Optimized power management for a transport climate control energy source

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11458802-B2
Application number	US-201916565146-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2019
Priority date	Sep 9, 2019
Publication date	Oct 4, 2022
Grant date	Oct 4, 2022

Abstract

An optimized power converter for use in a transport electrical system that provides power to a transport climate control system is provided. The optimized power converter includes an optimized DC/DC converter and an inverter/active rectifier. The optimized DC/DC converter is only boosts a voltage level when current is directed from a rechargeable energy storage to the inverter/active rectifier and only bucks a voltage level when current is directed from the inverter/active rectifier to the rechargeable energy storage. In a charging mode, the inverter/active rectifier converts three phase AC power into DC power, and the optimized power converter bucks the DC power to a voltage level that is acceptable for charging the rechargeable energy storage. In a discharge mode, the optimized DC/DC converter boosts voltage from the rechargeable energy storage, and the inverter/active rectifier converts boosted DC power into three phase AC power for powering a transport climate control system load.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optimized power converter for use in a transport electrical system that provides power to a transport climate control system, the optimized power converter comprising:
an optimized DC/DC converter connected between a rechargeable energy storage of the transport electrical system that provides DC power and an inverter/active rectifier, wherein the optimized DC/DC converter is configured to only boost a voltage level when current is directed from the rechargeable energy storage to the inverter/active rectifier and is configured to only buck a voltage level when current is directed from the inverter/active rectifier to the rechargeable energy storage;
the inverter/active rectifier connected to the optimized DC/DC converter; and
an inductor stage positioned between the inverter/active rectifier and both of a standby machine and one or more AC loads of the transport climate control system, wherein the one or more AC loads of the transport climate control system includes a compressor of a climate control circuit used to provide climate control within a climate controlled space,
wherein the optimized power converter is configured to operate in a charging mode and a discharge mode,
wherein when the optimized power converter is operating in the charging mode, the inverter/active rectifier is configured to convert three phase AC power into DC power, the optimized power converter is configured to buck the DC power to a voltage level that is acceptable for charging the rechargeable energy storage, and the inductor stage is configured to decouple an external power source from the optimized DC/DC converter, and
wherein when the optimized power converter is operating in the discharge mode, the optimized DC/DC converter is configured to boost voltage from the rechargeable energy storage, the inverter/active rectifier is configured to convert boosted DC power into three phase AC power for powering the one or more AC loads of the transport climate control system including the compressor, and the inductor stage is configured to adjust a voltage level of the three phase AC power from the inverter/active rectifier to power the compressor.

2. The optimized power converter of claim 1 , further comprising a DC link connected to the optimized DC/DC converter, wherein the DC link stabilizes and smoothens power transferred between the optimized DC/DC converter and the inverter/active rectifier.

3. The optimized power converter of claim 1 , wherein the optimized DC/DC converter includes a first switch, a second switch connected to the first switch, and a node positioned between the first and second switches, and
wherein a positive terminal of the rechargeable energy storage is connected to the node.

4. The optimized power converter of claim 3 , wherein the first switch and the second switch are independently controlled to boost a voltage of current directed from the rechargeable energy storage to the inverter/active rectifier and to buck a voltage of current directed from the inverter/active rectifier to the rechargeable energy storage.

5. The optimized power converter of claim 1 , further comprising an accumulation module, with a first end of the accumulation module connected to a positive terminal of the rechargeable energy storage and a second end of the accumulation module connected to the optimized DC/DC converter.

6. The optimized power converter of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of accumulation modules, wherein a first end of each of the plurality of accumulation modules is connected to a positive terminal of the rechargeable energy storage,
wherein the optimized DC/DC converter includes:
a first pair of switches, a second pair of switches, and a third pair of switches that are connected in parallel with each other;
a first node positioned in between the first pair of switches, a second node positioned in between the second pair of switches, and a third node positioned between the third pair of switches;

wherein a first accumulation module of the plurality of accumulation modules is connected to the first node via a first DC phase line, a second accumulation module of the plurality of accumulation modules is connected to the second node via a second DC phase line, and a third accumulation module of the plurality of accumulation modules is connected to the third node via a third DC phase line.

7. The optimized power converter of claim 6 , wherein the optimized DC/DC converter is configured to send current from the inverter/active rectifier to the rechargeable energy storage via at least one of the first DC phase line, the second DC phase line and the third DC phase line when operating in a charging mode, and send current from the rechargeable energy storage to the inverter/active rectifier via at least another one of the first DC phase line, the second DC phase line and the third DC phase line when operating in a discharge mode.

8. The optimized power converter of claim 6 , wherein each of the first pair of switches are independently controlled to boost a voltage of current directed, via the first DC phase line, from the rechargeable energy storage to the inverter/active rectifier and to buck a voltage of current directed from the inverter/active rectifier to the rechargeable energy storage,
wherein each of the second pair of switches are independently controlled to boost a voltage of current directed, via the second DC phase line, from the rechargeable energy storage to the inverter/active rectifier and to buck a voltage of current directed from the inverter/active rectifier to the rechargeable energy storage,
wherein each of the third pair of switches are independently controlled to boost a voltage of current directed, via the third DC phase line, from the rechargeable energy storage to the inverter/active rectifier and to buck a voltage of current directed from the inverter/active rectifier to the rechargeable energy storage.

9. The optimized power converter of claim 1 , wherein the optimized DC/DC converter and the inverter/active rectifier are provided in a single circuit, and
wherein all charging and discharging of the rechargeable energy storage is integrated into the single circuit.

10. The optimized power converter of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second optimized DC/DC converter connected between the rechargeable energy storage of the transport electrical system that provides DC power and the inverter/active rectifier, wherein the second optimized DC/DC converter is configured to only boost a voltage level when current is directed from the rechargeable energy storage to the inverter/active rectifier and is configured to only buck a voltage level when current is directed from the inverter/active rectifier to the rechargeable energy storage;
wherein the optimized power converter is configured to provide multi-phase DC interleaving such that:
when the optimized power converter is operating in the charging mode, the inverter/active rectifier is configured to convert three phase AC power into DC power with multiple phases such that a first DC phase line of the DC power is directed to the optimized DC/DC converter and a second DC phase line of the DC power is directed to the second optimized DC/DC converter, and
when the optimized power converter is operating in the discharge mode, current outputted from the rechargeable energy storage is separated and directed to each of the optimized DC/DC converter and the second optimized DC/DC converter.

11. A transport electrical system for powering a transport climate control system, the transport electrical system comprising:
a transport climate control load network that includes a plurality of transport climate control load

Assignees

• Thermo King Corp

Inventors

• Andrade Dias Marcelo
• Schumacher Ryan Wayne
• Leasure Mark D
• Madineni Vikram
• Iglizn Alexander
• Gorski Matthias

Classifications

• H02J2105/30

  the load networks being external to vehicles, i.e. exchanging power with vehicles · CPC title

• H02J7/865

  Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply (H02J7/50 takes precedence) · CPC title

• Y02B40/00

  Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers · CPC title

• H02J1/002

  using intermediate DC-AC-DC conversion · CPC title

• H02M1/007

  Plural converter units in cascade (push-pull DC/DC converters with pre-regulator H02M3/3374; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC stage including a high frequency transformer H02M7/4807; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC conversion stage generating periodically varying voltages H02M7/4826) · CPC title