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: 9683898
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
    Inventors: Vinoth Sundaramoorthy, Enea Bianda, Richard Bloch, Iulian Nistor, Gerold Knapp
  • Publication number: 20160313191
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2016
    Publication date: October 27, 2016
    Inventors: Vinoth Sundaramoorthy, Enea Bianda, Richard Bloch, Lulian Nistor, Gerold Knapp
  • Patent number: 9039279
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: ABB RESEARCH LTD
    Inventors: Vinoth Sundaramoorthy, Alexander Heinemann, Enea Bianda, Franz Zurfluh, Gerold Knapp, Iulian Nistor, Richard Bloch
  • Patent number: 8149599
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: ABB Research Ltd
    Inventors: Antonio Coccia, Francisco Canales, Gerold Knapp, Marcel Merk, Fabiana Da Silveira Cavalcante
  • Publication number: 20090154200
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2008
    Publication date: June 18, 2009
    Applicant: ABB Research Ltd
    Inventors: Antonio Coccia, Francisco Canales, Gerold Knapp, Marcel Merk, Fabiana Da Silveira Cavalcante
  • Patent number: 7508640
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2009
    Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
    Inventors: Gerold Knapp, Gerhard Hochstuhl, Rudolf Wieser, Luc Meysenc
  • Publication number: 20080204959
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2006
    Publication date: August 28, 2008
    Applicant: ABB Schweiz AG
    Inventors: Gerold Knapp, Gerhard Hochstuhl, Rudolf Wieser, Luc Meysenc
  • Patent number: 7049787
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2006
    Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
    Inventors: Gerold Knapp, Pascal Mauron, Christoph Stemmler
  • Publication number: 20040170034
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2004
    Publication date: September 2, 2004
    Applicant: ABB Schweiz AG
    Inventors: Gerold Knapp, Pascal Mauron, Christoph Stemmler
  • Patent number: 6633092
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2003
    Assignee: ABB Industrie AG
    Inventors: Peter Dähler, Gerold Knapp
  • Publication number: 20020012215
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2001
    Publication date: January 31, 2002
    Inventors: Peter Dahler, Gerold Knapp