A novel control driver

Abstract

The application discloses a novel control driver, which comprises a main plate and a plurality of power switch modules; the plurality of power switch modules are vertically arranged on the main plate in a three-dimensional manner and are electrically connected with the main plate. The application provides a novel control driver which effectively reduces power loop inductance, improves heat dissipation performance and is convenient to maintain.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of driver technology, and more specifically, to a novel control driver. Background Technology

[0002] Power electronic devices such as motor controllers and servo drives are core components in modern industrial automation, new energy vehicles, and robotics. Among them, the performance of the inverter power unit (usually composed of multiple power switching modules forming a three-phase full-bridge topology) directly determines the power density, efficiency, reliability, and electromagnetic compatibility of the entire drive.

[0003] Currently, mainstream medium and high power motor drivers on the market typically have the following design problems: Planar Layout and Heat Dissipation Limitations: Traditional power switching modules (such as IGBT or MOSFET modules) are mostly horizontally mounted or soldered onto the same main printed circuit board (PCB). While this two-dimensional planar layout is simple in structure, it occupies a large motherboard area, limiting the power density of the driver. At the same time, the concentrated arrangement of multiple heat-generating modules can easily lead to heat accumulation, which is not conducive to heat dissipation and requires the configuration of large heat sinks or complex water cooling systems, increasing size and cost.

[0004] Discrete components lead to increased parasitic parameters: In many designs, key power devices and absorption components that make up a half-bridge circuit, such as switching transistors, gate drive resistors, and snubber capacitors (e.g., snubber capacitors), are arranged as discrete components on the motherboard. This results in a long and loose physical path for the power loop, generating a large parasitic inductance (especially loop inductance). During high-frequency switching, a large loop inductance can cause voltage overshoot and ringing, which not only increases the voltage stress on the switching devices, affecting their reliability and lifespan, but also generates serious electromagnetic interference (EMI).

[0005] Poor maintainability: When the power switch module is integrated into the driver by welding or bolting, if a single module fails, repair or replacement usually requires professional personnel to disassemble the whole machine, or even replace the entire motherboard or power unit. This results in high maintenance costs, long time consumption, and reduced equipment availability.

[0006] Limited current capacity and scalability: In traditional designs, the power terminals of multiple power switching modules are connected in parallel via copper foil traces on the PCB or simple busbars. Due to limitations in layout and connection methods, there are bottlenecks in improving current sharing and current carrying capacity. To increase current capacity, it is often necessary to redesign the layout and wiring of the entire power section, lacking flexible scalability.

[0007] Insufficient current path coupling: In designs aiming for low parasitic inductance, some approaches attempt to optimize the current path within a single half-bridge. However, in traditional two-dimensional layouts, the current loops of the upper and lower bridge arm switches constituting the half-bridge are often located on the same side of the PCB or adjacent layers, resulting in limited coupling in three-dimensional space and a bottleneck in reducing loop inductance.

[0008] Therefore, the industry urgently needs a technology that can achieve high power density in a compact space, effectively reduce power circuit inductance, improve heat dissipation performance, and at the same time have high modularity and pluggability to facilitate maintenance, upgrades and capacity expansion, so as to meet the application requirements of modern high power, high reliability and high power density. Summary of the Invention

[0009] This invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art and proposes a new type of control driver that effectively reduces power circuit inductance, improves heat dissipation performance, and facilitates maintenance.

[0010] The technical solution of the present invention is as follows: A novel control driver includes a motherboard and multiple power switch modules; The plurality of power switch modules are vertically arranged on the motherboard in a three-dimensional manner and are electrically connected to the motherboard.

[0011] Furthermore, the power switch module is an independent, pluggable, and replaceable functional unit, which integrates at least one half-bridge circuit and an absorption element serving the half-bridge circuit.

[0012] Furthermore, the power switching module includes a half-bridge circuit, which includes an upper bridge arm switch and a lower bridge arm switch connected in series. The upper bridge arm switch is located on the front circuit layer of the motherboard, and the lower bridge arm switch is located on the back circuit layer of the motherboard.

[0013] Furthermore, the absorption element includes an absorption capacitor and / or a gate resistor, which are arranged near the MOS switch of the power switching module.

[0014] Furthermore, the power switch module is connected to a corresponding socket on the motherboard via a connector on its bottom.

[0015] Furthermore, an air duct gap is left between two adjacent power switch modules on the motherboard.

[0016] Furthermore, the motor driver includes six of the aforementioned power switching modules, forming a three-phase full-bridge inverter topology.

[0017] Furthermore, it also includes positive power copper busbars and negative power copper busbars; The high-current input terminals of all the power switching modules are connected in parallel to the positive power copper busbar, and the high-current output terminals are connected in parallel to the negative power copper busbar, thereby increasing the main power current capacity.

[0018] Furthermore, the power switch module and its internal circuitry, formed as an integrated independent component through secondary packaging, have standard external electrical connection terminals.

[0019] Furthermore, the power switch module includes a module substrate, and the half-bridge circuit includes an upper bridge arm switch and a lower bridge arm switch connected in series. The upper bridge arm switch is arranged on the front circuit layer of the module substrate, and the lower bridge arm switch is arranged on the back circuit layer of the module substrate, so that the current path is tightly coupled in three-dimensional space to reduce the loop inductance of the power circuit.

[0020] The advantages of this invention compared to the prior art are: This solution breaks the area limitations of traditional planar layouts by vertically mounting multiple power switch modules on the motherboard in a three-dimensional manner, greatly improving the space utilization of the control driver.

[0021] The power switch module is designed as an independent, pluggable, and replaceable functional unit. This allows for quick replacement of a faulty module without the need for specialized tools or complex disassembly, significantly reducing maintenance costs and time, and improving equipment availability and maintainability.

[0022] This design places the upper and lower bridge arm switching transistors of the half-bridge circuit on the front and back circuit layers of the motherboard, respectively. This improves space utilization while minimizing loop inductance and enhancing system reliability.

[0023] This solution can also be achieved by arranging the upper and lower bridge arm switches of the half-bridge circuit on the front and back circuit layers of the module substrate, respectively, so that the current path forms a tightly coupled "stacked" loop in three-dimensional space. This design can most effectively shorten the power loop, thereby significantly reducing the loop parasitic inductance. The reduced loop inductance can effectively suppress voltage overshoot and ringing during the switching process of power devices, reduce the voltage stress on the switches, improve system reliability, and help reduce loop inductance.

[0024] By reserving airflow gaps between adjacent power switch modules on the motherboard, combined with the natural airflow space formed by the three-dimensional layout, heat accumulation can be effectively avoided, the system's heat dissipation efficiency can be improved, and the reliability of long-term operation can be enhanced.

[0025] In this design, the high-current terminals of all power switching modules are connected in parallel to independent positive and negative power busbars. This connection method not only provides a low-impedance, high-current-carrying main power path but also achieves good current sharing. Theoretically, increasing the driver current capacity can be achieved by upgrading the busbars and connecting more standard modules in parallel, resulting in greater design scalability.

[0026] By integrating key passive components such as absorption capacitors and gate resistors inside the power switch module and arranging them close to the MOS switch, the high-frequency local circuit is further optimized, the influence of parasitic parameters is suppressed, and the stability and drive reliability of the switch are improved.

[0027] The power switch module can also be encapsulated into an integrated independent component, which enhances its mechanical strength, insulation performance and environmental adaptability (such as dustproof and moisture-proof), and improves the robustness of the entire driver. Attached Figure Description

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure from another perspective of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the front circuit layer of the power switch module according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the negative circuit layer of the power switch module in Embodiment 3 of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the bottom view structure of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the half-bridge circuit of the present invention.

[0030] The diagram shows: 1. Mainboard; 2. Power switch module; 3. Lower bridge arm switch transistor; 4. Upper bridge arm switch transistor; 5. Module substrate. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The present invention will be further described below with reference to specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only for explaining the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Parts not described in detail in this solution can be implemented using conventional technical means. Example 1:

[0032] like Figure 1 , 2As shown, a novel control driver includes a motherboard 1 and multiple power switch modules 2. The power switch modules 2 are vertically mounted on the motherboard 1 in a three-dimensional manner and are electrically connected to the motherboard 1. The vertical mounting of the power switch modules 2 on the motherboard 1 significantly saves floor space, achieving high power density and a compact design. This breaks the area limitations of traditional planar layouts and greatly improves the space utilization of the control driver.

[0033] The power switch module 2 primarily uses MOSFETs, which were traditionally planar mounted. The change to a vertical design exposes the core heat-generating area to the outside, away from the central high-temperature area of ​​the motherboard 1 PCB. This results in a shorter, more direct heat path and maximizes the use of vertical space for rapid heat conduction. The problem of components in the middle position being easily damaged in traditional planar mounting is significantly improved. This is especially beneficial in robot joint areas, where the space is more fully utilized, minimizing the overall size of the joint.

[0034] By vertically stacking, the lateral area of ​​motherboard 1 is freed up, enabling support for higher density parallel connections, which can be expanded from the original 6 channels to 12 channels.

[0035] Preferably, a gap for airflow is provided between two adjacent power switch modules 2 on the mainboard 1. This reserved gap allows for natural airflow space to be created during the design phase, incorporating a three-dimensional layout. This effectively prevents heat accumulation, improves the system's heat dissipation efficiency, and enhances long-term operational reliability. Example 2:

[0036] Based on Embodiment 1, the power switching module 2 specifically includes a half-bridge circuit, which comprises an upper bridge arm switch 4 and a lower bridge arm switch 3 connected in series. The upper bridge arm switch 4 is arranged on the front circuit layer of the motherboard 1, and the lower bridge arm switch 3 is arranged on the back circuit layer of the motherboard 1, so that the current path is as tightly coupled as possible in three-dimensional space to reduce loop inductance (not shown in the figure). The reduced loop inductance can effectively suppress voltage overshoot and ringing during the switching process of power devices, reduce the voltage stress of power switching transistors, improve system reliability, and help reduce electromagnetic interference.

[0037] Preferably, the upper arm switch transistor 4 and / or the lower arm switch transistor 3 are designed as independent, pluggable and replaceable functional units, thereby realizing the packaging of the upper arm switch module and / or the lower arm switch transistor 3 as independent pluggable modules. When damaged, only the module needs to be replaced, avoiding the problem of the solder pads falling off and the entire PCB being scrapped due to local burn-out in traditional designs, which requires returning to the factory for repair, greatly improving maintenance efficiency and module reuse rate. Example 3:

[0038] Based on Example 1, such as Figures 3 to 5As shown, the power switch module 2 includes a module substrate 5, and the half-bridge circuit includes an upper bridge arm switch 4 and a lower bridge arm switch 3 connected in series. The upper bridge arm switch 4 is arranged on the front circuit layer of the module substrate 5, and the lower bridge arm switch 3 is arranged on the back circuit layer of the module substrate 5, so that the current path is tightly coupled in three-dimensional space to minimize the loop inductance of the power circuit.

[0039] This design creates a tightly coupled "stacked" loop within the three-dimensional space of the packaged module. This approach most effectively shortens the power loop, thereby significantly reducing loop parasitic inductance and electromagnetic interference.

[0040] Preferably, the power switch module 2 is an independent, pluggable, and replaceable functional unit, integrating at least one half-bridge circuit and an absorption element serving the half-bridge circuit. This allows each half-bridge unit to be packaged as an independent, pluggable power switch module 2. In case of damage, only this module needs to be replaced, avoiding the problems of traditional designs where partial burn-out leads to pad detachment and the scrapping of the entire PCB, requiring factory repair. This greatly improves repair efficiency and module reusability. Example 4:

[0041] Based on Embodiment 2 or Embodiment 3, the half-bridge circuit is designed with an absorption element that serves the half-bridge circuit, which includes an absorption capacitor and / or a gate resistor. The absorption capacitor and gate resistor are arranged near the MOS switch on the half-bridge circuit to optimize high-frequency characteristics.

[0042] Specifically, such as Figure 6 The schematic diagram of the half-bridge circuit shown illustrates a design that allows the direction of current flowing through the load to be changed by controlling the conduction state of the power switching MOSFETs, thereby enabling the motor to rotate forward, reverse, and brake. The circuit diagram includes a gate driver and an isolation chip.

[0043] Gate driver: Used to receive low-voltage, low-current control signals from the microcontroller and amplify them into high-current drive signals capable of quickly and reliably turning the power MOSFET on and off. (i.e., corresponding...) Figure 5 A driver circuit board should also be placed below the motherboard to implement gate driving (not shown in the figure).

[0044] Level shifting or isolation chips: Because the source voltage of the high-side switching transistors in the H-bridge is floating, special circuitry (such as bootstrap circuits, isolation power supplies, or capacitor isolators) is required to power their gate drivers and transmit signals. The configuration of U3, U4, and U5 in the diagram fulfills this function. In other words, the corresponding function is implemented on the motherboard.

[0045] In the diagram, R1, R3, and R4 are gate drive resistors used to adjust switching speed and suppress oscillation. C3 and C4 are power supply decoupling capacitors or bootstrap capacitors. HG-1 is a current sampling Hall sensor or interface used to detect load current and implement overcurrent protection or closed-loop control.

[0046] The "HEAT" area in the diagram is a specially designed heat dissipation location for the power switching transistors, which generate a lot of heat. Example 5:

[0047] Based on Embodiment 2 or Embodiment 3, the upper bridge arm switch tube 4 and the power switch module 2 can be connected to the corresponding socket on the main board 1 through the plug-in terminals at their bottom.

[0048] Preferably, the upper bridge arm switch tube 4 or power switch module 2 and the corresponding internal circuit can be integrated into an independent component through secondary packaging, with standard external electrical connection terminals.

[0049] Designed as a standardized, pluggable, independent unit, supporting hot-swappable replacement, it greatly simplifies the maintenance process and reduces maintenance costs and downtime. Furthermore, the absorption element is positioned close to the switching transistor and integrated into the independent unit, further optimizing the local high-frequency circuit, enhancing the module's mechanical strength and environmental adaptability, and improving the overall system robustness. Example 6:

[0050] Based on Example 1, such as Figure 1 The motor driver shown includes six power switch modules 2, forming a three-phase full-bridge inverter topology. Naturally, more power switch modules 2 can be added to increase the power as needed.

[0051] Preferably, the system also includes a positive power copper busbar and a negative power copper busbar; the high-current input terminals of all the power switch modules 2 are connected in parallel to the positive power copper busbar, and the high-current output terminals are connected in parallel to the negative power copper busbar, thereby increasing the main power current capacity. The parallel connection of the copper busbars increases the main power current capacity and optimizes current sharing. By connecting the modules in parallel with the positive and negative power copper busbars, a low-impedance, high-current power path is provided, allowing for flexible expansion of the driver's current capacity by increasing the number of parallel modules or upgrading the copper busbars, resulting in strong design versatility. This allows for the insertion of more power switch modules 2 to increase the current capacity.

[0052] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several improvements and modifications without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A novel control driver, characterized in that, Includes the motherboard and multiple power switch modules; The plurality of power switch modules are vertically arranged on the motherboard in a three-dimensional manner and are electrically connected to the motherboard.

2. The novel control driver according to claim 1, characterized in that, The power switch module is an independent, pluggable, and replaceable functional unit, which integrates at least one half-bridge circuit and an absorption element serving the half-bridge circuit.

3. The novel control driver according to claim 1, characterized in that, The power switching module includes a half-bridge circuit, which includes an upper bridge arm switch and a lower bridge arm switch connected in series. The upper bridge arm switch is located on the front circuit layer of the motherboard, and the lower bridge arm switch is located on the back circuit layer of the motherboard.

4. A novel control driver according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The absorption element includes an absorption capacitor and / or a gate resistor, which are arranged near the MOS switch of the power switching module.

5. A novel control driver according to claim 1, characterized in that, The power switch module is connected to the corresponding socket on the motherboard via the plug-in terminals on its bottom.

6. A novel control driver according to claim 1, characterized in that, A duct gap is left between two adjacent power switch modules on the motherboard.

7. A novel control driver according to claim 1, characterized in that, The motor driver includes six power switching modules, forming a three-phase full-bridge inverter topology.

8. A novel control driver according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes positive power copper busbars and negative power copper busbars; The high-current input terminals of all the power switching modules are connected in parallel to the positive power copper busbar, and the high-current output terminals are connected in parallel to the negative power copper busbar, thereby increasing the main power current capacity.

9. The novel control driver according to claim 1, characterized in that, The power switch module and its internal circuitry are integrated independent components formed through secondary packaging, and have standard external electrical connection terminals.

10. A novel control driver according to claim 2, characterized in that, The power switch module includes a module substrate, and the half-bridge circuit includes an upper bridge arm switch and a lower bridge arm switch connected in series. The upper bridge arm switch is arranged on the front circuit layer of the module substrate, and the lower bridge arm switch is arranged on the back circuit layer of the module substrate, so that the current path is tightly coupled in three-dimensional space to reduce the loop inductance of the power circuit.

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