System and method for operating a DC to DC power converter

• US 10,211,747 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2016
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Energy Power Conversion Technology Limited (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Agamy, Mohammed, Dong, Dong, Pan, Yan, Garces, Luis Jose
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhane, Adolf
• Assistant Examiner(s): Demisse, Afework
• Application Number:
  US16/061,717
• Publication Number:
  US 20180367051A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0058 by employing soft switching techniques, i.e. commutation of transistors when applied voltage is zero or when current flow is zero using an auxiliary actively switched resonant commutation circuit connected to an intermediate DC voltage or between two push-pull branches of an inverter bridge H02M7/4811; in resonant inverters H02M7/4815; in inverters operating from a resonant DC source H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/088 for the simultaneous control of series or parallel connected semiconductor devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/348 Passive dissipative snubbers
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33584 Bidirectional converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/3376 with automatic control of output voltage or current
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes

Abstract

A direct current (DC) to DC power converter includes a first bus converter for converting a first DC bus voltage into a first high frequency AC voltage and a second bus converter for converting a second high frequency alternating current (AC) voltage into a second DC bus voltage. The DC to DC converter also includes a resonant circuit for coupling the first bus converter and the second bus converter and a controller for providing switching signals to the first bus converter and the second bus converter to operate the power converter in a soft switching mode. The controller includes a switching frequency controller for determining a switching frequency signal for the power converter based on a reference output current and a phase shift controller for determining a phase shift signal for the power converter. When the reference output current is lower than the a first load current value the switching frequency signal is maintained at a first switching frequency and the phase shift is determined according to the reference output current. Further, when the reference output current is above a second load current value the switching frequency signal is maintained at a second switching frequency and the phase shift is determined according to the reference output current. When the reference output current is between the first load current value and the second load current value, the switching frequency signal is adjusted according to a value of the reference output current and the phase shift is determined based on the switching frequency, the reference output current and perturbations in the output current.

Claims

1. A direct current (DC) to DC power converter, comprising:

a first bus converter for converting a first DC bus voltage into a first high frequency AC voltage;

a second bus converter for converting a second high frequency alternating current (AC) voltage into a second DC bus voltage;

a resonant circuit for coupling the first bus converter and the second bus converter;

a controller for providing switching signals to the first bus converter and the second bus converter to operate the power converter in a soft switching mode, wherein the controller comprises;

a switching frequency controller for determining a switching frequency signal for the power converter based on a reference output current, wherein when the reference output current is below a first load current value the switching frequency signal is maintained at a first switching frequency and when the reference output current is above a second load current value the switching frequency signal is maintained at a second switching frequency, and wherein when the reference output current is between the first load current value and the second load value, the switching frequency signal is adjusted according to a value of the reference output current; and

a phase shift controller for determining a phase shift signal for the power converter, wherein when the reference output current is lower than the first load current or higher than the second load current the phase shift is determined according to the reference output current, and wherein when the reference output current is between the first load current and the second load current the phase shift is determined based on the switching frequency, the reference output current and perturbations in the output current.

2. The power converter of claim 1, wherein the resonant circuit comprises:

a high frequency transformer coupled between the first bus converter and the second bus converter;

a first resonant capacitor coupled in series with a first resonant inductor, wherein terminals of the series connection are connected between one output terminal of the first bus converter and one AC input terminal of the high frequency transformer;

a second resonant inductor coupled across a first winding of the high frequency transformer; and

a second resonant capacitor connected between one AC output terminal of the high frequency transformer and one input terminal of the second bus converter.

3. The power converter of claim 2, wherein the phase shift controller comprises a first feedforward controller to determine a phase shift value and further comprises another controller which provides an adjustment value which when added with the phase shift value generates the phase shift signal for the power converter.

4. The power converter of claim 3, wherein the switching frequency controller comprises a second feedforward controller to determine the switching frequency signal based on the reference output current.

5. The power converter of claim 4, wherein the first feedforward controller and the second feedforward controller both include a feedforward function or a lookup table having a soft switching characteristic, wherein the soft switching characteristic is a predetermined characteristic representing values of converter switching frequencies and phase shifts for a plurality of output current values.

6. The power converter of claim 5, wherein the first load current value, the second load current value, the first switching frequency and the second switching frequency are determined based on the soft switching characteristic.

7. The power converter of claim 6, wherein the soft switching characteristics is determined based on a frequency region corresponding to a required voltage gain for the power converter.

8. The power converter of claim 7, wherein the first switching frequency is in between a series resonance frequency and an overall resonant circuit resonance frequency of the power converter and is determined based on system parameters.

9. The power converter of claim 8, wherein the second switching frequency is determined based the required voltage gain of the power converter.

10. The power converter of claim 1 comprising a transformerless coupling between the first bus converter and the second bus converter.

11. The power converter of claim 1, wherein the first bus converter and the second bus converter include bidirectional power converters.

12. The power converter of claim 1, wherein the first bus converter includes a plurality of switching devices, wherein each of the switching device includes series connected semiconductor switching having snubber circuits.

13. The power converter of claim 1, wherein the controller further regulates a converter dead-time when the reference output current is below the first load current value.

14. A method of operating a DC to DC power converter having a first bus converter coupled to a second bus converter by a resonant circuit, said method comprising:

adjusting a switching frequency of the power converter according to a reference output current when the reference output current is in between a first load current value and a second load value;

maintaining the switching frequency of the power converter at a first switching frequency when the reference output current is lower than a first current value;

maintaining the switching frequency of the power converter at a second switching frequency when the reference output current is higher than a second current value;

determining a phase shift value for the power converter based on the reference output current;

wherein when the reference output current is lower than the first load current or higher than the second load current the phase shift is determined according to the reference output current, and wherein when the reference output current is between the first load current and the second load current the phase shift is determined based on the switching frequency, the reference output current and perturbations in the output current.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein regulating the switching frequency and determining the phase shift value for the power converter both include generating a soft switching characteristic representing values of converter switching frequencies and phase shifts for a plurality of output current values and wherein the first load current value, the second load current value, the first switching frequency and the second switching frequency are determined based on the soft switching characteristic.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising regulating a converter dead-time when the reference output current is below the first load current value.

17. A power system for a marine application, comprising:

an alternating current (AC) bus connected to a generator and supplying power to an auxiliary load;

a first direct current (DC) bus having a first DC voltage supplying power to a first load;

an AC to DC converter coupled between the AC bus and the first DC bus;

a second DC bus having a second DC voltage supplying power to a second load;

a DC to DC converter coupled between the first DC bus and the second DC bus, wherein the DC to DC converter comprises;

a first bus converter for converting a first DC bus voltage into a first high frequency AC voltage;

a second bus converter for converting a second high frequency alternating current (AC) voltage into a second DC bus voltage;

a resonant circuit for coupling the first bus converter and the second bus converter;

a controller for providing switching signals to the first bus converter and the second bus converter to operate the power converter in a soft switching mode, wherein the controller comprises;

a switching frequency controller for determining a switching frequency signal for the power converter based on a reference output current, wherein the when the reference output current is below a first load current value the switching frequency signal is maintained at a first switching frequency and when the reference output current is above a second load current value the switching frequency signal is maintained at a second switching frequency, wherein when the reference output current is between the first load current value and the second load value, the switching frequency signal is adjusted according to a value of the reference output current; and

a phase shift controller for determining a phase shift signal for the power converter based on the reference output current, wherein when the reference output current is lower than the first load current or higher than the second load current the phase shift is determined according to the reference output current, and wherein when the reference output current is between the first load current and the second load current the phase shift is determined based on the switching frequency, the reference output current and perturbations in the output current.

18. The power system of claim 17, wherein the resonant circuit comprises:

a high frequency transformer coupled between the first bus converter and the second bus converter;

a first resonant capacitor coupled in series with a first resonant inductor, wherein terminals of the series connection are connected between one output terminal of the first bus converter and one AC input terminal of the high frequency transformer;

a second resonant inductor coupled across a first winding of the high frequency transformer; and

a second resonant capacitor connected between one AC output terminal of the high frequency transformer and one input terminal of the second bus converter.

19. The power system of claim 18, wherein the phase shift controller comprises a feedforward controller to determine a phase shift value and further comprises another controller which provides an adjustment value which when added with the phase shift value generates the phase shift signal for the power converter.

20. The power system of claim 19, wherein the feedforward controller and the frequency controller both include a feedforward function or a lookup table having a soft switching characteristic, wherein the soft switching characteristic is a predetermined characteristic representing values of converter switching frequencies and phase shifts for a plurality of output current values.

21. The power system of claim 20, wherein the first load current value, the second load current value, the first switching frequency and the second switching frequency are determined based on the soft switching characteristic.

22. The power system of claim 17, wherein the controller further regulates a converter dead-time when the reference output current is below the first load current value.