Solid State Power Controller Gate Shutdown Without Secondary Fuses
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
High power solid state power controllers face issues with protection in failure modes where the gate driver is shorted ON or the primary controller malfunctions, leading to uncontrolled power supply and increased fault currents, which require larger fuses that occupy more space and dissipate more heat, making the configuration unworkable, and secondary fuses render the channel unavailable after blowing open.
Innovation Solution
Integration of a secondary controller that detects faults and disables the gate driver to prevent the gate from being stuck ON, eliminating the need for secondary fuses by using smaller FETs and a gate switch to manage power distribution, allowing individual FETs to clear faults without a large secondary fuse, thus maintaining channel availability and reducing heat dissipation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If secondary fuses are used to protect against uncontrolled power supply and fault currents, then system protection is improved, but board space increases and heat dissipation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the secondary fuse component entirely from the system by implementing a control architecture where the secondary controller detects faults and disables the gate driver through control signals, extracting the protection function from a passive component (fuse) to an active control system
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/physical protection mechanism of fuses (which physically open to break circuits) with an electronic control mechanism where the secondary controller sends disable signals to the gate driver, substituting a passive physical protection system with an active electronic control system
2Reliability
If secondary fuses are used to protect against uncontrolled power supply and fault currents, then system protection is improved, but heat dissipation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the secondary fuse component entirely from the system by implementing a control architecture where the secondary controller detects faults and disables the gate driver through control signals, extracting the protection function from a passive component (fuse) to an active control system
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/physical protection mechanism of fuses (which physically open to break circuits) with an electronic control mechanism where the secondary controller sends disable signals to the gate driver, substituting a passive physical protection system with an active electronic control system
3Reliability
If larger fuses are used to handle increased fault currents, then fault current protection is improved, but board space increases and heat dissipation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/physical protection mechanism of fuses (which physically open to break circuits) with an electronic control mechanism where the secondary controller sends disable signals to the gate driver, substituting a passive physical protection system with an active electronic control system
Solution Approach 2:
The secondary controller performs preliminary fault detection and sends disable signals to the gate driver before fault currents can escalate to dangerous levels, preventing the need for oversized protection components by addressing the issue proactively
4Reliability
If secondary fuses are used to protect against uncontrolled power supply, then system protection is improved, but channel availability is lost after fuse blows
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-diagnosis through the secondary controller detecting faults and automatically disabling the gate driver, allowing the system to identify and respond to failures without requiring external intervention or component replacement
Solution Approach 2:
The secondary controller performs preliminary fault detection and sends disable signals to the gate driver before fault currents can escalate to dangerous levels, preventing the need for oversized protection components by addressing the issue proactively
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Embodiments include a technique for eliminating secondary fuses in high power solid state power controllers, the technique includes controlling gate power provided to a field effect transistor array, and detecting a failure mode. The technique also includes disabling the gate power based at least in part on detecting the failure mode, and restoring the gate power responsive to resolving the failure mode.