System and method for power converter including inverter, resonant circuit. and voltage multiplier

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10862402-B2
Application number	US-201916238237-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 2, 2019
Priority date	Jan 2, 2018
Publication date	Dec 8, 2020
Grant date	Dec 8, 2020

Abstract

According to various embodiments, a system and method for a power converter including an inverter and a first voltage multiplier is disclosed. The inverter is configured to convert a first DC voltage into a first AC voltage. The first voltage multiplier is coupled to an output of the inverter and configured to convert the first AC voltage into a second DC voltage higher than a peak value of the first AC voltage. The first voltage multiplier includes a plurality of stages, each stage including two diodes, and each diode in a first stage of the plurality of stages including at least one of a silicon carbide diode and a gallium nitride diode.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A power converter, comprising:
an inverter configured to convert a first DC voltage into a first AC voltage, the inverter comprising two legs, each leg comprising a first switching device and a second switching device coupled in series, a first output terminal coupled between the first and second switching devices of the first leg, and a second output terminal coupled between the first and second switching devices of the second leg;
a resonant circuit coupled to the inverter, the resonant circuit configured to process the first AC voltage into a second, filtered AC voltage, the resonant circuit comprising a first resonating unit and a second resonating unit, the first resonant unit coupled between the first output terminal of the inverter and a first output terminal of the resonant circuit, the second resonant unit coupled between the second output terminal of the inverter and a second output terminal of the resonant circuit; and
a voltage multiplier coupled to the resonant circuit without a transformer between the inverter and the voltage multiplier, the voltage multiplier configured to convert the second, filtered AC voltage into a second DC voltage, the voltage multiplier comprising a plurality of stages, each stage comprising two diodes;
the first resonating unit coupled between the first output terminal of the inverter and a first input terminal of the voltage multiplier via a first path;
the second resonating unit coupled between the second output terminal of the inverter and a second input terminal of the voltage multiplier via a return path.

2. The power converter according to claim 1 , wherein:
each diode in a first stage of the plurality of stages is at least one of a silicon carbide diode and a gallium nitride diode; and
each diode in a second stage of the plurality of stages is a silicon diode.

3. The power converter according to claim 1 , wherein:
at least a part of the voltage multiplier is printed on a substrate; and
each diode in the voltage multiplier has a flat shape and is mounted on a surface of the substrate.

4. The power converter according to claim 1 , wherein each stage further comprises two capacitors.

5. The power converter according to claim 4 , wherein:
at least a part of the voltage multiplier is printed on a substrate; and
each of the capacitors has a flat shape and is mounted on a surface of the substrate.

6. The power converter according to claim 1 , wherein the first resonating unit comprises a capacitor and an inductor coupled in series.

7. The power converter according to claim 1 , wherein the second resonating unit comprises a capacitor and an inductor coupled in series.

8. A method for operating a power converter, the power converter including an inverter and resonant circuit coupled to a voltage multiplier without a transformer between the inverter and the voltage multiplier, the resonant circuit having a first resonating unit and a second resonating unit, the first resonating unit coupled to the voltage multiplier via a first path, the second resonating unit coupled to the voltage multiplier via a return path, the voltage multiplier having a plurality of stages, each stage having two diodes, the method comprising:
converting a first DC voltage into a first AC voltage via the inverter;
processing the first AC voltage into a second, filtered AC voltage via the resonant circuit; and
converting the second, filtered AC voltage into a second DC voltage via the voltage multiplier.

9. The power converter according to claim 1 , wherein the second DC voltage is higher than a peak value of the first AC voltage.

10. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the second DC voltage is higher than a peak value of the first AC voltage.

11. The method according to claim 8 , wherein:
each diode in a first stage of the plurality of stages is at least one of a silicon carbide diode and a gallium nitride diode; and
each diode in a second stage of the plurality of stages is a silicon diode.

12. The method according to claim 8 , wherein each stage further comprises two capacitors.

13. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the first resonating unit comprises a capacitor and an inductor coupled in series.

14. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the second resonating unit comprises a capacitor and an inductor coupled in series.

15. A power converter, comprising:
an inverter configured to convert a first DC voltage into a first AC voltage, the inverter comprising two legs, each leg comprising a first switching device and a second switching device coupled in series, a first output terminal coupled between the first and second switching devices of the first leg, and a second output terminal coupled between the first and second switching devices of the second leg;
a resonant circuit coupled to the inverter, the resonant circuit configured to process the first AC voltage into a second, filtered AC voltage, the resonant circuit comprising a first resonating unit and a second resonating unit, the first resonant unit coupled between the first output terminal of the inverter and a first output terminal of the resonant circuit, the second resonant unit coupled between the second output terminal of the inverter and a second output terminal of the resonant circuit;
a first voltage multiplier coupled to the first resonating unit without a transformer between the inverter and the first voltage multiplier, the first voltage multiplier configured to convert the second, filtered AC voltage into a second DC voltage, the first voltage multiplier comprising a first plurality of stages, each stage of the first plurality of stages comprising two diodes; and
a second voltage multiplier coupled to the second resonating unit without a transformer between the inverter and the second voltage multiplier, the second voltage multiplier configured to convert the second, filtered AC voltage into a third DC voltage, the second voltage multiplier comprising a second plurality of stages, each stage of the second plurality of stages comprising two diodes;
the first resonating unit coupled between the first output terminal of the inverter and the first input terminals of the first and second voltage multipliers via a first path;
the second resonating unit coupled between the second output terminal of the inverter and the second input terminals of the first and second voltage multipliers via a return path.

16. The power converter according to claim 15 , wherein:
the second DC voltage is higher than a peak value of the first AC voltage; and
the third DC voltage is higher than the peak value of the first AC voltage.

17. The power converter according to claim 15 , wherein:
each diode in a first stage of the first and second plurality of stages is at least one of a silicon carbide diode and a gallium nitride diode; and
each diode in a second stage of the first and second plurality of stages is a silicon diode.

18. The power converter according to claim 15 , wherein an output terminal of the first voltage multiplier is coupled in series with an output terminal of the second voltage multiplier.

19. The power converter according to claim 15 , wherein the first resonating unit comprises a capacitor and an inductor coupled in series.

20. The power converter according to claim 15 , wherein the second resonating unit comprises a capacitor and an inductor coupled in series.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Mao Saijun

Classifications

• H02M3/33573 Primary

  Full-bridge at primary side of an isolation transformer · CPC title

• H02M3/01

  Resonant DC/DC converters · CPC title

• H02M7/10 Primary

  arranged for operation in series, e.g. for multiplication of voltage · CPC title

• H02M1/0067

  Converter structures employing plural converter units, other than for parallel operation of the units on a single load · CPC title

• H02M1/0054

  Transistor switching losses (periodically suspending operation of switching converter in low power mode H02M1/0035) · CPC title