Single passive gate driver for series-stacked DC circuit
This patent covers a solid-state circuit breaker design that protects high-voltage DC electrical systems by stacking multiple transistors in series to handle voltage levels no single transistor could manage alone. The clever part is that the entire stack is controlled by just one gate driver circuit rather than the usual one-per-transistor approach, using a network of resistors, diodes, and voltage-clamping components to keep all the transistors switching in sync. This dramatically reduces the cost, complexity, and potential failure points of the control electronics. The design also incorporates snubber circuits and metal-oxide varistors to absorb voltage spikes during switching, protecting the transistors from damage.
What you could build
A compact, lower-cost solid-state DC circuit breaker module for medium-voltage DC distribution systems — relevant to EV charging infrastructure, shipboard DC microgrids, and industrial DC bus protection, sold to power electronics OEMs or integrated into switchgear products.
Who in Virginia should care
Virginia's defense shipbuilding sector (Newport News), naval power systems integrators, and the growing data center industry corridor along the I-95/Route 28 corridor would have direct interest in robust DC protection hardware.
Readiness: Prototype likely
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Jian Liu, Lakshmi Ravi, Dong Dong, Rolando Burgos, Steven Schmalz
- Granted
- December 24, 2024
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 12176171
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.