one or more specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below . in an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments , all features of an actual implementation may not be described in the specification . it should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation , as in any engineering or design project , numerous implementation - specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers &# 39 ; specific goals , such as compliance with system - related and business - related constraints , which may vary from one implementation to another . moreover , it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming , but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design , fabrication , and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure . when introducing elements of various embodiments of the present invention , the articles “ a ,” “ an ,” “ the ,” and “ said ” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements . the terms “ comprising ,” “ including ,” and “ having ” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements . present embodiments relate to dynamically activating and deactivating voltage clamping circuitry used to protect igbts from electrical damage during the period of time the igbt is switched off . the dynamic voltage clamping circuitry may also allow the voltage of the igbt to periodically rise above a predetermined clamping voltage threshold . more particularly , the present embodiments allow the igbt to be operated at its maximum voltage rating to increase power conversion margins by periodically activating and deactivating the clamping circuitry . with the foregoing in mind , fig1 is a block diagram of a power conversion and control system 10 . the system 10 may include power conductors 12 ( e . g ., single or poly - phase ), a power converter 14 , a controller 16 communicatively coupled via a communications link 18 to the converter 14 , and a load 22 communicatively coupled via a communications link 20 to the converter 14 . in certain embodiments , the system 10 may be used as a starting converter , a continuous duty drive , or similar system for controlling the source of power , and by extension , for example , speed and torque provided to various industrial machinery such as the load 22 . in the case that the system 10 is a starting converter , for example , the system 10 may function as a variable speed alternating current ( ac ) drive system that drives , for example , a synchronous motor ( e . g ., load 22 ). in certain embodiments , the converter 14 may include a number of active power electronic switching devices such as silicon - controlled rectifiers ( scrs ), thyristors , insulated gate bipolar transistors ( igbts ), and so forth , which may be used to switch to and from “ on ” ( e . g ., activated and / or enabled ) and “ off ” ( e . g ., deactivated and / or disabled ) states to control the power flow to the load 22 . for example , in the “ off ” state , the switching devices of converter 14 may restrict the flow of current to only a leakage current . similarly , in the “ on ” state , for example , the switching devices of converter 14 may conduct current when the input voltage exceeds a certain threshold voltage . specifically , the converter 14 may be any electrical device ( s ) that transforms direct current ( dc ) electricity via a dc reactor link to alternating current ( ac ) electricity , or that transforms alternating current ( ac ) to electricity direct current ( dc ) electricity . as will be further appreciated , the converter 14 may include one or more igbts and a clamping circuit to clamp , or limit , the peak voltage of each of the igbts to a predetermined value during the time each of the igbts switches “ off .” as previously discussed , the system 10 may also include the controller 16 . the controller 16 may control the operation of the converter 14 , and by extension , power flowing to the load 22 . accordingly , the controller 16 may include a processor that may be used in processing computer instructions , and a memory that may be used to store computer instructions and other data . these instructions may be encoded in programs stored in a tangible non - transitory computer - readable medium such as the memory and / or other storage . in certain embodiments , the controller 16 may control the conversion and / or inversion of ac or dc power received , for example , from one or more distributed generators ( e . g ., photovoltaic panels , wind turbines , and so forth ) by sending switching signals to a number of switching devices , such as igbts , scrs , thyristors , and so forth , that may be included in the converter 14 . in such a case , the controller 18 may control the amount of current flowing from the distributed generators via the power conductors 12 to the load 22 . in one embodiment , the controller 16 may be a pulse width modulation ( pwm ) controller . specifically , the controller 16 may include one or more functions of using digital pulse signals ( e . g ., ac or dc ) to produce an output voltage ( e . g ., ac or dc ) level for control of the converter 14 . for example , the controller 16 may transmit an “ on ”/“ off ” period pwm signal to the converter 14 , in which the converter 14 may be controlled to switch “ on ” when the pwm signal is logically high ( i . e ., at the rising edge of the pwm signal ), and switch “ off ” when the pwm signal is logically low ( i . e ., at the falling edge of the pwm signal ). thus , the controller 16 may , by extension , control the output ( e . g ., speed and torque ), for example , of the load 22 . it should be appreciated that the converter 14 may include multiple igbts , and thus the controller 18 may transmit a separate pwm signal to each of the igbts to allow separate control of each of the igbts . as will be discussed in further detail below , the controller 16 may also include electrical clamping ( i . e ., restricting a voltage signal from exceeding a certain defined magnitude or set point ) logic and / or firmware to dynamically control the clamping periods along with the pwm “ on ”/“ off ” periods transmitted to the converter 14 . fig2 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the converter 14 discussed above . the converter 14 may include various active clamping circuitry , which may be configured to dynamically clamp , for example , the upper and lower voltage ( e . g ., v out ) magnitudes of the converter 14 . specifically , the active clamping circuitry may control the voltage across igbts 26 ( e . g ., s p ) and 30 ( e . g ., s n ), and thus protect the igbts 26 and 30 from substantive electrical ( e . g ., overvoltage , overcurrent , and so forth ) damage . similarly , active electronic switching devices 28 ( e . g ., s cp ) and 34 ( e . g ., s cn ) along with zener diodes 24 and 32 may be configured to control and regulate the voltage of the igbts 26 and 30 . for example , the converter 14 may be a dc - dc converter including the igbts 26 and 30 each rated to a certain maximum voltage ( e . g ., 1700v ). continuing , the converter 14 may include the zener diodes 24 and 32 each having a reverse breakdown voltage threshold ( e . g ., 1000 , 1200 , 1400v ). accordingly , the zener diodes 24 and 32 may each clamp , or limit , the voltage of the igbts 26 and 30 to the reverse breakdown voltage threshold ( e . g ., 1000 , 1200 , 1400v ), respectively . as will be discussed in greater detail below , in certain embodiments , it may be desirable to operate each of the igbts 26 and 30 above the clamping or reverse breakdown voltage threshold ( e . g ., 1400v ) of the zener diodes 24 and 32 . in such a case , a clamping activation and / or deactivation signal ( e . g ., clamp_en ( 1 ) and / or clamp_en ( 2 )) may be generated , for example , by the controller 16 to dynamically control each of the switching devices 28 and 34 . that is , the controller 16 may control each of the switching devices 28 and 34 to switch “ on ” and / or “ off ,” and thus allow each of the igbts 26 and 30 to periodically operate at their respective maximum voltage rating ( e . g ., 1700v ). for example , as previously discussed , and as specifically depicted in fig3 , the active clamping circuitry may be used to protect the igbt 26 from damage caused by a high peak voltage that may accumulate across the collector of the igbt 26 . as illustrated , the active clamping circuitry may include the igbt 26 , gating ( e . g ., gating signal ) and clamping ( e . g ., clamp_en ) control signals , gate resistors ( e . g ., r clamp and r gate ), the zener diode 24 , the active switching device 28 , and a diode 38 . as noted above with respect to fig2 , the switching device 28 may be configured to receive the clamping signal ( e . g ., clamp_en ) to turn “ on ” and / or “ off ” to allow the igbt 26 , for example , to periodically operate at its maximum rated voltage ( e . g ., 1700v ). although referred to as a clamping signal , it should be appreciated that , in certain embodiments , the clamping signal ( e . g ., clamp_en ) may also be a pwm signal . the switching device 28 may be any active electronic device useful to switch , amplify , or convert incoming electrical signals . for example , in one embodiment , the switching device 28 may be an igbt . yet , in another embodiment , the switching device 28 may be a bipolar junction transistor ( bjt ), a metal - oxide - semiconductor field - effect transistor ( mosfet ), or other similar active electronic device . in certain embodiments , the switching device 28 may exhibit a faster switching speed than that of the igbt 26 . thus , the switching device 28 may be switched “ on ” or “ off ” substantially instantaneously to detecting a characteristic ( e . g ., rising edge , falling edge , change in duty cycle , and so forth ) of the clamping signal ( e . g ., clamp_en ). in certain embodiments , the zener diode 24 may be connected in a reversed - bias configuration between the collector of the igbt 26 and the collector of the switching device 28 . namely , if the voltage across the collector of the igbt 26 exceeds the reverse breakdown voltage threshold ( e . g ., 1400v ) of the zener diode 24 , the zener diode 24 may turn “ on ” ( i . e ., conduct current ), and thus dissipate current ( or power ) that may have otherwise flowed into the gate 36 of the igbt 26 . specifically , current flowing through the zener diode 24 from the collector of the igbt 26 to the switching device 28 may increase the voltage on the gate 36 of the igbt 26 . this may , for example , cause the igbt 26 to attempt to conduct a higher current than the maximum current rating of the igbt 26 . more particularly , when the igbt 26 switches “ off ” ( e . g ., when the gating signal ( gating signal ) is logically low ), the voltage of the collector of the igbt 26 may rise due to a parasitic inductance ( e . g ., l pp ) that may occur across the collector of the igbt 26 . accordingly , the active clamping circuitry may effectively clamp the peak collector voltage to approximately the reverse breakdown voltage threshold ( e . g ., 1400v ) of the zener diode 24 . as previously discussed , in certain embodiments , it may be desirable to operate the igbt 26 above the clamping or reverse breakdown voltage threshold ( e . g ., 1400v ) of the zener diode 24 . for example , for an igbt 26 having a maximum voltage rating of 1700v , it may be advantageous to drive the igbt 26 to operate at the 1700v voltage rating to increase the power conversion margins . that is , instead of the voltage being clamped at the threshold voltage ( e . g ., 1400v ) of the zener diode 24 , the igbt 26 may be allowed to operate at its maximum voltage rating in so long as that maximum voltage ( e . g ., 1700v ) is not exceeded . in such a case , a clamping enable and / or disable signal ( e . g ., clamp_en ) may be generated by the controller 16 to control the switching device 28 and zener diode 24 ( e . g ., clamping circuitry ) to turn “ on ” and / or “ off ,” and thus allow the igbt 26 to periodically operate at the maximum voltage rating ( e . g ., 1700v ). turning now to fig4 , the techniques as discussed above may be better understood with respect to a gating signal 42 ( gating signal ) and a voltage clamping signal 44 ( clamp_en ). as also noted above , the signals 42 ( gating signal ) and 44 ( clamp_en ) may be pwm signals generated by the controller 16 , which may include a processor that may execute instructions for carrying out presently disclosed methods . these instructions may be encoded in programs stored in a tangible non - transitory computer - readable medium such as a memory and / or other storage of the controller 16 . in certain embodiments , the controller 16 may be referred to as a gate driver , since the controller 16 may transmit the gating signal 42 ( gating signal ) to the igbt 26 . in particular , the igbt 26 may be controlled to switch “ on ” when the gating signal 42 ( gating signal ) is logically high , and switch “ off ” when the gating signal is logically low . similarly , the clamping signal 44 ( clamp_en ) may be generated by the controller 16 to control the switching device 28 and zener diode 24 to dynamically switch “ on ” and / or “ off .” accordingly , the controller 16 may control when the voltage of the igbt 26 is to be clamped , as opposed to allowing the zener diode 24 to clamp the voltage of the igbt 26 in every instance the clamping voltage threshold is exceeded . as depicted in fig4 , the clamping signal 44 ( clamp_en ) may become logically high at substantially the same point in time that the gating signal 42 ( gating signal ) is logically high . in other embodiments , the clamping signal 44 ( clamp_en ) may become logically high after period of time following the gating signal 42 ( gating signal ) becoming logically high . that is , the clamping signal 44 ( clamp_en ) may become logically high at a point in time 47 just before , or just after the gating signal 42 ( gating signal ) becomes logically high . thus , over the duty cycle ( i . e ., the percentage of time the gating signal 42 and the clamping signal 44 are each logically high during a pulse period ) of the gating signal 42 ( gating signal ), the voltage of the igbt 26 is clamped to the clamping voltage threshold of the zener diode 24 . however , as previously discussed , the voltage across the collector of the igbt 26 may rise during “ switch off ,” or the period in which the gating signal 42 ( gating signal ) is logically low . accordingly , a delay may be introduced between the time the gating signal 42 ( gating signal ) becomes logically low ( at the falling edge 46 ) and the time the clamping signal 44 ( clamp_en ) becomes logically low ( e . g ., at the falling edge 48 ). as such , during the delay period ( i . e ., substantially the time it takes the igbt 26 to completely switch “ off ”) between signals 42 and 44 becoming logically low , the voltage of the igbt 26 may be clamped to the clamping voltage threshold of the zener diode 24 , and thus protected from potential damage or failure due to overvoltage and / or overcurrent heating . in one embodiment , the delay period may be approximately 1 - 10 microseconds . as previously noted , in certain embodiments , statically clamping the peak voltage of the igbt 26 may present an undesirable effect . namely , as long as the peak voltage is above the clamping voltage threshold , the zener diode 24 ( e . g ., clamping circuitry ) will be “ on ,” even though the igbt 26 may be periodically switched “ off .” since the clamping voltage threshold ( e . g ., 1400v ) may be , in many instances , lower than the maximum voltage rating of the igbt 26 , the switching device 28 and zener diode 24 may actually limit the peak voltage of the igbt 26 to a margin much lower than the maximum voltage rating of the igbt 26 . accordingly , the clamping signal 44 ( e . g ., clamp_en ) generated by the controller 16 and transmitted to the switching device 28 may be pulsed or modulated , such that the voltage across the igbt 26 can rise above the clamping voltage threshold of the zener diode 24 when the igbt 26 is periodically switched “ off .” for example , should the maximum voltage rating of the igbt 26 be approximately 1700v and the clamping voltage threshold be approximately 1400v , during the period the clamping signal 44 ( e . g ., clamp_en ) is logically low , and by extension , the switching device 28 switches “ off ,” the igbt 26 may be operated more closely to its maximum voltage rating of 1700v . thus , as long as the voltage across the collector of the igbt 26 does not exceed its maximum voltage rating ( e . g ., 1700v ), the igbt 26 may be operated at the maximum voltage rating to increase the power conversion and operating margins of the igbt 26 . technical effects of present embodiments relate to active and dynamic voltage clamping to protect igbts from electrical damage . particularly , an active switching device is provided to clamp the voltage of the igbt during the period of time the igbt is switched off . however , the active switching device may also allow the voltage of the igbt to periodically rise above the clamping voltage threshold . more particularly , the present embodiments allow the igbt to be operated at its maximum voltage rating to increase power conversion margins by periodically deactivating the clamping circuitry . this written description uses examples to disclose the invention , including the best mode , and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention , including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods . the patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims , and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art . such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims , or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims .