Design of a Wireless Firing Interface for a Power Electronic Converter

Background: Power Electronic converters are devices that convert electricity from one form to another, such as AC-DC, DC-AC or DC-DC. Typically, the turn on-off command, or ”firing pulses” are delivered using wired connections. In large converters, these connections are a safety hazard as they allow a path for electricity to arc to ground. In this design project, we detail the design, construction, and testing of a wireless firing mechanism for a DC-DC power electronic converter. Our proposed approach will greatly simplify the design of firing circuits in the future, as the power electronic components are completely physically isolated from the controller. Results: Following design and testing, we have successfully fired a DC-DC converter of our own design completely wirelessly, with no connections to ground at any point in the system. We demonstrate that the system can successfully drive a dynamic inductive load, such as a DC-DC motor. We also demonstrate that feedback of voltage levels produced by the converter is possible, and make provision for such. Conclusion: We have successfully fired a DC-DC converter wirelessly. Although demonstrated with the specific example of a DC-DC converter motor drive, the developed method is easily extendable to any other class of square wave PWM converters, such as an inverter, or a controlled rectifier.