Estimating an average value of an inductor current for switched-mode power converters

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10468967-B2
Application number	US-201615737060-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 15, 2016
Priority date	Jun 29, 2015
Publication date	Nov 5, 2019
Grant date	Nov 5, 2019

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device ( 1 ) for estimating an average value of an inductor current for switched-mode power converters ( 100 ), the device ( 1 ) comprising: a sensor ( 10 ), which is configured to measure an inductor voltage (v_L) and an inductor current (i_L); a ripple-suppressor ( 20 ), which is configured to provide an estimated inductor current ripple (EIR) based on the measured inductor voltage (v_L); and a current-corrector ( 30 ), which is configured to provide a corrected inductor current (i_Lc) based on the estimated inductor current ripple (EIR) and the measured inductor current (i_L).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for estimating an average value of an inductor current or corrected inductor current for a power converter, the device comprising:
a sensor configured to measure an inductor voltage and an inductor current;
a ripple-suppressor configured to provide an estimated inductor current ripple based on the measured inductor voltage by integration of the measured inductor voltage; and
a current-corrector configured to provide the corrected inductor current based on the estimated inductor current ripple and the measured inductor current, wherein the ripple-suppressor is configured to reset the integration when the inductor voltage is switched, and wherein the ripple-suppressor is configured to shift, within a switching state of the converter, the estimated inductor current ripple down using an offset equal to approximately one-half of a peak inductor current ripple when the estimated inductor current ripple has a positive slope and up using the offset when the estimated inductor current ripple has a negative slope, thereby providing a shifted inductor current ripple.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the ripple-suppressor is configured to provide the estimated inductor current ripple by scaling the integration of the measured inductor voltage using an inductance of an inductor in the power converter.

3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the current-corrector is configured to subtract the shifted inductor current ripple from the measured inductor current, thereby providing the corrected inductor current.

4. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the ripple-suppressor is configured to shift the estimated inductor current ripple using an instantaneous value of a duty cycle of the power converter.

5. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the ripple-suppressor is configured to shift the estimated inductor current ripple using the inductor voltage of the power converter.

6. A power converter, comprising:
an inductor having an inductor current flowing through the inductor; and
a device for estimating an average value of the inductor current, the device comprising:
a sensor configured to measure an inductor voltage and the inductor current;
a ripple-suppressor configured to provide an estimated inductor current ripple based on the measured inductor voltage by integration of the measured inductor voltage; and
a current-corrector configured to provide the corrected inductor current based on the estimated inductor current ripple and the measured inductor current, wherein the ripple-suppressor is configured to reset the integration when the inductor voltage is switched, and wherein the ripple-suppressor is configured to shift, within a switching state of the converter, the estimated inductor current ripple down using an offset equal to approximately one-half of a peak inductor current ripple when the estimated inductor current ripple has a positive slope and up using the offset when the estimated inductor current ripple has a negative slope, thereby providing a shifted inductor current ripple.

7. The power converter according to claim 6 , wherein the power converter is included in a high power pre-regulator for generating X-rays.

8. A method for estimating an average value of an inductor current or corrected inductor current for a power converter, the method comprising:
measuring an inductor voltage and an inductor current;
providing an estimated inductor current ripple based on the measured inductor voltage by integration of the measured inductor voltage; and
providing the corrected inductor current based on the estimated inductor current ripple and the measured inductor current by:
resetting the integration when the inductor voltage is switched; and
shifting, within a switching state of the converter, the estimated inductor current ripple down using an offset equal to approximately half of a peak inductor ripple current when the estimated inductor current ripple has a positive slope and up using the offset when the estimated inductor current ripple has a negative slope, thereby providing a shifted inductor current ripple.

9. The method according to claim 8 , further comprising scaling the integration of the measured inductor voltage using an inductance of an inductor of the power converter.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having one or more executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for estimating an average value of an inductor current or corrected inductor current for a power converter, the method comprising:
measuring an inductor voltage and an inductor current;
providing an estimated inductor current ripple based on the measured inductor voltage by integration of the measured inductor voltage; and
providing the corrected inductor current based on the estimated inductor current ripple and the measured inductor current by:
resetting the integration when the inductor voltage is switched; and
shifting, within a switching state of the converter, the estimated inductor current ripple down using an offset equal to approximately one-half of a peak inductor ripple current when the estimated inductor current ripple has a positive slope and up using the offset when the estimated inductor current ripple has a negative slope, thereby providing a shifted inductor current ripple.

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Garcia Tormo Albert
• Huisman Hendrik
• Luerkens Peter
• Ackermann Bernd

Classifications

• H02M3/04

  by static converters · CPC title

• H02M1/14 Primary

  Arrangements for reducing ripples from DC input or output · CPC title

• H02M2001/0009

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H02M1/00 Primary

  Details of apparatus for conversion · CPC title

• H02M1/0009

  Devices or circuits for detecting current in a converter · CPC title