Voltage probe measurement methodology

Heat losses can be measured either directly or indirectly. The direct method uses calorimetry techniques, while the indirect method uses current and voltage measurements. Direct measurement of losses is precise, but tricky to implement. It can only be used, for example, to validate indirect measurements. Indirect measurement requires the model to be instrumented with sensors, which makes it difficult to optimize. These sensors, the voltage and current probes, distort the signals, and precise models of these probes are needed to correct the distortions. Insertion of the probes also modifies the circuit geometry and therefore its operation. In this dossier, we develop direct models and, above all, inverse models of the probes, which enable precise loss estimates to be made, taking into account the distortions introduced by the probes.

Indirectly measuring the power or energy consumed in the switching or conduction phase of a power switch with good accuracy is a common goal for many power electronics experimenters. We'll be looking at the problems involved in estimating the power (or energy) consumed by a component during switching and conduction. We'll look at the problems involved in measuring current and voltage, and examine the additional precautions that need to be taken to ensure that measurements are synchronized.