Patents by Inventor Gerold Knapp
Gerold Knapp has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
-
Patent number: 9683898Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for determining an actual junction temperature (Tj) and/or an actual collector current (IC) of an IGBT device, wherein the IGBT device has a main emitter (EM) and an auxiliary emitter (EA), comprising the steps of; measuring the characteristics of an emitter voltage drop (VEE?) as a difference between a main emitter voltage (VE) at the main emitter (EM) and an auxiliary emitter voltage (VE?) at the auxiliary emitter (EA) during a switching operation of the IGBT device; and determining the junction temperature and/or the collector current (IC) based on the characteristics of the emitter voltage drop (VEE?).Type: GrantFiled: March 23, 2016Date of Patent: June 20, 2017Assignee: ABB Schweiz AGInventors: Vinoth Sundaramoorthy, Enea Bianda, Richard Bloch, Iulian Nistor, Gerold Knapp
-
Publication number: 20160313191Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for determining an actual junction temperature (Tj) and/or an actual collector current (Ic) of an IGBT device, wherein the IGBT device has a main emitter (EM) and an auxiliary emitter (EA), comprising the steps of; measuring the characteristics of an emitter voltage drop (VEE?) as a difference between a main emitter voltage (VE) at the main emitter (EM) and an auxiliary emitter voltage (VE?) at the auxiliary emitter (EA) during a switching operation of the IGBT device; and determining the junction temperature and/or the collector current (IC) based on the characteristics of the emitter voltage drop (VEE?).Type: ApplicationFiled: March 23, 2016Publication date: October 27, 2016Inventors: Vinoth Sundaramoorthy, Enea Bianda, Richard Bloch, Lulian Nistor, Gerold Knapp
-
Patent number: 9039279Abstract: 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.Type: GrantFiled: January 11, 2013Date of Patent: May 26, 2015Assignee: ABB RESEARCH LTDInventors: Vinoth Sundaramoorthy, Alexander Heinemann, Enea Bianda, Franz Zurfluh, Gerold Knapp, Iulian Nistor, Richard Bloch
-
Patent number: 8149599Abstract: A controller circuit is specified, having a step-up controller, a resonant converter connected downstream of the step-up controller on the output side, a transformer, a rectifier, which rectifier is connected to the secondary winding of the transformer on the input side, and a CLL resonant circuit connected to the resonant converter and to the primary winding of the transformer, which CLL resonant circuit has a resonance capacitance and a first and a second resonance inductance. In order to reduce the switching losses, the CLL resonant circuit is embodied as a “T” circuit.Type: GrantFiled: December 16, 2008Date of Patent: April 3, 2012Assignee: ABB Research LtdInventors: Antonio Coccia, Francisco Canales, Gerold Knapp, Marcel Merk, Fabiana Da Silveira Cavalcante
-
Publication number: 20090154200Abstract: A controller circuit is specified, having a step-up controller, a resonant converter connected downstream of the step-up controller on the output side, a transformer, a rectifier, which rectifier is connected to the secondary winding of the transformer on the input side, and a CLL resonant circuit connected to the resonant converter and to the primary winding of the transformer, which CLL resonant circuit has a resonance capacitance and a first and a second resonance inductance. In order to reduce the switching losses, the CLL resonant circuit is embodied as a “T” circuit.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 16, 2008Publication date: June 18, 2009Applicant: ABB Research LtdInventors: Antonio Coccia, Francisco Canales, Gerold Knapp, Marcel Merk, Fabiana Da Silveira Cavalcante
-
Patent number: 7508640Abstract: The document specifies a method for fault handling in a converter circuit for switching three voltage levels, in which the converter circuit has a converter subsystem provided for each phase (R,S,T), in which a top fault current path (A) or a bottom fault current path (B) in the converter subsystem is detected, the top fault current path (A) running through the first, second, third and sixth power semiconductor switches in the converter subsystem or through the first and fifth power semiconductor switches (S1, S5) in the converter subsystem, and the bottom fault current path (B) running through the second, third, fourth and fifth power semiconductor switches in the converter subsystem or through the fourth and sixth power semiconductor switches in the converter subsystem, and in which the power semiconductor switches are switched on the basis of a fault switching sequence.Type: GrantFiled: December 18, 2006Date of Patent: March 24, 2009Assignee: ABB Schweiz AGInventors: Gerold Knapp, Gerhard Hochstuhl, Rudolf Wieser, Luc Meysenc
-
Publication number: 20080204959Abstract: The document specifies a method for fault handling in a converter circuit for switching three voltage levels, in which the converter circuit has a converter subsystem provided for each phase (R,S,T), in which a top fault current path (A) or a bottom fault current path (B) in the converter subsystem is detected, the top fault current path (A) running through the first, second, third and sixth power semiconductor switches in the converter subsystem or through the first and fifth power semiconductor switches (S1, S5) in the converter subsystem, and the bottom fault current path (B) running through the second, third, fourth and fifth power semiconductor switches in the converter subsystem or through the fourth and sixth power semiconductor switches in the converter subsystem, and in which the power semiconductor switches are switched on the basis of a fault switching sequence.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 18, 2006Publication date: August 28, 2008Applicant: ABB Schweiz AGInventors: Gerold Knapp, Gerhard Hochstuhl, Rudolf Wieser, Luc Meysenc
-
Patent number: 7049787Abstract: A converter circuit with short-circuit current protection having a DC voltage circuit (1) is proposed, which DC voltage circuit (1) is formed by a DC voltage circuit subsystem (2.1), the DC voltage circuit subsystem (2.1) having a first energy store (3) and a second energy store (4), which is connected in series with the first energy store (3), and a fuse (5). Furthermore, the converter circuit has at least one pair of branches (6) provided for each phase (R, S, T) and connected in parallel with the DC voltage circuit (1), each pair of branches (6) having power semiconductor switches. In order to achieve a low-inductance converter circuit, the fuse (5) forms the connection between the first energy store (3) and the second energy store (4).Type: GrantFiled: February 20, 2004Date of Patent: May 23, 2006Assignee: ABB Schweiz AGInventors: Gerold Knapp, Pascal Mauron, Christoph Stemmler
-
Publication number: 20040170034Abstract: A converter circuit with short-circuit current protection having a DC voltage circuit (1) is proposed, which DC voltage circuit (1) is formed by a DC voltage circuit subsystem (2.1), the DC voltage circuit subsystem (2.1) having a first energy store (3) and a second energy store (4), which is connected in series with the first energy store (3), and a fuse (5). Furthermore, the converter circuit has at least one pair of branches (6) provided for each phase (R, S, T) and connected in parallel with the DC voltage circuit (1), each pair of branches (6) having power semiconductor switches. In order to achieve a low-inductance converter circuit, the fuse (5) forms the connection between the first energy store (3) and the second energy store (4).Type: ApplicationFiled: February 20, 2004Publication date: September 2, 2004Applicant: ABB Schweiz AGInventors: Gerold Knapp, Pascal Mauron, Christoph Stemmler
-
Patent number: 6633092Abstract: A short circuit within the dynamic voltage restorer (1) is immediately detected by a short circuit detection units (9) which permanently monitors currents and voltages in the voltage source converter (3) and energy storage capacitor bank (2). Upon detection a fast discharge of the capacitor bank (2) including firing of all available semiconductors of the voltage source converter (3) and distributing the resulting current stress as evenly as possible within the voltage source converter (3) is initiated. Instead of letting costly fuses interrupt the high short circuit currents, these currents are detected and evenly distributed within the converter.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 2001Date of Patent: October 14, 2003Assignee: ABB Industrie AGInventors: Peter Dähler, Gerold Knapp
-
Publication number: 20020012215Abstract: A short circuit within the dynamic voltage restorer (1) is immediately detected by a short circuit detection units (9) which permanently monitors currents and voltages in the voltage source converter (3) and energy storage capacitor bank (2). Upon detection a fast discharge of the capacitor bank (2) including firing of all available semiconductors of the voltage source converter (3) and distributing the resulting current stress as evenly as possible within the voltage source converter (3) is initiated. Instead of letting costly fuses interrupt the high short circuit currents, these currents are detected and evenly distributed within the converter.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 27, 2001Publication date: January 31, 2002Inventors: Peter Dahler, Gerold Knapp