Switch Element Protection Circuit for Micro Short-Circuit Pulses
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional semiconductor devices lack effective protection mechanisms for detecting consecutive occurrences of micro short-circuit pulses, which can lead to switch element damage due to overheating, as existing protection circuits are not designed to detect pulses with shorter widths and may activate protection too late to prevent damage.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor device with a protection control circuit that detects consecutive occurrences of micro short-circuit pulses with a second pulse width shorter than the conventional short-circuit pulse width, activating protection when the count reaches a predetermined value, thereby improving the protection function and reducing the time to activate protection in case of an overheat state.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional protection circuits are used to detect short-circuit pulses, then protection is activated for standard short-circuit conditions, but micro short-circuit pulses with shorter widths are not detected, leading to delayed protection activation and potential switch element damage
Solution Approach 1:
The protection control circuit segments the detection of short-circuit pulses by distinguishing between different pulse width characteristics. It separately identifies micro short-circuit pulses (second pulse width) from conventional short-circuit pulses (first pulse width), allowing targeted detection and counting of micro pulses to activate protection when a predetermined number of consecutive micro pulses occur
Solution Approach 2:
The protection control circuit performs preliminary detection and counting of micro short-circuit pulses before they cause cumulative overheating damage. By monitoring consecutive micro pulses and comparing their count against a predetermined value, the system activates protection in advance before the switch element reaches critical temperature thresholds
2Loss of time
If protection activation threshold is set to respond to single micro short-circuit pulses, then protection activates quickly, but false activation occurs due to noise or transient conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The circuit performs preliminary counting of consecutive micro short-circuit pulses before activating protection. By requiring a predetermined number of consecutive micro pulses rather than responding to a single pulse, the system distinguishes genuine fault conditions from transient noise while still activating protection quickly once the threshold is reached
Solution Approach 2:
The protection control circuit uses feedback by continuously monitoring the occurrence of micro short-circuit pulses and comparing the count against a predetermined value. This feedback mechanism allows the system to adapt its protection activation decision based on the accumulated evidence of consecutive micro pulses, reducing false activations while maintaining rapid response to genuine faults
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor device, including: a switch element configured to receive an input signal, and to switch on and off according to the input signal; and a protection control circuit configured to receive an operating state signal from the switch element, and to protect the switch element according to the operating state signal, the operating state signal including one of a short-circuit pulse with a first pulse width, which is generated by the switch element in a short-circuit state, or a micro short-circuit pulse with a second pulse width shorter than the first pulse width, the protection control circuit protecting the switch element upon detecting consecutive occurrences of the micro short-circuit pulse.