Single phase controlled 3-phase 4 wire power converter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2026074625-A1
Application number	US-202418827707-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 7, 2024
Priority date	Sep 7, 2024
Publication date	Mar 12, 2026
Grant date	—

Abstract

A three-phase power converter comprises a converter circuit to couple to the alternator: a first voltage at a first amplitude and a first phase, a second voltage at a second amplitude and a second phase, and a third voltage at a third amplitude and a third phase. The converter circuit comprises a combiner circuit comprising alternator gate drivers and grid gate drivers. The power converter comprising a high voltage DC link and a control circuit to: receive the first, second, and third voltages at the first, second, and third amplitudes and phases from the alternator; control the plurality of alternator gate drivers and the plurality of grid gate drivers to combine the first, second, and third voltages at the first, second, and third amplitudes and phases; and output an output voltage at an amplitude and a phase based on the combination of the first, second, and third voltages.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A three-phase power converter, the three-phase power converter comprising:
a converter circuit coupleable to an alternator, the converter circuit to couple to the alternator:
a first voltage at a first amplitude and a first phase;
a second voltage at a second amplitude and a second phase; and
a third voltage at a third amplitude and a third phase;
the converter circuit comprising a combiner circuit, the combiner circuit comprising:
a plurality of alternator gate drivers; and
a plurality of grid gate drivers;
a high voltage DC link coupled to the plurality of alternator gate drivers and the plurality of grid gate drivers; and a control circuit to:
receive the first, second, and third voltages at the first, second, and third amplitudes and phases from the alternator;
control the plurality of alternator gate drivers and the plurality of grid gate drivers to combine the first, second, and third voltages at the first, second, and third amplitudes and phases; and
output an output voltage at an amplitude and a phase based on the combination of the first, second, and third voltages.

2 . The three-phase power converter of claim 1 , wherein combine comprises:
control the plurality of alternator gates drivers of the combiner circuit to convert the first, second, and third voltages at the first, second, and third phases to a direct current (DC) voltage; and control the plurality of grid gate drivers of the combiner circuit to convert the DC voltage to the output voltage at the amplitude and the phase.

3 . The three-phase power converter of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of alternator gate drivers are configured to:
rectify the first, second, and third voltages at the first, second, and third amplitudes and phases from alternator to a first DC voltage and a second DC voltage; and apply the first DC voltage and the second DC voltage to the high voltage DC link.

4 . The three-phase power converter of claim 1 , wherein controlling plurality of alternator gate drivers and the plurality of grid gate drivers of the combiner circuit comprises:
rectifying, by the plurality of alternator gate drivers, the first, second, and third voltages at the first, second, and third amplitudes and phases to a direct current (DC) voltage at an amplitude and a phase; inverting, by the plurality of grid gate drivers, the DC voltage from the alternator gate drivers to a two-phase AC voltage; and outputting, by the grid gate drivers, the AC voltage to a grid.

5 . The three-phase power converter of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of filters, wherein the plurality of filters comprises:
an alternator in-line choke filter coupled between the alternator and the alternator gate drivers; and a grid side high frequency filter coupled between the grid gate drivers and a grid.

6 . The three-phase power converter of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is configured to:
receive a first input voltage at a first amplitude and a first phase, wherein the first input voltage is an alternating current (AC) voltage; control the plurality of alternator gate drivers and the plurality of grid gate drivers of the combiner circuit to form the first, second, and third voltages at the first, second, and third amplitudes and phases based on the first input voltage at the first amplitude and the first phase; and output the first, second, and third voltages at the first, second, and third phases to the alternator.

7 . The three-phase power converter of claim 6 , wherein controlling the plurality of alternator gate drivers and the plurality of grid gate drivers of the combiner circuit comprises:
rectifying, by the grid gate drivers, the AC voltage to a direct current (DC) voltage; inverting, by the alternator gate drivers, the DC voltage to the first, second, and third voltages at the first, second, and third amplitudes and phases; and outputting, by the alternator gate drivers, the first, second, and third voltages at the first, second, and third amplitudes and phases to the alternator.

8 . A three-phase power converter, the three-phase power converter comprising:
a converter circuit coupleable to an alternator, the converter circuit to couple to the alternator:
a first voltage at a first amplitude and a first phase;
a second voltage at a second amplitude and a second phase; and
a third voltage at a third amplitude and a third phase;
the converter circuit comprising a combiner circuit, the combiner circuit comprising:
a plurality of alternator gate drivers; and
a plurality of grid gate drivers;
a high voltage DC link coupled to the plurality of alternator gate drivers and the plurality of grid gate drivers; and a control circuit to:
receive a first input voltage at a first amplitude and a first phase, wherein the first input voltage is an alternating current (AC) voltage;
control the plurality of alternator gate drivers and the plurality of grid gate drivers of the combiner circuit to form the first, second, and third voltages at the first, second, and third amplitudes and phases based on the first input voltage at the first amplitude and the first phase; and
output the first, second, and third voltages at the first, second, and third phases to the alternator.

9 . The three-phase power converter of claim 8 , wherein combine comprises:
control the plurality of grid gate drivers of the combiner circuit to convert the first input voltage to a direct current (DC); and control the plurality of alternator gate drivers of the combiner circuit to convert the DC to the first, second, and third voltages at the first, second, and third amplitudes and phases.

10 . The three-phase power converter of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of alternator gate drivers are configured to invert the DC to the first, second, and third voltages at the first, second, and third amplitudes and phases; and
wherein the plurality of grid gate drivers are configured to rectify the DC to a three-phase alternating current (AC).

11 . The three-phase power converter of claim 8 , wherein controlling the plurality of alternator gate drivers and the plurality of grid gate drivers of the combiner circuit comprises:
rectifying, by the grid gate drivers, the AC voltage to a direct current (DC) voltage; inverting, by the alternator gate drivers, the DC voltage to the first, second, and third voltages at the first, second, and third amplitudes and phases; and outputting, by the alternator gate drivers, the first, second, and third voltages at the first, second, and third amplitudes and phases to the alternator.

12 . The three-phase power converter of claim 8 , further comprising a plurality of filters, wherein the plurality of filters comprises:
an alternator in-line choke filter coupled between the alternator and the alternator gate drivers; and a grid side high frequency filter coupled to the grid gate drivers.

13 . A three-phase power converter, the three-phase power converter comprising:
a first pair of converters coupled to an alternator; a second pair of converters coupled to the alternator; and a third pair of converters coupled to the alternator; wherein each pair of converters is to control a phase of three phase power based on an input voltage at a phase and an amplitude received at each converter of the pairs of converters.

14 . The three-phase power converter of claim 13 , wherein each of the first pair, the second pair, and the third pair of converters comprise a first converter circuit and a second converter circuit.

15 . The three-phase power converter of claim 14 ,

Assignees

• Westinghouse Electric Co Llc

Inventors

• Sweat Scott M
• Ezelarab Ibrahim B

Classifications

• H02M1/126

  using passive filters · 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

• H02M5/4585 Primary

  having a rectifier with controlled elements · CPC title

• H02P27/06 Primary

  using DC to AC converters or inverters (H02P27/05 takes precedence) · CPC title