Resonant Gate Driver for Power Switches
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gate drivers for solid state switches in electrified vehicles experience significant switching losses due to the high voltages and currents required, leading to inefficiencies and stress on semiconductor devices, particularly during turn-on and turn-off transitions.
Innovation Solution
A resonant circuit is employed to recirculate energy between an inductor and the gate, converting a negative charge to a positive charge during turn-on and vice versa during turn-off, reducing switching losses by utilizing a high-side switch to latch the positive charge and manage energy efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If conventional gate drivers are used for solid state switches in electrified vehicles, then the switching operation can be performed, but significant switching losses occur due to high voltages and currents
Solution Approach 1:
The resonant gate driver recovers energy that would otherwise be lost during switching transitions. The inductor stores energy during turn-on and returns it during turn-off, and vice versa, converting negative charge to positive charge and recovering switching losses instead of dissipating them as heat
Solution Approach 2:
The gate driver utilizes periodic resonant oscillations between the inductor and gate capacitance to achieve energy recirculation. The switching process employs periodic charge and discharge cycles that convert energy back and forth, transforming the harmful switching losses into useful periodic energy recovery
2Loss of energy
If high-side switch latching is used to manage energy recirculation, then switching losses are reduced, but the circuit complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The resonant gate driver is a self-contained circuit that manages its own energy recirculation internally through the inductor and high-side switch combination. The circuit automatically converts negative charge to positive charge and recirculates energy without requiring external intervention or additional control circuitry, making the added complexity self-justifying through its energy recovery capability
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach significantly reduces switching losses on the control side of power switches, improving the efficiency and longevity of semiconductor devices by optimizing energy recirculation during transitions.
Implementation Method 1
The inductor may be configured to, during turn-on, induce a field based on the negative potential, and convert the field to a current to inject a positive charge onto the gate
Implementation Method 2
The resonant circuit may include an inductor and be configured to recirculate charge during turn-off by inducing a first field based on a positive charge from a gate caused by the positive potential, and in response to reversal of a voltage across the inductor, collapsing the first field to draw charge from the gate
Implementation Method 3
A resonant circuit is employed to recirculate energy between an inductor and the gate
Data Source
AI summary
A gate driver of a power device includes a power supply and a resonant circuit. The power supply may have a positive potential and a negative potential. The resonant circuit may include an inductor and be configured to recirculate charge during turn-off by inducing a first field based on a positive charge from a gate caused by the positive potential, and in response to reversal of a voltage across the inductor, collapsing the first field to draw charge from the gate.