Apparatuses and methods for an alternating current to direct current converter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11569753-B1
Application number	US-202117506338-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Oct 20, 2021
Priority date	Oct 20, 2021
Publication date	Jan 31, 2023
Grant date	Jan 31, 2023

Abstract

A mode of a rectifier may be changed between at least fully passive and fully synchronous based upon direct current (DC) output by the rectifier and/or direct current voltage output by the rectifier. This extends the range of direct current output by the rectifier for a given range of DC voltage output by the rectifier.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for providing electrical rectification, comprising:
at least two sets, wherein each set comprises a first transistor diode pair serially electrically coupled to a second transistor diode pair, wherein each transistor diode pair comprises a transistor and a diode, wherein an anode of the diode is electrically coupled to a first non-control node of the transistor, a cathode of the diode is electrically coupled to a second non-control node of the transistor, wherein, for each set, a cathode of a diode of the first transistor diode pair is electrically coupled to an anode of a diode of the second transistor diode pair, and wherein each set is configured to receive an unique alternating current (AC) electrical phase, of an AC electrical power;
at least two groups, wherein each group comprises a first driver circuit and a second driver circuit, wherein each first driver circuit of a group is electrically coupled to a control terminal of a transistor of the first transistor diode pair of an unique set, and to an anode and to a cathode of a diode of the first transistor diode pair of the unique set, and wherein each second driver circuit of a group is electrically coupled to a control terminal of a transistor of the second transistor diode pair of the unique set, and to an anode and to a cathode of a diode of the second transistor diode pair of the unique set;
wherein the cathode, of the diode of the second transistor diode pair of each set are electrically coupled, wherein the anode, of the diode of the first transistor diode pair of each set are electrically coupled, and wherein each set is configured to generate a direct current (DC) electrical power across the electrically coupled cathodes of diodes of second transistor diode pairs and the electrically coupled anodes of diodes of first transistor diode pairs; and
a control circuit, wherein the control circuit is configured to:
select an initial mode of rectification, wherein modes of rectification comprise fully passive rectification and fully synchronous rectification;
receive or measure at least one of: (a) a level of a direct current generated by the at least two sets and (b) a level of a DC voltage generated by the at least two sets;
determine whether a previously selected mode of rectification should be changed to another mode of rectification based upon at least one of: (x) whether the level of direct current is within a range of direct current levels corresponding to the other mode of rectification and (y) whether the level of the DC voltage is greater than a highest voltage threshold level of the previously selected mode of rectification, or lower than a lowest voltage threshold level of the previously selected mode of rectification;
determining that the previously selected mode of rectification should be changed, then causing the previously selected mode of rectification to be changed to the other mode of rectification;
upon initially selecting the initial mode of rectification that is the fully passive rectification or changing the previously selected mode of rectification to the fully passive rectification, send a first signal to each driver circuit to cause to turn off a transistor of each first transistor diode pair and a transistor of each second transistor diode pair so that the diode, and not the transistor, of each first transistor diode pair and the diode, and not the transistor, of each second transistor diode pair are commutated at a frequency of a corresponding AC electrical phase; and
upon initially selecting the initial mode of rectification that is the fully synchronous rectification or changing the previously selected mode of rectification to the fully passive rectification, send a second signal to each driver circuit to cause to turn on the transistor of each first transistor diode pair and the transistor of each second transistor diode pair so that the diode and the transistor of each first transistor diode pair and of each second transistor diode pair are commutated at the frequency of the corresponding AC electrical phase.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the modes of rectification comprise the fully passive rectification, partially passive-partially synchronous rectification, and the fully synchronous rectification; and
upon initially selecting the initial mode of rectification that is the partially passive-partially synchronous rectification or changing the previously selected mode of rectification to the partially passive-partially synchronous rectification, send the first signal to each driver circuit electrically coupled to the first transistor diode pair of each set or to each driver circuit electrically coupled to the second transistor diode pair of each set to cause to turn off respectively the transistor of each first transistor diode pair or the transistor of each second transistor diode pair so that respectively the diode, and not the transistor, of each first transistor diode pair or the diode, and not the transistor, of each second transistor diode pair are commutated at the frequency of the corresponding AC electrical phase, and sending the second signal to each driver circuit electrically coupled respectively to the second transistor diode pair of each set or to each driver circuit electrically coupled to the first transistor diode pair of each set to cause to turn on respectively the transistor of each second transistor diode pair or the transistor of each first transistor diode pair so that respectively the diode and the transistor of each second transistor diode pair or the transistor of each first transistor diode pair are commutated at the frequency of the corresponding AC electrical phase.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a filter circuit configured to reduce ripple and electrically coupled across the electrically coupled cathodes of the diodes of the second transistor diode pairs and the electrically coupled anodes of the diodes of the first transistor diode pairs.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each transistor is a metal oxide semiconductor field effect (MOSFET) transistor, and each diode is a body diode of a MOSFET transistor.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a permanent magnet generator (PMG) configured to provide an unique AC electrical phase to each set.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising a battery.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising:
an auxiliary power unit (APU) mechanically and rotationally coupled to the PMG; and
an engine control circuit (ECC) electrically coupled to the control circuit and the APU, and configured to control a rotation rate of the APU.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the PMG is configured to mechanically and rotationally propel the APU.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to send a third signal to the ECC to adjust a voltage of AC electrical phases provided by the PMG to a corresponding set.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising current measurement circuitry configured to measure the direct current level flowing from the at least two sets, and configured to provide the measured direct current level to the control circuit.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , voltage measurement circuitry configured to measure a voltage level of the DC electrical power.

12. A method for operating a rectifier comprising at least two sets, the method comprising:
receiving an alternating current (AC) electrical power, comprising at least two AC electrical phases, from a permanent magnet generator (PMG), wherein each set comprises a first transistor diode pair serially electrically coupled to a second transistor diod

Assignees

• Honeywell Ltd

Inventors

• Fuller Randy
• Cheng Louis
• Ma Darning

Classifications

• H02M7/23

  arranged for operation in parallel {(H02M7/2176 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• H02M7/08

  arranged for operation in parallel · CPC title

• H02M7/2173 Primary

  in a biphase or polyphase circuit arrangement (H02M7/2176 takes precedence; voltage multipliers H02M7/25) · CPC title

• H02M7/219 Primary

  in a bridge configuration · CPC title

• H02M7/06

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