Method for inrush current discrimination on the basis of an RLC equivalent circuit to improve the safety of solid‑state power controllers

Seon-Woong Kim; Jae-Uk Sim; In-Ho Cho

Method for inrush current discrimination on the basis of an RLC equivalent circuit to improve the safety of solid‑state power controllers

Seon-Woong Kim

Jae-Uk Sim

In-Ho Cho

Vol. 25, No. 8, pp. 1573-1581, Aug. 2025

10.1007/s43236-025-01112-3

Solid-state power controller (SSPC)

Inrush current

Fault current discrimination

Load capacitance estimation

RLC equivalent circuit

Abstract

The solid-state power controller (SSPC) is an advanced power management solution that controls and protects electrical systems, and it is increasingly replacing conventional mechanical circuit breakers in the DC power distribution systems of modern transportation, including aircraft and electric vehicles. A critical limitation of SSPCs emerges from unnecessary trips caused by inrush currents when connecting to loads. This study proposes a method to discriminate between fault and inrush currents by predicting load capacitance through resistor–inductor–capacitor equivalent circuit analysis. The proposed method calculates load capacitance from the current slope at the moment SSPC connects to the load through numerical analysis and uses it to estimate the expected inrush current magnitude. During operation, when the measured current during a retry attempt exceeds the predicted inrush current, the system identifies it as fault current and initiates a shutdown. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified through MATLAB and PSIM simulations and experimental validation with a prototype system.

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Cite this article

[IEEE Style]

S. Kim, J. Sim, I. Cho, "Method for inrush current discrimination on the basis of an RLC equivalent circuit to improve the safety of solid‑state power controllers," Journal of Power Electronics, vol. 25, no. 8, pp. 1573-1581, 2025. DOI: 10.1007/s43236-025-01112-3.

[ACM Style]

Seon-Woong Kim, Jae-Uk Sim, and In-Ho Cho. 2025. Method for inrush current discrimination on the basis of an RLC equivalent circuit to improve the safety of solid‑state power controllers. Journal of Power Electronics, 25, 8, (2025), 1573-1581. DOI: 10.1007/s43236-025-01112-3.