Process and system for controlling an electronic power component and data recording support comprising instructions for executing the process

1. A process for controlling an electronic power component comprising a piloting process for piloting an opening and a closing of the electronic power component, said piloting process having a plurality of steps for controlling an application of a succession of different commutation voltages on a control electrode of the electronic power component between an instant when said piloting process begins and an instant when either the opening and the closing of the electronic power component should be completed, wherein passage from one commutation voltage to a successive commutation voltage in said piloting process is effected automatically as soon as a corresponding condition of passage is satisfied, said piloting process including the steps of:

reading a value of at least one operational parameter characteristic of a reaction of the electronic power component in response to a commutation voltage,

verifying, based on the values read, whether the reaction of the electronic power component to the commutation voltage is produced within a predetermined time for the commutation voltage,

if the reaction of the electronic power component is produced within the predetermined time for the commutation voltage, allowing said piloting process to continue to a successive commutation voltage, and

if the reaction of the electronic power component is not produced within the predetermined time for the commutation voltage, interrupting said piloting process and triggering off a process for safeguarding the integrity of the electronic power component.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein at least one condition of passage from the commutation voltage to the successive commutation voltage in said piloting process is a function of the value read for said at least one operational parameter, and verifying whether the reaction of the electronic power component to the commutation voltage is produced within the predetermined time for the commutation voltage includes verifying that said at least one condition of passage is satisfied before said predetermined time for the commutation voltage has elapsed.

3. The process of claim 2 , wherein said piloting process further includes the step of verifying that every condition of passage between each commutation voltage of said succession of different commutation voltages of said piloting process is satisfied before a predetermined time common to every condition of passage has elapsed.

4. The process of claim 3 , wherein said predetermined time common to every condition of passage is counted from the instant when said piloting process begins and is representative of a maximum time to effect commutation of the electronic power component.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein said at least one operational parameter is a voltage between a collector electrode and an emitter electrode of the electronic power component.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein said at least one operational parameter is a voltage on the control electrode of the electronic power component.

7. The process of claim 1 , wherein said piloting process further includes the step of controlling an application on the control electrode of a braking voltage adapted to brake commutation of the electronic power component.

8. The process of claim 7 , wherein said braking voltage has a value that is strictly included between values of voltages for maintaining the electronic power component in a closed state and in an open state.

9. The process of claim 7 , wherein said piloting process is a process for piloting the closure of the electronic power component, and wherein a condition of passage between the step of controlling the application of said braking voltage and a following step is satisfied if a voltage between a collector electrode and an emitter electrode of the electronic power component is less than a first predetermined threshold.

10. The process of claim 9 , wherein said piloting process begins with the step of controlling the application of said braking voltage.

11. The process of claim 7 , wherein said piloting process is a process for piloting the opening of the electronic power component, and wherein a condition of passage between a preceding step and the step of controlling the application of said braking voltage is satisfied if a voltage between a collector electrode and an emitter electrode of the electronic power component is higher than a second predetermined threshold.

12. The process of claim 11 , wherein said second predetermined threshold has a value that corresponds to half of a voltage to be commuted.

13. The process of claim 11 , wherein the preceding step before the step of controlling the application of said braking voltage is a step for controlling an application of a voltage having a value lower than a value of said braking voltage.

14. The process of claim 11 , wherein a condition of passage between the step of controlling the application of said braking voltage and a following step is satisfied if the voltage between the collector electrode and the emitter electrode of the electronic power component attains a maximum.

15. A system for controlling an electronic power component, said system is adapted to execute a piloting process for piloting an opening and a closing of the electronic power component, said piloting process having a plurality of steps for controlling an application of a succession of different commutation voltages on a control electrode of the electronic power component between an instant when said piloting process begins and an instant when either the opening and the closing of the electronic power component should be completed, wherein passage from one commutation voltage to a successive commutation voltage in said piloting process is automatically effected as soon as a corresponding condition of passage is satisfied, said system comprising:

a computer connecting to a piloting unit for supplying the succession of different commutation voltages to the electronic power component,

means for reading a value of at least one operational parameter characteristic of a reaction of the electronic power component in response to a commutation voltage and for inputting the value to said computer,

wherein said computer includes means for verifying based on the input of the value to the computer, whether the reaction of the electronic power component to the commutation voltage is produced within a predetermined time for the commutation voltage,

and if the reaction of the electronic power component is produced within the predetermined time for the commutation voltage, then permitting said piloting process to continue to a successive commutation voltage, and

if the reaction of the electronic power component is not produced within the predetermined time for the commutation voltage, then interrupting said piloting unit to and trigger off a process for safeguarding an integrity of the electronic power component.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein at least one condition of passage from one commutation voltage of said piloting process to a successive commutation voltage is a function of the values read for said at least one operational parameter, and wherein said computer further includes means for verifying that said at least one condition of passage is satisfied before the predetermined time for the commutation voltage has elapsed to verify whether the reaction of the electronic power component to the commutation voltage is produced within the predetermined time for the commutation voltage.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein said computer further includes means for verifying that every condition of passage between each commutation voltage of said succession of different commutation voltages of said piloting process is satisfied before a predetermined time common to every condition of passage has elapsed.

18. The system of claim 15 , further comprising a data recording support having instructions adapted to be executed by the computer to execute said piloting process.