Power Integrations Debuts Gate Drivers for Railway Applications

The new SCALE-2 set consists of the 1SP0630V2M1R main driver, the 1SP0635D2S1R peripheral driver and the ISO6125R-33 power supply. The new units from Power Integrations (PI), are aimed at railway and other long-life applications and can accommodate systems that require paralleling to provide for greater power. 

The SCALE-2 gate drivers. Image courtesy of Power Integrations

 

The SCALE-2 1SP063xxxx1R gate drivers are designed for single-channel IHM IGBT-module formats featuring 1200 to 1400 amp outputs and 3300 volt IGBT blocking voltages. They match the physical footprints of IHM modules from major players including Infineon, ABB. Hitachi and Mitsubishi. 

 

Addressing the Needs of Rail Customers

Protection features including UVLO and short-circuit protection. There is also dynamic advanced active clamping, which protects against collector-emitter over-voltage and other issues. The units also feature a failure indicator. 

The drivers feature standard conformal coating, and customers can specify that their units undergo burn-in for added reliability. Interconnection security is enhanced by the series’ improved connectors, which can facilitate fast release with no tooling. Fiber-optic interfaces are provided. 

As per Francesco Fisichella, director of marketing for high-power industrial applications at Power Integrations, “Rail customers demand robust solutions, and Power Integrations’ SCALE-2 technology delivers what they need with high levels of integration and comprehensive protection features.” 

To enhance that goal, SCALE-2 devices use a specially designed application-specific IC (ASIC) chipset. The serves to reduce BOM and costs as well as to streamline manufacturing and improve reliability.

 

The Power Supply

The specified power supply is the ISO6125R-33, an isolated DC-DC converter, which is a separate unit not physically part of the main driver itself. It operates from an input voltage 15 VDV ±0.5 volts. No-load output is 25.3 VDC, and at 55 and at 450 mA, the outputs are 25 and 24.2 VDC, respectively.

 

The 1SP0630S2M1R Driver

The 1SP0630S2M1R main driver can stand alone or be used with up to two peripheral divers such as the 1SP0635D2S1R. The peripheral driver, however, can only function in conjunction with the main driver. 

The main driver itself is plug-and-play compatible, and PI states that “it is ready to operate immediately after mounting” with no extra design or adjustment effort on the part of the user. PI further affirms that the 1SP0630S2M1R is specially optimized for Mitsubishi’s CM-1200HC-66X half-bridge power modules. 

The main driver’s targeted switching frequency is 10 kHz

1SP0630S2M1R functional block diagram. Image courtesy of PI’s datasheet

 

In the above diagram, DC input and paralleling capabilities are provided at the X1 and X2 interfaces. The input signal IN is presented to an “ST fiber optic Link” receiver connected directly to the gate drive unit. Operational status is communicated via FOL Status output.

 

APPLICATIONS

• Railway inverters
• Industrial drives
• Varied industrial applications

 

Physical Concerns

• Operate over a -40 to +85°C temperature range

 

Regulatory and Safety

• The drivers satisfy IEC 61373 specifications for shock and vibration 
• EMC-qualified as per EN IEC 6100-4-x and EN 50121-3-2 

 

Environmental Considerations

• IEC 60068-2-xx environmental requirements 
• RoHS compliant