Power converting device and ground impedance value detecting method

• US 10,505,437 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2017
• Issued: 12/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Delta Electronics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Delta Electronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Tsai, Tsung-Han, Hou, Po-Jen, Ku, Chen-Wei, Lin, Xin-Hung
• Primary Examiner(s): Moody, Kyle J
• Application Number:
  US15/469,595
• Publication Number:
  US 20180011149A1
• Time in Patent Office: 988 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 15/146 Measuring arrangements for current not covered by other subgroups of G01R15/14, e.g. using current dividers, shunts, or measuring a voltage drop if no voltage isolation is involved G01R1/203 or G01R19/0092
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 27/18 Measuring resistance to earth , i.e. line to ground
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/40 Testing power supplies testing photovoltaic devices H02S50/10
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/16 responsive to fault current to earth, frame or mass with balanced or differential arrangement H02H3/26 ; monitoring earth connection H02H5/105
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/24 of photovoltaic origin
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/40 Synchronising a generator for connection to a network or to another generator
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/46 Controlling of the sharing of output between the generators, converters, or transformers
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/007 Plural converter units in cascade push-pull DC/DC converters with pre-regulator H02M3/3374; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC stage including a high frequency transformer H02M7/4807; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC conversion stage generating periodically varying voltages H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/32 Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/04 by static converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/158 including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/5387 in a bridge configuration
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers

Abstract

A power converting device includes a DC-DC converting circuit, a DC-AC converting circuit, and an insulation detecting circuit. The DC-DC converting circuit is configured to convert a DC input voltage to a DC bus voltage. The DC-AC converting circuit is electrically coupled to the DC-DC converting circuit and configured to convert the DC bus voltage to an AC voltage. The insulation detecting circuit is electrically coupled between the DC-DC converting circuit and the DC-AC converting circuit. The insulation detecting circuit is configured to detect a ground impedance value of the power converting device according to the DC bus voltage.

Claims

1. A power converting device, comprising:

a dc-dc converting circuit configured to convert a dc input voltage to a dc bus voltage;

a dc-ac converting circuit electrically coupled to the dc-dc converting circuit and configured to convert the dc bus voltage to an ac voltage; and

an insulation detecting circuit electrically coupled between the dc-dc converting circuit and the dc-ac converting circuit and electrically coupled to a ground terminal, and configured to receive the dc bus voltage,

wherein the insulation detecting circuit is configured to detect a ground impedance value of the power converting device according to the received dc bus voltage,

wherein the insulation detecting circuit comprises;

a switching unit configured to be configured to be electrically coupled to the dc bus voltage;

a detecting resistor configured to provide a cross voltage across the detecting resistor; and

a processing unit configured to control the switching unit to effect a change to the cross voltage and calculate the ground impedance value according to the cross voltage.

2. The power converting device of claim 1, wherein the dc bus voltage is transmitted via a positive power line and a negative power line from the dc-dc converting circuit to the dc-ac converting circuit, and the power converting device further comprises a capacitor unit, and a first terminal of the capacitor unit is electrically coupled to the positive power line, and a second terminal of the capacitor unit is electrically coupled to the negative power line.

3. The power converting device of claim 2, wherein the detecting resistor is electrically coupled between the ground terminal and the second terminal of the capacitor unit, wherein the insulation detecting circuit further comprises:

a first resistor electrically coupled to the first terminal of the capacitor unit, wherein the switching unit is electrically coupled to the first resistor at a node and further electrically coupled to the second terminal of the capacitor unit; and

a second resistor electrically coupled to the first resistor and the switching unit at the node, wherein the second resistor is further electrically coupled to the ground terminal.

4. The power converting device of claim 3, wherein the insulation detecting circuit further comprises a third resistor electrically coupled between the ground terminal and the detecting resistor.

5. The power converting device of claim 3, wherein the dc-ac converting circuit is further electrically coupled to the node.

6. The power converting device of claim 1, wherein the insulation detecting circuit is further configured to output a warning signal when the ground impedance value is lower than a predetermined limit value.

7. The power converting device of claim 1, wherein the dc-ac converting circuit and the insulation detecting circuit share use of the switching unit.

8. The power converting device of claim 1, further comprising:

a second dc-dc converting circuit configured to convert a second dc input voltage to the dc bus voltage.

9. The power converting device of claim 1, wherein the dc-dc converting circuit comprises a boost converter, and the dc bus voltage is higher than or equal to the dc input voltage.

10. The power converting device of claim 1, wherein the dc-ac converting circuit is further configured to output the ac voltage to a grid.

11. A power converting device, comprising:

a dc-ac converting circuit;

a plurality of dc-dc converting circuits configured to convert a plurality of dc input voltages to a dc bus voltage; and

an insulation detecting circuit electrically coupled between the plurality of dc-dc converting circuits and the dc-ac converting circuit and further electrically coupled to a ground terminal, and configured to receive the dc bus voltage, wherein the insulation detecting circuit is configured to detect a ground impedance value of the power converting device according to the received dc bus voltage,

wherein the insulation detecting circuit comprises;

a switches unit;

a detecting resistor configured to provide a cross voltage across the detecting resistor; and

a processing unit, wherein the processing unit is configured to control the switching unit to be on or off selectively and calculate the ground impedance value according to the cross voltage when the switching unit is selected to be on and the cross voltage when the switching unit is selected to be off.

12. The power converting device of claim 11, further comprising:

a capacitor unit comprising a first terminal electrically coupled to a positive power line and further comprising a second terminal electrically coupled to a negative power line;

wherein the plurality of dc-dc converting circuits are configured to transmit the dc bus voltage to the dc-ac converting circuit via the positive power line and the negative power line, and wherein the dc-ac converting circuit is configured to convert the dc bus voltage to an ac voltage.

13. The power converting device of claim 12, wherein the detecting resistor is electrically coupled between the ground terminal and the second terminal of the capacitor unit, wherein the insulation detecting circuit further comprises:

a first resistor electrically coupled to the first terminal of the capacitor unit, wherein the switching unit is electrically coupled to the first resistor at a node and further electrically coupled to the second terminal of the capacitor unit; and

a second resistor electrically coupled to the first resistor and the switching unit at the node, wherein the second resistor is further electrically coupled to the ground terminal.

14. The power converting circuit of claim 13, wherein the dc-ac converting circuit is electrically coupled to the first resistor and the second resistor at the node, and wherein the dc-ac converting circuit and the insulation detecting circuit shares the switching unit such that the switching unit is configured to be operable in the dc-ac converting circuit.

15. A ground impedance value detecting method for a power converting device, the method comprising:

converting, by a dc-dc converting circuit, a dc input voltage to a dc bus voltage;

providing a dc-ac converting circuit configured to convert the dc bus voltage to an ac voltage;

receiving, by an insulation detecting circuit electrically coupled to a ground terminal, the dc bus voltage, wherein the insulation detecting circuit is electrically coupled between the dc-dc converting circuit and the dc-ac converting circuit; and

detecting, by the insulation detecting circuit, a ground impedance value of the power converting device according to the received dc bus voltage, wherein detecting the ground impedance value comprises;

providing a cross voltage across a detecting resistor;

controlling, by a processing unit, a switching unit of the insulation detecting circuit ,to be on;

outputting the cross voltage to the processing unit when the switching unit is on;

controlling, by the processing unit, the switching unit of the insulation detecting circuit, to be off;

outputting the cross voltage to the processing unit when the switching unit is off; and

calculating, by the processing unit, the ground impedance value according to the cross voltage when the switching unit is on and the cross voltage when the switching unit is off.

16. The ground impedance value detecting method of claim 15, further comprising sharing the switching unit by the dc-ac converting circuit and the insulation detecting circuit such that the switching unit is operable in the dc-ac converting circuit.

17. The ground impedance value detecting method of claim 15, further comprising:

outputting, by the insulation detecting circuit, a warning signal when the ground impedance value is lower than a predetermined limit value.