modules, the driver providing the switching voltage for the switching transistors of the multiple circuit modules. - For this purpose, a conductive connection is made from the driver to the circuit module, and - To selectively activate at least one of the plurality of circuit modules, an access element is introduced in the connection between the driver and the circuit module. This access element enables or disables current flow between the driver and the circuit module, or - Set up a dedicated driver for at least one circuit module, and - In order to selectively activate the at least one circuit module, the switch is configured to selectively control the associated driver via the control unit.

3. The switch according to claim 2, Its features are, The access element is an optocoupler.

4. The switch according to any one of the preceding claims, Its features are, The switch is designed to be switched on and off in multiple stages, wherein the stages are characterized by an increasing number of activated circuit modules.

5. The switch according to claim 4, Its features are, In the first level, the activated circuit module cannot be activated individually, or the activated circuit module in the first level cannot be activated individually, while other circuit modules can be activated individually.

6. The switch according to claim 4 or 5, Its features are, The level is characterized by the activation of one or two circuit modules.

7. The switch according to any one of the preceding claims, Its features are, The control unit is designed to selectively activate the circuit module when the transmitted current value is below a threshold.

8. The switch according to any one of the preceding claims, Its features are, The control unit is designed to put the switch into pulse mode operation when the transmitted current value exceeds a threshold.

9. The switch according to any one of the preceding claims, Its features are, The switch is formed by multiple series circuits of the circuit module, and the multiple series circuits are arranged in parallel with each other.

10. The switch according to claim 9, Its features are, The control unit is designed to selectively activate circuit modules in alternating stages among the plurality of series circuits.

11. A method for switching on and off a power supply using a switch according to any one of claims 1 to 10, - Measure the current value using a current measuring device. - The measured current value is transmitted to the control unit, and - The circuit module is selectively activated based on the current value measured and transmitted by the current measuring device.

12. The method according to claim 11, Its features are, Activation is performed in multiple levels until all circuit modules are activated, wherein the levels are characterized by an increasing number of activated circuit modules.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, Its features are, When the transmitted current value is lower than the threshold, the circuit module is selectively activated.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, Its features are, When the transmitted current value exceeds the threshold, the switch is set to pulse mode operation.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, Its features are, - The switch is formed using multiple series circuits of a circuit module, which are arranged in parallel with each other, and - In the alternating stages among the plurality of series circuits, circuit modules are selectively activated.

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