Power conversion apparatus with inverter circuit and series converter circuit having power factor control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9401655-B2
Application number	US-201214234536-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 22, 2012
Priority date	Sep 8, 2011
Publication date	Jul 26, 2016
Grant date	Jul 26, 2016

Abstract

An inverter circuit including a DC capacitor is connected in series to an AC power supply, and at the stage subsequent to the inverter circuit, a smoothing capacitor is connected via a converter circuit. A short-circuit period T for short-circuiting the AC terminals of the converter circuit is provided in one cycle, whereby the converter circuit is controlled, and PWM control is performed for the inverter circuit so as to improve an AC power supply power factor. When current control by the inverter circuit cannot be performed, the PWM control is switched to PWM control for the converter circuit, to perform current control.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A power conversion apparatus comprising:
an inverter circuit including a plurality of semiconductor switching devices and a DC capacitor and connected in series to a first terminal of an AC power supply;
a converter circuit including a plurality of semiconductor switching devices provided between DC bus lines, the converter circuit having one AC terminal connected in series to the inverter circuit and the other AC terminal connected to a second terminal of the AC power supply, and being configured to output DC power between the DC bus lines;
a smoothing capacitor connected between the DC bus lines, for smoothening output of the converter circuit; and
a control circuit for controlling the inverter circuit and the converter circuit such that voltage of the DC capacitor of the inverter circuit follows a set voltage instruction value, voltage of the smoothing capacitor follows target voltage, and a power factor of input current which is current from the AC power supply is 1, wherein
the control circuit provides a short-circuit period including a zero cross phase of the AC power supply in which the AC terminals of the converter circuit are continuously short-circuited to bypass the smoothing capacitor, and an open-circuit period in which DC output of the converter circuit is continuously outputted to the smoothing capacitor, and the control circuit thereby causes the voltage of the DC capacitor of the inverter circuit to follow the set voltage instruction value,
the control circuit performs PWM control for the inverter circuit to control an input power factor to be 1 in the short-circuit period and in the open-circuit period and disables the PWM control for the inverter circuit in an other time period between the short-circuit period and the open-circuit period, and
the control circuit provides a period for performing the PWM control for the converter circuit during the other time period when the PWM control for the inverter circuit is disabled in accordance with the voltage of the DC capacitor, and controls the power factor of the input current to be 1 by switching the PWM control for the inverter circuit and the PWM control for the converter circuit therebetween.

2. The power conversion apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control circuit determines the short-circuit period and the open-circuit period such that the voltage of the DC capacitor of the inverter circuit is, in the short-circuit period, equal to or greater than voltage of the AC power supply, and in the open-circuit period, equal to or greater than a difference between the magnitudes of the voltage of the smoothing capacitor and the voltage of the AC power supply.

3. The power conversion apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control circuit controls AC-side output voltage of the inverter circuit to be 0 in the period for performing the PWM control for the converter circuit, and causes a charge-discharge amount of the DC capacitor of the inverter circuit in the short-circuit period and in the open-circuit period to be substantially 0 in total.

4. The power conversion apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the control circuit has a regeneration function of regenerating power from the smoothing capacitor to the AC power supply, and controls the inverter circuit and the converter circuit such that the power factor of the input current is (−1) upon regeneration.

5. The power conversion apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the control circuit controls the inverter circuit and the converter circuit such that, upon power running for outputting power to the smoothing capacitor, the DC capacitor of the inverter circuit is charged in the short-circuit period, and upon power regeneration from the smoothing capacitor, the DC capacitor of the inverter circuit discharges in the short-circuit period.

6. The power conversion apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control circuit causes the inverter circuit to continuously output, to AC side, voltage having a polarity opposite to the voltage of the AC power supply in the period for performing the PWM control for the converter circuit, and causes a charge-discharge amount of the DC capacitor of the inverter circuit in one cycle including the short-circuit period, the open-circuit period, and the period for performing the PWM control for the converter circuit, to be substantially 0 in total.

7. The power conversion apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the control circuit has a regeneration function of regenerating power from the smoothing capacitor to the AC power supply, and controls the inverter circuit and the converter circuit such that the power factor of the input current is (−1) upon regeneration.

8. The power conversion apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the control circuit controls the inverter circuit and the converter circuit such that, upon power running for outputting power to the smoothing capacitor, the DC capacitor of the inverter circuit is charged in the short-circuit period, and upon power regeneration from the smoothing capacitor, the DC capacitor of the inverter circuit discharges in the short-circuit period.

9. The power conversion apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control circuit has a regeneration function of regenerating power from the smoothing capacitor to the AC power supply, and controls the inverter circuit and the converter circuit such that the power factor of the input current is (−1) upon regeneration.

10. The power conversion apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the control circuit controls the inverter circuit and the converter circuit such that, upon power running for outputting power to the smoothing capacitor, the DC capacitor of the inverter circuit is charged in the short-circuit period, and upon power regeneration from the smoothing capacitor, the DC capacitor of the inverter circuit discharges in the short-circuit period.

Assignees

• Kondo Ryota
• Murakami Satoshi
• Yamada Masaki
• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Kondo Ryota
• Murakami Satoshi
• Yamada Masaki

Classifications

• H02M5/4585 Primary

  having a rectifier with controlled elements · CPC title

• H02M2001/0067

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H02M7/797

  using semiconductor devices only · CPC title

• H02M7/217 Primary

  using semiconductor devices only · CPC title

• H02M1/4208

  Arrangements for improving power factor of AC input · CPC title