Inverter apparatus and method of controlling the same

• US 10,511,235 B1
• Filed: 12/17/2018
• Issued: 12/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Delta Electronics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Delta Electronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Lin, Chiao-Chien, Yan, Yung-Sheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Rajnikant B
• Application Number:
  US16/222,063
• Time in Patent Office: 365 Days
• Field of Search: 363 37, 363 40, 363 89, 363 97, 363 98, 363131, 363132
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0032 Control circuits allowing low power mode operation, e.g. in standby mode
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0054 Transistor switching losses periodically suspending operation of switching converter in low power mode H02M1/0035
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 5/4585 having a rectifier with controlled elements
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/4807 having a high frequency intermediate AC stage
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/487 Neutral point clamped inverters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/537 using semiconductor devices only, e.g. single switched pulse inverters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/5387 in a bridge configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/5395 by pulse-width modulation
• 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

An inverter apparatus includes a first switch, a second switch, a third switch, a fourth switch, a load detection unit, and a control unit. The first switch and the fourth switch form a first switch assembly, and the second switch and the third switch form a second switch assembly. The control unit selects a control mode to be that two switches of the first switch assembly are not turned off and at least one switch of the second switch assembly is turned off, or two switches of the second switch assembly are not turned off and at least one switch of the first switch assembly is turned off, or two switches of the first switch assembly and two switches of the second switch assembly are not turned off.

Claims

1. An inverter apparatus configured to convert a DC input voltage into an AC output voltage for supplying power to a load, the inverter apparatus comprising:

a first switch, a second switch, a third switch, and a fourth switch, wherein the first switch and the fourth switch form a first switch assembly, and the second switch and the third switch form a second switch assembly;

a load detection unit configured to detect an operation condition of the load and provide a load signal; and

a control unit configured to receive the load signal and provide a plurality of control signals to correspondingly control the switches;

wherein the control unit is configured to select a control mode to be that two switches of the first switch assembly are not turned off and at least one switch of the second switch assembly is turned off, or two switches of the second switch assembly are not turned off and at least one switch of the first switch assembly is turned off, or two switches of the first switch assembly and two switches of the second switch assembly are not turned off according to the load signal, wherein the control signals are produced by comparing a first modulation wave and a second modulation wave with a carrier wave having a zero minimum value.

2. The inverter apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control mode is that one switch of the first switch assembly is high-frequency switched and the other switch of the first switch assembly is low-frequency turned on, and two switches of the second switch assembly are turned off, or one switch of the second switch assembly is high-frequency switched and the other switch of the second switch assembly is low-frequency turned on, and two switches of the first switch assembly are turned off.

3. The inverter apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control mode is that one switch of the first switch assembly is high-frequency switched and the other switch of the first switch assembly is low-frequency turned on, and one switch of the second switch assembly is turned off and the other switch of the second switch assembly is high-frequency switched, or one switch of the second switch assembly is high-frequency switched and the other switch of the second switch assembly is low-frequency turned on, and one switch of the first switch assembly is turned off and the other switch of the first switch assembly is high-frequency switched.

4. The inverter apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first switch and the second switch form a first switch bridge arm, and the third switch and the fourth switch form a second switch bridge arm;

the first switch bridge arm is coupled in parallel to the second switch bridge arm;

wherein the AC output voltage is provided between a common-connected point of the first switch and the second switch and a common-connected point of the third switch and the fourth switch.

5. The inverter apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a diode bridge arm, one end of the diode bridge arm coupled to a common-connected point of the first switch and the fourth switch, the other end of the diode bridge arm coupled to a common-connected point of the second switch and the third switch;

wherein the AC output voltage is provided between a common-connected point of the second switch and the fourth switch and a ground point.

6. The inverter apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first switch and the second switch form a first switch bridge arm, and the third switch and the fourth switch form a second switch bridge arm;

the first switch bridge arm is coupled to the second switch bridge arm;

wherein the AC output voltage is provided between a common-connected point of the first switch, the second switch, and the third switch and a ground point.

13. The inverter apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control mode is that two switches of the first switch assembly are high-frequency switched and two switches of the second switch assembly are high-frequency switched.

7. A method of controlling an inverter apparatus, the inverter apparatus configured to convert a DC input voltage into an AC output voltage for supplying power to a load, and the inverter apparatus comprising a first switch, a second switch, a third switch, and a fourth switch, wherein the first switch and the fourth switch form a first switch assembly, and the second switch and the third switch form a second switch assembly, the method of controlling the inverter apparatus comprising steps of:

(a) detecting an operation condition of the load and providing a load signal;

(b) receiving the load signal and providing a plurality of control signals to correspondingly control the switches; and

(c) selecting a control mode to be that two switches of the first switch assembly are not turned off and at least one switch of the second switch assembly is turned off, or two switches of the second switch assembly are not turned off and at least one switch of the first switch assembly is turned off, or two switches of the first switch assembly and two switches of the second switch assembly are not turned off according to the load signal, wherein the control signals are produced by comparing a first modulation wave and a second modulation wave with a carrier wave having a zero minimum value.

8. The method of controlling the inverter apparatus of claim 7, wherein the control mode in step (c) comprises a step of:

controlling one switch of the first switch assembly to be high-frequency switched and the other switch of the first switch assembly to be low-frequency turned on, and two switches of the second switch assembly to be turned off, or one switch of the second switch assembly to be high-frequency switched and the other switch of the second switch assembly to be low-frequency turned on, and two switches of the first switch assembly to be turned off.

9. The method of controlling the inverter apparatus in claim 7, wherein the control mode in step (c) comprises a step of:

controlling one switch of the first switch assembly to be high-frequency switched and the other switch of the first switch assembly to be low-frequency turned on, and one switch of the second switch assembly to be turned off and the other switch of the second switch assembly to be high-frequency switched, or one switch of the second switch assembly to be high-frequency switched and the other switch of the second switch assembly to be low-frequency turned on, and one switch of the first switch assembly to be turned off and the other switch of the first switch assembly to be high-frequency switched.

10. An inverter apparatus configured to convert a DC input voltage into an AC output voltage for supplying power to a load, the inverter apparatus comprising:

a first switch, a second switch, a third switch, and a fourth switch, wherein the first switch and the fourth switch form a first switch assembly, and the second switch and the third switch form a second switch assembly;

a load detection unit configured to detect an operation condition of the load and provide a load signal; and

a control unit configured to receive the load signal and provide a plurality of control signals to correspondingly control the switches;

wherein the control unit is configured to select a control mode to be that two switches of the first switch assembly are not turned off and at least one switch of the second switch assembly is turned off, or two switches of the second switch assembly are not turned off and at least one switch of the first switch assembly is turned off, or two switches of the first switch assembly and two switches of the second switch assembly are not turned off according to the load signal, wherein the control signals are produced by comparing a first modulation wave and a second modulation wave with a carrier wave having positive and negative values symmetrical to a zero value.

11. The inverter apparatus of claim 10, wherein the control mode is that two switches of the first switch assembly are high-frequency switched and two switches of the second switch assembly are turned off, or two switches of the second switch assembly are high-frequency switched and two switches of the first switch assembly are turned off.

12. The inverter apparatus of claim 10, wherein the control mode is that two switches of the first switch assembly are high-frequency switched, and one switch of the second switch assembly is turned off and the other switch of the second switch assembly is high-frequency switched, or two switches of the second switch assembly are high-frequency switched, and one switch of the first switch assembly is turned off and the other switch of the first switch assembly is high-frequency switched.