DC chopper and method for operating a DC chopper

• US 20070090813A1
• Filed: 10/20/2006
• Published: 04/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Gotzenberger, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 7,492,142 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 323/222
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0016 Control circuits providing compensation of output voltage deviations using feedforward of disturbance parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/15 using active elements
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/156 with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators

Abstract

A DC chopper features a setting device, which sets a required current value signal being dependent on a filtered input voltage such that an oscillation of the input filter device and an oscillation of the current are phase-opposed. The DC chopper may further have a control device, which, depending on the input voltage, supplies a control signal and adds the control signal to the actual current value signal supplied to form a controlled actual current value signal. The DC chopper may optionally have a disconnection device, which receives a switch-off signal on the input side and, depending on the switch-off signal received, supplies a ramp disconnection signal, and an adding node which adds the actual current value signal to the ramp disconnection signal to form an elevated actual current value signal.

Claims

1. A DC chopper for converting an input voltage into an output voltage, comprising:

two input terminals for receiving the input voltage;

an output capacitor providing the output voltage and the DC chopper supplying a current for charging said output capacitor;

an input capacitor;

an input filter device coupled between said input terminals and said input capacitor, said input filter device filtering the input voltage resulting in a filtered input voltage being supplied to said input capacitor;

a setting device setting a required current value signal being dependent on the filtered input voltage, such that an oscillation of said input filter device and an oscillation of the current are phase-opposed;

a controllable power switch coupled to said input capacitor; and

a controller connected to and switching said controllable power switch for controlling a current discharge from said input capacitor in dependence on the required current value signal.

2. The DC chopper according to claim 1, wherein said controller switches off said controllable power switch in each case if an actual current value signal of the current is greater than the required current value signal.

3. A multiphase DC chopper for converting an input voltage into an output voltage, comprising:

two input terminals for receiving the input voltage;

an output capacitor providing the output voltage;

an input capacitor;

an input filter device coupled between said input terminals and said input capacitor, said input filter device filtering the input voltage resulting in a filtered input voltage being supplied to said input capacitor;

a plurality of N DC choppers connected in parallel between said input capacitor and said output capacitor, an nth one of said DC choppers supplying an nth current for charging said output capacitor, with nε

[1, . . . ,N], each of said DC choppers including;

a setting device setting a required current value signal being dependent on the filtered input voltage, such that an oscillation of said input filter device and an oscillation of the nth current are phase-opposed;

a controllable power switch coupled to said input capacitor; and

a first controller connected to and switching said controllable power switch for controlling a current discharge from said input capacitor in dependence on the required current value signal.

4. The multiphase DC chopper according to claim 3, wherein said nth DC chopper has a peak current detection device supplying a peak current detection signal if an actual current value signal of said nth DC chopper is greater than the required current value signal predetermined for said nth DC chopper.

5. The multiphase DC chopper according to claim 3, wherein each of said DC choppers contains a regulation device having at least one RS flip-flop with an output side, said RS flip-flop, at least for said nth DC chopper supplying an nth phase difference signal from a phase difference between an nth peak current detection signal and anth peak current detection signal on said output side.

6. The multiphase DC chopper according to claim 5, wherein said regulation device has at least a first RC element with an output node supplying a first nth required current value part signal being dependent on the nth phase difference signal.

7. The multiphase DC chopper according to claim 6, wherein:

said input filter device has an output node; and

said setting device has an output side and a series circuit formed of a setting resistor and a capacitor disposed between said output node of said input filter device and said output node of said first RC element, said setting device supplying a second nth required current value part signal in dependence on the filtered input voltage on said output side of said setting device.

8. The multiphase DC chopper according to claim 7, wherein said output node of said first RC element adds the first nth required current value part signal and the second nth required current value part signal to form the nth required current value signal.

9. The multiphase DC chopper according to claim 4, wherein said peak current detection device is integrated into said first controller.

10. A method for operating a DC chopper for converting an input voltage present between two input terminals into an a output voltage of an output capacitor, which comprises the steps of:

coupling an input filter device between the input terminals and an input capacitor, the input filter device filtering the input voltage resulting in a filtered input voltage being supplied to the input capacitor;

providing a DC chopper connected in parallel between the input capacitor and the output capacitor, the DC chopper supplying a current for charging the output capacitor;

setting a required current value signal being dependent on the filtered input voltage such that an oscillation of the input filter device and an oscillation of the current are phase-opposed; and

controlling a controllable power switch for controlling a current discharge from the input capacitor in dependence on the required current value signal.

11. A DC chopper for converting an input voltage of an input capacitor into an output voltage of an output capacitor, the DC chopper supplying a current for charging the output capacitor, the DC chopper comprising:

an inductive actuator having an output side supplying the current;

a first resistor, which, depending on the current supplied on said output side by said inductive actuator, supplies an actual current value signal;

a second controller receiving the input voltage and depending on the input voltage supplying a control signal and adds the control signal to the actual current value signal supplied to form a controlled actual current value signal;

a controllable power switch; and

a first controller connected to and switching off said controllable power switch for controlling a current discharge from the input capacitor in each case if the controlled actual current value signal is greater than a required current value signal predetermined for the DC chopper.

12. The DC chopper according to claim 11, wherein said second controller includes:

a second RC element having an output side and filtering the input voltage and supplying a filtered input voltage on said output side;

a second resistor having a second output side and supplying the control signal on said second output side in dependence on the filtered input voltage; and

an output node, which adds the actual current value signal to the control signal to form the controlled actual current value signal.

13. The DC chopper according to claim 12, further comprising a third RC element disposed between said first resistor and said output node of said second controller, said third RC element filtering the actual current value signal.

14. A method of operating a DC chopper configuration for converting an input voltage of an input capacitor into an output voltage of an output capacitor, which comprises the steps of:

providing a DC chopper connected in parallel between the input capacitor and the output capacitor, the DC chopper supplying a current for charging the output capacitor;

providing an actual current value signal being dependent on the current supplied on an output side of an inductive actuator of the DC chopper;

providing a control signal being dependent on the input voltage;

adding the control signal to the actual current value signal for forming a controlled actual current value signal; and

controlling a controllable power switch for controlling a current discharge from the input capacitor such that the power switch is switched off in each case if the controlled actual current value signal is greater than a required current value signal predetermined for the DC chopper.

15. A DC chopper for converting an input voltage of an input capacitor into an output voltage of an output capacitor, and supplying a current for charging the output capacitor, the DC chopper comprising:

an inductive actuator having an output side supplying the current for charging the output capacitor;

a first resistor, which depending on the current supplied on said output side by said inductive actuator, supplies an actual current value signal;

a disconnection device having an input side receiving a switch-off signal and, depending on the switch-off signal received, supplies a ramp disconnection signal;

an add node for adding the actual current value signal to the ramp disconnection signal for forming an elevated actual current value signal;

a controllable power switch; and

a first controller connected to and switching off said controllable power switch for controlling a current discharge from the input capacitor in each case if the elevated actual current value signal is greater than a required current value signal predetermined for the DC chopper.

16. The DC chopper according to claim 15, wherein said disconnection device includes:

a fourth RC element having an input side receiving the switch-off signal and, depending on the switch-off signal received, supplies a ramp switch-off signal; and

an amplification device receiving and amplifying the ramp switch-off signal for forming the ramp disconnection signal.

17. The DC chopper according to claim 16, wherein said amplification device has a transistor connected as an emitter-follower, and a third resistor supplying the ramp disconnection signal as disconnection current.

18. A method of operating a DC chopper configuration for converting an input voltage of an input capacitor into an output voltage of an output capacitor, which comprises the steps of:

providing a DC chopper connected in parallel between the input capacitor and the output capacitor, the DC chopper supplying a current for charging the output capacitor;

supplying an actual current value signal being dependent on the current supplied on an output side of an inductive actuator of the DC chopper;

generating a ramp disconnection signal being dependent on a received switch-off signal;

adding the actual current value signal to the ramp disconnection signal for forming an elevated actual current value signal; and

controlling a controllable power switch for controlling a current discharge from the input capacitor such that the power switch will be switched off in each case if the elevated actual current value signal is greater than a required current value signal predetermined for the DC chopper.