US 7,548,402 B2
High voltage pulse generating circuit
Tatsuhiko Hatano, Kasugai (Japan); and Takeshi Sakuma, Nagoya (Japan)
Assigned to NGK Insulators, Ltd., Nagoya (Japan)
Appl. No. 11/579,539
PCT Filed May 13, 2005, PCT No. PCT/JP2005/008793
§ 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date Nov. 03, 2006,
PCT Pub. No. WO2005/112246, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 24, 2005.
Claims priority of application No. 2004-145197 (JP), filed on May 14, 2004.
Prior Publication US 2007/0241619 A1, Oct. 18, 2007
Int. Cl. H02H 3/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 361—86 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A high-voltage pulse generating circuit having an inductor, a first semiconductor switch, and a second semiconductor switch which are connected in series with each other across a DC power supply unit, and a diode having a cathode terminal connected to an end of said inductor whose other end is connected to an anode terminal of said first semiconductor switch, and an anode terminal connected to a gate terminal of said first semiconductor switch, wherein an induced energy is stored in said inductor when said first semiconductor switch is rendered conductive as said second semiconductor switch is turned on, and said inductor generates a high-voltage pulse when said first semiconductor switch is turned off as said second semiconductor switch is turned off, wherein:
a failure diagnosing circuit de-energizes said second semiconductor switch if the voltage across said first semiconductor switch and said second semiconductor switch falls out of a normal range.