DC circuit breaker device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9948089-B2
Application number	US-201414911349-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 11, 2014
Priority date	Dec 11, 2013
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

In a DC circuit breaker device, first and second semiconductor switches are connected in series on a main circuit line such that current-carrying directions of the switches are opposite to each other. A first diode is connected in anti-parallel with the first semiconductor switch, and a second diode is connected in anti-parallel with the second semiconductor switch. First and second mechanical circuit breakers are connected in series with each other and in parallel with the whole of the first and semiconductor switches. First and second backward current generation circuits are connected in series with each other and in parallel with the whole of the first and second mechanical circuit breakers. An injection switch is connected between a node between the first and second mechanical circuit breakers and a node between the first and second backward current generation circuits.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A DC circuit breaker device comprising:
a first semiconductor switch and a second semiconductor switch connected in series between a first node on a main circuit line and a second node on the main circuit line such that current-carrying directions of the switches are opposite to each other;
a first diode connected in parallel with the first semiconductor switch to carry a current in a direction opposite to the current-carrying direction of the first semiconductor switch;
a second diode connected in parallel with the second semiconductor switch to carry a current in a direction opposite to the current-carrying direction of the second semiconductor switch;
a first mechanical circuit breaker and a second mechanical circuit breaker successively connected in series between the first node and the second node, and connected in parallel with the whole of the first semiconductor switch and the second semiconductor switch;
a first backward current generation circuit and a second backward current generation circuit successively connected in series between the first node and the second node, and connected in parallel with the whole of the first semiconductor switch and the second semiconductor switch and in parallel with the whole of the first mechanical circuit breaker and the second mechanical circuit breaker, to pass a backward current through the first mechanical circuit breaker and the second mechanical circuit breaker, respectively;
an injection switch connected between a third node between the first mechanical circuit breaker and the second mechanical circuit breaker and a fourth node between the first backward current generation circuit and the second backward current generation circuit; and
a controller to control timing of opening/closing the first semiconductor switch, the second semiconductor switch, the first mechanical circuit breaker, the second mechanical circuit breaker, and the injection switch.

2. The DC circuit breaker device according to claim 1 , wherein
when interrupting a first direct current flowing in a direction from the first node to the second node, the first backward current generation circuit is configured to pass a current in a direction opposite to the direction of the first direct current through the first mechanical circuit breaker by turn-on of the injection switch, and
when interrupting a second direct current flowing in a direction from the second node to the first node, the second backward current generation circuit is configured to pass a current in a direction opposite to the direction of the second direct current through the second mechanical circuit breaker by turn-on of the injection switch.

3. The DC circuit breaker device according to claim 2 , wherein
when interrupting the first direct current, the controller is configured to start to open the first mechanical circuit breaker after the turn-on of the injection switch, and then to start to open the second mechanical circuit breaker.

4. The DC circuit breaker device according to claim 2 , wherein
when interrupting the first direct current, the controller is configured to start to open the first mechanical circuit breaker before an interruption time at which the current flowing through the first mechanical circuit breaker becomes zero by the turn-on of the injection switch, and to start to open the second mechanical circuit breaker after the interruption time.

5. The DC circuit breaker device according to claim 3 , wherein
the first semiconductor switch is connected between the first node and the second node such that the direction from the first node to the second node is the current-carrying direction,
the second semiconductor switch is connected between the first node and the second node such that the direction from the second node to the first node is the current-carrying direction, and
the controller is configured to open the second semiconductor switch before starting to open the second mechanical circuit breaker.

6. The DC circuit breaker device according to claim 5 , wherein
the controller is configured to open the first semiconductor switch after opening the second mechanical circuit breaker.

7. The DC circuit breaker device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first inductance element connected in series with the first diode and in parallel with the first semiconductor switch; and
a second inductance element connected in series with the second diode and in parallel with the second semiconductor switch.

8. The DC circuit breaker device according to claim 1 , wherein
the first backward current generation circuit includes a first capacitor and a first reactor connected in series between the fourth node and the first node, and
the second backward current generation circuit includes a second capacitor and a second reactor connected in series between the fourth node and the second node.

9. The DC circuit breaker device according to claim 8 , further comprising:
a first disconnector with a grounding switch inserted on the main circuit line adjacent to the first node;
a second disconnector with a grounding switch inserted on the main circuit line adjacent to the second node; and
a charger connected between the fourth node and a ground node.

10. The DC circuit breaker device according to claim 1 , wherein
the first backward current generation circuit includes a first battery having a positive electrode close to the fourth node and a negative electrode close to the first node, and
the second backward current generation circuit includes a second battery having a positive electrode close to the fourth node and a negative electrode close to the second node.

11. The DC circuit breaker device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first mechanical switch connected between the first backward current generation circuit and the fourth node; and
a second mechanical switch connected between the second backward current generation circuit and the fourth node.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Horinouchi Katsuhiko
• Sato Motohiro

Classifications

• H01H33/596 Primary

  for interrupting DC · CPC title

• H01H9/54

  Circuit arrangements not adapted to a particular application of the switching device and for which no provision exists elsewhere · CPC title

• H03K17/08128

  in composite switches · CPC title

• H03K17/567

  Circuits characterised by the use of more than one type of semiconductor device, e.g. BIMOS, composite devices such as IGBT · CPC title

• H02H3/38 Primary

  responsive to both voltage and current; responsive to phase angle between voltage and current · CPC title