Three-phase to single-phase converter module for electrically commutated motors

• US 10,381,946 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2018
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Regal Beloit America, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Regal Beloit America, Inc.
• Inventors: Wright, Kamron Mark, Galligos, Timothy, Fetters, Douglas Lynn, Nardin, Steven Albert
• Primary Examiner(s): Paul, Antony M
• Application Number:
  US15/894,287
• Publication Number:
  US 20180234026A1
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• Field of Search: 31840001, 318700, 318701, 318721, 318599, 318800, 318801, 318727, 318799, 318432, 363 2114, 363 44, 363 52, 363 5602, 363 61, 363 81
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 13/00 Details common to, or for air-conditioning, air-humidification, ventilation or use of air currents for screening
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/32 Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/44 Circuits or arrangements for compensating for electromagnetic interference in converters or inverters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/06 using discharge tubes without control electrode or semiconductor devices without control electrode
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/062 Avoiding or suppressing excessive transient voltages or currents
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 27/06 using dc to ac converters or inverters H02P27/05 takes precedence

Abstract

A converter module for converting three-phase electrical power to single-phase electrical power. The converter module includes three-phase terminals and a full-wave bridge rectifier. The three-phase terminals are configured to be electrically coupled to a three-phase power source from which a three-phase power signal is provided. The full-wave bridge rectifier is electrically coupled to the three-phase terminals and configured to rectify the three-phase power signal to a direct current (DC) power signal.

Claims

1. A converter module for converting three-phase electrical power to single-phase electrical power for powering a single-phase electrically commutated motor (ECM), said converter module comprising:

three-phase terminals configured to be electrically coupled to a three-phase power source from which a three-phase power signal is provided;

a full-wave bridge rectifier electrically coupled to said three-phase terminals and configured to rectify the three-phase power signal to a direct current (DC) power signal;

a line output terminal and a neutral output terminal, wherein each of the line output terminal and the neutral output terminal is configured to be electrically coupled to the single-phase ECM.

2. The converter module of claim 1 further comprising an electromagnetic interference (EMI) filtering circuit coupled between said three-phase terminals and said full-wave bridge rectifier.

3. The converter module of claim 1 further comprising a transient protection circuit coupled between said three-phase terminals and said full-wave bridge rectifier.

4. The converter module of claim 3 further comprising an electromagnetic interference (EMI) filtering circuit coupled between said transient protection circuit and said full-wave bridge rectifier.

5. The converter module of claim 1 further comprising a housing within which said three-phase terminals and said full-wave bridge rectifier are disposed.

6. The converter module of claim 5, wherein said housing is external to the single-phase ECM.

7. A method of operating a converter module to convert three-phase electrical power to single-phase electrical power to power a single-phase electrically commutated motor (ECM), said method comprising:

receiving a three-phase power signal at three-phase terminals of the converter module;

rectifying the three-phase power signal to a direct current (DC) power signal using a full-wave bridge rectifier; and

supplying the DC power signal to a rectifier stage of the single-phase ECM to power the ECM.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising filtering the three-phase power signal using an electromagnetic interference (EMI) filtering circuit.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising filtering transient voltages from the three-phase power signal using a transient protection circuit.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising rectifying, by the rectifier stage of the single-phase ECM, the DC power signal to a high-quality DC signal.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising charging a DC filter capacitor of the single-phase ECM using the high-quality DC signal.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising supplying a DC voltage across the DC filter capacitor to an inverter of the single-phase ECM.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising converting, by the inverter of the single-phase ECM, the DC voltage across the DC filter capacitor to an alternating current (AC) signal that energizes windings of a stator of the single-phase ECM to control operation of the single-phase ECM.

14. An electrically commutated motor (ECM), comprising:

a stator comprising windings;

a rotor electromagnetically coupled to said stator and configured to rotate relative thereto;

a rectifier circuit configured to rectify a low-quality direct current (DC) power signal to a high-quality DC power signal;

a DC filter capacitor coupled to said rectifier circuit and configured to smooth-filter the high-quality DC power signal;

a motor controller coupled to said DC filter capacitor and configured to;

receive the high-quality DC power signal;

invert the high-quality DC power signal to an AC power signal; and

energize said windings of said stator using the AC power signal to control operation of the ECM;

first housing within which said stator, said rotor, said rectifier circuit, said DC filter capacitor, and said motor controller are disposed; and

a second housing disposed external to said first housing, said second housing configured to contain a converter module, said converter module comprising;

a full-wave bridge rectifier configured to be electrically coupled to a three-phase power source from which a three-phase power signal is provided, and further configured to rectify the three-phase power signal to the low-quality DC power signal that is supplied to an input of said rectifier circuit.

15. The ECM of claim 14, wherein said converter module further comprises an electromagnetic interference (EMI) filtering circuit coupled between three-phase terminals to which the three-phase power source is coupled and said full-wave bridge rectifier.

16. The ECM of claim 14, wherein said converter module further comprises a transient protection circuit coupled between three-phase terminals to which the three-phase power source is coupled and said full-wave bridge rectifier.

17. The ECM of claim 16, wherein said converter module further comprises an electromagnetic interference (EMI) filtering circuit coupled between said transient protection circuit and said full-wave bridge rectifier.

18. The ECM of claim 14, wherein said converter module further comprises a line output terminal and a neutral output terminal through which the low-quality DC power signal is supplied to the rectifier circuit.

19. The ECM of claim 18, wherein said converter module further comprises three-phase terminals configured to be coupled to respective phases of the three-phase power source, and through which the three-phase power signal is supplied, without a neutral line, to said full-wave bridge rectifier.