JP2006295326A - Switching circuit with protective function, and protection circuit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a switching circuit with a protective function which can easily be made into IC, to be downsizes and is reduced in current consumed and factors leading to malfunctions, and to provide a protection circuit. <P>SOLUTION: The switching circuit includes N-channel MOS transistors M1, M11 that are turned on with a delay after turning on of IGBT switches Q2, Q12, and Zener diodes Z1, Z11 for permitting drain currents I1, I11 of the N-channel MOS transistors M1, M11 only when the IGBT switches Q2, Q12 are deviated from the saturation state. Further, the switching circuit is furthermore provided with soft shut-down circuits 3, 13 that slowly shut down the IGBT switches Q2, Q12 when the IGBT switches Q2, Q12 are deviated from the saturation state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a switching circuit having a protection function against an overcurrent caused by a short circuit or the like in power supply to a load by a semiconductor element, and a protection circuit therefor. More specifically, the present invention relates to a switching circuit with a protection function and a protection circuit that can be easily incorporated in an integrated circuit by reducing the current consumption of the protection circuit in a normal state and reducing the number of required high breakdown voltage elements. is there.

  As an example of a conventional switching circuit with a protective function, a motor controller described in Patent Document 1 can be cited. This motor controller is schematically configured as shown in FIG. This motor controller is a circuit that performs current supply to coils of each phase of a multiphase motor by means of an IGBT switch 136. In this circuit, in the normal state, the collector-emitter voltage of the IGBT switch 136 is saturated and constant.

  When an abnormal situation such as a load short circuit or an arm short circuit occurs and an overcurrent state occurs, the collector-emitter voltage of the IGBT switch 136 is pulled out from the saturated state and rises. In the technique of Patent Document 1, when the collector-emitter voltage of the IGBT switch 136 rises, the IGBT switch 136 and all other IGBT switches used with the IGBT switch 136 are simultaneously soft-shut down. This attempts to prevent additional switching operations or malfunctions due to the mirror effect (short-through short circuit, etc.).

In the motor controller of Patent Document 1, three resistors 144 to 146 and a diode 147 are used to detect an overcurrent state. Thereby, the collector-emitter voltage of the IGBT switch 136 can be detected by the resistors 145 and 146. The resistor 144 is for pulling up the terminal voltage of the resistor 145 to the gate line of the IGBT switch 136 and stabilizing it. The overcurrent state can also be detected by the voltage across the resistor 144.
JP 2001-8492 A

  However, the conventional technique described above has the following problems. First, the power consumption for detecting an overcurrent state is large. In the circuit of FIG. 4, when the IGBT switch 136 is on, a current also flows through the resistors 144 to 146 and the diode 147. This current is required to some extent in order to maintain high-speed detection response. For this reason, power consumption is large.

  This also means that the resistors 144 to 146 generate a considerable amount of heat, so that it is difficult to incorporate them in the IC. If these exist as individual parts outside the IC, the number of parts is large and miniaturization is difficult. Also, if it goes off, it will not work at all. Further, the diode 147 requires a withstand voltage comparable to that of the IGBT switch 136. Such a high voltage diode is not built in a normal IC. For this reason, an IC incorporating this cannot be manufactured by a standard IC manufacturing process. This is also a factor that makes IC integration difficult.

  In the circuit of FIG. 4, the IGBT switch 136 may malfunction at a high temperature. At high temperature, a voltage is generated in the resistors 144 to 146 due to the leakage current of the diode 147. For this reason, even if the IGBT switch 136 is in the OFF state, the gate voltage rises and is erroneously turned ON. In FIG. 4, if the resistor 144 is connected to the VB terminal instead of being connected to the gate of the IGBT switch 136, such erroneous ON can be prevented. However, the bootstrap operation is disturbed instead. This is because the charge of the bootstrap capacitor in the driver circuit 30 is discharged through the resistors 144 to 146.

  The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the conventional switching circuit with a protective function. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a switching circuit and a protection circuit with a protection function that can be easily made into an IC and reduced in size, and that consume less current and malfunction factors.

  The switching circuit with a protection function of the present invention made for the purpose of solving this problem includes a switching element for switching power supply to a load, a drive circuit for operating the switching element, and a protection circuit for protecting against overcurrent. The protection circuit is provided on the current path of the first transistor and the first transistor which are turned on when the switching element is turned on by the driving circuit, and normally prevents current and switches the switching circuit. It has a detection element that allows current when the voltage between terminals of the element exceeds a predetermined value, and a shutdown circuit that shuts down the switching element when the current flowing through the first transistor exceeds a predetermined value.

  In this switching circuit with a protective function, the power supply to the load is controlled by the switching operation of the switching element. The switching element is operated by the drive circuit. Here, when the switching element is turned on by the drive circuit, the first transistor is also turned on. However, in normal times, the detection element on the current path blocks the current. Therefore, in practice, no current flows through the first transistor. That is, during normal times, no extra current flows other than the current flowing from the switching element to the load. For this reason, even if there is a resistance on the current path of the first transistor, it does not generate heat during normal operation. Therefore, there is no particular problem in incorporating the resistor in the IC. Further, the first transistor can be composed of a MOS transistor, which can be easily incorporated in an IC. In addition, normally, no extra current flows through the current path of the first transistor regardless of whether the switching element is on or off, so there is no cause of malfunction.

  When the switching element enters an overcurrent state, the voltage across the switching element increases. When the voltage between the terminals of the switching element exceeds a predetermined value, the detection element allows current. As a result, a current flows through the first transistor. When this current exceeds a predetermined value, the shutdown circuit shuts down the switching element. For this reason, since the switching element is turned off, the overcurrent state does not continue any further. This protects against overcurrent.

  The switching circuit with a protective function of the present invention preferably further includes a delay-on means for turning on the first transistor with a predetermined time delay with respect to the on-operation of the switching element by the driving circuit. This prevents the surge voltage immediately after the switching element is turned on from affecting the detection element. For this reason, there is no erroneous overcurrent detection.

  The switching circuit with a protective function of the present invention preferably includes a second transistor that causes the shutdown circuit to shut down when the current flowing through the first transistor exceeds a predetermined value. In this way, when an overcurrent is detected by the detection element, the shutdown operation of the shutdown circuit is started by the second transistor.

  In addition, the shutdown circuit in the switching circuit with a protection function of the present invention is preferably a soft shutdown circuit that softly shuts down the switching element. In this way, the switching element is gently turned off when overcurrent is detected. This prevents surges and prevents switching elements from being destroyed.

  In the switching circuit with a protection function of the present invention, it is desirable that the breakdown voltage of the first transistor is equal to or higher than the breakdown voltage of the switching element.

  The present invention is also a protection circuit that protects against an overcurrent of a switching element that switches power supply to a load, and includes a first transistor that is turned on by an on operation of the switching element, and a current path of the first transistor The detection element is provided on the upper side to block current in a normal state and allows the current when the voltage between the terminals of the switching element exceeds a predetermined value. When the current flowing through the first transistor exceeds the predetermined value, the switching element is shut down. It also extends to those having a shutdown circuit.

  According to the present invention, there are provided a switching circuit and a protection circuit with a protection function that can be easily made into an IC and reduced in size, and that consume less current and cause malfunctions.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the best mode for embodying the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. This embodiment is a switching circuit that supplies a drive current to an electric motor. For example, it is a circuit used as a controller of a portable motor mounted on a vehicle and used as a power source.

  The switching circuit of this embodiment is configured as shown in the circuit diagram of FIG. This switching circuit has an IC chip 50 and IGBT switches Q2 and Q12. The IGBT switches Q2 and Q12 are connected in series between the high voltage source P and the low voltage source N, and a node between them is an output terminal Vout. Protection diodes D1 and D11 are provided in parallel to the IGBT switches Q2 and Q12, respectively. The collector of the IGBT switch Q12 is connected to the high voltage source P and the terminal 21 of the IC chip 50. A node between the IGBT switches Q2 and Q12 is connected to the terminal 20 of the IC chip 50. The IGBT switches Q2 and Q12 have a collector-emitter voltage of about 2.5 V in a saturated state.

  This switching circuit has a two-stage configuration of a high-order side and a low-order side. The upper half in FIG. 1 including the IGBT switch Q12 is the high-order side, and the lower half in FIG. 1 including the IGBT switch Q2 is the low-order side. In the IC chip 50, the arm middle point 22 connected to the terminal 20 forms a boundary between the high-order side and the low-order side. Since both the high-order side and the low-order side have the same configuration, the following mainly describes the low-order side.

  In the lower portion of the IC chip 50, N-channel MOS transistors M1, NPN transistors Q1, resistors R1 to R4, a capacitor C1, and a Zener diode Z1 are provided. In addition to these, drive circuits 1 and 2 and a soft shutdown circuit 3 are provided. Among these, the Zener diode Z1, the resistors R1 to R3, and the N-channel MOS transistor M1 are connected in series between the arm middle point 22 and the low voltage source N. The direction of the Zener diode Z1 is opposite to the current flowing from the arm middle point 22 to the low voltage source N. As a result, unless the Zener diode Z1 breaks down, no current flows therethrough even if the N-channel MOS transistor M1 is on. That is, in order for a current to flow through the N-channel MOS transistor M1, it is necessary that the N-channel MOS transistor M1 itself is in an on state and that the Zener diode Z1 breaks down. The Zener voltage of the Zener diode Z1 is 6.3V.

  Among the resistors R1 to R3, a node between the resistors R2 and R3 on the lower side than the N-channel MOS transistor M1 is connected to the base of the transistor Q1. Further, a capacitor C1 is arranged between this node and the low voltage source N, and constitutes a filter together with the resistors R2 and R3. The collector voltage of the transistor Q1 is input to the drive circuit 2 and the soft shutdown circuit 3. The base-emitter voltage of the transistor Q1 is 0.7V.

  Among the above, the N-channel MOS transistor M1 is a high breakdown voltage element which is about the same as or higher than the IGBT switch Q2. Each element other than the N-channel MOS transistor M1 may have a low breakdown voltage (about 25V). In the switching circuit of this embodiment shown in FIG. 1, an overcurrent detection and protection function is built in an internal portion of the IC chip 50.

  The drive circuit 1 is a circuit for turning on and off the N-channel MOS transistor M1 based on the operation signal. The drive circuit 2 is a circuit for turning on and off the IGBT switch Q2 based on the operation signal. The drive circuits 1 and 2 operate based on the same operation signal. The soft shutdown circuit 3 is a circuit that executes a soft shutdown operation that gently shifts the IGBT switch Q2 in the on state to the off state. One of the drive circuit 2 and the soft shutdown circuit 3 operates according to the state of the transistor Q1. That is, when the transistor Q1 is off, the drive circuit 2 operates and the soft shutdown circuit 3 does not operate. When the transistor Q1 is on, the soft shutdown circuit 3 operates and the drive circuit 2 does not operate.

  In addition to the IGBT switch Q2, resistors R5 and R6 are provided in the lower part of the outside of the IC chip 50. The resistor R5 is provided between the gate of the IGBT switch Q2 and the drive circuit 2. The resistor R6 is provided between the gate of the IGBT switch Q2 and the soft shutdown circuit 3. Further, a sub power supply 4 (15 V) for applying a necessary operating voltage to each unit is provided outside the IC chip 50.

  A circuit similar to the above-described low-order side is also provided on the high-order side. That is, an N-channel MOS transistor M11, a transistor Q11, resistors R11 to R14, a capacitor C11, a Zener diode Z11, drive circuits 11 and 12, and a soft shutdown circuit 13 are provided in the IC chip 50. In addition to the IGBT switch Q12, resistors R15 and R16 and a sub power source 14 are provided outside the IC chip 50.

  In the switching circuit of the present embodiment configured as described above, the lower drive circuit 2 and the drive circuit 1 are basically similar to the IGBT switch Q2 and the N-channel MOS transistor M1 based on the same operation signal. On / off operation. However, as shown in the timing chart of FIG. 2, there is a time lag t between the time when the IGBT switch Q2 is turned on and the time when the N-channel MOS transistor M1 is turned on. That is, when the IGBT switch Q2 is turned on, the N-channel MOS transistor M1 is also turned on with a time lag t (about 2 μs). Similarly, when the IGBT switch Q12 is turned on also on the higher level side, the N-channel MOS transistor M11 is also turned on with a time lag t. In a normal operation situation, the IGBT switch Q2 and the IGBT switch Q12 are not turned on at the same time.

  The basic operation of the switching circuit of the present embodiment configured as described above is to repeatedly turn on and off the IGBT switch Q2 and the IGBT switch Q12 by the drive circuit 2 and the drive circuit 12 based on the operation signal. As a result, the voltage at the output terminal Vout is controlled, and a coil current is supplied to the electric motor as a load. Thus, the electric motor is driven.

  Here, the low-side IGBT switch Q2 is in a saturated state when it is turned on in a normal operation state. The collector-emitter voltage of the IGBT switch Q2 in the saturated state is approximately constant at about 2.5V. That is, in a normal operation state, a voltage of about 2.5 V is applied to the current path from the Zener diode Z1 to the resistor R2. The direction is opposite to the Zener diode Z1. However, the Zener diode Z1 does not break down at such a reverse voltage. For this reason, the current I1 does not flow through this current path. That is, in the normal operating state, whenever the N-channel MOS transistor M1 is turned on by the drive circuit 1, the current I1 is blocked by the Zener diode Z1.

  Furthermore, since the drain current I1 does not flow through the N-channel MOS transistor M1, the base voltage of the transistor Q1 is at a low level. For this reason, the transistor Q1 is also off. Therefore, the current I2 does not flow through the current path of the resistor 14 and the transistor Q1. The same applies to the higher side. Therefore, under normal operating conditions, almost no current other than the current supplied to the load flows. For this reason, the power consumption in the IC chip 50 is almost zero and there is almost no heat generation.

  In the normal operation state described above, the collector voltage of the transistor Q1 is at a high level because the low-order transistor Q1 is off. For this reason, the drive circuit 2 operates and the soft shutdown circuit 3 does not operate. As a result, the on / off operation of the IGBT switch Q2 by the drive circuit 2 is performed.

  When the currents of the IGBT switches Q2 and Q12 are excessive, that is, an overcurrent state occurs due to a ground fault of the load or an arm short circuit, the following operation is performed. First, the IGBT switch Q2 deviates from the saturation state, and its collector-emitter voltage rises. When the collector-emitter voltage of the IGBT switch Q2 exceeds 6.3V, the Zener diode Z1 breaks down. As a result, the drain current I1 can flow through the N-channel MOS transistor M1. In this state, when the N-channel MOS transistor M1 is turned on by the drive circuit 1 with a time lag t behind the IGBT switch Q2 being turned on, a drain current I1 actually flows. As a result, the base voltage of the transistor Q1 rises.

  When the collector-emitter voltage of the IGBT switch Q2 exceeds 7V (6.3V + 0.7V), the transistor Q1 is turned on. For this reason, the emitter current I2 flows through the transistor Q1. As a result, the collector voltage of the transistor Q1 decreases. For this reason, the drive circuit 2 stops operating, and the soft shutdown circuit 3 starts operating instead. Thus, the IGBT switch Q2 is gradually turned off. When IGBT switch Q2 is turned off, drain current I1 of N channel MOS transistor M1 and emitter current I2 of transistor Q1 are also stopped. The higher side operates in the same manner. This is the overcurrent protection operation.

  In this overcurrent protection operation, the drain current I1 of the N-channel MOS transistor M1 and the emitter current I2 of the transistor Q1 flow in the IC chip 50. However, this period is from when the Zener diode Z1 breaks down until the soft shutdown is executed. This is only about 10 μs, and the heat generation of the IC chip 50 is not a problem.

  In the above overcurrent protection operation, various malfunction prevention measures are taken. First, there is a time lag t from when the IGBT switch Q2 is turned on to when the N-channel MOS transistor M1 is turned on (FIG. 2). This prevents malfunction due to a surge voltage immediately after the IGBT switch Q2 is turned on. When IGBT switch Q2 and N-channel MOS transistor M1 are turned on simultaneously, the surge voltage of IGBT switch Q2 will affect N-channel MOS transistor M1. This is prevented by the time lag t.

  Further, the filter by the resistors R2, R3 and the capacitor C1 on the lower side of the N channel MOS transistor M1 is also a measure for preventing malfunction. Due to this filter, the actual turn-on of the transistor Q1 is further delayed slightly from the rise of the drain current I1 of the N-channel MOS transistor M1. This prevents malfunction of overcurrent detection due to voltage-related switching noise.

  Further, the shutdown operation of the IGBT switch Q2 performed by the soft shutdown circuit 3 when the transistor Q1 is turned on is a soft shutdown in which the gate impedance of the IGBT switch Q2 when the gate is turned off is increased so as to be gradually shut down. This is a measure for preventing destruction of the IGBT switch Q2. When the IGBT switch Q2 is shut down rapidly, the collector current di / dt is large. This is because a surge voltage is generated, leading to destruction of the IGBT switch Q2. Of course, these are the same on the higher side.

  As described above in detail, the switching circuit of this embodiment has N-channel MOS transistors M1 and M11 that are turned on after the IGBT switches Q2 and Q12. The zener diodes Z1 and Z11 permitting the drain current I1 of the N-channel MOS transistors M1 and M11 only when the IGBT switches Q2 and Q12 are out of saturation. Further, there are provided soft shutdown circuits 3 and 13 for gently shutting down the IGBT switches Q2 and Q12 when the IGBT switches Q2 and Q12 are released from the saturated state. As a result, a switching circuit with a protective function has been realized that consumes little power and has a low possibility of malfunction or element destruction.

  Here, in the switching circuit of the present embodiment, the overcurrent is detected by turning on the N-channel MOS transistors M1 and M11 in conjunction with the on / off of the IGBT switches Q2 and Q12. Therefore, unlike the prior art, the gate voltage of the IGBT switch and the sub power supply are not used for overcurrent detection. Therefore, there are no adverse effects on the malfunction of the IGBT switches Q2 and Q12 and the bootstrap operation even at high temperatures.

  Further, the IC chip 50 of FIG. 1 includes high breakdown voltage N-channel MOS transistors M1 and M11. However, this does not pose any obstacle to the integration of the switching circuit of this embodiment. This is because, in a high breakdown voltage semiconductor process typified by a one-chip inverter, an N-channel MOS transistor is provided as standard. This is because the level shift circuit always requires a MOS transistor. Other resistors, Zener diodes, NPN transistors, and the like are general elements that can be used in semiconductor processes. For this reason, the switching circuit of this embodiment can be easily integrated into an IC. Further, since the resistors R1 to R4, R11 to R14 and the like of the overcurrent detection part are built in the IC chip 50, it is also advantageous that there is no need to worry about detachment of these components.

  FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the switching circuit of the second embodiment. The switching circuit of FIG. 3 is obtained by changing the cathode side connection destinations of the Zener diodes Z1 to Z3 on the lower side as compared with the switching circuit of FIG. That is, in the switching circuit of FIG. 1, the connection destination of the Zener diode Z1 is the arm midpoint 22. On the other hand, in the switching circuit of FIG. 3, three Zener diodes Z1 to Z3 are connected in series, and the connection destination is the positive side of the high-order sub power supply 14. The reason why the three Zener diodes Z1 to Z3 are connected in series is to adjust the amount of application of the voltage (15V) of the sub power source 14 to the threshold value on the higher side. Also with the configuration of FIG. 3, the same operation and effect as the switching circuit of FIG.

  The above-described embodiment is merely an example and does not restrict the present invention. Therefore, the present invention can be variously improved and modified without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the transistor Q1 and the resistor R4 can be configured by a low power consumption type comparator. The same applies to the transistor Q11 and the resistor R14. In this case, the power consumption of overcurrent detection during normal operation is not zero. On the other hand, the temperature characteristics of the desaturation threshold value are excellent compared to the configuration using transistors and resistors. Alternatively, a configuration in which the voltage at the node between the resistor R2 and the resistor R3 is directly input to the drive circuit 2 and the soft shutdown circuit 3 is also possible (the same applies to the high-order side).

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the overcurrent detection threshold is set only by the Zener voltages of the Zener diodes Z1 and Z11. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an arbitrary threshold value can be set by combining a diode, a resistor, a transistor, and the like. Further, instead of the drive circuit 1, a delay circuit that delays and outputs an input from the drive circuit 2 may be used.

It is a circuit diagram which shows the structure of the switching circuit of a 1st form. 6 is a timing chart showing on / off operations of an IGBT switch and an N-channel MOS transistor. It is a circuit diagram which shows the structure of the switching circuit of a 2nd form. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the conventional switching circuit.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,11 Drive circuit 2,12 Drive circuit 50 IC chip M1, M11 N channel MOS transistor Q1, Q11 Transistor Q2, Q12 IGBT switch Z1, Z11 Zener diode 3,13 Soft shutdown circuit

Claims (4)

In a switching circuit with a protection function having a switching element that switches power supply to a load, a drive circuit that operates the switching element, and a protection circuit that protects against overcurrent, the protection circuit includes:
A first transistor that is turned on by an on operation of the switching element by the drive circuit;
A detection element which is provided on the current path of the first transistor and which normally blocks current and which allows current when the voltage between the terminals of the switching element exceeds a predetermined value; and current flowing through the first transistor And a shutdown circuit that shuts down the switching element when the value exceeds a predetermined value. The switching circuit with a protection function according to claim 1,
A delay on means for turning on the first transistor with a predetermined time delay with respect to the on operation of the switching element by the drive circuit;
A second transistor that causes the shutdown circuit to perform a shutdown when a current flowing through the first transistor exceeds a predetermined value;
The switching circuit with a protection function, wherein the shutdown circuit is a soft shutdown circuit that softly shuts down the switching element. In the switching circuit with a protection function according to claim 1 or 2,
A switching circuit with a protection function, wherein a breakdown voltage of the first transistor is equal to or higher than a breakdown voltage of the switching element. In the protection circuit that protects against the overcurrent of the switching element that switches the power supply to the load,
A first transistor that is turned on by an on operation of the switching element;
A detection element that is provided on the current path of the first transistor and that normally blocks current, and that allows current when a voltage between terminals of the switching element exceeds a predetermined value;
A protection circuit comprising: a shutdown circuit that shuts down a switching element when a current flowing through the first transistor exceeds a predetermined value.

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