Motor drive based on III-nitride devices
View Patent ↗An inverter for driving a motor includes one or more power stages for producing one or more power signals for energizing the motor, each power stage including first and second III-nitride based bi-directional switching devices connected in series between a DC voltage bus and ground.
1. An inverter circuit comprising:
at least first and second third power stages;
each of said at least first and second power stages including first and second III-nitride based switching devices connected in series with an output node in-between, said output node for providing a power signal to a load;
said first and second III-nitride based switching devices each comprising at least two terminals.
2. The inverter circuit of claim 1 , wherein each of said first and second III-nitride based switching devices is a GaN-based device.
3. The inverter circuit of claim 1 , wherein said at least two terminals comprise first and second gate electrodes.
4. The inverter circuit of claim 1 , wherein each of said first and second III-nitride based switching devices comprise at least one gate electrode.
5. The inverter circuit of claim 3 , further comprising a controller operatively connected to each of said first and second gate electrodes of each of said first and second III-nitride based switching devices and configured to provide control signals to said first and second III-nitride based switching devices.
6. The inverter circuit of claim 5 , wherein said control signals configure said first and second III-nitride based switching devices to produce said power signal.
7. The inverter circuit of claim 5 , wherein said controller includes a plurality of control leads for providing said control signals.
8. The inverter circuit of claim 1 , wherein each of said first and second III-nitride based switching devices includes a forward conducting path and a reverse conducting path.
9. The inverter circuit of claim 8 , wherein said forward conducting path and said reverse conducting path of each of said first and second III-nitride based switching devices have substantially same channel characteristics.
10. The inverter circuit of claim 8 , wherein said reverse conducting path of each of said first and second III-nitride based switching devices operates as a flywheel diode.
11. The inverter circuit of claim 8 , further comprising a controller operatively connected to each of said first and second III-nitride based switching devices and configured to control a turning on and a turning off of said forward conducting path and said reverse conducting path of each of said first and second III-nitride based switching devices.
12. The inverter circuit of claim 11 , wherein for each of said at least first and second power stages, said controller is configured to turn off said reverse conducting path of said second III-nitride based switching device prior to turning on said forward-conducting path of said first III-nitride based switching device.
13. An inverter circuit comprising:
at least one power stage;
said at least one power stage including a high-side III-nitride based switching device and a low side III-nitride based switching device connected in series with an output node in-between, said output node for providing a power signal to a load;
said high-side III-nitride based switching device and said low side III-nitride based switching device each comprising at least two terminals.
14. The inverter of claim 13 , wherein said at least one power stage comprises three power stages.
15. The inverter circuit of claim 13 , wherein said high side and said low side III-nitride based switching devices are GaN-based devices.
16. The inverter circuit of claim 13 , wherein said high side and said low side III-nitride based switching devices each include a forward conducting path and a reverse conducting path.
17. The inverter circuit of claim 16 , wherein said reverse conducting path of said high side and said low side III-nitride based switching devices operates as a flywheel diode.
18. The inverter circuit of claim 16 , further comprising a controller operatively connected to said high side and said low side III-nitride based switching devices and configured to control a turning on and a turning off of said forward conducting path and said reverse conducting path of each of said high side and said low side III-nitride based switching devices.
19. The inverter circuit of claim 18 , wherein said controller includes a plurality of control leads for providing control signals to said high side and said low side III-nitride based switching devices.
20. The inverter circuit of claim 13 , wherein said at least two terminals comprise first and second gate electrodes.