Driver for high-frequency switching voltage converters

• US 10,284,132 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2017
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Copeland Corporation LLC (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Emerson Climate Technologies Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Marcinkiewicz, Joseph G., Bockhorst, Kraig
• Primary Examiner(s): Dhakal, Bickey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Truneh, Zemenay
• Application Number:
  US15/487,027
• Publication Number:
  US 20170302212A1
• Time in Patent Office: 754 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 13/00 Pumps specially modified to deliver fixed or variable measured quantities
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 17/03 driven by electric motors
• 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: F04B 49/10 Other safety measures
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 49/20 by changing the driving speed
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 18/0215 where only one member is moving
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2240/40 Electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 28/28 Safety arrangements; Monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 29/0085 Prime movers
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/021 Inverters therefor
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/21152 at the discharge side of the compressor
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 31/02 of motor-compressor units
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 49/025 Motor control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/34 Snubber circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/344 Active dissipative snubbers
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/346 Passive non-dissipative snubbers
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/348 Passive dissipative snubbers
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/42 Circuits or arrangements for compensating for or adjusting power factor in converters or inverters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/4208 Arrangements for improving power factor of AC input
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/4225 : using a non-isolated boost converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/44 : Circuits or arrangements for compensating for electromagnetic interference in converters or inverters
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 23/26 : Power factor control [PFC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 27/06 : using dc to ac converters or inverters H02P27/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 27/08 : with pulse width modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/18 : Modifications for indicating state of switch
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/0027 : Measuring means of, e.g. currents through or voltages across the switch
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 : Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating
• 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 drive includes: an inverter power circuit that applies power to an electric motor of a compressor from a direct current (DC) voltage bus; and a power factor correction (PFC) circuit that outputs power to the DC voltage bus based on input alternating current (AC) power. The PFC circuit includes: (i) a switch; (ii) a driver that connects a control terminal of the switch to a first reference potential when a control signal is in a first state and that connects the control terminal of the switch to a second reference potential when the control signal is in a second state; and (iii) an inductor that charges and discharges based on switching of the switch. The drive also includes a control module that generates the control signal based on a measured current through the inductor and a predetermined current through the inductor.

Claims

1. A drive for an electric motor of a compressor, the drive comprising:

an inverter power circuit that applies power to an electric motor of a compressor from a direct current (DC) voltage bus;

a power factor correction (PFC) circuit that outputs power to the DC voltage bus based on input alternating current (AC) power, the PFC circuit including;

(i) a switch;

(ii) a driver that connects a control terminal of the switch to a first reference potential when a control signal is in a first state and that connects the control terminal of the switch to a second reference potential when the control signal is in a second state, wherein the first reference potential is one of greater than and less than the second reference potential,

wherein the switch operates in an open state when the first reference potential is connected to the control terminal and operates in a closed state when the second reference potential is connected to the control terminal; and

(iii) an inductor that charges and discharges based on switching of the switch; and

a control module that generates the control signal based on a measured current through the inductor and a predetermined current through the inductor,

wherein the control module transitions the control signal to the first state when the measured current through the inductor is greater than the predetermined current through the inductor.

2. The drive of claim 1, wherein the control module maintains the control signal in the first state for a predetermined period after transitioning the control signal to the first state.

3. The drive of claim 1 wherein the PFC circuit further includes a clamp switch that selectively connects the control terminal of the switch to the first reference potential.

4. The drive of claim 3 wherein the clamp switch connects the control terminal of the switch to the first reference potential when a second control signal is in a first state,

wherein the control module sets the second control signal to the first state while the control signal is in the first state.

5. The drive of claim 4 wherein the clamp switch creates an open circuit between the control terminal of the switch and the first reference potential when the second control signal is in a second state.

6. The drive of claim 1 wherein the driver switches the switch between the open and closed states at a frequency of at least 50 Kilohertz (KHz).

7. The drive of claim 1 wherein the PFC circuit further includes a snubber circuit connected in parallel with the switch.

8. The drive of claim 1, wherein the PFC circuit further includes a damping circuit connected between the control terminal of the switch and the first reference potential.

9. The drive of claim 1 wherein the first reference potential is a ground potential.

10. A method, comprising:

by an inverter power circuit, applying power to an electric motor of a compressor from a direct current (DC) voltage bus;

by a power factor correction (PFC) circuit, providing power to the DC voltage bus based on input alternating current (AC) power, the providing power including;

by a driver of the PFC circuit, connecting a control terminal of a switch of the PFC circuit to a first reference potential when a control signal is in a first state; and

by the driver of the PFC circuit, connecting the control terminal of the switch of the PFC circuit to a second reference potential when the control signal is in a second state,

wherein the first reference potential is one of greater than and less than the second reference potential,

wherein the switch operates in an open state when the first reference potential is connected to the control terminal and operates in a closed state when the second reference potential is connected to the control terminal, and

wherein an inductor of the PFC circuit charges and discharges based on switching of the switch; and

generating the control signal based on a measured current through the inductor and a predetermined current through the inductor,

wherein generating the control signal includes transitioning the control signal to the first state when the measured current through the inductor is greater than the predetermined current through the inductor.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein generating the control signal further includes maintaining the control signal in the first state for a predetermined period after transitioning the control signal to the first state.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising selectively switching a clamp switch of the PFC circuit thereby selectively connecting the control terminal of the switch to the first reference potential.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein:

selectively switching the clamp switch of the PFC circuit includes switching the clamp switch of the PFC circuit to connect the control terminal of the switch to the first reference potential when a second control signal is in a first state; and

the method further includes setting the second control signal to the first state while the control signal is in the first state.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein selectively switching the clamp switch of the PFC circuit thereby creating an open circuit between the control terminal of the switch and the first reference potential when the second control signal is in a second state.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein generating the control signal includes transitioning the control signal between the first and second states at a frequency of at least 50 Kilohertz (KHz).

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the first reference potential is a ground potential.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein the first reference potential is a negative potential.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein the second reference potential is a positive potential.