System for transmitting and receiving a power line communication signal over the power bus of a power electronic converter

• US 10,056,943 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2016
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: ABB Research Ltd. (ABB Ltd.)
• Inventors: Dzung, Dacfey, Cottet, Didier, Round, Simon Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Huang, David S
• Application Number:
  US15/078,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20160277071A1
• Time in Patent Office: 881 Days
• Field of Search: 375258
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0003 Details of control, feedback or regulation circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/088 for the simultaneous control of series or parallel connected semiconductor devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 5/4585 having a rectifier with controlled elements
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/4835 comprising two or more cells, each including a switchable capacitor, the capacitors having a nominal charge voltage which corresponds to a given fraction of the input voltage, and the capacitors being selectively connected in series to determine the instantaneous output voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/605 with galvanic isolation between the control circuit and the output circuit H03K17/78 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/61 using transformer coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/0081 Power supply means, e.g. to the switch driver
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5412 by modofying wave form of the power source
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5445 Local network
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5466 using three phases conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5483 using coupling circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5491 using filtering and bypassing
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/56 Circuits for coupling, blocking, or by-passing of signals

Abstract

The present application is concerned with a system for transmitting and/or receiving the control and sensing signals between the control units and the power electronic components. One system according to the present application comprises: a transceiver adapted to modulate the communication signal on a communication signal frequency band, and a coupler connected to the power conductor and adapted to couple the modulated communication signal to the power conductor. The present application also concerns a method for transmitting and receiving the control and sensing signals.

Claims

1. A system for transmitting and/or receiving a communication signal via a power conductor of a power electronic converter with a plurality of converter modules, wherein the communication signal comprises control signals, including gate signals, and sensing signals between a main controller and a local controller of the power electronic converter, wherein the main controller sends the control signals to the local controller, and wherein the main controller receives the sensing signals from the local controller, the system comprising:

a transceiver adapted to modulate the communication signal on a communication signal frequency hand, and

a coupler connected to the power conductor and adapted to couple the modulated communication signal to or from the power conductor of the power electronic converter, thereby exchanging said control and sensing signals between said main and local controllers of the power electronic converter.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the coupler comprises a capacitive coupler and/or an inductive coupler.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the communication signal frequency band is different to the frequency band of the power waveform.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the communication signal frequency band is different to the frequency band of the power waveform.

5. The system according to claim 4, further comprises:

a high frequency bypass connected in parallel to a power electronic switch of the power electronic converter and adapted to the communication signal frequency band.

6. A power electronic, converter comprising:

a power conductor;

a main controller;

a local controller;

a plurality of converter modules; and

a plurality of systems connected with the converter modules for transmitting and/or receiving a communication signal via the power conductor, wherein the communication signal comprises control signals, including date signals, and sensing signals between the main controller and the local controller of the power electronic converter, wherein the main controller sends the control signals to the local controller, and wherein the main controller receives the sensing signals from the local controller, and wherein each of the plurality of systems comprises;

a transceiver adapted to modulate the communication signal on a communication signal frequency band; and

a coupler connected to the power conductor and adapted to couple the modulated communication signal to or from the power conductor of the power electronic converter, thereby exchanging said control and sensing signals between the main controller and the local controller of the power electronic converter.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the coupler comprises a capacitive coupler and/or an inductive coupler.

8. The system according to claim 6, wherein the communication signal frequency band is different to the frequency band of the power waveform.

9. The system according to claim 6, further comprises:

a high frequency bypass connected in parallel to a power electronic switch of the power elect converter and adapted to the communication signal frequency band.

10. A method for transmitting and/or receiving a communication signal comprising control signals, including gate signals, and sensing signals between a main controller and a local controller of a power electronic converter with a plurality of converter modules, comprising:

modulating the communication signal, by a transceiver, on a communication signal frequency band,

coupling the modulated communication signal, by coupler, to or from a power conductor of the power electronic converter,

sending the control signals from the main controller to the local controller via the power conductor of the power electronic converter, and

receiving, t the main controller, the sensing signals from the local controller.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the coupler comprises a capacitive coupler and/or an inductive coupler.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the communication signal frequency band is different to the frequency band of the power waveform.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the communication signal frequency band is different to the frequency band of the power waveform.

14. The method according to the claim 13, further comprises the step of:

connecting a high frequency bypass in parallel to a power electronic switch of the power electronic converter, and

bypassing the communication signal on the communication signal frequency band.