The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 26, 2015
Filed:
Jan. 11, 2013
Abb Research Ltd, Zürich, CH;
Vinoth Sundaramoorthy, Baden-Daettwil, CH;
Alexander Heinemann, Untersiggenthal, CH;
Enea Bianda, Baden, CH;
Franz Zurfluh, Brugg, CH;
Gerold Knapp, Ehrendingen, CH;
Iulian Nistor, Niederweningen, CH;
Richard Bloch, Oberarth, CH;
ABB RESEARCH LTD, Zurich, CH;
Abstract
A system and method are provided for monitoring in real time the operating state of an IGBT device, to determine a junction temperature and/or the remaining lifetime of an IGBT device. The system includes a differential unit configured to receive a gate-emitter voltage characteristic of the IGBT device to be measured and to differentiate the gate-emitter voltage characteristic to obtain pulses correlating with edges formed by a Miller plateau phase during a switch-off phase of the IGBT device. The system also includes a timer unit configured to measure the time delay between the obtained pulses indicating the start and end of the Miller plateau phase during the switch-off phase of the IGBT device, and a junction temperature calculation unit configured to determine at least one of the junction temperature of the IGBT device and/or the remaining lifetime of the IGBT device based on the measured time delay.