Power converter and operating method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9812946-B2
Application number	US-201615014025-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 3, 2016
Priority date	Feb 3, 2016
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

A power converter and a method are disclosed. The power converter includes a plurality of converting modules and a plurality of switching circuits. Each of the converting modules includes a bypass element configured to be shorted when a fault occurs. The switching circuits are electrically coupled in series to each other and electrically coupled in parallel to the converting modules respectively. Any one of the switching circuits is configured to be shorted when the bypass element of the corresponding converting module is shorted.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power converter, comprising:
a plurality of converting modules, wherein each of the converting modules comprises a bypass element configured to be shorted when a fault occurs; and
a plurality of switching circuits electrically coupled in series to each other and electrically coupled in parallel to the converting modules respectively, wherein any one of the switching circuits is configured to be shorted when the bypass element of the corresponding converting module is shorted.

2. The power converter of claim 1 , wherein each of the converting modules comprises an input terminal and an output terminal, the switching circuits are electrically coupled to the input terminals of the corresponding converting modules that are electrically coupled in series, and the output terminals of the converting modules are electrically coupled in parallel to each other.

3. The power converter of claim 2 , wherein the converting modules are configured to receive an ac input voltage via the input terminals, and convert the ac input voltage to output a dc output voltage via the output terminals.

4. The power converter of claim 1 , further comprising:
a control circuit electrically coupled to the switching circuits and the converting module, and configured to output a bypass signal to short the corresponding switching circuit, in response to a fault signal indicating the fault received from the corresponding converting module.

5. The power converter of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of latches, wherein each of the latches is connected in parallel to the corresponding switching circuit.

6. The power converter of claim 1 , wherein each of the switching circuits comprises a relay having a coil, a first contact and a second contact, wherein the first contact and the second contact are normally-open.

7. The power converter of claim 6 , wherein the coil of the relay is electrically coupled between the control circuit and a ground.

8. The power converter of claim 1 , wherein each of the converting modules further comprises a protecting element, and the protecting element is configured to short the bypass element in the corresponding converting module and output a fault signal indicating the fault.

9. A power converter, comprising:
a first converting module;
a second converting module electrically coupled to the first converting module; and
a power converter shelf comprising:
a first switching circuit electrically coupled to the first converting module in parallel;
a second switching circuit electrically coupled to the second converting module in parallel and electrically coupled to the first switching circuit in series; and
a control circuit configured to output a bypass signal to turn on the first switching circuit when the first converting module outputs a fault signal to the control circuit, and output the bypass signal to turn on the second switching circuit when the second converting module outputs the fault signal to the control circuit.

10. The power converter of claim 9 , wherein each of the first converting module and the second converting module comprises a bypass element and a protecting element, wherein when the protecting element detects a fault occurred, the bypass element is configured to be closed and the protecting element is configured to output the fault signal to the control circuit.

11. The power converter of claim 9 , wherein input terminals of the first converting module and of the second converting module are electrically coupled in series, and output terminals of the first converting module and of the second converting module are electrically coupled in parallel.

12. The power converter of claim 11 , wherein each of the first converting module and the second converting module is configured to receive an ac input voltage via the corresponding input terminal, and convert the input voltage to output a dc output voltage via the corresponding output terminal.

13. The power converter of claim 9 , wherein the power converter shelf further comprises:
a first latch connected in parallel to the first switching circuit; and
a second latch connected in parallel to the second switching circuit.

14. The power converter of claim 9 , wherein each of the first switching circuit and the second switching circuit comprises a relay having a coil, a first contact and a second contact, wherein the first contact and the second contact are normally-open.

15. The power converter of claim 14 , wherein the coil of the relay is electrically coupled between the control circuit and a ground.

16. A method, comprising:
receiving a fault signal, by a control circuit, from one of a plurality of converting modules; and
outputting a bypass signal, by the control circuit, in response to the fault signal to a switching circuit electrically coupled to the corresponding converting module in parallel so as to short the switching circuit,
wherein the control circuit and the switching circuits are arranged in a power shelf, and the converting modules are installed in the power shelf.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
detecting whether a fault occurs, by a protecting element in the converting module;
bypassing the corresponding converting module, by shorting a bypass element in the converting module when the fault is detected; and
outputting the fault signal, by the protecting element, to the control circuit when the bypass element is shorted.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein detecting whether the fault occurs comprises detecting whether an input voltage of the converting module is larger than a first predetermined value, detecting whether an output voltage of the converting module is larger than a second predetermined value, or detecting whether a temperature of the converting module is higher than a predetermined temperature.

19. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
outputting a restart signal, by the control circuit, to the switching circuit when the corresponding converting module is replaced, so as to open the switching circuit.

20. The method of claim 16 , wherein each of the switching circuits comprises a relay having a coil, a first contact and a second contact, and shorting the switching circuit comprises:
energizing the coil in response to the bypass signal so as to close the first contact and the second contact, wherein the first contact and the second contact are normally-open.

Assignees

• Delta Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Barbosa Peter Mantovanelli
• Wu Chia-Hsun
• Chan Chih-Chiang

Classifications

• H02M7/00

  Conversion of AC power input into DC power output; Conversion of DC power input into AC power output · CPC title

• H02M1/32 Primary

  Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection · CPC title

• H02M3/285

  Single converters with a plurality of output stages connected in parallel (parallel operation of a plurality of converters in DC distribution networks H02J1/10) · CPC title

• H02M1/088

  for the simultaneous control of series or parallel connected semiconductor devices · CPC title

• H02M7/36 Primary

  with electromagnetically-operated vibrating contacts, e.g. chopper · CPC title