Texas Instruments Corporation

University System of Maryland

Serkan Dusmez

Nathan Richard Schemm

Alireza Khaligh

Salil Chellappan

Cetin Kaya

Methods, systems, and apparatus to facilitate a fault triggered diode emulation mode of a transistor. An example apparatus includes a driver to output a control signal to a gate terminal of a transistor of a power converter; and a diode emulation control circuit to, in response to determining a fault corresponding to the transistor, enable the transistor when current flows in a direction from a source terminal of the transistor to a drain terminal of the transistor.

Methods, apparatus, and systems to facilitate a fault triggered diode emulation mode of a transistor

Current sensing apparatus in power factor correction circuits and related methods are disclosed. An example power factor correction circuit includes a first Gallium Nitride (GaN) transistor having a first current terminal and a second current terminal, a second GaN transistor having a third current terminal and a fourth current terminal, a first diode having a first anode, a second diode having a second anode, the second anode coupled to the first anode, and a resistor having a first terminal and a second terminal, the first terminal coupled to the second current terminal and the fourth current terminal, the second terminal coupled to the first anode and the second anode.

Current sensing apparatus in power factor correction circuits and related methods

In described examples, a first power switching circuit receives a power switching control signal and activates a first power switch in response to the power switching control signal. A second power switching circuit receives the power switching control, activates a second power switch in response to the power switching control signal, and determines a first power switching delay in response to temperature indications of the first and second power switches. The second power switching circuit activates the second power switch at a first delayed time after the activation of the first power switch, where the first delayed time follows the activation of the first power switch by the determined first power switching delay.

Parallelling multiple power switches

In some examples, a device comprises a power conversion circuit that includes: an inductor having a first end coupled to an input voltage terminal; a first switch coupled to a second end of the inductor at a first node; a second switch coupled to the second end of the inductor and the first switch at the first node; a third switch coupled to the first switch and to another input voltage terminal at a second node; and a fourth switch coupled to the second switch and to the another input voltage terminal at the second node. The device also comprises a control circuit comprising a variable delay circuit coupled to the first and second switches; and a controller coupled to the variable delay circuit, to an inductor current sensor, and to an input voltage sensor, the inductor current sensor coupled to the inductor and the input voltage sensor coupled to the input voltage terminal and the another input voltage terminal.

Variable delay for soft switching in power conversion circuit

A powertrain system for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) includes one or a number of Energy Storage Sub-Systems (ESSs), and a plurality of Propulsion Machine-Inverter Groups, operatively coupled to the ESSs for being powered in accordance with power requirements of the Propulsion Machines (PMs). Various interface configurations between the ESS(s) and Propulsion Machines are contemplated for the subject powertrain. Some ESSs are coupled to respective PMs (via a common DC Link or a number of independent DC Links) directly, and some through power converters, which may be DC-to-DC, DC-to-AC, AC-to-DC, bi-directional, single input-single output, multiple input-single output, or multiple input-multiple output converters. A Supervisory Energy Management Sub-System cooperates with a Maximum Efficiency Tracker to dynamically control energy distribution in the system based on power requirements of the PMs through control of Propulsion Inverters and/or power converters to dynamically adjust the power level output by the ESSs to the DC Links' voltage variations.

Powertrain system in plug-in electric vehicles

The bi-directional DC/DC converter has zero voltage switching (ZVS) soft switching capability resulting in a higher efficiency, and provides reduction of the switching losses due to higher switching frequencies. The capability of operation in higher frequencies results in reducing the size of passive components including inductance and capacitors. The subject DC/DC converter is capable of operating with three voltage levels in both power flow directions, thus providing flexibility in the voltage control and attaining lower inductor current ripple and lower switch voltage ratings. DC link capacitors are replaced with ultra capacitor banks split in two.

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Plano, TX, United States of America

Serkan Dusmez