TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to the field of electrical systems.

Specifically, the present invention relates to an arrangement related to generation of electrical pulses, and to a method in such an arrangement.

BACKGROUND

Electrical pulses may be employed in a variety of applications, such as, for example, radar systems, particle accelerators, sterilization equipment, high-energy lasers, microwave systems, or medical devices. In such and other applications it may be desired or required to deliver, or supply, one or more electrical pulses to a load. Systems or circuits which are employed for generating electrical pulses may be referred to as power modulators. Power modulators may employ a pulse transformer in order to obtain the required or desired energy of the electrical pulses. In some applications it may be desired or even required with a capability of being able to provide electrical pulses to the load which have a particular shape, e.g., electrical pulses having a particular amplitude, rise time, duration, and/or fall time (or pulse decay time).

SUMMARY

In view of the above, a concern of the present invention is to provide means which may be used in generation of electrical pulses, which electrical pulses for example may be supplied to a load or a pulse transformer, and which means may facilitate for providing electrical pulses having a particular shape, such as, for example, electrical pulses having a particular amplitude, rise time, duration, and/or fall time (or pulse decay time).

To address at least one of this concern and other concerns, an arrangement and a method in accordance with the independent claims are provided. Preferred embodiments are defined by the dependent claims.

According to a first aspect there is provided an arrangement. The arrangement comprises at least one switching element. The at least one switching element comprises at least a first terminal, a second terminal and a third terminal. The at least one switching element is arranged such that current may flow in a current path between the first terminal and the second terminal, and such that at least the third terminal (i.e. the third terminal and possibly another terminal of the at least one switching element) governs the electrical conductivity of the current path between the first terminal and the second terminal based on voltage or current applied to at least the third terminal and one of the first terminal and the second terminal. The at least one switching element is controllably switchable between at least a conducting state and a non-conducting state by changing of the voltage or current applied to the third terminal and one of the first terminal and the second terminal. The at least one switching element is connectable to a power supply and to an electrical energy storage module, respectively. The electrical energy storage module is configured such that it can be charged or discharged. The electrical energy storage module is connectable to a load. When the at least one switching element is connected to the power supply and to the electrical energy storage module respectively, the power supply may charge the electrical energy storage module by way of a charging current supplied by the power supply, or the electrical energy storage module may be discharged so as to create an electrical pulse to be received by the load, based on, or by way of, switching of the at least one switching element between at least the conducting state and the non-conducting state thereof.

The arrangement comprises a plurality of resistor elements.

The arrangement comprises a switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit, which is connected to the at least one switching element, and is arranged for sourcing charge to and/or sinking charge from at least the third terminal of the at least one switching element, via the plurality of resistor elements. The plurality of resistor elements are connectable between the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit and the at least one switching element and are arranged so that at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements can be selectively connected to the at least one switching element or selectively disconnected from the at least one switching element.

The arrangement comprises an actuation unit configured to controllably selectively electrically connect at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements to the at least one switching element or selectively electrically disconnect at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements from the at least one switching element such that the switching time of the at least one switching element is decreased or increased within a selected switching time interval.

As will be further described in the following, adjustment of the switching time of the at least one switching element may facilitate or even enable reducing or even

(substantially) eliminating any overshoot, and possibly also any subsequent ringing (which may be referred to as ripple), in any electrical pulse generated by way of switching of the at least one switching element between at least the conducting state and the non-conducting state thereof so as to cause discharge of the electrical energy storage module.

At least the third terminal of the at least one switching element may be charged and/or discharged through the plurality of resistor elements. For example, a charge current to at least the third terminal of the at least one switching element may be determined by means of selectively connecting at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements to the at least one switching element or selectively disconnecting at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements from the at least one switching element.

In the context of the present application, by sourcing charge to at least the third terminal of the at least one switching element, it is meant that charge is supplied, or inserted (e.g., by the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit) to the at least the third terminal of the at least one switching element. And by sinking charge from at least the third terminal of the at least one switching element, it is meant that charge is extracted, or removed, from at least the third terminal of the at least one switching element (e.g., to the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit).

The plurality of resistor elements and the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit may operate with respect to the at least one switching element similar to the operation of a controllable and/or switchable current source connected to at least the third terminal of the at least one switching element, with the current output by the current source being controlled so as to selectively charge and discharge at least the third terminal of the at least one switching element, for example by means of pulse-width modulation or another type of modulation.

The plurality of resistor elements may be interconnected with each other, and may be connectable for example in series, or in parallel, between the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit and the at least one switching element. Some or even all of the plurality of resistor elements may for example be connectable in parallel, or some of the plurality of resistor elements may be connectable in series. Possibly, some of the resistor elements may be connectable in series between the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit and the at least one switching element, and some of the resistor elements may be connectable in parallel between the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit and the at least one switching element. The plurality of resistor elements may be connectable between the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit and the at least one switching element in a current path between the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit and the at least one switching element. The plurality of resistor elements may be connectable between the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit and the third terminal of the at least one switching element, and may be arranged so that at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements can be selectively connected to the third terminal of the at least one switching element or selectively disconnected from the third terminal of the at least one switching element.

By means of the plurality of resistor elements being arranged so that at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements can be selectively connected to the at least one switching element or selectively disconnected from the at least one switching element, a resistance between the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit and the at least one switching element (e.g., a resistance in a current path between the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit and the at least one switching element, e.g., the third terminal of the at least one switching element) may be adjusted.

For example, by arranging the plurality of resistor elements so that different subsets of the plurality of resistor elements - including, e.g., different numbers of resistor elements, or resistor elements having different resistance - may be selectively connected to the at least one switching element or selectively disconnected from the at least one switching element, step-wise adjustment of the resistance between the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit and the at least one switching element in different steps, or adjustment of the resistance between the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit and the at least one switching element so that it may attain a resistance value of a plurality of attainable resistance values - may be facilitated or even allowed.

For example, in order to achieve a relatively high degree of flexibility in stepwise adjustment of the resistance between the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit and the at least one switching element in different steps, or in adjustment of the resistance between the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit and the at least one switching element so that it may attain a resistance value of a plurality of attainable resistance values, the plurality of resistor elements could be arranged so as to form a network, or matrix, of interconnected resistor elements, wherein each resistor element - or at least subsets of resistor elements - in the network or matrix can be selectively connected to the at least one switching element or selectively disconnected from the at least one switching element.

In general, the switching behavior of the at least one switching element (e.g., the speed of switching the at least one switching element between two different states thereof) may be controlled or manipulated by means of controlling, adjusting or manipulating a resistance between the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit and the at least one switching element (or, the third terminal thereof). By adjusting or manipulating a resistance between the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit and the at least one switching element, the time required to charge the third terminal of the at least one switching element may be become smaller or larger. For example, by adjusting or

manipulating a resistance between the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit and the at least one switching element, the time required to pass an ohmic mode, or a linear region operational mode, of the at least one switching element may be controlled.

For example, the at least one switching element may be arranged such that the third terminal governs the electrical conductivity of the current path between the first terminal and the second terminal based on voltage at the third terminal relatively to the voltage at the first terminal or the second terminal. The at least one switching element may be controllably switchable between at least a conducting state and a non-conducting state by changing of the voltage at the third terminal relatively to the voltage at the first terminal or the second terminal. The at least one switching element may comprise more than three terminals. The switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit may be arranged to supply a voltage or current to at least the third terminal of the at least one switching element and possibly to one or more other terminal of the least one switching element. The at least one switching element may for example comprise a transistor, having a source terminal, a drain terminal and a gate terminal, or an emitter terminal, a collector terminal and a base terminal, and with a fourth terminal which may serve to bias the transistor into operation.

By way of example, the at least one switching element may comprise at least one insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), wherein the first terminal, the second terminal and the third terminal of the at least one switching element comprises a source terminal, a drain terminal, and a gate terminal, respectively, of the at least one IGBT. Based on at least the selective electrical connection of at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements to the at least one switching element or the selective electrical disconnection of at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements from the at least one switching element such as described in the foregoing, the gate terminal resistance can be adjusted.

For example, with reference to the above-mentioned example of the at least one switching element comprising or being constituted by one or more IGBTs, and/or with the at least one switching element for example comprising or being constituted by one or more metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), the switching time of the at least one switching element (i.e., the time required to switch the at least one switching element between two different states thereof, e.g., a conducting state and a non-conducting state thereof) may vary as function of a product of gate resistance and gate capacitance.

Thus, by means of the plurality of resistor elements being arranged so that at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements can be selectively connected to the at least one switching element or selectively disconnected from the at least one switching element - which may facilitate or allow for a resistance between the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit and the at least one switching element to be adjusted - the switching time of the at least one switching element may in turn be adjusted. As indicated in the foregoing, the adjustment of the switching time of the at least one switching element may be at least in part based on the adjustment of the resistance between the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit and the at least one switching element. For example, by adjusting or manipulating a resistance between the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit and the at least one switching element, the time required to pass an ohmic mode of the at least one switching element may be controlled. The ohmic mode may in alternative be referred to as a linear region operational state of the at least one switching element. The linear region operational state of the at least one switching element may be a state which is intermediate the conducting state and the non-conducting state of the at least one switching element, such that when the at least one switching element is being switched between the conducting state and the non-conducting state, or vice versa, the at least one switching element may momentarily enter the linear region operational state before the at least one switching element enters the conducting state or the non-conducting state, which may be referred to as the at least one switching element passing the linear region operational state.

In the context of the present application, by ohmic mode or linear region operational mode of the at least one switching element, it is meant a part of the active region of the at least one switching element (e.g., comprising a transistor) wherein the output voltage of the switching element or transistor is linearly (or substantially linearly) dependent on the input voltage of the switching element or transistor. Thus, when the at least one switching element is operating in ohmic mode, or linear region operational state, the at least one switching element is not shut off, but may still conduct current therethrough at least to some extent.

For example, the plurality of resistor elements may be arranged such that, at least by means of the selective electrical connection of at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements to the at least one switching element or the selective electrical disconnection of at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements from the at least one switching element, the switching time of the at least one switching element can decreased or increased within a selected switching time range, and/or the time required to pass a linear region operational state of the at least one switching element may be controlled.

Thus, the particular configuration or arrangement for the plurality of resistor elements in the arrangement may be chosen based on the selected (e.g., desired) switching time interval for the at least one switching element. For example, by providing a relatively large number of resistor elements, and by arranging them so that different resistor elements, or different subsets of resistor elements, may be selectively connected to the at least one switching element or selectively disconnected from the at least one switching element, the value of the resistance between the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit and the at least one switching element may possibly be adjusted within a resistance value range that may allow for corresponding switching times of the at least one switching element which fall within the selected switching time range. The different subsets of resistor elements may for example include different numbers of resistor elements and/or exhibit different resistance.

It has been found by the inventors that adjustment of the switching time of the at least one switching element and/or control of the time required to pass a linear region operational state of the at least one switching element such as described in the foregoing (e.g., so as to reduce the switching time of the at least one switching element), may, in turn, facilitate or even enable reducing or even (substantially) eliminating overshoot, and possibly also any subsequent ringing (which may be referred to as ripple), in any electrical pulse generated by way of switching of the at least one switching element between at least the conducting state and the non-conducting state thereof so as to cause discharge of the electrical energy storage module, such as described in the foregoing. It has further been found by the inventors that by controlling the time required to pass a linear region operational state of the at least one switching element such as described in the foregoing, a rise time and/or a fall time of any electrical pulse generated by way of switching of the at least one switching element between at least the conducting state and the non-conducting state thereof so as to cause discharge of the electrical energy storage module, such as described in the foregoing, may be controlled.

An arrangement according to the first aspect may also be associated with other advantages. For example, it has further been found by the inventors that adjustment of a resistance between the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit and the at least one switching element (e.g., a resistance in a current path between the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit and the at least one switching element), such as described in the foregoing, may in turn facilitate achieving an impedance matching between the load and the power supply. Furthermore, adjustment of a resistance between the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit and the at least one switching element may facilitate or allow for adjustment of a peaking current in the load, and for adjustment of the shape of any electrical pulse generated by way of switching of the at least one switching element between at least the conducting state and the non-conducting state thereof so as to cause discharge of the electrical energy storage module, such as described in the foregoing. Adjustment of the shape of any generated electrical pulse may be with respect to amplitude, rise time, duration, and/or fall time (or pulse decay time) of the electrical pulse.

One or more of the actions of selective electrical connection of at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements to the at least one switching element or selective electrical disconnection of at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements from the at least one switching element such as described in the foregoing may be carried out at various period(s) of time for example with respect to the process of generation of the electrical pulses. This may for example facilitate in adjustment of the shape of any generated electrical pulse, such as described in the foregoing. For example, it may facilitate or allow for a greater flexibility in electrical pulse shaping so as to allow for different characteristics such as amplitude, rise time, duration, or fall time of the electrical pulse to be modified.

For example, the plurality of resistor elements may be arranged so that at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements can be selectively connected to the at least one switching element (or, to the third terminal thereof) or selectively disconnected from the at least one switching element (or, to the third terminal thereof) during at least one period of time when the electrical energy storage module is discharged. In alternative, or in addition, the plurality of resistor elements may be arranged so that at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements can be selectively connected to the at least one switching element or selectively disconnected from the at least one switching element during at least one period of time when the electrical energy storage module is not discharged (e.g., when the electrical energy storage module is being charged). In alternative, or in addition, the plurality of resistor elements may be arranged so that at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements can be selectively connected to the at least one switching element or selectively disconnected from the at least one switching element during at least one period of time when the at least one switching element is being switched from the conducting state to the non-conducting state, or vice versa. However, the plurality of resistor elements could be arranged so that at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements can be selectively connected to the at least one switching element or selectively disconnected from the at least one switching element before, or after at least one period of time when the at least one switching element is being switched from the conducting state to the non-conducting state, or vice versa.

There may be different resistor elements that are used in conjunction with switching the at least one switching element between different states thereof. For example, there may be one or more resistor elements which are used in conjunction with switching of the at least one switching element from its non-conducting state to its conducting state (with the one or more resistor elements possibly being dedicated for that purpose), and one or more other resistor elements which are used in conjunction with switching of the at least one switching element from its conducting state to its non-conducting state (with the one or more resistor elements possibly being dedicated for that purpose).

According to another example, each of at least a subset of the plurality of resistor elements may be configured to be selectively connected to the at least one switching element or selectively disconnected from the at least one switching element in connection with the at least one switching element being switched from its non-conducting state to its conducting state.

According to another example, the plurality of resistor elements may comprise a first subset of resistor elements, which may be configured to be selectively connected to the at least one switching element or selectively disconnected from the at least one switching element in connection with (e.g., prior to, or at the time of) the at least one switching element being switched from its non-conducting state to its conducting state, and optionally a second subset of resistor elements, which may be configured to be selectively connected to the at least one switching element or selectively disconnected from the at least one switching element in connection with (e.g., prior to, or at the time of) the at least one switching element being switched from its conducting state to its non-conducting state. Such arrangement of the plurality of resistor elements into one or more subsets may facilitate operation, or actuation, of the resistor elements, or disconnection or connection of the resistor elements from or to the at least one switching element.

According to another example, the plurality of resistor elements may comprise a first subset of resistor elements, which may be configured to be selectively connected to the at least one switching element or selectively disconnected from the at least one switching element in connection with (e.g., prior to, or at the time of) the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit sourcing charge to at least the third terminal of the at least one switching element via the plurality of resistor elements, and/or a second subset of resistor elements, which may be configured to be selectively connected to the at least one switching element or selectively disconnected from the at least one switching element in connection with (e.g., prior to, or at the time of) the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit sinking charge from at least the third terminal of the at least one switching element via the plurality of resistor elements.

With reference to any of the two above-mentioned examples, the first subset of resistor elements and the second subset of resistor elements may be non-overlapping sets (i.e., the first subset of resistor elements and the second subset of resistor elements may have no resistor elements in common). Alternatively, the first subset of resistor elements and the second subset of resistor elements may be in part overlapping sets (i.e., the first subset of resistor elements and the second subset of resistor elements may have one or some resistor elements in common).

As described in the foregoing, the at least one switching element may for example comprise or be constituted by one or more IGBTs and/or MOSFETs. However, the at least one switching element is not limited thereto. In the context of the present application, by a switching element it is meant an electrical device or element which is capable of switching (parts or portions of) electrical signals or electrical power, and which may also be capable of attenuating or blocking and/or amplifying electrical signals or electrical power. The switching element could in alternative - in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention - be referred to as a switching transistor element. The at least one switching element may for example comprise at least one transistor or transistor device and/or another or other types of (power) semiconductor devices. According to another example, the at least one switching element may for example comprise or be constituted by one or more field- effect transistors (FETs), for example MOSFETs as mentioned in the foregoing and/or a junction gate FETs (JFETs).

As mentioned in the foregoing, when the at least one switching element is connected to the power supply and to the electrical energy storage module respectively, the power supply may charge the electrical energy storage module by way of a charging current supplied by the power supply, or the electrical energy storage module may be discharged so as to create an electrical pulse to be received by the load, based on, or by way of, switching of the at least one switching element between at least the conducting state and the nonconducting state thereof. For example, when the at least one switching element is connected to the power supply and to the electrical energy storage module respectively, the power supply may charge the electrical energy storage module by way of a charging current supplied by the power supply when the at least one switching element is switched into the nonconducting state, and the electrical energy storage module may be discharged so as to create an electrical pulse to be received by the load when the at least one switching element switched into the conducting state.

The arrangement may comprise an actuation unit. The actuation unit may be configured to controllably selectively connect at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements to the at least one switching element (or, to the third terminal thereof) or selectively disconnect at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements from the at least one switching element (or, to the third terminal thereof).

The actuation unit may for example comprise one or more resistor element switching elements. For each, some or any one of the plurality of resistor elements there may be an associated resistor element switching element arranged to allow or facilitate for selective electrical connection of the respective resistor element(s) to the at least one switching element (or, to the third terminal thereof) or for selective electrical disconnection of the respective resistor element(s) from the at least one switching element (or, to the third terminal thereof). For example, for each, some or any one of the plurality of resistor elements there may be an associated resistor element switching element connected in series with the respective resistor element(s), and there may possibly further be an associated bypass circuit arranged to selectively bypass the respective resistor element(s) (e.g., when the associated resistor element switching element is in a non-conducting state).

One or more of the resistor element switching element(s) may for example comprise a switch, such as, for example, an electromechanical switch which may comprise a set of electrical contacts, wherein when the electrical contacts are touching, the

electromechanical switch is conducting, and when the electrical contacts are separated, the electromechanical switch is not conducting, or is conducting only to a relatively small extent. In alternative, or in addition, one or more of the resistor element switching element(s) could for example comprise an electronic switch, for example based on one or more solid state devices, capable of being switched between a conducting state and a non-conducting state thereof.

The arrangement may comprise a processing and/or control unit. The processing and/or control unit may be communicatively connected with the actuation unit, and may be configured to control operation thereof. The processing and/or control unit may for example be communicatively connected or coupled with one or more of the resistor element switching element(s), or any switch thereof, for controlling operation thereof. In the context of the present application, by a communicative connection or coupling of two or more entities it is meant that the two or more entities are coupled so as to be capable of communicating with each other using wireless communication (e.g., utilizing radio frequency (RF) communication and/or an infrared communication (e.g., employing infrared light)) and/or wired communication (e.g., utilizing at least one optical waveguide, or optical transmission line (e.g., an optical fiber), and/or at least one electrical conductor (e.g., a cable or wire, e.g., a copper conductor or cable, or copper wire)).

According to a second aspect, there is provided a system comprising a power supply, a load, and an electrical energy storage module. The electrical energy storage module is configured such that it can be charged or discharged. The electrical energy storage module is connected to the load. The system comprises an arrangement according to the first aspect, wherein the at least one switching element of the arrangement is connected to the power supply and to the electrical energy storage module, respectively, such that the power supply may charge the electrical energy storage module by way of a charging current supplied by the power supply, or the electrical energy storage module may be discharged so as to create an electrical pulse to be received by the load, based on switching of the at least one switching element between at least the conducting state and the non-conducting state thereof.

The load may for example comprise or be constituted by a magnetron, a klystron, and/or a particle emitter, such as, for example, an electron emitter (which may be referred to as an electron gun), which possibly may be connected with a transformer. The load may hence possibly comprise a transformer.

The power supply may be connected to the electrical energy storage module via an output rectifier. The power supply may be configured to supply power to the electrical energy storage module via the output rectifier.

The electrical energy storage module - which for example may comprise a capacitor or several capacitors for example arranged so as to form a capacitor bank - may be selectively charged and discharged, partially or (substantially) completely. By the power supply being configured to supply power to the electrical energy storage module (e.g., via the output rectifier), the electrical energy storage module may be charged by the power supplied thereto from the power supply. After the electrical energy storage module has been charged (partially or completely), the electrical energy storage module may be discharged (partially or completely), for example for generating at least one electrical pulse, which may be delivered to a load, possibly via a transformer. After the electrical energy storage module has been partially or fully discharged, it may then be (partially or completely) charged again by power supplied thereto from the power supply, such that the electrical energy storage module is repeatedly (e.g., cyclically or periodically) charged and discharged, whereby a series of electrical pulses may be generated. Thus, the power supply (and possibly the output rectifier) may be considered as a charger system for the electrical energy storage module. In the case where the electrical energy storage module comprises a capacitor or several capacitors for example arranged so as to form a capacitor bank, the power supply (and possibly the output rectifier) may be considered as a capacitor charger system. It is however to be understood that another or other types of electrical energy storage modules than capacitors may possibly be used, e.g., inductive electrical energy storage modules. Capacitor charger systems (or charger systems employing another or other types of electrical energy storage modules than capacitors) are often used in applications in which electrical pulses with a relatively short duration and a relatively high current are desired or required, such as, for example, in power modulators, particle accelerators, etc. As indicated in the foregoing, the capacitor charger system may charge the capacitor(s), wherein an electrical pulse with a relatively high current may be generated by subsequent discharging (partial or complete) of the capacitor(s).

According to a third aspect, there is provided a processing and/or control unit for use in conjunction with an arrangement according to the first aspect. The arrangement may comprise an actuation unit (e.g., the above-mentioned actuation unit) configured to

controllably selectively connect at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements to the at least one switching element or selectively disconnect at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements from the at least one switching element. The processing and/or control unit may be communicatively connectable with the actuation unit and the processing and/or control unit may be configured to, when communicatively connected with the actuation unit, control operation thereof.

The processing and/or control unit may for example include or be constituted by any suitable central processing unit (CPU), microcontroller, digital signal processor (DSP), Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), etc., or any combination thereof. The processing and/or control unit may optionally be capable of executing software instructions stored in a computer program product e.g. in the form of a memory. The memory may for example be any combination of read and write memory (RAM) and read only memory (ROM). The memory may comprise persistent storage, which for example can be a magnetic memory, an optical memory, a solid state memory or a remotely mounted memory, or any combination thereof.

According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a method in an arrangement.

The arrangement comprises at least one switching element. The at least one switching element comprises at least a first terminal, a second terminal and a third terminal. The at least one switching element is arranged such that current may flow in a current path between the first terminal and the second terminal, and such that at least the third terminal governs the electrical conductivity of the current path between the first terminal and the second terminal based on voltage or current applied to at least the third terminal and one of the first terminal and the second terminal. The at least one switching element is controllably switchable between at least a conducting state and a non-conducting state by changing of the voltage or current applied to the third terminal and one of the first terminal and the second terminal. The at least one switching element is connectable to a power supply and to an electrical energy storage module, respectively. The electrical energy storage module is configured such that it can be charged or discharged. The electrical energy storage module is connectable to a load. When the at least one switching element is connected to the power supply and to the electrical energy storage module respectively, the power supply may charge the electrical energy storage module by way of a charging current supplied by the power supply, or the electrical energy storage module may be discharged so as to create an electrical pulse to be received by the load, based on, or by way of, switching of the at least one switching element between at least the conducting state and the non-conducting state thereof. The arrangement comprises a plurality of resistor elements and a switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit, which is connected to the at least one switching element, and is arranged for sourcing charge to and/or sinking charge from at least the third terminal of the at least one switching element via the plurality of resistor elements. The plurality of resistor elements are connectable between the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit and the at least one switching element and are arranged so that at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements can be selectively connected to the at least one switching element or selectively disconnected from the at least one switching element.

The method comprises at least one of selectively connecting at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements to the at least one switching element, or selectively disconnecting at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements from the at least one switching element.

The at least one of selectively connecting at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements to the at least one switching element, or selectively

disconnecting at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements from the at least one switching element comprises: contra llably selectively electrically connecting at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements to the at least one switching element or selectively electrically disconnecting at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements from the at least one switching element such that the switching time of the at least one switching element is decreased or increased within a selected switching time interval.

According to a fifth aspect, there is provided a computer program product configured to, when executed in a processing and/or control unit according to third aspect, perform a method according to the fourth aspect.

According to a sixth aspect, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium on which there is stored a computer program product configured to, when executed in a processing and/or control unit according to third aspect, perform a method according to the fourth aspect. The computer-readable storage medium may comprise any suitable type of computer-readable means or computer-readable digital storage medium, such as, but not limited to, a nonvolatile memory, a hard disk drive, a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), a Compact Disc (CD), a floppy disk, a Flash memory, magnetic tape, a USB memory device, a Zip drive, etc.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention are described in the following by means of exemplifying embodiments. It is noted that the present invention relates to all possible combinations of features recited in the claims. Further features of, and advantages with, the present invention will become apparent when studying the appended claims and the description herein. Those skilled in the art realize that different features of the present invention can be combined to create embodiments other than those described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplifying embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a schematic view of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a schematic view of an arrangement according to an embodiment of the present invention, which arrangement is comprised in a system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram of an arrangement according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

All the figures are schematic, not necessarily to scale, and generally only show parts which are necessary in order to elucidate embodiments of the present invention, wherein other parts may be omitted or merely suggested.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention will now be described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplifying embodiments of the present invention are shown. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments of the present invention set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example so that this disclosure will convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art.

Figure 1 is a schematic view of a system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The system 100 comprises a power supply 30, a load 90, and an electrical energy storage module 40 that can be charged or discharged. With reference also to Figure 2, the system 100 comprises an arrangement 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, which arrangement 10 comprises a switching element 50. Figure 2 is a schematic view of the arrangement 10, illustrating the arrangement 10 in further detail, while Figure 1 only illustrates the switching element 50 of the arrangement 10. Figure 2 illustrates a part of the system 100 illustrated in Figure 1.

With further reference to Figure 1, the power supply 30, the arrangement 10 - or at least the switching element 50 thereof, and the electrical energy storage module 40 may be considered to be included in or constitute an electrical pulse generating module 15, with the power supply 30, the switching element 50 and the electrical energy storage module 40 for example being interconnected by way of electrical circuitry such as illustrated in Figure 1. In accordance with the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figure 1 , the system 100 comprises an additional switching element 50' and an additional electrical energy storage module 40', with the power supply 30, the switching element 50' and the electrical energy storage module 40' for example being interconnected by way of electrical circuitry such as illustrated in Figure 1. The power supply 30, the switching element 50' and the electrical energy storage module 40' may be considered to be included in or constitute another electrical pulse generating module 15 '. The switching elements 50 and 50' and the energy storage modules 40 and 40', respectively, may be similar or identical components, and may have the same or similar function. Both of the electrical pulse generating modules 15 and 15' are connected to the load 90 via a transformer 20. It is to be understood that the system 100 may include only one electrical pulse generating module (e.g., the electrical pulse generating module 15, including or being constituted by the power supply 30, the arrangement 10 - or at least the switching element 50 thereof, and the electrical energy storage module 40), or more than two electrical pulse generating modules. Any one or each of the electrical pulse generating modules may be connected to the load 90 via a transformer, e.g., the transformer 20 illustrated in Figure 1. In the following, only the electrical pulse generating module 15 including the power supply 30, the arrangement 10 and the electrical energy storage module 40 will be described in further detail. It is to be understood that the same or similar description may apply to the electrical pulse generating module 15' including the power supply 30, the switching element 50' and the electrical energy storage module 40'.

In accordance with the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figure 1, the system 100 comprises a transformer 20, which is connected to the electrical pulse generating module 15 which includes the power supply 30, the arrangement 10 and the electrical energy storage module 40. The transformer 20 is configured to receive one or more electrical pulses generated by the at least one electrical pulse generating module 15. The electrical pulse generating module 15 may be configured to generate a plurality of electrical pulses, to be received by the load 90, by repeatedly or cyclically performing charging and discharging of the electrical energy storage module 40. As illustrated in Figure 1, the electrical energy storage module 40 may for example comprise a capacitor, or several capacitors, e.g., arranged in a capacitor bank. However, it is to be understood that the electrical energy storage module 40 is not limited to being capacitor-based, but it could in alternative or in addition be based on another or other types of electrical energy storage means. Each time the electrical energy storage module 40 is discharged, an electrical pulse may be generated which may be received by the transformer 20, and subsequently by the load 90. The transformer 20 may for example include or be constituted by a voltage step-up transformer. In accordance with the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figure 1, the transformer 20 may be connected to a load 90, which may hence receive the electrical pulse via the transformer 20. However, the transformer 20 could be omitted, and the load 90 could receive the electrical pulse directly (or via some other component(s)) from the electrical pulse generating module 15.

The power supply 30 may comprise a power converter. For example, the power supply 30 could comprise or be connectable to an Alternating Current (AC) source (not shown in Figure 1), and could comprise a rectifier (not shown in Figure 1) for converting AC from the AC source into Direct Current (DC), which may be employed to charge the electrical energy storage module 40. As illustrated in Figure 1, the electrical energy storage module 40 is connected to the transformer 20. The power supply 30 may be connected to the electrical energy storage module 40 via an output rectifier (not shown in Figure 1). The power supply 30 may be configured to supply power to the electrical energy storage module 40 via the output rectifier.

The switching element 50 is controllably switchable between at least a conducting state and a non-conducting state of the switching element 50. With reference to Figure 2, the switching element 50 may comprise (at least) a first terminal 51, a second terminal 52 and a third terminal 53, and may be arranged such that current may flow in a current path between the first terminal 51 and the second terminal 52 and such that the third terminal 53 governs the electrical conductivity of the current path between the first terminal 51 and the second terminal 52 based on voltage or current applied to the third terminal 53 and one of the first terminal 51 and the second terminal 52, wherein the switching element 50 is controllably switchable between at least a conducting state and a non-conducting state by changing of the voltage or current applied to the third terminal 53 and one of the first terminal 51 and the second terminal 52. In accordance with the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figure 2, the switching element 50 may comprise an IGBT, wherein the first terminal 51, the second terminal 52 and the third terminal 53 of the switching element 50 comprises a source terminal, a drain terminal, and a gate terminal, respectively, of the at least one IGBT 50. However, it is to be understood that the switching element 50 is not limited to IGBT(s). In alternative, or in addition, the switching element 50 could for example comprise a MOSFET. For example, the switching element 50 could be arranged such that the third terminal 53 governs the electrical conductivity of the current path between the first terminal 51 and the second terminal 52 based on voltage at the third terminal 53 relatively to the voltage at the first terminal 51 or the second terminal 52. The switching element 50 may be controllably switchable between at least the conducting state and the non-conducting state thereof by changing of the voltage at the third terminal 53 relatively to the voltage at the first terminal 51 or the second terminal 52.

When the switching element 50 is connected to the power supply 30 and to the electrical energy storage module 40 respectively, the power supply 30 may charge the electrical energy storage module 40 by way of a charging current supplied by the power supply 30, or the electrical energy storage module 40 may be discharged so as to create an electrical pulse to be received by the load 90, based on, or by way of, switching of the switching element 50 between at least the conducting state and the non-conducting state thereof. For example, in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figure 1, when the switching element 50 is connected to the power supply 30 and to the electrical energy storage module 40 respectively, the power supply 30 may charge the electrical energy storage module 40 by way of a charging current supplied by the power supply 30 when the switching element 50 is switched into the non-conducting state, and the electrical energy storage module 40 may be discharged so as to create an electrical pulse to be received by the load 90 when the switching element 50 switched into the conducting state.

The electrical energy storage module 40 - which as mentioned in the foregoing for example may comprise a capacitor or several capacitors for example arranged so as to form a capacitor bank - may be selectively charged and discharged, partially or (substantially) completely. By the power supply 30 being configured to supply power to the electrical energy storage module 40, the electrical energy storage module 40 may be charged by the power supplied thereto from the power supply 30. After the electrical energy storage module 40 has been charged (partially or completely), the electrical energy storage module 40 may be discharged (partially or completely), for example for generating at least one electrical pulse, which may be delivered to the load 90, possibly via the transformer 20 in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figure 1. After the electrical energy storage module 40 has been partially or fully discharged, it may then be (partially or completely) charged again by power supplied thereto from the power supply 30, such that the electrical energy storage 40 module is repeatedly (e.g., cyclically or periodically) charged and discharged, whereby a series of electrical pulses may be generated. The power supply 30 may hence be considered as a charger system for the electrical energy storage module 40. In the case illustrated in Figure 1 wherein the electrical energy storage module 40 comprises a capacitor or several capacitors for example arranged so as to form a capacitor bank, the power supply 30 may be considered as a capacitor charger system. It is however to be understood that another or other types of electrical energy storage modules than capacitors may possibly be used, e.g., inductive electrical energy storage modules. The load 90 may for example comprise or be constituted by a magnetron, a klystron, and/or a particle emitter, such as, for example, an electron emitter (which may be referred to as an electron gun). In accordance with the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figure 1, the load 90 may be connected with a transformer 20. Possibly, the transformer 20 may be considered as being a part of the load 90.

The transformer may comprise at least one core, schematically indicated at 25 in Figure 1.

The transformer 20 may comprise at least one winding by which the transformer 20 may be connected to the electrical pulse generating module 15. For example, the transformer 20 may be connected to the electrical pulse generating module 15 by way of two terminals thereof, as illustrated in Figure 1. In accordance with the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figure 1 and as indicated therein, the transformer 20 may comprise a number of windings by which the transformer 20 may be connected to the electrical pulse generating module 15. However, it is to be understood that the number of windings of the transformer 20 by which the transformer 20 may be connected to the electrical pulse generating module 15 may differ from that illustrated in Figure 1. Also, the number of turns of the windings illustrated in Figure 1 is exemplifying and for illustration of principles of embodiments of the present invention, and may differ from that illustrated in Figure 1. The winding(s) of the transformer 20 may be configured to receive the electrical pulses generated by the electrical pulse generating module 15.

Considering the electrical pulse generating module 15 illustrated in Figure 1, the charging current that is supplied by the power supply 30 when the switching element 50 is switched into the non-conducting state may flow out of the power supply 30 and return to the power supply 30 via the respective ones of the two conductors indicated by the two uppermost arrows IC in Figure 1. The two above-mentioned conductors may for example be connected to two terminals of the power supply 30. An electrical pulse, which may be generated when the electrical energy storage module 40 is discharged upon the switching element 50 being switched into the conducting state, may flow in the direction indicated by the arrow IP in Figure 1. The duration of an electrical pulse may for example be 1 ms or about 1 ms, but is not limited thereto, and could be longer, or shorter.

With further reference to Figure 2, the arrangement 10 comprises a plurality of resistor elements 61-62, 63-64, 65-66, 67-68, 71-72, 73-74, 75-76, 77-78. The arrangement 10 comprises a switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit 95 which is connected to the switching element 50 and arranged for sourcing charge to and/or sinking charge from the third terminal 53 of the switching element 50 via the plurality of resistor elements 61-62, 63-64, 65-66, 67-68, 71-72, 73-74, 75-76, 77-78 in order to control operation of the switching element 50, e.g., so as to control switching of the switching element 50 between at least the conducting state and the non-conducting state thereof. The switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit 95 may for example be configured so as to be capable of controllably generating a drive voltage for the third terminal 53 of the switching element 50 to control the voltage at the third terminal 53 relatively to the voltage at the second terminal 52 or the first terminal 51 for controllably switching the switching element 50 between at least the conducting state and the non-conducting state thereof. To that end, the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit 95 may possibly comprise a voltage source, or the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit 95 may be connected to a voltage source. Possibly, the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit 95 could comprise two circuits: a switching element terminal sourcing circuit and a switching element terminal sinking circuit (not shown in Figure 2), with the switching element terminal sourcing circuit being arranged for sourcing charge to the third terminal 53 of the switching element 50 and the switching element terminal sinking circuit being arranged for sinking charge from the third terminal 53 of the switching element 50.

The plurality of resistor elements 61-62, 63-64, 65-66, 67-68, 71-72, 73-74, 75- 76, 77-78 are connectable between the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit 95 and the switching element 50 and are arranged so that at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements 61-62, 63-64, 65-66, 67-68, 71-72, 73-74, 75-76, 77-78 can be selectively connected to the switching element 50 or selectively disconnected from the switching element 50.

As mentioned in the foregoing, in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figure 2, the switching element 50 may be constituted by or comprise an IGBT, wherein the first terminal 51, the second terminal 52 and the third terminal 53 of the switching element 50 may comprise a source terminal, a drain terminal, and a gate terminal, respectively, of the at least one IGBT. Based on at least the selective electrical connection of at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements 61-62, 63-64, 65- 66, 67-68, 71-72, 73-74, 75-76, 77-78 to the switching element 50 or the selective electrical disconnection of at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements 61-62, 63-64, 65-66, 67-68, 71-72, 73-74, 75-76, 77-78 from the switching element 50, the gate terminal resistance of the IGBT can be adjusted.

With further reference to the example of the switching element 50 comprising an IGBT, the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit 95 may be configured to controllably generate a gate drive voltage for the gate terminal of the IGBT.

According to the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figure 2, each of the plurality of resistor elements 61-62, 63-64, 65-66, 67-68, 71-72, 73-74, 75-76, 77- 78 comprises a resistor 61, 63, 65, 67, 71, 73, 75 and 77 and an associated resistor element switching element 62, 64, 66, 68, 72, 74, 76 and 78, respectively. One or more of the resistor element switching elements 62, 64, 66, 68, 72, 74, 76, 78 may for example comprise a switch, such as, for example, an electromechanical switch comprising a set of electrical contacts, wherein when the electrical contacts are touching, the electromechanical switch is conducting, and when the electrical contacts are separated, the electromechanical switch is not conducting, or is conducting only to a relatively small extent. In alternative, or in addition, one or more of the resistor element switching elements 62, 64, 66, 68, 72, 74, 76, 78 could for example comprise an electronic switch, for example based on one or more solid state devices. It is to be understood that any one of the resistor elements 61-62, 63-64, 65-66, 67-68, 71-72, 73-74, 75-76, 77-78 may comprise several resistors and possibly several resistor element switching elements.

Further in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figure 2, the resistor elements 61-62, 63-64, 65-66, 67-68, 71-72, 73-74, 75-76, 77-78 comprise a first subset 81 of resistor elements 61-62, 63-64, 65-66, 67-68 configured to be selectively connected to the switching element 50 or selectively disconnected from the switching element 50 in connection with the switching element 50 being switched from its non-conducting state to its conducting state. The resistor elements 61-62, 63-64, 65-66, 67-68, 71-72, 73-74, 75-76, 77-78 further comprise a second subset 82 of resistor elements 71-72, 73-74, 75-76, 77-78 configured to be selectively connected to the switching element 50 or selectively disconnected from the switching element 50 in connection with the switching element 50 being switched from its conducting state to its non-conducting state.

In alternative, or in addition, the first subset 81 of resistor elements 61-62, 63- 64, 65-66, 67-68 may be configured to be selectively connected to the switching element 50 or selectively disconnected from the switching element 50 in connection with the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit 95 sourcing charge to (at least) the third terminal 53 of the switching element 50 via the plurality of resistor elements, and/or the second subset 82 of resistor elements 71-72, 73-74, 75-76, 77-78 may be configured to be selectively connected to the switching element 50 or selectively disconnected from the switching element 50 in connection with the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit 95 sinking charge from (at least) the third terminal 53 of the switching element 50 via the plurality of resistor elements. Such sourcing of charge to (at least) the third terminal 53 of the switching element 50 and sinking of charge from (at least) the third terminal 53 of the switching element 50 are indicated in Figure 2 by the dashed arrows I _SO urce and I _s ink, respectively. As mentioned in the foregoing, the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit 95 may comprise two circuits: a switching element terminal sourcing circuit and a switching element terminal sinking circuit (not shown in Figure 2), with the switching element terminal sourcing circuit being arranged for sourcing charge to the third terminal 53 of the switching element 50 and the switching element terminal sinking circuit being arranged for sinking charge from the third terminal 53 of the switching element 50.

As illustrated in Figure 2, the first subset 81 of resistor elements and the second subset 82 of resistor elements may be non-overlapping sets, such that the first subset 81 of resistor elements and the second subset 82 of resistor elements have no resistor elements in common.

It is to be understood that the number of resistor elements 61-62, 63-64, 65-66, 67-68, 71-72, 73-74, 75-76, 77-78 illustrated in Figure 2 is according to an example, and that more or less resistor elements than illustrated in Figure 2 may be included in the arrangement 10. Furthermore, the number of resistor elements in each of the subsets 81 and 82 is according to an example, and that more or less resistor elements than illustrated in Figure 2 may be included in the subset 81 and 82, respectively. The number of resistor elements in each of the subsets 81 and 82 may be at least one. Also, the number of resistor elements included in each of the subset 81 and 82 must not necessarily be equal.

Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram of an arrangement 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The arrangement 10 may for example be configured as described in the foregoing with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The arrangement 10 comprises an actuation unit 11 which is configured to controllably selectively connect at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements of the arrangement 10 (not shown in Figure 3; cf. Figure 2) to the at least one switching element of the arrangement 10 (not shown in Figure 3; cf. Figure 1 or 2) or selectively disconnect at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements from the at least one switching element. The arrangement 10 comprises a processing and/or control unit 12 communicatively connected with the actuation unit 11 and configured to control operation thereof. The actuation unit 11 may for example comprise one or more resistor element switching elements, such as, for example, the resistor element switching elements 62, 64, 66, 68, 72, 74, 76, 78 illustrated in Figure 2.

The actuation unit 11 may be configured to controllably selectively electrically connect at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements to the at least one switching element or selectively electrically disconnect at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements from the at least one switching element such that the switching time of the at least one switching element is decreased or increased within a selected switching time interval.

Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of a method 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method 1 is carried out in an arrangement, which comprises at least one switching element. The at least one switching element comprises at least a first terminal, a second terminal and a third terminal. The at least one switching element is arranged such that current may flow in a current path between the first terminal and the second terminal, and such that at least the third terminal governs the electrical conductivity of the current path between the first terminal and the second terminal based on voltage at the third terminal relatively to the voltage at the second terminal. The at least one switching element is controllably switchable between at least a conducting state and a non-conducting state by changing of the voltage or current applied to at least the third terminal and one of the first terminal and the second terminal. The at least one switching element is connectable to a power supply and to an electrical energy storage module, respectively. The electrical energy storage module is configured such that it can be charged or discharged. The electrical energy storage module is connectable to a load. When the at least one switching element is connected to the power supply and to the electrical energy storage module respectively, the power supply may charge the electrical energy storage module by way of a charging current supplied by the power supply, or the electrical energy storage module may be discharged so as to create an electrical pulse to be received by the load, based on, or by way of, switching of the at least one switching element between at least the conducting state and the non-conducting state thereof. The arrangement comprises a plurality of resistor elements and a switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit, which is connected to the at least one switching element, and is arranged for sourcing charge to and/or sinking charge from at least the third terminal of the at least one switching element via the plurality of resistor elements. The plurality of resistor elements are connectable between the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit and the at least one switching element and are arranged so that at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements can be selectively connected to the at least one switching element or selectively disconnected from the at least one switching element.

The method 1 comprises at least one of selectively connecting at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements to the at least one switching element, or selectively disconnecting at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements from the at least one switching element, S 1.

The step S 1 may comprise contra llably selectively electrically connecting at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements to the at least one switching element or selectively electrically disconnecting at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements from the at least one switching element such that the switching time of the at least one switching element is decreased or increased within a selected switching time interval.

In conclusion, an arrangement is disclosed, comprising at least one switching element including a terminal, a switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit connected to the at least one switching element and arranged for sourcing charge to and/or sinking charge from to the terminal, and a plurality of resistor elements connectable between the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit and the at least one switching element and arranged so that at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements can be selectively connected to the at least one switching element or selectively disconnected from the at least one switching element. Various aspects of the present invention may be appreciated from the following enumerated example embodiments (EEEs):

EEE 1. An arrangement (10) comprising:

at least one switching element (50) comprising at least a first terminal (51), a second terminal (52) and a third terminal (53), and being arranged such that current may flow in a current path between the first terminal and the second terminal and such that at least the third terminal governs the electrical conductivity of the current path between the first terminal and the second terminal based on voltage or current applied to at least the third terminal and one of the first terminal and the second terminal, wherein the at least one switching element is controllably switchable between at least a conducting state and a non-conducting state by changing of the voltage or current applied to the third terminal and one of the first terminal and the second terminal, wherein the at least one switching element is connectable to a power supply (30) and to an electrical energy storage module (40), respectively, the electrical energy storage module being configured such that it can be charged or discharged, and the electrical energy storage module being connectable to a load (90), wherein when the at least one switching element is connected to the power supply and to the electrical energy storage module respectively, the power supply may charge the electrical energy storage module by way of a charging current supplied by the power supply, or the electrical energy storage module may be discharged so as to create an electrical pulse to be received by the load, based on switching of the at least one switching element between at least the conducting state and the non-conducting state thereof;

a plurality of resistor elements (61-62, 63-64, 65-66, 67-68, 71-72, 73-74, 75- 76, 77-78); and

a switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit (95) connected to the at least one switching element and arranged for sourcing charge to and/or sinking charge from at least the third terminal thereof via the plurality of resistor elements, wherein the plurality of resistor elements are connectable between the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit and the at least one switching element and are arranged so that at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements can be selectively connected to the at least one switching element or selectively disconnected from the at least one switching element.

EEE 2. An arrangement according to EEE 1, wherein the plurality of resistor elements are arranged so that at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements can be selectively connected to the at least one switching element or selectively disconnected from the at least one switching element during at least one period of time when the electrical energy storage module is discharged. EEE 3. An arrangement according to EEE 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of resistor elements are arranged so that at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements can be selectively connected to the at least one switching element or selectively disconnected from the at least one switching element during at least one period of time when the at least one switching element is being switched from the conducting state to the non-conducting state, or vice versa.

EEE 4. An arrangement according to any one of EEEs 1-3, wherein the plurality of resistor elements is arranged such that, at least by means of the selective electrical connection of at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements to the at least one switching element or the selective electrical disconnection of at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements from the at least one switching element, the switching time of the at least one switching element can be decreased or increased within a selected switching time interval.

EEE 5. An arrangement according to any one of EEEs 1-4, wherein the plurality of resistor elements is arranged such that, at least by means of the selective electrical connection of at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements to the at least one switching element or the selective electrical disconnection of at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements from the at least one switching element, the time required to pass a linear region operational state of the at least one switching element can be controlled.

EEE 6. An arrangement according to any one of EEEs 1-5, wherein the plurality of resistor elements comprises:

a first subset (81) of resistor elements (61-62, 63-64, 65-66, 67-68) configured to be selectively connected to the at least one switching element or selectively disconnected from the at least one switching element in connection with the at least one switching element being switched from its non-conducting state to its conducting state; and

a second subset (82) of resistor elements (71-72, 73-74, 75-76, 77-78) configured to be selectively connected to the at least one switching element or selectively disconnected from the at least one switching element in connection with the at least one switching element being switched from its conducting state to its non-conducting state.

EEE 7. An arrangement according to any one of EEEs 1-5, wherein the plurality of resistor elements comprises:

a first subset (81) of resistor elements (61-62, 63-64, 65-66, 67-68) configured to be selectively connected to the at least one switching element or selectively disconnected from the at least one switching element in connection with the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit sourcing charge to at least the third terminal of the at least one switching element via the plurality of resistor elements; and

a second subset (82) of resistor elements (71-72, 73-74, 75-76, 77-78) configured to be selectively connected to the at least one switching element or selectively disconnected from the at least one switching element in connection with the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit sinking charge from at least the third terminal of the at least one switching element via the plurality of resistor elements. EEE 8. An arrangement according to EEE 6 or 7, wherein the first subset of resistor elements and the second subset of resistor elements are non-overlapping sets, or wherein the first subset of resistor elements and the second subset of resistor elements are at least in part overlapping sets. EEE 9. An arrangement according to any one of EEEs 1-8, further comprising:

an actuation unit (11) configured to controllably selectively connect at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements to the at least one switching element or selectively disconnect at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements from the at least one switching element; and

a processing and/or control unit (12) communicatively connected with the actuation unit and configured to control operation thereof.

EEE 10. An arrangement according to any one of EEEs 1-9, wherein the at least one switching element comprises at least one insulated-gate bipolar transistor, IGBT (50), wherein the first terminal, the second terminal and the third terminal of the at least one switching element comprises a source terminal (51), a drain terminal (52), and a gate terminal (53), respectively, of the at least one IGBT; and

wherein, based on at least the selective electrical connection of at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements to the at least one switching element or the selective electrical disconnection of at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements from the at least one switching element, the gate terminal resistance can be adjusted.

EEE 11. A system (10, 30, 40, 90) comprising:

a power supply (30);

a load (90);

an electrical energy storage module (40), the electrical energy storage module being configured such that it can be charged or discharged, and wherein the electrical energy storage module is connected to the load; and an arrangement (10) according to any one of EEEs 1-10, wherein the at least one switching element (50) of the arrangement is connected to the power supply and to the electrical energy storage module, respectively, such that the power supply may charge the electrical energy storage module by way of a charging current supplied by the power supply, or the electrical energy storage module may be discharged so as to create an electrical pulse to be received by the load, based on switching of the at least one switching element between at least the conducting state and the non-conducting state thereof.

EEE 12. A processing and/or control unit (12) for use in conjunction with an

arrangement (10) according to any one of EEEs 1-10, wherein the arrangement comprises an actuation unit (11) configured to controllably selectively connect at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements (61-62, 63-64, 65-66, 67-68, 71-72, 73-74, 75-76, 77-78) to the at least one switching element (50) or selectively disconnect at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements from the at least one switching element, wherein the processing and/or control unit is communicatively connectable with the actuation unit and the processing and/or control unit is configured to, when communicatively connected with the actuation unit, control operation thereof.

EEE 13. A method (1) in an arrangement, the arrangement comprising at least one switching element, comprising at least a first terminal, a second terminal and a third terminal and being arranged such that current may flow in a current path between the first terminal and the second terminal and such that at least the third terminal governs the electrical conductivity of the current path between the first terminal and the second terminal based on voltage or current applied to the third terminal and one of the first terminal and the second terminal, wherein the at least one switching element is controllably switchable between at least a conducting state and a non-conducting state by changing of the voltage or current applied to at least the third terminal and one of the first terminal and the second terminal, wherein the at least one switching element is connectable to a power supply and to an electrical energy storage module, respectively, the electrical energy storage module being configured such that it can be charged or discharged, and the electrical energy storage module being connectable to a load, wherein when the at least one switching element is connected to the power supply and to the electrical energy storage module respectively, the power supply may charge the electrical energy storage module by way of a charging current supplied by the power supply, or the electrical energy storage module may be discharged so as to create an electrical pulse to be received by the load, based on switching of the at least one switching element between at least the conducting state and the non-conducting state thereof, the arrangement further comprising a plurality of resistor elements and a switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit connected to the at least one switching element and arranged for sourcing charge to and/or sinking charge from at least the third terminal thereof via the plurality of resistor elements, wherein the plurality of resistor elements are connectable between the switching element terminal sourcing and/or sinking circuit and the at least one switching element and are arranged so that at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements can be selectively connected to the at least one switching element or selectively disconnected from the at least one switching element, the method comprising:

at least one of selectively connecting at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements to the at least one switching element, or selectively disconnecting at least a selected subset of the plurality of resistor elements from the at least one switching element (SI).

EEE 14. A computer program product configured to, when executed in a processing and/or control unit (12) according to EEE 12, perform a method (1) according to EEE 13. EEE 15. A computer-readable storage medium on which there is stored a computer program product configured to, when executed in a processing and/or control unit (12) according to EEE 12, perform a method (1) according to EEE 13.

While the present invention has been illustrated in the appended drawings and the foregoing description, such illustration is to be considered illustrative or exemplifying and not restrictive; the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the appended claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.