In some examples, an electrical power system includes a solid state power converter including a first set of switches on a source side of the solid state power converter and a second set of switches on a load side of the solid state power converter. The electrical power system also includes a power source connected to the source side of the solid state power converter and also includes a differential bus connected to the load side of the solid state power converter. The electrical power system further includes a controller configured to receive a first signal indicating a current at the source side and receive a second signal indicating a current at the load side. The controller is further configured to detect, based on a time derivative of the first signal and a time derivative of the second signal, a fault in the electrical power system.

A control unit rod interface arrangement couples between AC and DC power systems. The interface includes at least two poles for coupling between the DC and AC power systems. Each of the poles includes a converter for conversion between AC and DC power. If a fault has occurred in one of the poles, a transient current, or fault current, may flow through a neutral bus line connected to the pole, the pole's converter and the location of the fault in the pole. Such a transient or fault current should preferably be damped out as quickly as possible, after which the pole may be electrically isolated from the other components of the interface arrangement. Such a transient or fault current may be damped out relatively quickly by opening of a neutral bus switching element of the neutral bus line connected to the pole after the converter has entered a blocking mode and a circuit breaker at the AC side of the converter has been opened so as to effect discontinuation of flow of current between the AC side of the converter and the AC power system.

A monitoring apparatus has a control apparatus for monitoring a cooling apparatus for a power electronics arrangement. The control apparatus has an input and an output, which input is configured to receive a temperature signal from a temperature sensor, and to determine a temperature value depending on the temperature signal, and which output is configured to output an output signal. The control apparatus performs the following steps: ascertaining at least twice a temperature value and a time value assigned to the temperature value, ascertaining a difference quotient of the change in the temperature values to the change in the assigned time values, determining the state of the cooling apparatus of the power electronics arrangement depending on the ascertained difference quotient, outputting the output signal depending on the state in order to influence the power electronics arrangement.

A converter apparatus includes: a converter for converting an AC voltage into a DC voltage; a DC link capacitor connected to the converter; a voltage detector for DC link voltage; a charging circuit for the DC link capacitor; a charging circuit controller for a switch connected with a charging resistor; a current detector for detecting a current of the converter; a turn-on controller for controlling the turning-on of power devices; a switch for connecting or disconnecting a power supply; a power supply monitor for monitoring a connection state of the power supply; a threshold value setter for setting a first or second threshold value; and a failure detector for determining the presence or absence of the failure of the power devices by a comparison between a current flowing upon turning on the power device, immediately after disconnection of the power supply, and the first or second threshold value.

A method and a circuit for complying with specified maximum values for output parameters a power supply unit includes at least a non-floating switch converter, an output voltage control unit, a current limiter and a switch element, wherein actual values of the current and voltage outputs of the power supply unit are measured continuously, where an evaluation unit calculates actual output power values of the power supply unit from the actual measured values of the output current and voltages, and subsequently compares at least the respective actually measured values of the output current and the respective actually calculated output power values with specified maximum values such that if at least one of the specified maximum values is exceeded by an actually measured value of the output current and/or by an actually calculated output power value, a current flow in the power supply unit is then interrupted by the evaluation unit.

Embodiments include a technique for eliminating secondary fuses in high power solid state power controllers, the technique includes controlling gate power provided to a field effect transistor array, and detecting a failure mode. The technique also includes disabling the gate power based at least in part on detecting the failure mode, and restoring the gate power responsive to resolving the failure mode.

An in-vehicle power supply switch device that is suited to charging is provided. A first switch is connected between a first load and a first power storage device. A second switch is connected between the first load and a second power storage device. A third switch is connected in parallel to a set of the first switch and the second switch, and has a smaller resistance value than both the resistance value of the first switch and the resistance value of the second switch.

A unit having a power supply circuit that converts an input voltage from an input power supply to a predetermined output voltage, includes: an output terminal configured to output the output voltage to the outside of the unit; a switch provided between the power supply circuit and the output terminal; and a switch control part configured to turn off the switch when the input voltage is not applied from the input power supply and turn on the switch when the input voltage is applied.

Disclosed are a fault current-suppressing damper topology circuit and a control method thereof and a converter. An anode of a separate diode is connected to a positive electrode of a second switch module, a cathode of the separate diode is connected to one end of an energy storage capacitor, and the other end of the energy storage capacitor is connected to a negative electrode of a first switch module; a damping resistor is connected in parallel with an arrester and then with the first switch module; a bypass switch is connected in parallel between a terminal x1 and a terminal x2 of the damper topology circuit; a power supply system acquires energy from the energy storage capacitor and supplies power to a control system; and the control system controls an operating state of the damper topology circuit by controlling the bypass switch, the first switch module and the second switch module. The fault current-suppressing damper topology circuit is applied to voltage source converters. In case of a DC fault, stress resulting from fault currents is reduced by use of a damping resistor, thereby avoiding damages to a device and achieving self-power supply, modularization and independent control. The fault current-suppressing damper topology circuit can be flexibly applied to various types of voltage source converters and has outstanding economic efficiency and technicality.

A converter apparatus includes: a converter for converting an AC voltage into a DC voltage; a DC link capacitor connected to the converter; a voltage detector for DC link voltage; a charging circuit for the DC link capacitor; a charging circuit controller for a switch connected with a charging resistor; a current detector for detecting a current of the converter; a turn-on controller for controlling the turning-on of power devices; a switch for connecting or disconnecting a power supply; a power supply monitor for monitoring a connection state of the power supply; a threshold value setter for setting a first or second threshold value; and a failure detector for determining the presence or absence of the failure of the power devices by a comparison between a current flowing upon turning on the power device, immediately after disconnection of the power supply, and the first or second threshold value.