Abstract: An electrical leakage determination system that determines if an electrical leakage occurs includes a capacitor having first and second ends connected to a cathode side power supply path and a grounding section and a switch disposed in an electrical path formed parallel to the capacitor. When the capacitor discharges and a predetermined period has elapsed after the controller sets an energized state between the cathode-side power supply path and the grounding section by bringing the switch to an energizing position, the controller allows the capacitor to charge by setting an energization shut down state between the cathode-side power supply path and the grounding section by bringing the switch to an energization shut down position. The controller subsequently detects a voltage value of the capacitor and determines if the electrical leakage is either present or absent based on the voltage value.

Abstract: An electric power conversion device is provided with a case (60) which includes: a first member (61) having a first region (73) defining therein a first passage (78, 79) in which a cooling medium flows, and a second region (74) disposed on a side of the first region; and a second member (88) disposed so as to at least partly overlap with the second region as seen from a direction orthogonal to the second region in a spaced apart relationship to the second region, and internally defining a second passage (91) connected to the first passage. A reactor (31) is positioned in the first region, and a switching device (33) is positioned on the surface of the second member facing away from the first member while a capacitor (35) is positioned between the second member and the second region of the first member.

Abstract: An electric power conversion device is provided with a case (60) including a mounting portion (61) extending along a plane defined by a first direction and a second direction that are orthogonal to each other, and a side wall (62) provided along a periphery of the mounting portion, a primary side connection portion (23) and a secondary side connection portion (27) provided on the case, a plurality of reactors arranged along the second direction in the case and connected in parallel to one another, and a switching unit including a plurality of switching devices positioned in the case on one side of the reactors in the first direction, arranged along the first direction, and respectively connected to the reactors.

Abstract: A semiconductor device turns on and off a power switching device having a gate terminal and output terminals between which an output current is produced by a gate voltage applied to the gate terminal. The semiconductor device includes: an output current detector detecting a current value correlated with the output current; a voltage detector detecting a voltage across the output terminals of the power switching device; a clamp circuit clamping the gate voltage at a predetermined value; and a controller controlling the clamp circuit to adjust the gate voltage based on the voltage detected by the voltage detector. The controller controls the clamp circuit to set the gate voltage to be at a minimum voltage according to the detected voltage to cause the output current to be larger than a threshold current required for detecting the short circuit in the power switching device.

Abstract: In a control circuit for controlling a power converter that includes a switch, a power supply circuit outputs electrical power, and a command generator generates a switching command that controls switching operations of the switch, based on the electrical power output from the power supply circuit. A failure mode determiner executes a determination of whether which of failure modes has occurred in the power supply circuit, and outputs a result of the determination. A switch controller selectively executes, based on the result of the determination, a first switch control task and a second switch control task. The first switch control task forcibly shuts down the switch independently of the switching command, and the second switch control task enables the switching operations of the switch to be continuously controlled based on the switching command.

Abstract: A semiconductor device turns on and off a power switching device having a gate terminal and output terminals between which an output current is produced by a gate voltage applied to the gate terminal. The semiconductor device includes: an output current detector detecting a current value correlated with the output current; a voltage detector detecting a voltage across the output terminals of the power switching device; a clamp circuit clamping the gate voltage at a predetermined value; and a controller controlling the clamp circuit to adjust the gate voltage based on the voltage detected by the voltage detector. The controller controls the clamp circuit to set the gate voltage to be at a minimum voltage according to the detected voltage to cause the output current to be larger than a threshold current required for detecting the short circuit in the power switching device.

Abstract: In a control circuit for controlling a power converter that includes a switch, a power supply circuit outputs electrical power, and a command generator generates a switching command that controls switching operations of the switch, based on the electrical power output from the power supply circuit. A failure mode determiner executes a determination of whether which of failure modes has occurred in the power supply circuit, and outputs a result of the determination. A switch controller selectively executes, based on the result of the determination, a first switch control task and a second switch control task. The first switch control task forcibly shuts down the switch independently of the switching command, and the second switch control task enables the switching operations of the switch to be continuously controlled based on the switching command.

Abstract: A switching circuit may be provided with: a parallel circuit including a first IGBT and a second IGBT connected in parallel; a controller configured to receive a signal indicating a turn-on timing and a turn-off timing. The controller is configured to: turn on both of the first and second IGBTs at the turn-on timing, execute a first control in which one of the first and second IGBTs is turned off before the turn-off timing and the other of the first and second IGBTs is turned off at the turn-off timing in a case where current flowing through the parallel circuit is equal to or lower than a threshold value, and execute a second control in which both of the first and second IGBTs are turned off at the turn-off timing in a case where the current flowing through the parallel circuit is higher than the threshold value.

Abstract: In an apparatus for controlling switching operations of switching elements of a power converter to convert input power to output power, a drive controller is configured to generate a drive control instruction indicative of predetermined switching operations of the switching elements, and output the drive control instruction. A driver is configured to drive, in accordance with the drive control instruction, the switching elements, so that the switching elements perform the predetermined switching operations. A switching speed adjuster is configured to obtain at least information indicative of atmospheric pressure, and adjust a switching speed of each of the switching elements such that the switching speed of the corresponding switching element decreases with a decrease of the atmospheric pressure.

Abstract: A switching circuit may be provided with: a parallel circuit including a first IGBT and a second IGBT connected in parallel; a controller configured to receive a signal indicating a turn-on timing and a turn-off timing. The controller is configured to: turn on both of the first and second IGBTs at the turn-on timing, execute a first control in which one of the first and second IGBTs is turned off before the turn-off timing and the other of the first and second IGBTs is turned off at the turn-off timing in a case where current flowing through the parallel circuit is equal to or lower than a threshold value, and execute a second control in which both of the first and second IGBTs are turned off at the turn-off timing in a case where the current flowing through the parallel circuit is higher than the threshold value.

Abstract: In an integrated circuit formed into a single chip, a drive signal generating unit generates drive signals for switching elements of a power conversion circuit. A monitoring unit monitors a microcomputer that calculates generation information that is information used to generate the drive signals, and determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the microcomputer. An angle converting unit converts an output signal of an angle sensor to rotation angle information of a rotating electric machine. A drive signal generating unit generates the drive signals for controlling driving of the rotating electric machine based on the generation information and the rotation angle information when the monitoring unit determines that an abnormality has not occurred in the microcomputer, and generates the drive signals based on the rotation angle information, without using the generation information, when the monitoring unit determines that an abnormality has occurred in the microcomputer.

Abstract: Upper arm connection sections and lower arm connection sections are provided in parallel. An upper arm transformer and a power supply are provided in an area opposed to the lower arm connection sections with respect to the upper arm connection sections. A power supply control section is provided in at least one of an area opposed to the upper arm connection sections with respect to the upper arm transformer, and an area which is sandwiched between at least one of the upper and lower connection sections closest to one side of the substrate positioned in a direction in which the upper arm connection sections are arranged, and the one side. The lower arm transformer is provided in an area opposed to the upper arm connection sections with respect to the lower arm connection sections. The lower arm transformer is common to at least two of the lower arm switching elements.

Abstract: An ECU has a function of calculating a rotation angle, which is used for torque control, based on amplitude-modulated signals SIN and COS outputted from an angle sensor and a synchronous detection signal. Frequency components generated at the time of switching operation of switching elements of an inverter connected to a motor-generator is included in an output voltage of the inverter. The ECU has a function of shifting frequencies of the frequency components and an excitation frequency of an excitation signal from each other so that noise having the frequencies of the frequency components are not superimposed on the amplitude-modulated signals SIN and COS.

Abstract: An insulated power supply apparatus includes an upper arm transformer which has a primary side coil and a secondary side coil, a lower arm transformer which has a primary side coil and a secondary side coil, and a power supply control section which has a voltage control switching element and an integrated circuit which turns on or off the voltage control switching element. At least one of the upper arm transformer and the lower arm transformer is adjacent to the power supply control section when viewing a surface of the substrate from a front thereof. An electric path transfers output voltage of the secondary side coil of the transformer adjacent to the power supply control section, to the integrated circuit. The integrated circuit turns on or off the voltage control switching element to perform feedback control so that the output voltage detected via the electric path reaches a target voltage.

Abstract: In an apparatus for controlling switching operations of switching elements of a power converter to convert input power to output power, a drive controller is configured to generate a drive control instruction indicative of predetermined switching operations of the switching elements, and output the drive control instruction. A driver is configured to drive, in accordance with the drive control instruction, the switching elements, so that the switching elements perform the predetermined switching operations. A switching speed adjuster is configured to obtain at least information indicative of atmospheric pressure, and adjust a switching speed of each of the switching elements such that the switching speed of the corresponding switching element decreases with a decrease of the atmospheric pressure.

Abstract: An ECU has a function of calculating a rotation angle, which is used for torque control, based on amplitude-modulated signals SIN and COS outputted from an angle sensor and a synchronous detection signal. Frequency components generated at the time of switching operation of switching elements of an inverter connected to a motor-generator is included in an output voltage of the inverter. The ECU has a function of shifting frequencies of the frequency components and an excitation frequency of an excitation signal from each other so that noise having the frequencies of the frequency components are not superimposed on the amplitude-modulated signals SIN and COS.

Abstract: In an integrated circuit formed into a single chip, a drive signal generating unit generates drive signals for switching elements of a power conversion circuit. A monitoring unit monitors a microcomputer that calculates generation information that is information used to generate the drive signals, and determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the microcomputer. An angle converting unit converts an output signal of an angle sensor to rotation angle information of a rotating electric machine. A drive signal generating unit generates the drive signals for controlling driving of the rotating electric machine based on the generation information and the rotation angle information when the monitoring unit determines that an abnormality has not occurred in the microcomputer, and generates the drive signals based on the rotation angle information, without using the generation information, when the monitoring unit determines that an abnormality has occurred in the microcomputer.

Abstract: In a test of discharging a capacitor by electrically turning on a first switching element and a second switching element that are inserted in series in a conductor connecting a positive electrode and a negative electrode of the capacitor, a discharge current that passes through the first and second switching elements tend to apply stress on the first and second switching elements. In this discharge test, while a first control signal for putting the first switching element into a low resistance state is being applied to the first switching element, a second control signal increasing a voltage thereof over time is applied to the second switching element, and application of one of or both of the first and second control signals is stopped when a current detector detects a current. Since a discharge test ends when a limited discharge current starts flowing, stress associated with the discharge test is reduced.

Abstract: A discharge controller carries out discharge control by determining a voltage to be applied to a conduction control terminal of each of switching elements such that a current in a non-saturation region of one of the switching elements is lower than a current in a non-saturation region of the other thereof, and applying the voltage to the conduction control terminal of each switching element with an opening-closing member opening an electrical path to turn on the switching elements, resulting in short-circuit of both electrodes of a capacitor so that a discharge current is outputted from the capacitor based on the discharge control. A manipulator manipulates, based on a value of the discharge current, how to apply the voltage to the conduction control terminal of the one of the switching elements, thus controlling an amount of heat to be generated in the one of the switching elements.

Abstract: A power supply circuit converts an input electric power into a target voltage and outputs the target voltage is equipped with a power semiconductor element that is connected between an input and an output, a drive circuit that adjusts operation of the power semiconductor element on the basis of a result of a comparison between an output voltage of the power supply circuit and a threshold voltage based on a first reference voltage, and a first monitoring circuit that compares the output voltage with a normal range based on a second reference voltage and outputs a first signal when the output voltage is deviant from the normal range. In addition, the first reference voltage and the second reference voltage are generated in different reference voltage generation circuits.