Granted Patent B2

US 12,457,718 · App. 18/169,401 · Granted Oct 28, 2025

Inventors: Mark Wendell Gose (Kokomo, IN); Seyed R. Zarabadi (Kokomo, IN); Narendra Mane (Kokomo, IN)

Assignee: BORGWARNER US TECHNOLOGIES LLC

H02M7/5387B60L3/003B60L15/007B60L15/08B60L50/40B60L50/51B60L50/60B60L50/64B60L53/20B60L53/22B60L53/62B60R16/02G01R15/20G06F1/08G06F13/4004H01L21/4882H01L23/15H01L23/3672H01L23/3675H01L23/3735H01L23/4006H01L23/467H01L23/473H01L23/49562H01L23/5383H01L24/32H01L24/33H01L25/072H01L25/50H02J7/0063H02M1/0009H02M1/0054H02M1/08H02M1/084H02M1/088H02M1/123H02M1/32H02M1/322H02M1/327H02M1/4258H02M1/44H02M3/33523H02M7/003H02M7/537H02M7/53871H02M7/53875H02M7/5395H02P27/06H02P27/08H02P27/085H02P29/024H02P29/027H02P29/68H05K1/145H05K1/181H05K1/182H05K5/0247H05K7/20154H05K7/2039H05K7/2049H05K7/20854H05K7/209H05K7/20927H10D64/018B60L15/20B60L2210/30B60L2210/40B60L2210/42B60L2210/44B60L2240/36G06F2213/40H01L2023/405H01L2023/4087H01L2224/32225H01L2224/32245H01L2224/33181H02J2207/20H02P2207/05H03K19/20H05K2201/042H05K2201/10166

Abstract

Claims (42)

1. A system comprising:

an inverter configured to convert DC power from a battery to AC power to drive a motor, wherein the inverter includes:

one or more controllers configured to provide a test signal to control a gate leakage detection operation; and

a power module including:

a phase switch including one or more phase power switches; and

a point-of-use controller configured to detect a gate leakage of the phase switch based on the test signal, wherein the point-of-use controller includes a current to voltage converter and a resistor divider.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more phase power switches includes one or more silicon carbide dies.

3. The system of claim 1 ,

wherein the power module is configured to be connected to a terminal of the battery and a phase terminal of the motor.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein a gate terminal of the one or more phase power switches is connected to the point-of-use controller inside the power module.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the resistor divider generates an output to be received by the current to voltage converter.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the point-of-use controller includes a switched capacitor amplifier circuit.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:

the battery configured to supply the DC power to the inverter; and

the motor configured to receive the AC power from the inverter to drive the motor.

8. A system comprising:

a power module for an inverter, the power module including:

a phase switch including one or more phase power switches; and

a point-of-use controller configured to detect a gate leakage of the phase switch, wherein the point-of-use controller is further configured to detect a characteristic leakage for the point-of-use controller and to detect a gate leakage for the point-of-use controller and the one or more phase power switches, wherein the point-of-use controller includes a resistor divider.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the point-of-use controller includes an embedded gate leakage measurement circuit configured to detect the gate leakage of the phase switch.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein:

a drain terminal and a source terminal of the one or more phase power switches are externally accessible, and

a gate terminal of the one or more phase power switches is not accessible from an outside of the power module.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the point-of-use controller is further configured to provide the detected gate leakage to one or more controllers of the inverter.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the detected gate leakage is an amount of gate to source leakage current of the one or more phase power switches at a gate to source voltage.

13. A system comprising:

one or more point-of use controllers for a power module, the one or more point-of use controllers including a current to voltage converter and a resistor divider, and configured to:

detect a gate leakage of a power switch of the power module based on repeated operations using different specified test voltages.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the one or more point-of use controllers is further configured to:

provide the detected gate leakage to one or more controllers of an inverter including the power module.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the one or more point-of use controllers is further configured to:

provide the detected gate leakage to one or more controllers of a tester in an end-of-line test.

16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the one or more point-of use controllers is further configured to:

detect the gate leakage of the power switch of the power module at every power up cycle for the power module.

17. The system of claim 13 , wherein the one or more point-of use controllers is further configured to:

receive the test voltage;

apply a gate to source voltage to the power switch based on the test voltage; and

measure a gate current of the power switch based on the gate to source voltage, as the detected gate leakage.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the one or more point-of use controllers is further configured to:

apply the gate to source voltage as 0V;

measure the gate current of the power switch as 0 A; and

measure a current of the one or more point-of use controllers as a characteristic gate leakage of the one or more point-of use controllers.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (5)

References Cited (248)