Bae Systems Controls Inc.

Robert J Vovos

Arthur Paull Lyons

Peter Alexander Carruthers

Andrew S Clark

Nicholas A Lemberg

Thomas J Cummings

Stephen L Homan

James A Dupuy

Benjamin T Webster

Stephen John Kosteva

Bart Winter Mancini

Cameron R Vakili

Bart W Mancini

Peter A Carruthers

Arthur P Lyons

A laminated DC busbar, a DC backplane and a DC busbar system with super low inductance is provided. Semiconductor switches may be connected to respective laminated DC busbars. The DC busbar system comprises a DC backplane and at least two laminated DC busbars respectively connected to semiconductor switches. The round-trip inductance between semiconductor switches connected to two adjacent laminated DC busbars via the DC backplane is less than about 7.5 nH.

DC busbar system, laminated DC busbar and DC backplane with super low inductance

Methods and systems for arc detection are described. A controller can receive a bus voltage of a direct current (DC) bus connected to an energy source. The controller can determine whether the received bus voltage is less than a bus voltage threshold. The controller can, in response to determining the received bus voltage being less than the bus voltage threshold, determine an occurrence of an arc event in an apparatus that includes the DC bus and the energy source.

Arc detection for high voltage system

An AC busbar for connecting at least three phases from a semiconductor switching unit to a load is provided. The AC busbar parallelly connects the at least three phases and provides current balancing. The AC busbar has a terminal-side conductor mechanically connectable to each AC terminal of the semiconductor switching unit and a load-side conductor positioned between the terminal-side conductor and the load. A distance between the terminal-side conductor and the load-side conductor is such that a difference in an inductance between a connection point for a respective AC terminal of each phase and a common point on a middle of the load-side conductor is less than a predetermined percentage with respect to an average of the respective inductances.

AC busbar for current sharing between parallelly connected semiconductor switching pairs

A common-mode current sensor system and method for a traction inverter of an electric hybrid vehicle. The system and method detects/reduces excess common-mode currents that can be caused by the presence of alternating current (AC)-chassis type short circuit faults at the outputs of an inverter used for driving a two or more-phased load. In an embodiment, the system detects the presence of an AC-chassis fault of any varying strength, e.g., weak, medium, hard, in respective parallel paths. The system and method can isolate a particular AC-chassis type fault to a particular phase leg of the inverter thereby obviating a need of having to shut-down and/or re-program each phase leg of the whole power supply and vehicle operation. Rather, upon detecting a chassis short, a fault signal is asserted to control shutting down of one or more inverter switches without having to shut-down the vehicle or negatively impact the vehicle status.

Common-mode current sensing system and protection method for power converters

A multi-wire choke filter is implemented in an inverter module of a modular power control system for a vehicle. Such an inverter module includes gate driver circuits to control switching power transistors used to power loads in a vehicle. The switching power transistors and gate drivers are configurable to support both a three-phase and a single phase current drive driver circuit topology in which switching power transistors are connected in parallel to share driving currents and dynamic switching losses. In any configured topology, the multi-wire choke is connected in series between gate driver circuit components and switching power transistors to mitigate any EMI threat to the gate driver circuitry by presenting an impedance to reduce circuit susceptibility to any differential and common mode noise currents that can flow through the gate driver circuit that can overwhelm gate driver circuitry and negatively effect power transistor switching performance at any time.

Multi-wire common mode choke for increasing common mode transient immunity and minimizing circulating current in paralleled power semiconductors

A high voltage measurement port and a circuit contact wire assembly for vehicle high-voltage power decommissioning. The high voltage measurement port includes four externally accessible pins for obtaining an electrical characteristic measurement of a connected circuit. For redundancy, the assembly includes a resistor between a first measurement port pin and a first positive DC busbar at a first location, a resistor between a second pin and the first DC busbar at a second location different from the first location, a resistor between a third pin and a second negative DC busbar at a first location, and a resistor between a fourth pin and the second DC busbar at a second location different from the first location. Via the high voltage measurement port, a multi-meter can verify each resistance connection between the positive pins and then again between negative pins before a differential voltage measurement is made between positive and negative.

Redundant verifiable high voltage measurement port for traction inverter and high voltage distribution

A system for controlling load sharing between multiple generators mechanically coupleable to the output shaft of a prime mover is provided. The system may comprise a first processor; and at least two inverters operably connectable to at least two generators, respectively. The generators provide AC power to the respective inverter and each inverter provides DC power to a respective DC link. Each inverter may comprise a processor configured to control a respective generator. The processor may be configured to receive a common speed command from the first processor, adjust the common speed command based on a speed of the same output shaft to create a droop, determine a torque command based on the adjusted speed command and supply the determined torque command to the corresponding generator.

Parallel variable speed generator control

A common mode and a differential mode filter(s) between DC links are provided. Each link has a positive rail and a negative rail. The filter comprises a first inductor respectively connected to each of the positive rail and the negative rail, differential mode damping resistance connected in parallel to each of the first inductor, respectively, and a three-wire choke. The three-wire choke comprises a first wire connected in series with the differential mode damping resistance parallel to the positive rail, a second wire connected in series with the differential mode damping resistance parallel to the negative rail and a third wire connected to common mode damping resistance. The common mode damping resistance is galvanically isolated from differential mode transients flowing through the differential mode damping resistance. The differential mode filter has the differential mode damping resistance, and the common mode filter has the common mode damping resistance.

Differential and common mode link dampener

A gate drive topology and gate drive power supply topology designed to allow for a single Printed Wiring Board (PWB) design to be configured for two applications. In one application, select paired locations of solder pads or connector locations in the circuitry are populated with connecting 'spanning' resistors for integration within the gate driver and gate driver power supply topologies. The physical manifestation of these resistors on the PWB allows paralleled gate drive switching of corresponding power transistor devices for driving a load. A common gate-source voltage is applied to all three gates and the switching devices share dynamic switching and conduction loss. In an alternate application, the select paired locations are not populated with spanning resistors thereby rendering a circuit topology permitting independent operation independent power transistor gate driving switching operations. The path across the unpopulated spanning resistors provides a high voltage creepage isolation between independent gate driver circuits.

High voltage gate drive circuitry

An apparatus that allows for access to any and all registers of a central processing unit in a line replaceable unit (LRU) without a need to open the housing of the LRU is provided. The apparatus may receive write or read packets from an external device and relay the same to an LRU. The apparatus may receive state information from one or more registers of the LRU in response. The apparatus may transmit or transfer the state information to an external device. The apparatus may be used to update firmware in the LRU, for diagnostics or testing.

Data recorder

Passive filters, line replaceable units and a modular power supply are provided. In one example the modular power supply has a DC bus link having a positive line and a negative line with at least one passive filter and an inductor having a first end and a second end, the first end coupleable to a phase output. A diode bridge having at least a first diode and a second diode, with an anode of the first diode coupleable to the second end of the inductor and a cathode of the first diode coupleable to the positive line, wherein a cathode of the second diode is coupleable to the second end of the inductor and an anode of the second diode is coupleable to the negative line, and wherein the first diode and the second diode are each configured to produce a combined reverse recovery charge that achieves a target DV/DT for an output voltage of the at least one passive filter.

Ac drive dv/dt filter using reverse recovery charge of diodes

An electronic power device including transistors formed on a circuit assembly formed of a plurality of layers. The layers include gate drive layers, gate return layers, and power layers. A gate drive circuit is formed on the circuit assembly, and is connected to the gate and source of each of the transistors through the gate drive layers and the gate return layers. A voltage supply connection is provided to each of the plurality of transistors interleaved through the power layers. The circuit assembly includes a multilayer circuit board and/or a multilayer ceramic substrate. The ceramic substrate includes the power layers and transistors. The gate drive and return layers and gate drive circuit may be formed within the ceramic substrate or the circuit board. The ceramic substrate may be located in a modular housing. The circuit board may be outside the modular housing or inside the modular housing.

Power electronic device with paralleled transistors and a multilayer ceramic power module

Passive filters, line replaceable units and a modular power supply are provided. The passive filter comprises an inductor and a diode bridge. The inductor has a first end and a second end. The first end is coupleable to a phase output of an inverter. The diode bridge comprises a first diode and a second diode. The anode of the first diode is coupled to the second end of the inductor and a cathode of the first diode is coupleable to a positive DC bus voltage. The cathode of the second diode is coupled to the second end of the inductor and the anode of the second diode is coupleable to a negative DC bus voltage. The passive filter output is coupleable to cable(s) for an AC electric machine. A reverse recovery charge of the diodes achieves a target DV/DT for an output voltage of the passive filter at operating temperatures.

AC drive DV/DT filter using reverse recovery charge of diodes

An electronic power device formed by a plurality of FETs formed on a circuit board formed of a plurality of layers, the plurality of transistors being formed on a first surface of the circuit board, the plurality of layers including a plurality of gate drive layers, a plurality of gate return layers, and a plurality of power layers. A gate drive circuit is formed on a second surface of the circuit board, the second surface being opposite the first surface, the gate drive circuit being connected to the gate and source of each of the plurality of transistors through the plurality of gate drive layers and the plurality of gate return layers. A voltage supply is connected to the drain of each of the plurality of transistors, the connections of the voltage supply to each of the plurality of transistors being interleaved through the plurality of power layers.

Power electronic device with paralleled transistors

Systems and methods for reducing a likelihood that an engine exceeds its torque or power limit at a specific speed are provided. Also provided are systems and methods for reducing a likelihood that DC-DC converters and AC inverters overload a generator at a specific speed.

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Vestal, NY, United States of America

Robert J Vovos