Compressor control apparatus and control method

• US 10,119,536 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2015
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoo, Jaeyoo, Park, Sungho, Kim, Gyunam
• Primary Examiner(s): Ismail, Shawki S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Imtiaz, Zoheb
• Application Number:
  US15/519,919
• Publication Number:
  US 20170335839A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,100 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 2203/0202 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 35/04 the means being electric
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 49/06 Control using electricity regulating by means of floats actuating electric switches F04B49/04
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/14 Arrangements for reducing ripples from dc input or output
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 5/4585 having a rectifier with controlled elements
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 25/032 Reciprocating, oscillating or vibrating motors
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 27/06 using dc to ac converters or inverters H02P27/05 takes precedence

Abstract

A compressor control apparatus includes a rectifying unit configured to rectify power applied from the outside, a DC link unit configured to include a pair of capacitors and smooth the rectified voltage, an inverter unit configured to include a pair of switches and convert the smoothed DC voltage into a driving voltage of a motor according to a control signal, and a control unit configured to generate the control signal, wherein the control unit applies a DC offset voltage to the driving voltage according to a direction of a current applied to the motor on the basis of a result obtained by comparing voltages across the pair of capacitors.

Claims

1. A compressor control apparatus, comprising:

a rectifying unit configured to rectify power applied from an outside;

a DC link unit configured to include a first capacitor and a second capacitor and smooth the rectified voltage;

an inverter unit configured to include a first inverter switch and a second inverter switch and convert the smoothed DC voltage into a driving voltage of a motor according to a control signal; and

a control unit configured to generate the control signal, wherein the control unit applies a DC offset voltage to the driving voltage according to a direction of a current applied to the motor on the basis of a result obtained by comparing voltages across the first capacitor and the second capacitor, wherein when a voltage across the first capacitor is greater than a voltage across the second capacitor, the control unit applies the driving voltage not including the DC offset voltage in a time section of a direction of a second current flowing from a first node to a second node.

2. The compressor control apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the voltages across the first capacitor and the second capacitor are equal, the driving voltage to which the offset voltage has been applied is symmetrical horizontally in relation to a zero potential.

3. The compressor control apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the voltages across the first capacitor and the second capacitor are different, the driving voltage to which the offset voltage has been applied is asymmetrical horizontally in relation to the zero potential.

4. The compressor control apparatus of claim 3, wherein the motor is connected to the first node between the first capacitor and the second capacitor connected in series and the second node between a first inverter switch and a second inverter switch connected in series, and a first loop is formed by the first capacitor, the first inverter switch, and the motor, and a second loop is formed by the second capacitor, the second inverter switch, and the motor.

5. The compressor control apparatus of claim 1, wherein when a voltage across the second capacitor is greater than a voltage across the first capacitor, the control unit applies the driving voltage not including the DC offset voltage in a time section of a direction of a first current flowing from the second node to the first node.

6. The compressor control apparatus of claim 4, wherein the controller additionally applies the DC offset voltage to the driving voltage until when the voltage across the first capacitor and the voltage across the second capacitor become equal.

7. The compressor control apparatus of claim 1, wherein a magnitude of the DC offset voltage is set on the basis of a difference between the measured voltages across the two capacitors.

8. The compressor control apparatus of claim 1, wherein a magnitude of the DC offset voltage is set on the basis of a difference between a magnitude of a current flowing in the first direction of the motor and a magnitude of a current flowing in a second direction.

9. A method for controlling a compressor including a rectifying unit configured to rectify power applied from an outside, a DC link unit configured to include a first capacitor and a second capacitor and smooth the rectified voltage, an inverter unit configured to include a first inverter switch and a second inverter switch and convert the smoothed DC voltage into a driving voltage of a motor according to a control signal, and a control unit configured to generate the control signal, the method comprising:

measuring a voltage across each of the first capacitor and the second capacitor;

comparing the measured voltages across the two capacitors; and

applying a DC offset voltage to the driving voltage according to a direction of a current applied to the motor on the basis of the comparison result, wherein when a voltage across the first capacitor is greater than a voltage across the second capacitor, the driving voltage not including the DC offset voltage is applied in a time section of a direction of a second current flowing from a first node to a second node.

10. The method of claim 9, when the magnitudes of the measured voltages across the first capacitor and the second capacitor are equal, applying a motor voltage symmetrical horizontally in relation to a zero potential to the motor.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

when the magnitudes of the measured voltages across the first capacitor and the second capacitor are different, applying a motor voltage asymmetrical horizontally in relation to the zero potential to the motor.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the motor is connected to the first node between the first capacitor and the second capacitor connected in series and the second node between a first inverter switch and a second inverter switch connected in series, and a first loop is formed by the first capacitor, the first inverter switch, and the motor, and a second loop is formed by the second capacitor, the second inverter switch, and the motor.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein when a voltage across the second capacitor is greater than a voltage across the first capacitor, the driving voltage not including the DC offset voltage is applied in a time section of a direction of a first current flowing from the second node to the first node.