Power conversion device

• US 20040105288A1
• Filed: 06/03/2003
• Published: 06/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Origin Pty Limited (Origin Energy Limited)
• Original Assignee: Origin Electric Company Limited
• Inventors: Watanabe, Kiyomi, Tomaki, Teruo
• Granted Patent: US 6,914,794 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 363/132
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0022 the disturbance parameters being input voltage fluctuations
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0074 Plural converter units whose inputs are connected in series
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/285 Single converters with a plurality of output stages connected in parallel parallel operation of a plurality of converters in dc distribution networks H02J1/10

Abstract

A low cost power conversion device operating at a high frequency with high efficiency is realized by using semiconductor switching devices such as FETs being inexpensive and having low withstand voltages and low forward voltage drops. A second error signal obtained by comparing the voltages across two input capacitors connected between both ends of a DC input power supply is subtracted/added from/to a first error signal obtained from a voltage corresponding to a combined DC output of rectifying circuits and the voltage corresponding to a predetermined reference power. Based on the resultant signals, the voltage of a control signal supplied to an inverter circuit in which the voltage across an input capacitor is higher is increased, while the voltage of a control signal supplied to another inverter circuit in which the voltage across another input capacitor is lower is decreased, thereby balancing the voltages across the input capacitors.

Claims

1. A power conversion device, comprising:

n, n being an integer greater than one, input capacitors which are connected in series between output terminals of a DC input power supply;

n inverter circuits which include n inverters whose input terminals are respectively connected to both ends of the input capacitors, and n transformers which have primary windings respectively connected to the n inverters and secondary windings electro-magnetically coupled with the primary windings; and

n rectifying circuits which convert AC voltages across the secondary windings into DC voltages,

wherein the DC voltages output from the rectifying circuits are combined with each other,

semiconductor switching devices used in the inverter circuits have withstand voltages lower than the maximum value of an output voltage of the DC input power supply, and

the inverter circuits are controlled such that input voltages applied to the respective inverter circuits are approximately equal to a voltage obtained by dividing the output voltage of the DC input power supply by n so as to balance the voltages across the input capacitors with each other and to voltages lower than the withstand voltages of the semiconductor switching devices are applied to the semiconductor switching devices.

3. A power conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor switching devices provided in the inverter circuits have almost the same withstand voltages.

5. A power conversion device according to claim 1, wherein pulse width control of the inverter circuits to balance the voltages across the first and second input capacitors is performed such that the pulse width of a pulse width modulated signal supplied to an inverter circuit in which the voltage across an input capacitor provided therein is higher is widened and the pulse width of a pulse width modulated signal supplied to another inverter circuit in which the voltage across another input capacitor provided therein is lower is narrowed.

7. A power conversion device according to claim 1, wherein frequency modulation control of the inverter circuits to balance the voltages across the first and second input capacitors is performed such that the frequency of a frequency modulated signal supplied to an inverter circuit in which the voltage across an input capacitor provided therein is higher is increased and the frequency of a frequency modulated signal supplied to another inverter circuit in which the voltage across another input capacitor provided therein is lower is decreased.

2. A power conversion device, comprising:

first and second input capacitors which are connected in series between output terminals of a DC input power supply;

first and second inverter circuits which include first and second inverters whose input terminals are respectively connected to both ends of the first and second input capacitors, and first and second transformers which have primary windings connected to the first and second inverters and secondary windings electro-magnetically coupled with the primary windings;

first and second rectifying circuits which convert AC voltages across the secondary windings into DC voltages;

a first error amplifier which generates a first error signal e1 based on a predetermined reference value and a signal corresponding to the detected value of either one of an output power, a DC output voltage, or a DC output current obtained by combining outputs of the first and second rectifying circuits;

a second error amplifier which generates a second error signal e2 by comparing the voltage across the first input capacitor with the voltage across the second input capacitor;

a first control circuit which controls the first inverter based on a signal obtained by subtracting the second error signal e2 from the first error signal e1; and

a second control circuit which controls the second inverter based on a signal obtained by adding the second error signal e2 to the first error signal e1,

wherein the DC voltages output from the rectifying circuits are combined with each other, and

the voltage across the first input capacitor balances with the voltage across the second input capacitor by changing a control signal supplied to an inverter circuit in which the voltage across an input capacitor provided therein is higher so as to increase the output of an inverter provided in the inverter circuit, and by changing a control signal supplied to another inverter circuit in which the voltage across another input capacitor provided therein is lower so as to decrease the output of another inverter provided in another inverter circuit.

4. A power conversion device according to claim 2, wherein the semiconductor switching devices provided in the inverter circuits have almost the same withstand voltages.

6. A power conversion device according to claim 2, wherein pulse width control of the inverter circuits to balance the voltages across the first and second input capacitors is performed such that the pulse width of a pulse width modulated signal supplied to an inverter circuit in which the voltage across an input capacitor provided therein is higher is widened and the pulse width of a pulse width modulated signal supplied to another inverter circuit in which the voltage across another input capacitor provided therein is lower is narrowed.

8. A power conversion device according to claim 2, wherein frequency modulation control of the inverter circuits to balance the voltages across the first and second input capacitors is performed such that the frequency of a frequency modulated signal supplied to an inverter circuit in which the voltage across an input capacitor provided therein is higher is increased and the frequency of a frequency modulated signal supplied to another inverter circuit in which the voltage across another input capacitor provided therein is lower is decreased.

9. A power conversion device according to claim 2, wherein the first control circuit comprises:

a subtracter which subtracts the second error signal e2 from the first error signal e1 to generate a first corrected error signal eA;

a first PWM comparator which compares the first corrected error signal eA with a saw tooth wave signal to generate a first pulse width modulated signal; and

a first signal distributor which distributes the first pulse width modulated signal to the first inverter, and

wherein the second control circuit comprises;

an adder which adds the second error signal e2 to the first error signal e1 to generate a second corrected error signal eB;

a second PWM comparator which compares the second corrected error signal eB with a saw tooth wave signal to generate a second pulse width modulated signal; and

a second signal distributor which distributes the second pulse width modulated signal to the second inverter.

10. A power conversion device according to claim 2, wherein the first control circuit comprises:

a subtracter which subtracts the second error signal e2 from the first error signal e1 to generate a first corrected error signal eA;

a first voltage controlled oscillator which generates a first frequency signal having a frequency which corresponds to the value of the first corrected error signal eA; and

a first signal distributor which distributes the first frequency signal to the first inverter and

wherein the second control circuit comprises;

an adder which adds the second error signal e2 to the first error signal e1 to generate a second corrected error signal eB;

a second voltage controlled oscillator which generates a second frequency signal having a frequency which corresponds to the value of the second corrected error signal eB; and

a second signal distributor which distributes the second frequency signal to the second inverter.

11. A power conversion device according to claim 9, wherein a circuit which generates the first corrected error signal eA and the second corrected error signal eB comprises:

a first polarity inversion circuit which inverts the polarity of the first error signal e1 to generate a signal −

e1;

a second polarity inversion circuit which inverts the polarity of the second error signal e2 to generate a signal −

e2;

a first inverting/adding circuit which inverts the signals −

e1 and −

e2 and adds the inverted signals to generate the first error corrected signal eA; and

a second inverting/adding circuit which inverts the signal −

e1 and the second error signal e2 and adds the inverted signals to generate the second error corrected signal eB.

12. A power conversion device according to claim 10, wherein a circuit which generates the first corrected error signal eA and the second corrected error signal eB comprises:

a first polarity inversion circuit which inverts the polarity of the first error signal e1 to generate a signal −

e1;

a second polarity inversion circuit which inverts the polarity of the second error signal e2 to generate a signal −

e2;

a first inverting/adding circuit which inverts the signals −

e1 and −

e2 and adds the inverted signals to generate the first error corrected signal eA; and

a second inverting/adding circuit which inverts the signal −

e1 and the second error signal e2 and adds the inverted signals to generate the second error corrected signal eB.