Active voltage regulator systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10027244-B2
Application number	US-201615188761-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 21, 2016
Priority date	Jun 21, 2016
Publication date	Jul 17, 2018
Grant date	Jul 17, 2018

Abstract

A power conditioning unit used in an electrical system. The power conditioning unit includes a positive bus and a negative bus that are electrically connected to a direct current load to enable supplying direct current electrical power to the direct current load; and a first phase leg, which includes a first diode electrically connected to the positive bus, a first transistor electrically connected to the negative bus, and a first node between the first diode and the first transistor. The first node is electrically connected to an alternating current power source to enable the first phase leg to receive a first phase of alternating current electrical power from the alternating current power source and the first transistor opens and closes to control flow of the first phase through the first phase leg to facilitate generating the direct current electrical power at a target voltage using the alternating current electrical power.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A power conditioning unit configured to be used in an electrical system, comprising:
a positive bus and a negative bus configured to be electrically connected to a direct current load to enable supplying direct current electrical power to the direct current load; and
a first phase leg comprising a first diode electrically connected to the positive bus, a first transistor electrically connected to the negative bus, and a first node between the first diode and the first transistor, wherein:
the first node is configured to be electrically connected to an alternating current power source to enable the first phase leg to receive a first phase of alternating current electrical power from the alternating current power source; and
the first transistor is configured to open and close to control flow of the first phase through the first phase leg to facilitate generating the direct current electrical power at a target voltage using the alternating current electrical power;

wherein the first transistor is configured to be:
closed when current of the first phase is negative; and
open at least a duration when the current of the first phase is positive, wherein the power conditioning unit is configured to adjust length of the duration that the first transistor is open to adjust voltage of the direct current electrical power.

2. The power conditioning unit of claim 1 , comprising:
a second phase leg coupled in parallel with the first phase leg between the positive bus and the negative bus, wherein the second phase leg comprises a second diode electrically connected to the positive bus, a second transistor electrically connected to the negative bus, and a second node between the second node and the second transistor, wherein:
the second node is configured to be electrically connected to the alternating current power source to enable the second phase leg to receive a second phase of the alternating electrical power from the alternating current power source, wherein the second phase is sixty degrees out of phase with the first phase; and
the second transistor is configured to open and close to control flow of the second phase through the second phase leg to facilitate generating the direct current electrical power at the target voltage using the alternating current electrical power; and

a third phase leg coupled in parallel with the first phase leg and the second phase leg between the positive bus and the negative bus, wherein the third phase leg comprises a third diode electrically connected to the positive bus, a third transistor electrically connected to the negative bus, and a third node between the third node and the third transistor, wherein:
the third node is configured to be electrically connected to the alternating current power source to enable the third phase leg to receive a third phase of the alternating electrical power from the alternating current power source, wherein the third phase is sixty degrees out of phase with the first phase and the second phase; and
the third transistor is configured to open and close to control flow of the third phase through the third phase leg to facilitate generating the direct current electrical power at the target voltage using the alternating current electrical power.

3. The power conditioning unit of claim 1 , comprising one or more sensors configured to measure voltage of the direct current electrical power supplied from the power conditioning unit to the direct current load;
wherein the power conditioning unit is configured to:
increase duration the first transistor is closed when the voltage of the direct current electrical power is greater than the target voltage; and
decrease duration the first transistor is closed when the voltage of the direct current electrical power is less than the target voltage.

4. The power conditioning unit of claim 1 , wherein:
the first diode is configured to supply the first phase to the positive bus when current of the first phase is positive and the first transistor is open; and
the first transistor is configured to enable the first phase to flow through the negative bus when the first transistor is closed.

5. The power conditioning unit of claim 1 , comprising a filter configured to smooth the direct current electrical power before being supplied to the direct current load, wherein the filter comprises:
a capacitor in parallel with the first phase leg between the positive bus and the negative bus; and
an inductor electrically connected in the positive bus and configured to be coupled in series with the direct current load.

6. The power conditioning unit of claim 1 , wherein the first transistor comprises a wide band-gap transistor, a silicon carbide transistor, a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor, a field-effect transistor, a bipolar junction transistor, an insulated-gate bipolar transistor, or any combination thereof.

7. The power condition unit of claim 1 , wherein the electrical system comprises an automotive vehicle comprising an alternator and an internal combustion engine, wherein:
the internal combustion engine is configured to actuate a rotor of the alternator; and
the alternating current power source comprises the alternator, wherein the alternator is configured to vary voltage, frequency, or both of the alternating current electrical power based at least in part on speed at which the internal combustion engine actuates the rotor.

8. The power conditioning unit of claim 1 , comprising a controller configured to:
determine the target voltage;
determine voltage of the direct current electrical power supplied from the power conditioning unit to the direct current load;
adjust duty cycle of a control signal based at least in part on the target voltage and the voltage of the direct current electrical power, wherein the control signal alternates between a high state greater than a threshold voltage of the first transistor and a low state lower than the threshold voltage;
determine a polarity of the first phase of the alternating current electrical power;
determine a switching signal based at least in part on the control signal and the polarity of the first phase, wherein the switching signal is set to:
the high state when the polarity of the current is negative; and
the control signal when the polarity of the current is positive; and

supply the switching signal to a gate of the first transistor to instruct the first transistor to open or close.

9. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium configured to store instructions executable by one or more processors in an electrical system, wherein the instructions comprise instructions to:
determine, using the one or more processors, a control signal, wherein the control signal comprises a pulse-width modulated signal used to facilitate controlling operation of a power conditioning unit;
determine, using the one or more processors, a first switching signal based at least in part on the control signal and a first current polarity of a first phase of alternating current electrical power supplied to a first phase leg of the power conditioning unit from an alternating current power source;
instruct, using the one or more processors, a first switching device on the first phase leg to open or close by supplying the first switching signal to the first switching device to facilitate converting the alternating current electrical power into direct current electrical power supplied from the power conditioning unit to a direct current load;
determine, using the one or more processors, a first voltage of the direct current electrical power;
adjust, using the one or more processors, duty cycle of the control signal to adjust the first

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Singh Yash Veer
• Tiwari Arvind Kumar
• Wright Scott Brian
• Jha Kapil

Classifications

• H02M7/06

  using discharge tubes without control electrode or semiconductor devices without control electrode · CPC title

• B60R16/02

  electric {constitutive elements} · CPC title

• G08B21/182

  Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold · CPC title

• H02M7/066

  particular circuits having a special characteristic · CPC title

• H02M7/217 Primary

  using semiconductor devices only · CPC title