Fast Diagnosis of Multiple Open-Circuit Faults in a T-type Inverter Based on Voltages across Half-Bridge Switches

This paper proposes a fast multiple semiconductor open-circuit fault diagnosis method for a T-type three-level inverter. In this method, appropriate Boolean operations are selected to represent the relationship between voltages across the upper half-bridge switches and switching signals. Based on this, the current path in the circuit can be tracked under normal and abnormal conditions. Logical relationships are linked to corresponding switch states, so this method is applicable even under multiple open circuit faults. Diagnosis results can be obtained rapidly, with simple hardware. Misdiagnosis caused by delays in power devices and sampling circuits can be avoided if switching signal dead time is longer than the total delay. This diagnostic scheme is immune to load disturbances and dead times. Experimental results obtained under various conditions demonstrate the applicability and performance of the approach.