Power supply apparatus outputting alternating-current voltage to plasma generator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9615440-B2
Application number	US-201315024688-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 4, 2013
Priority date	Oct 4, 2013
Publication date	Apr 4, 2017
Grant date	Apr 4, 2017

Abstract

A current-limiting reactor that regulates a short-circuit current, a controller that controls an action of an inverter, and a detection unit that detects a short circuit. The controller causes the inverter to stop when a short circuit has occurred.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A power supply apparatus that outputs an alternating-current voltage to a plasma generator being a capacitive load including a plurality of discharge cells connected to one another, said power supply apparatus comprising:
an inverter that converts direct-current electric power to alternating-current electric power;
a current-limiting reactor, which is located on an output side of said inverter, consisting of a single winding wire and regulates a short-circuit current;
a controller that controls an action of said inverter; and
a detection unit that is located on the output side of said inverter and detects a short circuit,
wherein said controller causes said inverter to stop when said detection unit detects said short circuit.

2. The power supply apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
said detection unit detects said short circuit by detecting a current and a voltage supplied to said plasma generator, and
said controller causes said inverter to stop when said detection unit detects a short circuit on an input side of said plasma generator.

3. The power supply apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein said controller notifies that an abnormality has occurred in said plasma generator when said detection unit detects a short circuit on the input side of said plasma generator.

4. The power supply apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
said detection unit detects said short circuit by detecting a current and a voltage that are output from said inverter, and
said controller causes said inverter to stop when said detection unit detects a short circuit on the output side of said inverter.

5. The power supply apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising a transformer located between said inverter and said plasma generator,
wherein said controller notifies an abnormality occurring in said transformer when said detection unit detects a short circuit on the output side of said inverter.

6. The power supply apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said controller
monitors physical quantities including a gas flow, a gas pressure, a refrigerant temperature, and a refrigerant flow rate in said plasma generator, and
causes said inverter to stop when one of said physical quantities falls outside a preset desired range.

7. The power supply apparatus according to claim 6 ,
wherein said controller notifies that, when a given one of said physical quantities falls outside the preset desired range, said given physical quantity is abnormal in said plasma generator.

8. The power supply apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a transformer located between said inverter and said plasma generator,
wherein said transformer has a secondary-side magnetizing inductance more than five times as great as a leakage inductance.

9. The power supply apparatus according to claim 8 ,
wherein said controller operates said inverter at a resonance frequency determined in accordance with inductance components of said transformer and a total capacitance of said plasma generator, the inductance components including the secondary-side magnetizing inductance and the leakage inductance.

Assignees

• Toshiba Mitsubishi-Electric Ind Systems Corp

Inventors

• Tabata Yoichiro
• Okihara Yujiro
• Nakamura Noriyuki
• Nishimura Shinichi

Classifications

• H02M7/48

  using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode · CPC title

• C01B2201/76

  Water · CPC title

• C01B2201/90

  Control of the process · CPC title

• H02M1/32

  Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection · CPC title

• C01B2201/74

  by liquid · CPC title