Patent ID: 7851866

Claim:
An electric power conversion device comprising: at least one IGBT, the IGBT including on the same semiconductor substrate thereof a first emitter having flowing therethrough a principal current, a second, sense emitter having a same cross-sectional structure as the first emitter and a smaller gate width than the first emitter, and means for measuring temperature; means for driving the IGBT; and principal current estimation means for receiving an output of the temperature measuring means and a sense current flowing through the sense emitter, and thereby estimating the principal current, wherein the principal current estimation means includes: current-voltage conversion means for converting the sense current to a voltage; first ND conversion means for converting a voltage outputted by the current-voltage conversion means from analog to digital form; memory means for storing a relationship among a semiconductor substrate temperature of the IGBT, the principal current and the sense current; and calculation means for receiving the relationship information, stored in the memory means, among the semiconductor substrate temperature, the principal current and the sense current, the information on sense current converted by the first A/D conversion means, and the information on temperature of the IGBT, and thereby calculating the principal current, and wherein motor vector control is performed based on the principal current calculated by the calculation means based on the information on the temperature.