Power conversion device and method of operating a power conversion device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10243475-B2
Application number	US-201715662202-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 27, 2017
Priority date	Oct 23, 2013
Publication date	Mar 26, 2019
Grant date	Mar 26, 2019

Abstract

A power conversion device includes a low-pass filter, a second inductor, a first switch, a third switch, a second capacitor, and a controller. The low-pass filter is configured for direct coupling to an alternating current power source. The first switch is connected in series with a second switch, a first connection point. The third switch is connected in series with a fourth switch, a second connection point. The second capacitor is coupled to the first switch, the second switch, the third switch, and the fourth switch. The controller turns on and off the first, the second, the third, and the fourth switches based on a voltage of the alternating current power source directly coupled to the low-pass filter, a circuit current through the second inductor, a voltage across the second capacitor, and an average output voltage of the load circuit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power conversion device, comprising:
a low-pass filter comprising a first inductor and a first capacitor, and configured for direct coupling to an alternating current power source, the first inductor, the first capacitor, and the alternating current power source constituting a closed loop circuit;
a second inductor coupled between the low-pass filter and a load circuit;
a first switch connected in series with a second switch, a first connection point between the first switch and the second switch coupled to the low-pass filter;
a third switch connected in series with a fourth switch, a second connection point between the third switch and the fourth switch coupled to the load circuit;
a second capacitor coupled to the first switch, the second switch, the third switch, and the fourth switch; and
a controller configured to turn on and off the first, the second, the third, and the fourth switches based on a voltage of the alternating current power source directly coupled to the low-pass filter, a circuit current through the second inductor, a voltage across the second capacitor, and an average output voltage of the load circuit.

2. The power conversion device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a transformer including a primary winding coupled to the second connection point and a secondary winding coupled to the load circuit.

3. The power conversion device according to claim 2 , wherein the load circuit comprises:
first and second diodes having anodes terminal coupled to the secondary winding and cathode terminals coupled to each other; and
a third capacitor coupled between the cathode terminals of the first and second diodes and a center tap of the transformer.

4. The power conversion device according to claim 3 , wherein the controller comprises:
a sine wave generation circuit configured to generate a sine wave having a phase that is the same as that of the voltage of the alternating current power source;
an amplification circuit configured to amplify the sine wave;
an envelope generation circuit configured to generate positive side and negative side envelopes for the sine wave as amplified;
a determination circuit configured to determine whether the circuit current through the second inductor falls within a range between the positive side envelope and the negative side envelope; and
a pulse generation circuit configured to generate pulse signals that control the first, the second, the third, and the fourth switches, based on output of the determination circuit.

5. The power conversion device according to claim 4 ,
wherein the controller further includes:
a positive side detection circuit configured to detect whether the positive side envelope falls outside a positive region;
a positive side envelope correction circuit configured to clamp the positive side envelope to zero or a positive value in response to detecting by the positive side detection circuit that the positive side envelope falls outside the positive region;
a negative side detection circuit configured to detect whether the negative side envelope falls outside a negative region; and
a negative side envelope correction circuit configured to clamp the negative side envelope to zero or a negative value in response to detecting by the negative side detection circuit that the negative side envelope falls outside the negative region.

6. The power conversion device according to claim 4 ,
wherein the controller further includes a voltage negative feedback circuit configured to adjust an output of the amplification circuit based on the voltage across the second capacitor.

7. The power conversion device according to claim 6 , wherein the controller further includes an averaging circuit configured to generate an average signal from the alternating current power source voltage and the voltage across the second capacitor, wherein the voltage negative feedback circuit adjusts the output of the amplification circuit in response to the average signal.

8. The power conversion device according to claim 6 ,
wherein the controller further includes a voltage negative feedback circuit configured to adjust an envelope width for the positive side and negative side envelopes based on the average output voltage of the load circuit.

9. The power conversion device according to claim 4 , wherein the first, the second, the third, and the fourth switches each comprise a field effect transistor (FET).

10. The power conversion device according to claim 9 ,
wherein a first pulse signal is supplied to gates of the first and fourth FETs to control the first and fourth FETs to be turned on and off in unison, and a second pulse signal is supplied to gates of the second and third FETs to control the second and third FETs to be turned on and off in unison.

11. The power conversion device according to claim 4 , wherein the first, the second, the third, and the fourth switches each comprise a bipolar transistor.

12. The power conversion device of claim 4 , wherein the sine wave generation circuit generates a sine wave having a phase that is the same as that of the voltage of the alternating current power source based on a zero-crossing of the alternating current power source.

13. The power conversion device of claim 4 , wherein the sine wave generation circuit generates a sine wave having a phase that is the same as that of the voltage of the alternating current power source based on the waveform of the voltage of the alternating current power source.

14. The power conversion device of claim 1 , wherein
the alternating current power source supplies a single-phase alternating current.

15. The power conversion device of claim 1 , wherein
the alternating current power source supplies a polyphase alternating current.

16. A method of operating a power conversion device, comprising:
detecting an alternating current power source voltage supplied across a first node directly coupled to a first end of a first inductor and a second node directly coupled to a first connection point between first ends of first and second switches;
detecting a circuit current in a second inductor connected between a first capacitor and a load circuit that is coupled to first ends of third and fourth switches, the first capacitor having a first end connected to the first connection point and a second end connected to a second end of the first inductor, the third switch having a second end connected to a second end of the first switch and the fourth switch having a second end connected to a second end of the second switch;
detecting a voltage across a second capacitor coupled between the second ends of the third and fourth switches;
detecting an average output voltage of the load circuit;
generating first and second pulse signals based on the alternating current power source voltage, the circuit current, the voltage across the second capacitor, and the average output voltage of the load circuit; and
supplying the first pulse signal to the first and fourth switches and the second pulse signal to the second and third switches, wherein
the first inductor, the first capacitor, and the alternating current power source constitute a closed loop circuit.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the pulse signals are generated by performing the steps of:
generating a sine wave having a phase that is the same as that of the alternating current power source voltage;
amplifying the sine wave based on an amplification factor;
generating positive side and negative side envelopes for the sine wave as amplified;
comparing the

Assignees

• Toshiba Tec Kk

Inventors

• Usami Yutaka

Classifications

• Y02B70/126

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H02M1/126 Primary

  using passive filters · CPC title

• H02M1/4266

  using passive elements · CPC title

• H02M3/337 Primary

  in push-pull configuration {(H02M3/33576 takes precedence; with self-oscillating arrangements H02M3/3382, H02M3/3385)} · CPC title

• H02M1/4258

  using a single converter stage both for correction of AC input power factor and generation of a regulated and galvanically isolated DC output voltage (H02M1/4241 takes precedence) · CPC title